Goth Gulgamel: “Castle of Darkness.” The name is the corrupt and somewhat awkward combination of an Elvish and a Dwarvish word, but that fact perfectly describes the nature of the place’s original master. Ghul stole what came before him and twisted it to his own ends—first and foremost, he stole the legacy of the Dread One. Some believe that his flagrant, self-proclaimed association with Eslathagos Malkith was his ultimate undoing.

Ghul is long dead. Most of his servants are dead or scattered to the far corners of the world, where they slink in shadows, fearing the light. Yet his fortress, Goth Gulgamel, remains – mostly due to its unique nature and its source of power: the legendary and fearsome Entropy Sphere.

The Spire was created when the world itself reacted to the evil the Dread One had gathered in his fortress and thrust it away.

For the story of Ghul and Goth Gulgamel, see page 81: The Utterdark of Ghul.

A soul magic spell etched into the tooth of a half-orc named Tinareg in the Dark Reliquary’s Cruciform Prison can free Ochremeshk from entrapment. For more regarding this event, see page 256. Find stats for Ochremeshk himself on page 623.

The forces of light that defeated Ghul cast powerful spells to seal Goth Gulgamel from intrusion, particularly by those of evil alignment. Over time, many of those spells decayed and so – unbeknownst to the majority of people – most of the fortress is unsealed today

The Pits of Insanity are a phenomenon found throughout the interior of the Spire as well as the Dungeon areas beneath Ptolus. For details, see page 416.

More than a thousand years ago, Ghul used the magic of the Entropy Sphere to spread his Utterdark across Palastan and all the lands he conquered in the Ghulwar.

DMs running Spire-centered campaigns can use this chapter following The Banewarrens adventure on the CD-ROM in the envelope at the back of this book. However, The Banewarrens is designed to take characters from 6th to 10th level, and adventuring groups really should not visit Goth Gulgamel before 15th. DMs might want to add a few visits to mid-level locations in Ghul’s Labyrinth (page 418) to help their groups level up.

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