Blackthorn
| Blackthorn | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Realm: | Domain of Greyhawk |
| Size: | Village |
| Demographics | |
| Population: | "Several hundred." |
| Groups | |
| Allies: | Duergar from below |
Blackthorn is an underoerth humanoid lair in the western edge of the Domain of Greyhawk, in the Gnarley Forest. Its precise location is a closely guarded secret and the orcs and ogres who live there go to great lengths to hide it from those who do not dwell within its hidden caverns.
History
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The Blackthorn caverns exist for a long time, but in 582 CY, the caverns are expanded—a project which continues until at least 591 CY[1]
Geography
[edit | edit source]Blackthorn lies southwest of Two Ford and south-southeast of Dyvers.[2] It is, essentially, a vertical cave shaft or "pit cave", which leads to a series of interconnected caverns or voids and, ultimately, to the underoerth.{{[1] However, it is not entirely only a natural phenomenon. The orcs and ogres who live here actively excavated passageways upwardsconnecting chambers.[3] The main cavern at the base of the system is more than 1,000 feet below the surface.[3]
The main portion of the site itself are the caverns deep below the surface. (see image)
"The entrance to the Blackthorn lair is a hole m the ground that lies in the heart of a yarpick thicket. The thorny growth is penetrated by a low tunnel carved through the branches, but the entrance to this tunnel is concealed with a loose tangle of thorns....
The rim of the hole is a circle roughly 30 feet across. Moss hangs over the edge, onto a cracked limestone wall that lines the interior of the shaft. The walls drop away to the limits of vision, and only inky blackness awaits below."[3]
The pit is approximately 100' deep, above a 150' tall cavern, making it a total 250' descent.[3]
By 591 CY, the orcs excavate two entirely new cavern chambers in addition to the natural caverns. The larger of the two (more than 100' both directions), leads east off the original Lower Cavern, with more connecting passages still being excavated. The smaller (40' x 60') extends northwest off the Middle Cavern.
Caverns
[edit | edit source]- Upper Cavern
- (250' below the surface):
- Middle Cavern
- (500' below the surface)
- This chamber is dominated by the Fountain of Pure Light—a "magical geyser" which erupts from a one-foot hole in the ground, and sprays upward in an umbrella shape.[4] The water emanates a radiance equivalent to daylight and is difficult to look at. It fills the cavern air with a brilliant mist. It is centuries old.[3]
- The water can cure light wounds, and if submerged, a subject heals all wounds, and are cured of any disease, blandness, curses, or any kind of "unnatural types of body decay."[4]
- A passage off this cavern leads back up to 400' below the surface, to a chamber where there's an opening and a way to climb down to the canyon adjacent to the Lower Cavern where the geyser runoff joins a river.
- Lower Cavern
- (1,000' below the surface)
- The corridor leading here seems to go on forever, descending very, very deep. It includes a section of the runoff stream from the Fountain of Pure Light, and there is a bridge across it to a shelf along a canyon wall with another 1,000-foot drop where the runoff becomes a waterfall.[5]
People
[edit | edit source]All inhabitants of Blackthorn are humanoids, specifically mostly orcs, ogres, and gnolls.[1][3] They work to connect the upper caverns to the underoerth where they work with the duergar coming up from below.[1]
Population
[edit | edit source]Demographics
[edit | edit source]Notable individuals
[edit | edit source]Religion
[edit | edit source]Languages
[edit | edit source]Government
[edit | edit source]Economy
[edit | edit source]Resources
[edit | edit source]Trade
[edit | edit source]Rumors and legends
[edit | edit source]See also
[edit | edit source]See also:
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
Anna B. Meyer, from the Meyer map, 2024.
External links
[edit | edit source]Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
References
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b c d Slavers (2000), p.17.
- ↑ From the Ashes (1992), poster map.
- ↑ a b c d e f The City of Greyhawk (1989), p.36, Gem of the Flanaess.
- ↑ a b The City of Greyhawk (1989), p.37, Gem of the Flanaess.
- ↑ The City of Greyhawk (1989), p.38-39, Gem of the Flanaess.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess | 9, 34, 36, 37 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | From the Ashes: Campaign Book | 43, 45 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | Living Greyhawk Gazetteer | 17, 140 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | Living Greyhawk Journal #2 | 7 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | Player's Guide to Greyhawk | 54 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | Slavers, AD&D 2e | 4, 17, 27-29, 31, 42 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | The Adventure Begins | 64, 69, 86, 112 |
| Blackthorn Cavern | Settlement | Defensive Structure, | WGR5 Iuz the Evil | 31 |