The story of Menzoberran Graveyard delves into a history far predating the Drow city that now towers above it. Centuries before dark elves ever delved into The Underdark, an ancient civilization known as the Ash Kar thrived in these depths. They were masters of esoteric knowledge, meticulously studying the very fabric of reality and the enigmatic spaces between dimensions. Within a sprawling labyrinth of underground chambers, they created powerful artifacts, including the perilous Void Glass and the crucial Keystone of the Void, remnants of an empire that would be forgotten.
Millennia later, the Drow empire expanded, and the city of Menzoberranzan rose above these ancient secrets. Centuries ago, a Drow noble house, later known only as the Sixth House, inadvertently unearthed the hidden Ash Kar ruins. Intrigued by the dimensional energies, they attempted to harness the potent Void Glass found within the chambers, seeking forbidden knowledge that threatened the delicate balance of Drow society.
To contain the catastrophic secret and prevent widespread chaos, the ruling Council of Menzoberranzan acted decisively and brutally. They utterly obliterated the Sixth House, burying every member alive in the deepest crypts of their ancestral grounds. Their spirits were then mercilessly bound to the very stones of their tomb, condemned to eternal vigilance over the dark discovery.
From this unspeakable tragedy, the Weeping Matron emerged, a banshee of immense power born of the betrayed noble family's collective anguish. Her mournful wails now echo through the lower ossuary, embodying the suffocated screams of her kin. She stands as the spectral guardian of the Keystone of the Void, an artifact capable of either stabilizing or shattering the nearby magical seals that imprison the ancient power.
For generations, these profound secrets lay hidden beneath layers of earth, known only to the highest echelons of Menzoberranzan. It was upon this deeply buried history, a site chosen for its obscurity and perhaps its inherent magical energies, that the Drow established a new public burial ground. On 28 May 0, the Menzoberran Graveyard was formally founded, intended as a resting place for the lesser houses and commoners of the city.
However, this newly established sanctuary proved tragically short-lived, for ancient wards protecting the underlying secrets soon began to falter. A devastating magical catastrophe at the nearby T'Sarran estate sent chaotic ripples through The Underdark, directly impacting the graveyard's fragile magical seals. This sudden surge of instability caused the deeply buried arcane forces to stir and awaken with unprecedented vigor. Consequently, on 28 June 0, only a month after its founding, the Menzoberran Graveyard was officially abandoned as a public burial ground, its true volatile nature revealed.
Today, the Menzoberran Graveyard exists in a volatile and awakening state, its ancient protective wards rapidly failing. What was once merely a burial ground has transformed into a dangerous nexus, attracting adventurers and historians drawn by whispers of forbidden knowledge and the myth of the Bukhara Spires. As explorers delve into its depths, they inadvertently awaken powerful spirits and arcane forces bound to protect its enigmatic past, adding layers of peril to their quest.
