Dargun's Tomb

Dargun's Tomb, once known as the Halls of Dorrin was the prestigious home to the Dwarves and their King Dargun Thunderaxe. Now, however it is nothing but a prison that binds the ghosts of Bordinars Cleft in a constant civil war. Through intervention of the god of War: Ghalnn, the dwarves can leave their prison, but at a grave price.

Dargun's Tomb is a level 32-40 premier dungeon located in Eastern Thestra. Past the war bound gates of the Northern Border, over the frozen trenches of Farlgholm, through the icy tundra of Frostshard Lake. The outside of the tomb marks the splendour of the dwarfish architecture that once was. Now it is over run by savage gnolls. Left: The stone walls of Dargun's Tomb

King Mithdor Flamehammer of Bordinars Cleft, sent a group of dwarven warriors into the Tomb to search and recover any lost ancestry and artifacts that were lost in the collapse of Dargun's Tomb. The dwarves were over run and took refuge in a small room just inside the tomb. Brutan Coldforge, the leader of the excursion pleads for our help to rid this sacred vault of this scourge. What do all dwarves like? (apart from ale) why a grand feast of course! Agar Ironaxe informs us their group hasn't eaten in a few days and asks if we could bring him the necessary ingredients for a stew.

The detention wing of the Tomb is home to the insects. Feeding off the corpses of rogue dwarves and pillagers locked far out of sight. There is one cell however, that no insect will inhabit, not even the fearsome Scutter, an ancient louse fattened up over the years. This cell binds Blodor, The Collector of Souls.

Blodor informs us that the Halls of Dorrin are cursed by an ancient magic that causes the souls of the dead to walk aimlessly for all eternity. Blodor feasts on these souls, however the detention within his cell has caused him to become weak. Blodor offers great riches if we can bring him the soul of 3 Burning Eyes Gnolls so that he can revert to his former power. These souls are collected off Gnoll spirits. When a gnoll is killed, the Tomb's curse calls forth the spirit of the dead. Left: The Soul Collector, Blodor

With already aiding the Dwarves in ridding the tomb of Gnolls, Blodors request seems noble. With him at his former power he too can help in this crusade. That's what we thought atleast. Once we had collected the souls, he regained his full strength and turned on us. As he was too weak to get the souls himself, he used us as a pawn. His true intentions were to retribute against those to entrapped him- the Dwarves of Bordinars Cleft. His power however was not great enough and he met the fate of his victims: to forever walk the halls of Dargun's Tomb.

With one more threat of Dargun's Tomb eradicated, we continued on our tasks in restoring Dargun's Tomb to its once former glory.
Once the entrance wing was clear (and we had enjoyed a hearty meal), Brutan sent us to rescue The Missing Noble, a courageous dwarf named Dakren Flamehammer, son King Flamehammer who is lost somewhere inside the Tomb.
Upon finding Dakren, he explains that the mission was more than a simple treasure hunt. There is a dark whisper that echoes the halls of Dargun's Tomb. This whisper is held secret to the commanding dwarves. If we prove our loyalty to the dwarves then we can learn more of the tragedy that happened here. The lower levels of the Tomb is inhabited with ogres. If we are able to defeat the two captains and commander then we will have gained Dakrens trust.

The deeper parts of the Tomb, away from the insects and intelligence-void gnolls are in a slightly better condition. Ruby red carpets stretching far and wide, golden chandeliers lighting the way. The targets are in different sections of the lower levels, behind tall wooden doors. Along the way we met a boastful dwarf and like all dwarves he made us a bet. The challenge was to kill 30 ogres in 20 minutes - his personal best. We searched the halls and spilt the blood of any ogre we found, not one was left standing. The ogres were let off lightly as the ancient curse did not bind their spirits to forever walk the halls.

We departed from the dwarf and left him muttering to himself, his ego a little deflated. Further into the damp corridors we leave as silently as we arrive - killing the two captains and finally the commander.

Dakren informs us that he cannot simply tell us the truth, we must see it for ourselves. The deepest horrors lay in the very depths of the tomb - the further point of the city. When the city was destroyed, Dakren sealed the deepest part of the tomb with an enchanted boulder. Dakren hands us an amulet which can be used to dissolve the boulder to grant us access into the city.

Dakren runs ahead and tells us to meet him in the Kings chamber. Through the enchanted boulder, the Tomb holds more of its beauty. As we enter the lost city, we see the very root of destruction - ghost dwarves of three separated clans in a civil war. Their differences are forgotten upon our entry and they descend upon us, trying to inflict the same misery that has afflicted them for hundreds of years. The atmosphere is crawling - a thick fog hugs the floor and huge marble statues line the halls. Right: The city is sealed for a hundred years.

At the very end of the King's Chamber, Dakren is waiting next to a ghost. A trap? no. Infact the ghost is that of Dargun Thunderaxe. It is here we are told the downfall of Dargun's Tomb.

The Halls of Dorrin protected the dwarven clans from death when the Cataclysm threatened to shake the city of dwarves into oblivion. After the Cataclysm, many dwarven clans wanted to abandon the sanctity of Dorrin. Dargun, however ordered that the dwarves not leave the very place the saved them.
Three dwarven clans united in an attempt to overthrow his rule. However, Dargun still had the following of many other dwarven clans and this resulted in a civil war. A war that left every dwarf in Dorrin dead. The very magic that protected the dwarves now bind them there, forcing them to spend an eternity in battle.
More recently, the three dwarf clans that attempted to overthrow Dargun made an offering the Ghalnn, the god of War. Their offering was the everlasting destruction of Bordinars Cleft. What they wanted in return was the power to overcome the bindings of Dargun's Tomb and end the war.

Ghalnn, who is always eager for any chance to spread war, accepted their offering. Ghalnn removed the curse that binds the souls to the Tomb so that the three clans could leave to destroy Bordinars Cleft.
The only chance, Dargun tells us, to prevent this is to forge a weapon of unity that will destroy any dwarf who does not seek true peace. This weapon is forged from a hammer wielded by the current king (Mithor Flamehammer) and one wielded by a previous king (Dargun Thunderaxe). Dakren Flamehammer, son of King Flamehammer provided us with the current King's weapon. Dargun's weapon was pried from his hands and shattered. The leaders of the three clans each hold a piece. We are sent to retrieve these so that Dargun can forge the Hammer of Unity.

As we gather the three pieces, word spreads of our intentions and the rogue dwarves gather in one final attempt to stop us. For with the Hammer of Unity they possess no hope. While Dargun forges the weapon we must protect him from the onslaught of maddened dwarves.
The battle consisted of 5 waves of dwarves, each progressing in difficulty and ending when the commander was dead - giving Dargun enough time to forge the weapon. As the weapon was forged, a rift opened within the tomb in which all dwarven spirits were set free - their spirits gone, set free.

Dakren informs us that now the spirits are at rest, Bordinars Cleft is not longer under threat. For our valiant efforts he rewards us each with a weapon - a treasure from Dargun's Tomb.

There is so much lore in Vanguard to be discovered - if only you know where to look. Here I learnt the story of the Dwarves and realised the destruction the Cataclysm caused. As with most dungeons I've experienced, this one has not failed to disappoint. The storyline takes you away from the mundane quests and turns them into something enjoyable. The dungeon is simply huge, the biggest I've seen yet. Large enough to accommodate 3 to 4 groups at a time. If you're level 32+ I recommend you start this quest line. If not for the story then for the heroic weapon reward.

Following on from my last blog entry, I put together a small video of Dargun's Tomb which can be viewed here.