Kurn’s Tower

The emperor’s torturer

Kurn was, "During the height of the Iksarian Empire of Old", one of "Venril Sathir’s most loyal subjects." The atlas says he was "Obsessed with torture" and "the perfect choice for an imperial executioner and interrogator." Source [2]

The tower exists because of Sebilis: "Not wishing to fill the walls of Sebilis with the screams and tortured cries of their enemies, Venril ordered the construction of a great tower beyond the city walls where Kurn could perform his grim duties." "For decades, Kurn perfected his art on the most hated foes of the Iksarian Empire, with many individual cases lasting years." Source [2]

The escape tunnel

"Kurn’s obsessive nature led to the tower’s downfall." One evening, while Kurn was busy with "his most prized subject, another prisoner escaped and descended into the nethermost depths of the dungeon", a room used to store "several obsolete and failed torture devices." Source [2]

"From there, the prisoner managed to dig a tunnel, escaping the confines of the nightmarish tower. Unfortunately, the route the prisoner carved opened up a portal for the Burynai race." Source [2]

The Burynai take the tower

"Enraged at their discovery, the Burynai invaded the tower through the prisoner’s tunnel, vowing to destroy the threat they deemed the tower of torture posed to their culture." Within days it "was overrun by Burynai necromancers and shamans." Source [2]

Kurn was captured, and "his execution only stopped when the tribal elder became fascinated with the discovery of his torture infrastructure." The elder "ordered the tower sealed and guarded, assuring that any who dared to enter the domain would be swift to die." Source [2]

"His own torture devices used against him, Kurn was subject to the Burynai’s experiments. Eventually, over a year later, the Iksar would finally perish, only to be resurrected as an undead servant by the disappointed Burynai elder." "To this day, the undead remnants of Kurn lurk in the innermost depths of his dungeon, existing only with the savage will to torment any that enter the confines of his chamber." Source [2]

What is left

"The tower itself used to be four stories high but the ceiling has collapsed, rendering only the first two and half floors accessible." A "trap door in the outer regions of the tower leads into the subterranean dungeon complex, constructed of brick and mortar." Source [1]

The first floor has "a great hall with large storage rooms on either side" and a locked door to the dungeons. "The second floor had served as barracks for the jailers", and the accessible half of the third holds "a pantry, kitchen, and dining hall." Source [1]

The dungeon is "large and sprawling, consisting of various cells and rooms of torture and execution. Undead of all kinds roam the halls as well as giant spiders and other assorted creatures." The atlas lists skeletons and Burynai at monster levels 5-25. Source [1]

The Burynai

The atlas calls the Burynai "a malicious, spiteful race of xenophobic necromancers and shamans loyal to the Prince of Hate, Innoruuk." Their "desire for isolation and hatred of all outsiders" makes them "extremely dangerous for any and all travelers." Source [1]

Their leader, Bargynn, "can be found in the Cave of Wishes – a temple to Innoruuk that contains a large dark gem on display." He "is a powerful shaman and is always attended by necromancer consorts as well as personal warrior guards." Source [2]

Monsters of Norrath describes the Burynai as "large, vicious, badger-like humanoids who plumb the depths of Norrath’s ruins in search of necromantic lore." It says their society "devotes itself to the darker aspects of the Duke of Below, Brell Serilis", and that they divide land into "digs", each run by a rockshaper, with several digs under one digmaster. Source [4]

Treasure and rage

A rumor keeps visitors coming: "Kurn’s personal wealth, including payment received from Venril Sathir, continues to exist untouched – the Burynai either having no care for the treasure, or having yet to find it in the nethermost regions of the tower’s complex." Source [1]

The Game Master’s Guide says "In the ancient ruins of Kurn’s Tower there are a number of ghosts, spirits, and undead. These spirits are full of hatred and rage", and those emotions can sometimes soak into nearby wood or bone. A bone wielded as a weapon becomes the Iksar Berserker Club, whose wielder "can feel the contained rage and sometimes become filled with it himself." Source [3]