Catacombs and Caves

This is consideration of the layout and setup of the fortress dungeons. Setting this area up as a protracted series of encounters requires a different approach than what I've used to date. Much of what has filled this blog since the start of the year has been generated off the cuff as I wrote. To be honest, I feel like I've just been throwing bones out there, building a skeletal outline that can be fleshed out later into more detailed and nuanced encounters.
As a location based series of encounters, this area is different from what I've done so far. That means that this series of posts follow as a microcosm of the whole process encompassing the creation of this adventure. In short, that means sketching out a broad outline, adding specific aspects and elements to be encountered, building a map of the area, then populating it. Even then, there are aspects that will continue to be filled in, such as motivations, tactics, traps and defenses.
I've started drawing a map to use, but it is still rough. Basically, I've blocked out a section as the remnants of the original fortress dungeon. The opening that the party approached in the last entry is a large, hand dug opening cut into the side of the hill. Beyond it, there are tunnels carved into caves, or carved to connect natural caves, that work their way into the hillside, eventually connecting with a collapsed section of the original dungeon.
This fortress was originally built to command the valley, a bold statement of civilization's foothold in the wild mountains. This fortress is of human design, although the quality of its construction suggests the influence of dwarves, if not their direct contribution. Dwarven characters succeeding on a DC20 History check will know a little more of the area's background.
Dwarven legends tell of a race of mighty warriors that sought the power of the dragons to make them invincible. These Dragon Knights located a nesting site and built a bastion to protect them from the dangers of life among the dragons while they searched for a way to harness the dragons' power. The stories are scant on information, and always thought to be too farfetched for belief, but this location and the fortress lend credence to the stories.
The Dragon Knights forged a mighty battle axe that captured the icy power of this valley and the white dragons encircling it. The dragons themselves have always been skeptical of the intent of the humans in their fortress, but since they never sought to harm the dragons, or directly confront them, they were content to sit back and observe. They maintained a tentative balance with the Knights.
The cult members that have infiltrated the fortress and dungeons are eager to locate and destroy the mighty weapon. They have been sent to find the object and return it to Antaraxes Glavenis for destruction.
When the cultists located the fortress, they cared little for its walls and upkeep, always more drawn to the dungeons beneath the surface of the hill. The tunnels have been dug in an attempt to clear some of the more heavily damage sections of the dungeon, as well as to locate the magic weapon. Ironically, where the Dragon Knights sought to understand and harness the power of the dragons, the cultists here were inspired by the instruments of torture and isolation they found.
The cultists occupy the dungeon beneath the fortress, while the caves and dug tunnels are lived in by kobolds.