Trouble brews in Thar as orc tribes converge on the ruined fortress of Xul-Jarak, flocking to the banner of a charismatic warlord. What are their wicked intentions, and what connection do they have to six missing nobles from Melvaunt?
Deep in the wastes of Thar, an orc adept recieves a dream from her diety, the great one-eyed Gruumsh: A leader would soon emerge from the Underdark and lead her people into glorious battle against the humans, sweeping their cities into the sea. Her dream told her to wait at the ruins of the once mighty orc bastion of Xul-Jarak, the Gray Citadel. She went to the ruins, and after months of waiting, heard something other than the moaning Tharan winds.
Five years later, a small band of adventurers are travelling through the woods when they are attacked by a man who thinks them nobles from the nearby city of Melvaunt. After killing the would-be assassin, they decide to go and investigate. Once in Melvaunt, the group discovers that the children of several noble houses are missing. After going and talking to the nobles' families and determining that the nobles had left together on an adventure, they prepare to set out, only to be attacked again. The group of ruffians were killed with a little help from a black-clad stranger, who offered to help lead them to Xul-Jarak. Just a few days into the journey, they came upon the remains of a battlefield, they identify one of the bodies as the guide the nobles had hired to take them to the castle. They next day, they come across an orc camp. After a hard battle, their mysterious guide left them to recover from his wounds. They have just finished resting up from their encounter and are preparing to move on towards the castle.
This is a dungeon crawl set in Thar.