The Ruins Of Pitharcos

Demographics

This small broken town now consists entirely of humans. The half-elves that that were a part of the original settlement when it crashed through to the Bos Magara during the Sundering have either died out or interbred with the humans over the last 700 years. It is thought that every human here has a tiny piece of elven genetics in them somewhere. Any other humanoid species that are caught or enter the city are eaten.
Residents here consist of about 1,600 humans. Of those, approximately 450 are married with 200 children. 400 are single middle aged adults and an additional 100 are single elderly adults.

Districts

When Pitharcos crashed into the giant stalagmite it broke apart into two main sections creating a natural divide that later became the districts of the town. There are now four main sections to this settlement. Three of them are on the south slope of the stalagmite and one is on the north side. Each district is encircled by large stone defensive walls.
The upper part of the south slope is the Temple district and contains the government center and the rebuilt temples to Kuolema, Baralla, Damu, Nanoc, and Airelav.
Outside of that district to the east is the Food Processing district, here they turn whatever they can find into some sort of food or compost for the small farms.  The food includes small animals that the Pitharcons can catch, random plants, sometimes from the farms, and any humanoids they capture or kill on their raids.  After being stripped of their flesh, the corpses are sent to the Cemetery district to be raised up as skeletons or zombies for use in menial tasks or as a rough fighting force.
To the west is the Farm district that is made up of small farms that use the light from the Blazing Worm lava river to grow small crops with the remaining soil from the original city and any compost from the food processing district.
Outside of both of them is the Training district, that houses the fighting and training grounds and armory. The temple to Razarac is also here in the old temple of Mehwaz.
On the north slope is the Cemetery district, here lies the original cemetery, former slave quarters, pit fighter quarters, execution fields, and temple to Neketole. There is also a large and expanding area where most of the cemetery and execution fields fell into a large water filled ravine. These waters are now known as the Tomb Waters Of Gravvand. It is said that any person killed in the waters will rise up as a skeletons or zombie. These waters slowly spill down the north slope and pool up once again. Where the source of the water comes from is still unknown.

Guilds and Factions

After being cut off from the world, the guilds and the pit fighter stables quickly lost power and appeared to dissolve. In their place rose the major religious temples that survived the fall into the Bos Magara.

• The Temple of Kuolema, the Goddess of Death
• The Temple of Baralla, the God of Brawls and Fighting
• The Temple of Damu, the Goddess of Blood
• The Temple of Nanoc, the Barbarian God of Survival
• The Temple of Airelav, the Barbarian Goddess of Valor and Bravery
• The Temple of Neketole, the God of the Undead
• The Temple of Razarac, the Destroyer, God of Destruction

The Temple of Dykuma, the Goddess of the Desert has become defunct and is in ruin. The Temple of Mehwaz, the God of Sport.  Has become defunct and this building has now been built over by the Temple of Razarac, the Destroyer, God of Destruction.

Tourism

Absolutely no one comes here to see the sights of for tourism. The surface world has completely forgotten about the city, believing it to have been destroyed 743 years ago. Very few in the subterranean realm know of its existence and those that do, realize that the inhabitants are barely hanging on and have nothing to offer. The few stray nonhumans that pass by are quickly captured, enslaved, and eaten.

Architecture

Pitharcos once had tall striated columns with triangular roofs and intricate details on its government buildings and rectangular homes made of wood and mud bricks surrounding small gardens or courtyards, but that is no more. After the city crashed into the Bos Magara it landed on an enormous stalagmite that broke into smaller sections. This tremendous crash collapsed and destroyed most buildings and the survivors had to reconstruct them in the quickest and simplest way.
Initially after the crash, the people made crude huts and used the lager building blocks to construct primitive walls around them to keep out the dangers of the subterranean realm. Today they have cut stone from the surrounding rocks to form small square or rectangular homes of stacked blocks. Some have tried to repair their ancient homes but most have been unsuccessful.

Geography

Pitharcos sits very near the center of the Bos Magara, just east of the Blazing Worm lava river. Half of the settlement resides on the southern slope of the giant stalagmite that split the area in two, while the other half resides on the northern slope.
Initially the entire cavern was a subterranean saltwater sea but great cracks from the Sundering drained the area dry. Now only scattered pools of super salinated water remain form the original sea. Black Pools of shallow, stagnant, and fetid water and large stretches of hard barren rock cover most of the area. The only freshwater sources arise from the water dripping from the cavern ceiling. These waters accumulate in glowing green pools and lakes and sometimes small streams that flow toward the north end of the Bos Magara .
While the majority of the area is made of limestone and marble rock, the volcanic eruptions have also brought forth glowing hot lava flows and huge amounts of igneous rocks and minerals. The cavern is lit by both the lava and the bioluminescent algae that grows along the wet seeps of the cavern ceiling and in the freshwater pools and streams. Occasionally these algae will fall to the floor appearing as glowing rain.
Giant limestone stalactites hang from the ceiling and even larger stalagmites once appeared as small islands in the underground sea like the one that split apart Pitharcos. Other interesting features near Pitharcos include the unique Blue Lava Pool Of Kekla Va to the southeast and the Amethyst Hills and their strange chain lightning beyond it. To the south rises the volcanic Ember Peaks of Koz. In the west are the dark elves of Hellaborg with Salt Flats south of them and the Gypsum Steps north of them. To the north is the dangerous cracked floor of the Steam Lands, where all of the lava rivers and green streams flow. Several green streams and lakes can be found in the northeast including Lake Gluhend Dezmeer, the home of the Albin Lacertians. Finally along the eastern wall is the dark dwarf citadel of Barlang Varos. Other strange features are sure to exist if one is willing to brave the expansive cavern.

Natural Resources

Pitharcos has access to most of the limited natural resources of the Bos Magara, but very few of them are of value to the government or its citizens. There is often a race against the other residents of the subterranean realm when new resources are discovered. Conflicts often break out between the humans, the dark dwarves of Barlang Varos, the dark elves of Hellaborg, and the Albin.
The most important resource for the Pitharcons are the many types of amphibian and cave dwelling fish can be found in the green pools and lakes scattered around the cavern. They are a major food supply for a population always on the edge of starvation and make for a filling, if not delicious, high protein meal.
The most readily available resources of this desolate area are the very rocks and minerals themselves. Considerable amounts of limestone, dolomite, marble, granite, rhyolite, andesite, and diorite can be found here and are useful not only in building but also for sculpting.
Several igneous and metamorphic based minerals are also readily available. Quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, and garnet are all highly sought after. Small amounts of gold, silver, copper, and lead can be found on occasion as well.
For those willing to take the risk, Amethyst points can be collected in the Amethyst Hills if one is willing to brave the dwarves and chain lightning there.
The large Salt Flats offer a constant source of Halite Crystals as tradable assets but they are constantly being mined by the dark elves and conflict is inevitable.
Everyone is always on the lookout for Firepearl Oysters as they contain the rare and red hued Firepearl. This is perhaps the most monetarily valuable resource in the Bos Magara.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
Pitharcos became a ruin on the day that it fell into the The Bos Magara in 0 A.S.

Type

Large town

Population

Approximately 1,600 permanent residents.

Inhabitant Demonym

Pitharcons

Location under

The Bos Magara