Vault of Kings

A demi-plane/automated factory designed by Wayland Smith for the early aelvar emperors. Housed, supported, and maintained the Golden Army. Labor and maintenance provided by the peiriant gnomes. Control required a particular bloodline, now extinct with the Warden of Talvi. Limited access available through the Bloodstone Ring, a failsafe designed to allow someone to shut it down. When the Vault was opened by an unauthorized person, the Golden Army would rampage, destroying all intelligent life and civilization within 20-30 miles of the location. This was not the original designed behavior, but one of the early effects of contamination by Awakener influence. It is unknown when this started, but certainly by the dawn of the Third Age.

The last authorized access to the Vault of Kings was during the mid-Third Age, when the last of the designated bloodline used the army to chase Juubokai into the prison known as Talvi so that he could be imprisoned there. Sometime during the later centuries (likely after the fall of Tibor Imperia), the vault was re-opened and a massacre ensued. In the aftermath, the mysterium magicii, which served as portal keys to the vault, were split up so that no one else could try.

In 250 AC, the vault was opened via the collected orbs and access granted via the ring to the Vault Seekers, working with Queen Raanee of Crisial Kingdom (who provided magical support via her court mages). The party entered the vault, made a deal with the remaining peiriant gnomes to lead them to safety, penetrated into the core of the vault, destroyed the Awakener, and caused the vault to self destruct. The only member of the Golden Army to escape was Unit #8675309, who had become self-aware at some point. The uncorrupted gnomes and Adam of the Golden Army, along with the party, managed to escape the destruction.