The Death Scarab chose this place for his tomb for several reasons. The valley itself is small and easily overlooked by thieves that are intent on plunder. The walls are sturdy granite, as are most of the mountains here, and excellent for excavation. A narrow path led from the valley down out of the mountains, facilitating construction—though this path has been destroyed over long years of erosion and exposure to the elements. He also selected this site because it is one of the last valleys before the western edge of the mountains, thus, one of the closest places to his kingdom. From the top of the valley’s walls, a sentry could look out over all Karitamen’s kingdom. And thus symbolically, in his tomb, the Death Scarab still watches over his subjects and shields them from harm.[1a]
Tomb Valley is not an official name, of course. No one ventures into this valley, as few wander the mountains at all, and to those that do, this small valley does not offer anything worth studying or collecting. Nor does the valley appear on any maps, since no one has ever bothered to chart the Worlds Edge Mountains that extensively. In Karitamen’s time, the location of the tomb would have been widely known, of course, since many of his subjects aided in the construction, and all the nobles attended his burial ceremony. After the doors were sealed, however, it was customary not to refer to the tomb or look upon it, and people would have avoided that area out of respect and perhaps fear.[1a]
The death of the people responsible for Karitamen’s murder only increased that fear. Stories spread that the Death Scarab had cursed his killers. Tales spoke of the king, returned from the dead, waiting within his tomb for the souls of his murderers to be dragged before him. His former subjects stayed well away from Tomb Valley, even avoiding the pass nearby for fear of disturbing and angering their former king’s unquiet spirit. Gradually, the admonition to avoid the valley became ingrained, even as the people forgot the reason why. Soon, locals simply steered clear of the valley automatically. That habit remains today and many who live in the region still detour around Tomb Valley without being able to say why.[1a]
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