Oriac

"Did'ja hear 'bout tha' city tha' jus' came righ' outta tha groun'? Heard is's run by one'a them skeleton mages... but I alsa heard iss got jobs, great food, and the housing iss real cheap!"

-Urist Creeksilver, Hill Dwarf Blacksmith

Created by a Lich
Grez'zexx, the lich, using an unknown form of magic, pulled the earth into a mountain. At the top of the mountain, Grez'zexx formed the great city of Oriac, with it's towering buildings and numerous levels. Grez'zexx then created his royal guard: Enormous skeletal golems. These golems would pave the way as the guardians of both the city and its people.

Grez'zexx allowed all to live in his newly formed metropolis, even offering free residence to many across the world in the form of invitations. Many feared Grez'zexx at first: "He is a lich," they would say, "He is a spawn of true evil!" However, Grez'zexx claims he is just and would never take another's life unwillingly to fill his phylactery. True to his word, Grez'zexx passed multiple truth telling spells from holy orders, as well as other lie detection tests, proving his innocence. Grez'zexx is not without fault, as he has been known, in the past, to be a formidable foe of good and mastermind of many evil plots.

The City
Oriac is a multi-level metropolis with a sheer cliff drop outside the city. The lower levels are home to monsters, thieves, and the poor whereas the higher levels are home to nobles, great heroes, and the rich. Crime is common throughout the entire city, but is vastly different depending on which level you are on. Crime on the higher levels is blackmail, assassination, etc. whereas crime on the lower levels is commonly theft, assault and battery, murder, etc. The higher levels have cabals, whereas the lower levels have gangs.

The Dungeon
Below the metropolis is a enormous dungeon of incredible size. Some levels of the dungeon, the ones near the top, are used as hideouts for criminals and other adventurers. The topography and climate of the dungeon shifts and changes with each level. For example, the first level of the dungeon is a sewer system, the second is an gigantic sea, the third is a swamp, etc. Those who hope to travel to the bottom of the dungeon almost always go in joyful and optimistic but return, a few members missing, ragged and with a melancholic demeanor.

Many Mages have simply tried to teleport their way down, but quickly realized that similar spells had no effect within the dungeon. Mages also claim many spells have unforseen consequences when casted, but these remain as rumors rather than truth.

Grez'zexx claims at the bottom of the dungeon is an immeasurable wealth to rival that of 100 Red Dragons. Not only this, but he also claims his own phylactery is down there and for the taking, which, whomever takes it, grants them the status of ruler of Oriac.