Points of Interest
Xauin's Keep
While most of the floating towers and palaces raised by the Thytota'u were
destroyed in the years leading up to the collapse of the empire, a few still
remain. The finest of them is Xauin's Keep, about five hundred feet above
the shores of Xauin's Lake, facing Darrow Uluset. The building is roughly
conical in shape, fifteen stories tall and nearly one hundred and fifty
yards in diameter at its base, covered with balconies and open galleries.
In its heyday, it housed nearly five hundred in extreme luxury. It was the
scene of considerable fighting during the elven civil war, and it has been
deserted ever since, even though it is near the heartland of the grey elves.
Groaning Cliffs
The rocky headlands of the northern Mastiqua reach drop off abruptly into
the sea. The deeply eroded limestone cliffs are riddled with twisting tunnels
that catch the wind to produce a wide variety of eerie sounds. The caves
are also home to trolls, orcs left over from the imposition of the elven
empire, and, in the deeper tunnels, stranger creatures still, so some of
the sounds may be caused by something other than the winds.
Great Buruch
The word Buruch is dwarven, meaning a "mound" or "hulk."
This immense, rough, snow-covered ridge of rock is the Drifting World's
tallest mountain, stretching nearly twenty three miles above the sea. A
few orcs inhabit the lowest slopes and gargoyles make their nest higher
up, but the most notable inhabitants of the Great Buruch are the dragons.
Older than the world itself, the dragons inhabit caves all over the Great
Buruch. They spend centuries asleep, but occasionally individuals venture
out to see something of the world. They travel most often over the southern
reaches of the Lesser Zuznun, the Kubrukh-Mar, and around the Dragon Sea,
which is therefore avoided by mariners. On rare occasions, they will venture
out much farther, terrorizing human lands and even burning swaths through
elven forests. Some times, they return to the Great Buruch. Others, they
fly away over the sea, perhaps to the world's edge or beyond.
Imperial Canal
In the five hundredth year of the elven empire, it was decided that a waterway
should be opened between the Sea of Time and the Myalli sea. A council of
magicians directed an earthquake along the desired path, opening a chasm.
Dwarvish masons were brought in to install locks along the canal's length
and ensure even depth. The result is a sixty-eight mile long waterway wide
and deep enough to carry any vessel yet made. It is still maintained by
the grey elves of Termaion.
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