Brimstone Haruspex

The Brimstone Haruspex is a network of tunnels, spires and chambers built within a caldera of an active volcano in the Kodakar Sky Islands. It is an ancient Thassilonian building which became inhabited by a legacy clan of orcs called The Endseers a couple centuries after the fall of the empire. In that time, it was maintained by a small group of fire giants who remained after the fall of the Runelords.
While it's original purpose can only be guessed at by attempting to decipher the runic decorations which adorn its walls, the Haruspex has become the spiritual center for the orcs of the Hold. In their seat of power, they conduct rituals which use the fumes of the volcano below to spin prophetic advice for those who seek it. They also hold the ritualistic awakening of witches deep within the bowels of the structure.

Purpose / Function

The Haruspex is used by the Endseers for its strong magic aura. The clan of exclusively orcish magic casters draws from the Runewell located in the Haruspex to both attract nascent witches to them and awaken them. The ritual essentially speeds up the naturally gradually deepened connection between a witch and the orcish collective unconscious. It's exact mechanics are a secret known to the Endseers only with even the awakened witch gaining access to this guarded knowledge.
On a geopolitical level, the Haruspex is the equivalent of Urgir for Seed clan witches, in that it is where all spiritual matters are consulted and resolved with the prophetic advice of the Endseers.

Alterations

None of the Endseers being skilled in engineering or architecture beyond minor adjustments, they leave most of the maintenance of the Haruspex to the fire giants. Who, in turn, are very much behaving routinely and with the most interest in keeping things the same way. As such the only alterations made to the Haruspex since the orcs moved in is the ever-expanding Fresco of the Endseers as they record orcish history.
Of course, its location in proximity to an active volcano means the structure can often lose integrity at times but the fire giants carefully rebuild all that breaks back to how it was originally designed.

Architecture

The Haruspex is built in the sulfur-rich rock formations in the Eye of the Unmaker. Its insides are carved into the solid rock and it was clearly designed carefully so that it would be able to weather any storm. Which in fact threaten its structural integrity far more than any earthquake as the water dissolves the sulfur from the rock and trickle it down to the bottom of the caldera where it forms an acid lake.
Its tunnels are reinforced with beams of granite rock which prevent their collapse during a quake. Where this granite came from and how it was brought to the Haruspex is a question even the fire gians don't know the answer to.

The Hall of Omens

In the largest room of the Haruspex, which is coincidentally the deepest, is where the Endseers conduct the awakening of burgeoning witches. Surrounded by indecipherable runic prophecies, they use the Runewell which sits in the center of the room to deepen the witch's connection to the orcish unconscious, making all of its gathered knowledge available to them. Both Endseers and witch have no idea what the runewell's capabilities are, but still use it in order to speed up the natural process of the witch deepening their connection.

The Fresco of the Endseers

Not restricted to any one place or any on location, the fresco extends along every wall of the Haruspex starting outside the doors of the Hall of Omens. The Endseers claim the Fresco to be "true" orcish history and depict in high detail any event orcish kind has been involved in. Including events not witnessed by the Endseers themselves.

Alternative Names

Firesight (orcish)

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

Kodakar Sky Islands

Related Ethnicities

• Legacy Clans

Owning Organization

The Endseers