The Refuge of Durak is a pocket dimension that served as an oasis of law for the planar explorer known as Durak the Rigid. An archmage and planar explorer, Durak held to his moral code in any situation, steadfastly embracing his ideals even in the face of absolute chaos.
Durak the Rigid’s home — the alternative material plane known as Terth — was destroyed by a black miasma of negative energy unleashed by a powerful force known as the Chaos Storm. The archmage survived that horror long enough to learn that the storm had been spawned by entities known as the Entropic Lords. These powerful entities sought to unmake the universe itself, returning reality to its wild, unformed state.
The Refuge manifests as an austere stone vault containing a master bedroom for Durak, an additional four bedrooms for guests, a dining room, library, servants quarters, and storage space. It is staffed by a half-dozen formorians who ensure that the plane is kept clean and prepared food for Durak when he was in residence.
The strong gravity of the Refuge — a reflection of the gravity of Durak’s home plane — can be uncomfortable for those raised under less bracing gravitational fields. Those uncustomed to such gravity must make a constitution-style check each day to avoid becoming fatigued.
Similarly, the Refuge is strongly aligned with the forces of Law, another reflection of Durak the Rigid’s worldview. Anyone with a chaotic disposition finds the Refuge uncomfortable; those who spend at least a day inside its borders must make a Wisdom-style check or find that their thoughts are becoming more lawful and orderly. Those who succeed in such a check still suffer fatigue as the constant mental strife makes true rest impossible.
Durak died confronting one of the Entropic Lords, but the pocket dimension survived him. It remains accessible by evoking the magic of the Stone Key of Sternness, a magic item that — once attuned — allows the wielder to transport themselves and up to six companions to the Refuge.
Planar Charateristics
- Small: 4,000 sq ft
- Shape: Hard edges (impenetrable barriers at edges)
- Gravity: heavy gravity
- Time: Normal
- Morphic: Alterable (normal)
- Energy trait: No elemental or energy trait
- Alignment: Strongly lawful aligned
- Magic trait: Normal Magic
- Inhabitants: Axiomatic
- Access: The Stone Key of Sternness provides a focus for accessing and leaving the plane.
Featured Image Meta
Beaumaris Castle interior wall in the north gatehouse. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
