WITCH PIPE

Witch Pipe
CategoryVolcanoes
ContinentBrucrumus
RegionNorthern Hordelands, Phangul
Map
SkyciusOlvagny

Witch Pipe is an active volcano sited along the eastern slopes of the Sournbracks. Like most volcanoes it begins somewhere deep in the Subterranean Tiers. In the dark reaches of Phangul, it is nothing more than a cone, or pipe. It spews no lava in this region, but does warm up the waters of the Heliotrope Sea. In some areas near where it touches the sea, water seeping into pockets turns into jets of steam or pools of boiling water.

On the surface, a common misconception is that Witch Pipe is named for the Witch Horde or the many witches among the area's Theegans. The truth of the naming was that in the Horgon Era this volcano was the abode of a powerful fire troll shaman named Vuzara. As a mortal, she ruled for three decades, putting large tracts of Skycius under draconian rule. Once she started getting old, Vuzara became a lich. It is thought that she learned how to do this from a set of scrolls or books plundered from what was then the ruins of Incubus. As an undead shaman, Vuzara ruled for another three centuries. In addition to an army of fire trolls and gnolls, she had a few red dragons that followed her whims; control by way of her possession of the dragon orb Zuwuth Uv Enkii.

Witch Pipe has a lot of ruins on its outside and many labyrinths within it. Most of these giant-build constructions were erected during Vuzara's Reign (62 HE - 392 HE). At the time, her greatest foes were the hill and stone giants of the Sournbracks.

The reign of Vuzara ended when she was killed by a stone giant champion named Grazafar. Most of the places to defend against her were of little value once she was gone, becoming the abodes of monsters and beasts. Some of the ruins in higher elevations serve as aeries for chaos rocs, griffins, and dragons.

Witch Pipe is honeycombed with passages. Some lead into the deeps of Phangul to bases of Theegan pirates preying upon the rich trade of Heliotrope Sea, heart of the Gnemdos Trade Network.

Locals say that Witch Pipe is cursed. This is because a number of liches have come to power in this volcano. Some are just a nuisance, but a few have been real problems for the region. In more recent times, two liches born to Vuzara's Curse joined up with the dragon cult at Phanaca.

Related Information