Bazzoxan

Bazzoxan is located north of the Barbed Fields, at the base of the Penumbra Range. Above it rises a giant, ancient, jet-black Betrayer's Rise, temple that was built into the maroon-gray mountain rock of the surrounding mountains. Spiral towers with their own alcoves and balconies emerge from the temple, some but not all of which have crumbled.
The buildings of the the village of Bazzoxan are scattered structures built on ruins, much like the Ghostlands of Rosohna. There are large iron watchtowers marking the street corners along the perimeter of the settlement. Aurora Watch patrol the streets, and most of the population appears to be military. There are very few lights, as the drow and goblinoids who make up most of the population do not need them to see in the dark. Dust storms are not uncommon.

Demographics

Eighty-one percent of the population of Bazzoxan is drow. The population is mostly military personnel. Most people wear armor and are armed, and the civilian to soldier ratio is about one to four. Even the civilians are trained in basic combat and defense.

History

In the time of the Calamity, the entire mountainside was a prominent temple to a number of Betrayer Gods. Bazzoxan was the name of the structure, rather than the village. The deep-set, multi-leveled temple was the seat of the princes of the Abyss on the Material Plane, who were tenuously aligned during the Calamity but held different seats throughout the temple. Like many locations in Xhorhas, Bazzoxan was left a ruin after the end of the Calamity.
After the reclaiming of Ghor Dranas and the establishment of Rosohna, some members of the Kryn Dynasty traveled north in an effort to renovate another former site of the Betrayer Gods. Although, for a time, they were successfully developing a new mining town, in the process of their reclamation, the inhabitants of Bazzoxan uncovered that there were still quite a number of remaining doorways from the abyssal temple. They had only managed to build part of the city before it was attacked by those demonic forces.
Since the attack, which occurred around 795 PD, most of the tunnels to the temple have been barricaded in order to prevent threats from entering the city, though demons and other creatures do still slip past from time to time.[19] Aurora Watch soldiers have been fighting creatures from the Umbra Gates ever since the Abyssal rift reopened, but have been stuck in a stalemate for decades. Many civilians have left Bazzoxan in the ensuing years, and those who still live there primarily support the military and the mages fighting the forces of the Abyss.

Points of interest

• Betrayer's Rise, an ancient temple of the Betrayer Gods looming over the northern side of the city. The princes of the Abyss used it as their seat in the Material Plane.
• The Umbra Gates, gargantuan black doors in the mountains over Bazzoxan that serve as the entrance to Betrayer's Rise.
• Sacrifice Engines, two 30-foot deep pits lined with rows of metallic blades. Centuries past, acolytes to the Betrayers threw mortals inside and activated the levers near the edge of each pit, animating the blades and pleasing the evil gods. As of 836 PD, Aurora Watch lures demons toward the engines, avoiding severe casualties from their side.
• Crematorium, a stone building that rests on a side of Penumbra Range is owned and operated by two brothers, Reynard and Sebastian Allerton. The crematorium has two furnaces.
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• Infirmary, three buldings bordering the centre square of Bazzoxan. As of 836 PD, it was under the care of Bautha Dyrr.
• Gatehold Barracks, commander center for Taskhand Verin Thelyss and his senior officers. It contains four rooms: war room, mess room, training area, and sleeping quarters.
• Dilapidated Temple, once flourished temple to Avandra, in 836 PD it was partially destoryed and situated into a garden by firbolg named Foghome, producing vegetables that have need in sunlight.
• Wall of the Unfoggoten, a memorial site for Aurora Watch soldiers.
• The Ready Room, the only inn in Bazzoxan and is owned and run by Delez and Prima Demona, a drow brother and sister team. The inn is very basic and prices are high due to the expense and difficulty in getting commodities to such a remote location.

Type

Military, Base

Population

2,610

Location under

Barbed Fields

Included Locations

• Betrayer's Rise

Owner/Ruler

Verin Thelyss

Ruling/Owning Rank

Taskhand

Owning Organization

Kryn Dynasty