Pyramid of Conflict Tânê 16

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Tânê 16, or what would become known as the Pyramid of Conflict, was built in the fifth century of the Lith-Crillion Era. It was like the other Pyramids of Power, a Lith-Crillion research center. Its main purpose was learning the motives and actions of peoples. At the time of its construction there were a number of peoples in the Ma'Ohari Region whose spheres of influence were about to collide. These were the Turkûn of Felak, the Tragarans of Tilnangau, and a lost demon regiment that would come north to build Orias Vaul and go on to found the Varelay Empire. The collisions of these groups was studied by the Lith-Crillion out of harm's way. They were behind the Pyramid's impenetrable walls, hidden for over a thousand years. How they studied the lands around why they remained inside has never been learned.

Around 2000 LE, the people were suspecting that something was amiss. Based on their analysis, there were too many conflicts, from in the family all the way to level of city-states and the empires. With tools of magic, and requesting information by divine means, the location of the Pyramid was eventually pinpointed. Attempts get inside failed. Rumors spread of the work in the mountains, of a secret area, a tomb of an ancient being, and ones that were more to the truth. In Varelay, demon tongues enraged the throng with, "we are like bugs to them, they study, they poke, they incite us for reactions".

Fifty years before the start of the Varelay Upheaval (2608 LE - 16 HE), the demons of Varelay gained control of the Pyramid. The Lith-Crillion were gone. The Pyramid of Conflict, like all the Pyramids of Power, is sentient. It wants to feed and survive. The invaders were allowed into some area and destroyed when they went into places they did not belong; places attuned to the biorhythm of the Lith-Crillion. Varelay wasted thousand of lives trying to get into these restricted areas. Where they were allowed to go was to prove very destructive. They used the Pyramid's sound energy, "the buzz of the jungles", concentrating it, then blasting holes in nearby mountains, opening tunnels for mining and new roads.

While it was being scoured by the demons, the Pyramid had built up a garrison. These were those supposedly lost inside the Pyramid or those that escaped their duties, running off into the jungle. Hundreds of these "lost" were transformed into Pyrmidian Ghouls. These were peoples representative of the area around, Tragarans, kuo-toans, firenewts, Vedrii, all Varelay slaves. In the chaos and turmoil of Varelay Upheaval, Varely lost the Pyramid to its secret garrison.

In 985, a Conclave wizard named Adîlkhâru got into the Pyramid, stealing ancient Lith-Crillion tomes. One of these was Izrukîn Sa Thir, a book providing the step by step process for manipulating the Web of Magic. As Adîlkhâru made her escape, one of Pyramid's guardians called out in a calm voice, warning "In less than a decade you will bring ruin upon a wide area and see the deaths of tens of thousands because of that one book." This warning would come true. The study of Izrukîn Sa Thir opened the way for manipulating the Web of Magic. Adîlkhâru and the Eldiritch Conclave would create a school for advancing this lost art. In the Domination Wars (995 - 1016), Conclave web weavers overtaxed the Web, bringing about the Gulimbor Cataclysm (996 - 1203).

In 1456, the Pyramid was captured by forces serving Gorthunder. Under new management, Gorthunder turned the Pyramid's power on Orias Vual, clearing its battlements.

In 1462, the Pyramid fell to forces under Raxcvillibus. He had with him, several hundred Pyrmidian Ghouls that knew how to get around the Pyramid. After its capture, they joined his army's assault on Orias Vual. When that city was taken, they returned to their ancient home, a place they felt a deep desire to protect.

Today the Pyramid of Conflict is surrounded by the volcanic wasteland Malephar. For two millennia after its construction, it was surrounded by a deep jungle, hidden by magic to blend in with its surroundings. In the Varelay Upheaval, it could no longer hide, for the land around was turned to ash. In all directions was a broken landscape dotted with geysers, lava flows, gas vents, and mud volcanoes. The Pyramid remained unscathed through all of this, the empires and peoples around did not.

Like most Pyramids of Power, the Pyramid of Conflict is home to Pyrmidian Ghouls. Today, these are mostly from firenewts and kuo-toans.