“Into the East you say?” bellowed the wild eyed foreigner. “Well that’ll be a true path to glory or hell if ever I heard of one! Gird yourselves well my Bowbe’s, for the armies of the Orc King are canny and cunning!”

Not far from the Crater of Umeshti in the Haunted Highlands, stands the city of Dro Mandras. It serves as the capitol of the Duchy of Karbosk and is its largest and most populated trade center. It the only regional settlement that could qualify as true civilization by any standard. But little of that remains now for the orcs hordes have issued from their holes and hovels and laid waste to the region and sacked much of the city. With a tenuous grasp The Duke holds sway to some parts of his precious city, but much lies under the iron shod heals of the orcs and is crowned, not the ducal laurels, but rather with wreath’s of blackened smoke.

The Conquered East is an Urban Dungeon that details the fallen western sections of the Karboskian City of Dro Mandras and its various sundered environs. As with other adventure supplements in the DB series, The Conquered East does not cater to the standard display of “Adventure by character level”. Instead it offers descriptions of what is present within the shattered walls of East Dro Mandras, and leaves it for the adventurers to explore for good or ill, and for the CK to determine which encounters best suit the needs of their campaign group.

As with any Castles and Crusades Campaign, it is suggested that the PC party, no matter the level, have at least one rogue or assassin for dealing with traps, one arcane spellcaster, one divine spell caster, and a solid mix of other character classes (especially melee combat experts such as fighters, barbarians and rangers) to successfully explore the battered remnants of the Conquered East.

Detailed within this book is an overview of the forces which Yorgach has left behind to lay siege to West Dro Mandras. Here the Castle Keeper finds details on the various lairs of Yorgach’s captains. Here too is found the Mausoleum of Honored Dead, the tunnels of the goblin sappers and the sacked Temple of Vanium the Fearless. Also detailed is the last bastion of freedom within the Eastern City…That being the Besieged East Central district, held now by fifty brave paladins, and priests, doughty adventurers who refused retreat, and the inspiration of Galian, the half-elven warrior poet.

Dro Mandos II is a scaled adventure and allows CKs and players latitude in running low to mid level games in the confines of the city. The areas of adventure detailed within this tome are fluid rather than static.