Eiselberg Keep (eye-sill-berg)

Far to the north of the world, on the island of Ikitur, lies a desolate and foreboding keep that rises out of the surrounding tundra and glacier. No one is sure how long Eiselberg Keep has been around, though it has been a thorn in the side of Ikitur's government for as long as anyone can remember. Some speculate it was a First Age supercity that somehow avoided total destruction, though there are a few records of undead encounters in the north during the First Age, so that theory seems to be debunked. It is likewise unknown who or what controls Eiselberg Keep, though most scholars are certain it has to be some unnatural alliance of creatures, due to its twin phenomena that are unrelated in other parts of the world and magic: year-round ice and ice storms within a few mile radius of the keep, and hordes of undead that pour from the gates out into the world. Rumors and theories include all sort of monsters such as dragons, frost giants, a lich, an archdevil, or something else unknown. The only evidence of Eiselberg Keep's ruler/owner comes from an old tale dated to around 300 1A, in which a powerful wizard is corrupted by power or some extraplanar entity and constructs a castle of dark iron on a glacier to rule for eternity. This account does not mention Eiselberg by name and is just vague enough scholars cannot be absolutely certain it refers to Eiselberg Keep.   Since anyone can remember, the vast tundra at the northern end of the island of Ikitur has been the domain of the undead. Anyone who ventures north of the treeline in the east, the mountains centrally, or the plains in the west has found roving hordes of undead, shambling aimlessly through the frozen tundra. At times, these undead are found in groups that seem to be able to track and hunt any life that appears near them - chasing the travelers for days without stopping until they are safely back inside one of the forts. The closer one gets to the keep - though none have ever been within its few-mile ice storm radius and lived to tell the tale - the stronger and more resilient undead one sees. Scholars and scouts alike have reported massive, hulking undead giants and dragons circling the keep's perimeter. Scouts who managed to stay near the ice storm perimeter for a few days noted periods of relative calm in the storm where they were able to see across the several miles and pick out a dark, looming metal fortress rising above the frozen ground; these accounts are the only descriptions of Eiselberg Keep the world has.   Throughout the centuries, the people of Ikitur have occasionally hired and outfitted the greatest mercenaries and warriors in the world to explore Eiselberg Keep and try to destroy whatever creates the undead there. Not a single one of these adventurers has ever returned, leading many to speculate the keep might be cursed, haunted, or under some other powerful type of dark magic. The king always has agents in the major cities across the world listening for tales of great heroism, seeking adventurers who might finally be able to defeat Eiselberg Keep once and for all.