| Category | Voidships |
| Class | battleship, unique |
| Builder | Gúrkúm-Ghak |
| Naval Base | Gholím |
| Commissioned | 12 Kindle 1829 |
| Owner | Ba'lith |
Pillar of Horns is a void battleship of Ba'lith. Built at the naval yard Gúrkúm-Ghak, it took 12 years to build this sail-less, pillar-shaped behemoth. It has a 520' long dacite hull supported by a steel frame. It is roughly 140' in diameter, yet it is not a complete cylinder. It has extensive open areas on the main deck surrounded by small towers, blockhouses and six three-level iron fighting platforms called Ribcages. The ship's hull is protected by hundreds of protrusions. These are to deter enemy ships from getting too close.
It is outfitted with rotating bands which can move gun turrets around the ship's midsection. These Arconulous Bands allow gun platforms, like the wheel of a watermill, to be rotated constantly, with one firing, and another soon to be in its place, ready to fire. The contraption also allows weapons to brought to bear on enemy vessels attacking from angles where normal cannons may not be able to traverse to target. Normally, these sharp angles are like blind-spots - the weak points of flying ships. The Arconulous Bands were invented to counter this weakness. The Pillar has 30 cannons on each of its two Arconulous Bands. Each of these cannons are 15' apart covering a band circumference of 440'.
The rest of the ships cannons, anywhere from 150 to 250 are spread about the ship's seven lower decks or around the main deck. The Pillar has a lot of firepower, up to five times its closest competitor, a Class A Pyramid of Set. In addition to light and medium cannons, the Pillar's also has knell cannons.
The building of this gigantic ship (the only other voidship that is larger is a Abhômaipeth Mothership), was a monumental feat and very costly. To cover her cost, Ba'lith's emperor Raxcvillibus, got a loan from the Bank of Paradomea.
The hull of the ship is made of the dacite panels. These are replaceable pieces of armor that are attached to ship's ribcage. The panels are molded and shaped with magic. This forge work is done by earth elementals and earth archons - masters at working with stone.
The Pillar has a number of vertical access shafts that go from the main deck the cargo hold. By sliding down ropes, crew can reach the ship’s seven decks much quicker than going through flights of stairs. When crew are not using them, they are used to move equipment and supplies about.
In the cargo hold, Rax goes to a series of thick ropes running from the cargo hold to the ship's seven decks and the main deck. Each are dyed a different color and painted with numbers or the word "main." He grabs hold of the rope leading the main deck and kicks a crank, sending him and the rope to the top of the ship.
- from the Godspawn Saga
The Pillar has a number of normally inaccessible side passage which are for reaching the ship's maintenance areas. It has has a few secret access tunnels scattered about the ship. Some of these are used by the brainuses that serve as an element of the ship's security.
The Pillar of Horns is a heavily gunned, thickly armored battleship with enough firepower to lay waste to castles, armies and other ships with ease.
The Pillar of Horns first saw action in the Cinazan Front. Under Captain Rax, the Pillar's first hostile act was an attack on Avalê.
On 7 Witchrite 1832, the Pillar dropped an Entropy Arch into the city Sapthiladân. This led to the taking of the city by the Flux Pact.
The Pillar of Horns serves as the flagship for the empire Ba'lith. By Emperor Rax's orders, it is outside of Ba'lith's military command structure; considered as asset of the Ba'lith emperor rather than one that can be used by the navy.
The ship has been described as a mix of ornate and spartan. The designers tried to add more, creating something of grandeur for the people of Ba'lith. The expense of building a ship of this size ended up limiting the outlay on things the Emperor Raxcivillibus considered frivolities that don't belong on a ship of war. From the ground, one of the most notable of this decorations is the leering bull head carved into the ship's aft. Sometimes, as punishment, crew members are sent over the side, down on ropes handing far above the ground as the voidship cruises the skies, cleaning and polishing a massive carving across nearly a hundred dacite armor plates. Some corridors of the ship are decorated with carved wood panels and there are staircases and bulwarks ornately shaped. The main deck has a number of more fitting decorations that are battle trophies, like the pickled and magically preserved head of the dragon Ziist’maar, mounted near the bow, facing inward towards the main deck. A talon of the Harbinger of Chaos is mounted on each of the ship's six Ribcages, and a Lightning Pillar looted from the ancient Talos temple Ottaki serves as a decorative support beam for the Pillar's Rear Arconulous Band.
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Points | unknown |
| AC | unknown |
| Size | 520' long, 140' diameter at Arconulous Bands, 100' otherwise |
| Engine | energy converter, gem-crusher, sphere of arcane |
| Speed | 30 knots |
| Crew | 1,000+ |
| Cost | 6,500,000 GP |
| Signal Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Yellow and Black Flag | threat |
| Round Type | Code |
|---|---|
| Piercing | #1 |
| Explosive | #2 |
| Smoker | #3 |
| Incendiary | #4 |
Related Information
Battle Ribbons
Ship Inventory
- Forward Arconulous Band
- Sephulashe's Whistle
- Rear Arconulous Band
- six Ribcages