Miska and his demonic legions laid siege to the Wind Dukes� territory, routing the elemental armies and snuffing out the culture of Aaqa one world at a time. When all seemed lost, a consortium of seven great Wind Duke warriors withdrew from the conflict and developed a plan to destroy Miska the Wolf-Spider and break the back of the Chaos army. An epic quest ensued, in which there �Wandering Dukes� scoured the Great Wheel for a weapon or secret that would undo there hated foe. Drawing upon the lore of a hundred cultures, they constructed one of the most potent artifacts in history � the fabled Rod of Law
They returned to the war at a pivotal battle on the volcanic fields of Pesh. There, the greatest of the Wandering Dukes plunged the Rod into Miska the Wolf-Spider. When the absolute law of the Rod mixed with the chaos of Miska�s blood, a great planar rift erupted shattering the Rod into seven pieces. The Prince of Demons and the Wandering Dukes vanished into that rift, while the seven parts of the Rod were scattered across the land.
Hundreds of Wind Dukes remained at Pesh, many dead or dying from the wounds sustained in the tumultuous final battle. By ancient tradition, these soldiers would be buried on the world where they died, their elaborate tombs forever recalling the brave sacrifice of the heroes of Aaqa and serving as a testament to the reach of their moribund empire. The Wind Dukes ranged south from Pesh, across an immense lake to a craggy region perfect for the task. Thus were the first tombs built in the hills surrounding Diamond Lake.
The greatest of these tombs honoured Icosiol, a Wandering Duke slain by Miska the Wolf-Spider in the final cataclysmic conflict between Law and Chaos. Others contained Icosiol�s fallen servants and sub-chiefs, each with its own treasures and stories to tell. One of these smaller tombs held the corpse of Zosiel, a warrior prince who fell to a demon�s blow shortly before the Wandering Dukes employed the Rod of Law to banish Miska from the world. This is the Whispering Cairn.
In the millennia since its construction, the Whispering Cairn hosted countless visitors. They first made off with the most attainable of the tomb�s treasures, statuettes of peerless sculpture, platinum canisters of priceless incense, and a hundred harder to describe baubles of unquestionable value. No few explorers fell victim to the ingenious traps of the tomb�s chief architect, a noble Wind Duke name Nadroc. Only a few explorers discovered that most of the cairn was but a ruse meant to distract from a still greater tomb filled with even deadlier menaces. Even thousands of years after its construction, the Whispering Cairn holds unplundered mysteries from the days of its creation.
The last notable expedition to the Whispering Cairn occurred nearly 60 years ago, led by an unscrupulous archaeologist named Ulavant. The reprobate scholar had the backing of the Seekers, an order of like-minded academics and adventurers. The affair ended in tragedy, with all hands lost to Nadroc�s insidious traps. These days, only footnotes in musty tomes in the Seeker Lodge of the Free City record the fate of Ulavant�s band.
About 30 years ago, a young runaway named Alastor Land came to the Whispering Cairn, desperate to escape his uncaring family. Light enough to prance over pressure plates and lucky enough to avoid the tombs sentient guardians, Alastor penetrated farther into the cairn than most skilled explorers. But even the luck of youth was no match for Nadroc�s keen intellect and cunning precautions. Consumed by hate at the time of his death, Alastor lives on as a ghost and still haunts the most secret chambers of the Whispering Cairn.
These days, the youth of Diamond Lake hold the location of the Whispering Cairn like a shibboleth. They dare each other to spend a night within its depths, using the place as a test of mettle. These visits tapered off about 6 years ago, when a local girl vanished while sleeping in the cairn, devoured by a snake that has since left for more fertile hunting grounds. But still the children come, to marvel at the tomb�s uncanny sounds and to carve their names upon the entry walls, their shaking hands etching proof of their courage upon the ancient stone.
Now others come to the Whispering Cairn for reasons of their own, brave strangers who will risk death in search of ancient wealth. But the greatest treasure they will take from this place is each other.