The Hassenburg Engines are employed at Bloodmarsh

Technological achievement

For a short time, these great weapons were used to slaughter dragons like sheep

Fourteen great ballistae of mysterious design were founded on the coast of Bloodmarsh at this time from metals smelted from native rock. The Hassenburg Engines were chief among the weapons crafted on that bloody shore.   Legend recalls the roar of a thundercrack when the trigger was pulled, and the 260-pound iron bolt stretching to the horizon for an instant like a black lightning bolt. Myth recalls that ten men would wind the mighty windlass for ten minutes before the weapon was readied again, and that when loaded, the marksman seemed to be dragged along as the huge bow swung about its swivel to aim. The saying "went up like Ugrolic" refers to the legendary demise of a murderous bronze dragon which, when flying down to devastate a human camp, was evaporated into shimmering mist as a Hassenburg bolt plowed from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.   History tells that the tides turned rapidly after humanity began to smelt on the shore of the Crotch. Generation after generation of warriors plowing like a pick into the enchanted forest eventually cut out a firm settlement. From that time on, the conquest was less a crusade and more a matter of course. Hundreds still died for every mile at first, but eventually the native folk began to move away from the oncoming tide more and more quickly until resistance was minimal. Bloodmarsh was razed, settled, destroyed, recolonized, and finally bloomed into the huge ugly bruise it is today.   Oddly, the Hassenburg Engines all disappeared only 6 years after their creation. Few records have been found about their creation, design, or operation, and none whatsoever relate to their loss or destruction. Their fate is of great interest to the historical and magical communities. After their disappearance, the Taking faltered for several years before picking up speed again.