A Small Area to Explore

I discovered a lovely intersection of DnD and MtG over at Liche's Libram.  It is so much fun, I decided to play along myself.

The wooded slopes and valleys of the Vivid Crags shelter the Littjara Mirrorlake.  The lake itself gives the Vivid Crags their name, as sunlight reflects off the clear still waters in sometimes blinding sheens.  When clouds cover the sun, a sunken city can be clearly seen beneath the still surface.  It is deeper than it appears, and some of the larger buildings could easily conceal predators and lost treasure.  Observant viewers might see the glint of gold farther down.  More observant viewers may also realize that there are no fish or other wildlife to be seen within the waters.

The Norwood Warriors stand watch against the diseased Ogre clans and the Cockatrices that hunt both Elf and Ogre - and anything else foolish enough to head this way!  The Ogres are the devolved remnants of a once powerful race of noble giants, forever gone due to the same magics that flooded the city that rests at the bottom of Mirrorlake.  

Both Rhys and Zhao Zilong are leaders among the Elves, leading two separate factions.  Rhys believes in containing the Ogres and others, while keeping the curious and foolish away from the Mirrorlake.  The Tiger General leads raids into the camps and burrows near the shore of Mirrorlake to actively hunt down and destroy them.  Zhao Zilong would be happy to turn a blind eye to adventurers that promise to kill Ogres.

Lorthos dwells in the deepest part of the Mirrorlake, guarding the High Temple of the sunken city, and the treasure that lies within that temple.  While he might be temporarily evaded, Lorthos is sentient and actively hunts those that trespass.  Still, Lorthos IS sentient and bored, which might be turned to someone's advantage.

Within the sunken temple, all is kept dry and full of air, a boon from a long-sleeping, but not-quite-dead deity of the noble giants.  On a raised dias, just behind the altar, is a Gateway.  Whispers claim that the Gate opens to all sorts of places: the past, the Dreamlands, the treasure vaults of the noble giants.  If only the key can be found.