Qurilion's Forge

Ash and Darkness

North of us, there beyond the broken lands that once paid us tribute lies a great mountain of significance. A great hall in which the world was forged!

— Halon l'Abilia

Qurilion's Forge is an active volcano in Eastern Lethea which is of great sigificance to those who've inhabited the lands around it for thousands of years. According to the Cehvoxliers, there is a great hall built into the mountainside where their God of Labour, Levell, forged the world. The Ninneti, another people who live near the towering might of the volcano, claim that there are all-expansive subterreanean tunnels there, full of alien wonders and horrors.

The Ashlands

The lands that surround the great volcano are inhospitable for most of the normal forms of life. Great swaths of the ground are littered with ancient ruins, all under a heavy coating of ash. The uncovered patches of land are sheets of stone where sharp edges and pointy rocks can threaten the careless. Those foolish enough to venture deep into the Ashlands must pay close attention to any gaps in the stones. Whether it be the fires of the earth or its toxic fumes, there plenty of ways for the territory to harm all those who trespass.

by Pierre-Yves Burgi

The Lost Cities

Several large cities once prospered in the lands now submerged in ash. The wealth and power of such lost settlements can now only be read from ancient scrolls and the magnitude of tall spires and great castles that have remained only partially drowned by the endless greyish-white mass. The apocalyptic disaster that buried hundreds of thousands supposedly happened in 238 BA, at the start of the Invasion.

If only we could dive into that ash to recover all that was lost. We'd be set for centuries! We wouldn't even have enough room in the house for all the treasures!

— Simin Gehler

Myths and Legends

There were once dozens, if not hundreds of myths and legends about the great volcano, most of which were lost to history. Nowadays the most well-known tale comes straight from Cehvoxlier mythology and their religion, but after the great eruption that occurred at around 238 BA, a newer tale started arose in popularity. While the old tale of the god Levell and his forge is most prominent among the Cehvoxliers, a tale that speaks of vast underground caves has won the hearts and minds of the Ninneti.

World's Anvil

Cehvoxlier legends claim that before the world existed in the form that we now know it, there was only a single lonesome isle surrounded by the void. On that island was Qurilion's Forge and therein lied the World's Anvil, a tool with the powers to expand the world.

Many had tried to use its powers, but they were deemed unworthy by the forge's guardians, the Order of the Burning Hammer. Eventually, after all hope of ever putting the capabilities of the great anvil to use had started to perish, a humble farrier from a small village decided to give it a shot as well. His name had been Levell, and he had been more interested in seeing the majestic tool than actually using it.

The guardians who stood at the entrance looked at his face and hands. Without a word, they stepped aside and the doors opened for Levell. Before he could step through, one of the guardsmen handed him a lofty burning hammer. Holding it in hand, Levell realised what he was meant to do. Determined to forge a better world that would benefit all, he marched with determination and lit up the forge.

by Blake Cheek

Caves

The Ninneti don't deny the existence of a World's Anvil, but they also believe that there are massive underground caverns beneath the volcano and the Ashlands. The heat of Qurilion's Forge supposedly keeps those cluttered passages warm, and life has found ways to survive down there in the deepest depths.

Underground seas, forests of fungi, and all sorts of wondrous sights could be seen down there, but the tales also warn of great dangers. Hideous critters and deranged blind cultists roam the forgotten halls, starved for fresh flesh to devour.

There are many who believe that the toxic cracks that regularly spew out their vile poisons are hidden entrances and that those with the courage and means to bypass the deadly fumes may find the lost dark tunnels.

Alternative Name(s)

The Anvil

Type

Volcano

Location under

The East

by Jiaying

Who was Qurilion?

Many have heard the name due to the popularity of the myths surrounding Qurilion's Forge, but few actually know who Qurilion was. The tales surrounding the name, much like with the Forge itself, are varied and differ from culture to culture.
To some, he was a servant of the first god who was ordered to build the world when there was nothing but the void. This god, their name and legacy mostly lost to the passage of time, gave the builder of worlds a forge for which he was most grateful. With it, Qurilion forged stone and dirt; he created water and sand, the volcano around him and the clouds above. The god was impressed with his deeds but felt that the world was too quiet. To fix that, they created life and filled the world with greenery and people.
With that, the Cehvoxlier stories ended, but the Ninneti claim that his work wasn't yet finished. They believe that Qurilion enjoyed the people and animals at first, but then after a while, he'd grown tired of them. To escape, he forged a whole new world deep underground, far away from the god's creations.
Eventually, some of the surface creatures had found their way down into the darkness. To punish them, Qurilion trapped them there and over the passage of centuries, he turned them into monstrous critters and wretched humans who pay him tribute to this day.