The Crucible of Life

Geography

The Crucible is a large, active volcano, situated in the centre of the northern portion of The Cinder Peaks. The lava-filled crater at the mountain's peak stretches for miles in diameter and is famous for being the most active portal to the fire plan on the continent, with fire elementals appearing on it's surface regularly.
The base of the volcano ascends slowly however, as the altitude increases, so does the gradient of the slope. Upon reaching the summit, a narrow stretch of land surrounding the crater can be found. This ledge and the precipice surrounding it on the way up the mountain are scattered with white-speckled pumice stones, formed from ejection of magma from the crater.
A single track through The Cinder Peaks and up the volcano exists, originating from Finstow and climbing the northern face of the mountain.

Natural Resources

Pure Fire Aether can be harvested from the pumice stones near the volcano's summit. Also, Obsidian can occasionally be collected from around it's crater, provided the correct conditions for it's formation are met, however this is inconstant.

History

The Crucible of Life was first formed during the events of The Confluence. It is theorised, due to the incredible size of the volcano and it's volatility, that this was the site of if the most cataclysmic conflicts between the elemental planes of earth and fire. Since the disappearance of these forces, the crucible has remained one of the few active portals to these other planes, however as it exists in underneath the lava, it is completely unreachable.
Over the past 500 years, very few people have made the journey to this famous site, however the people of Finstow have made regular travel to the area within the last 200 years. In this time, a variety of denizens from the elemental plan of fire have passed across to the material plane, however due to how unstable the portal is, it is incredible rare for any to reach the edge of the crate onto solid ground. In the last 20 years, the current Grand VIzier of Auchendow, Marrake VI, has made trips to the south side of the crucible (unaware of Finstow's efforts on it's northern side) and captured a variety of elemental to act as his personal guard.

Tourism

Very few people visit The Crucible of Life and fewer still stay for extended periods of time due to the immense heat. The most common faces at the mountain's summit include researchers from neighbouring Finstow Most of these tend to be Fire Genasi and Tieflings due to their innate ability to handle the temperatures.
Occasionally, pilgrims studying the elemental plane of fire will venture to the crater seeking the opportunity to observe the formation of fire elementals themselves or meditate in the intense conditions.

Type

Volcano

Location under

The Auchendow Province

Included Organizations

• The Order of the Wildfire