n the more remote regions of the Surface are many fortresses, far from the major cities. One such is the Crystal Castle, once the capital of a now much-diminished empire of crystalline beings. In the elder days of Emperor Amberonus, the greatest of crystalline leaders, the crystal people ruled a large swathe of this part of the world, subjugating all other races. But their empire gradually crumbled, until now only their first and greatest castle remains. The crystal king who rules today, although a mighty warrior, lacks the strategic and diplomatic skills that his ancestor Amberonus used to such great effect.