Hellgate Keep

Hellgate Keep, formerly Ascalhorn, was a city of evil on the northeast edge of the High Forest. It was destroyed in 1369 DR when the Harpers used the Gatekeeper's Crystal, and is now overseen by the treant Turlang and his fellows.

History

Ascalhorn

Ascalhorn was founded by the Eaerlanni elves in the northeast of the High Forest on an area known as Ascal's Horn, to protect the boundaries of the kingdom. They gave it to the Netherese refugees after Netheril fell.
Wulgreth, a Netherese wizard, summoned devils to the city in 820 DR. In 880 DR, this prompted other wizards, with the guidance of the fey'ri, to summon demons to counteract the devils and in 882 DR the demons won the battle and subsequently conquered the city. The demons continued their rampage, destroying Eaerlann and Ammarindar.

Hellgate

In 886 DR, Harpers placed wards around the keep to prevent demons from using their gate abilities.
In 1368 DR, the Blue Bear tribe, led by shaman and chieftain Tanta Hagara, marched on the fiend-ridden fortress.

История

Hellgate Keep stands on the westernmost of the three rivers that join to form the Delimbiyr. The westernmost stream was once known as the Ascal Stream, but it's now called Skull Creek. This infamous city is the Maw of the Nine Hells, the most evil and dangerous place in all the North. For obvious reasons I could not go near it. It was once known as Ascalhorn, because it was built on the slopes of a jutting natural peak known as Ascal's Horn. The Keep's soaring stone walls and towers were built by elves long ago. They were intended to guard Turnstone Pass and the northern reaches of the elves' realm from the periodic attacks of orc hordes. The elves who built it made one mistake. They didn't want the dis¬tasteful task of fighting the orcs them¬selves, so they turned their newly built fortress over to human refugees from fallen Netheril. The humans of Ascalhorn were proud, and strong in magic. They strove to recapture the glory of fallen Myth Drannor, even as Silverymoon does today. However, they over¬reached themselves. One ambitious mage, Wulgreth, created a secret gate to the Nine Hells in order to summon aid for his strivings against rivals in the city. Baatezu slowly infiltrated the city, at first only as quiet, quick servi¬tors wearing shapes as like people as possible. Then they grew bolder, scheming and manipulating, acting as go-betweens for the powerful mages of the city, encouraging rivalries, mis¬understandings, and fears.11 They led many of Ascalhorn's powerful wiz-ards to embrace lichdom in a way that gave the baatezu magical control over them. When they felt bold enough, baatezu ruled openly, torturing and devouring the human citizens at will. In desperation, many women and men of Ascalhorn turned to dusty gri- moires. They summoned tanar'ri to fight the baatezu. It was a strategy that worked too well. A horde of tanar'ri poured into the city, slaughtering humans, liches, and baatezu alike. Those who could fled in terror, and frightened folk across the North rechristened Ascalhorn with the name Hellgate Keep from a minstrel's ballad describing the fall of its pride and might. Today, Hellgate Keep is a fortress ruled uneasily by a council of rival marilith tanar'ri. Each commands a faction struggling for control over the others. Grintharke, a balor tanar'ri who ruled the Keep for centuries, was recently destroyed by elven adventur¬ers. This threw the forces of the Keep into internal chaos, delaying its planned conquest of the North. Hell¬gate Keep forces had expected to begin with Sundabar, and then go to Silverymoon, Everlund, and so on, proceeding thereafter down the Delimbiyr until Waterdeep was iso¬lated and could be defeated. All types of tanar'ri, from nalfesh- nee to rutterkin, can be found in the Keep today. Some servant liches and annis (hags) also dwell there, as do legions of cambion troops led by a death knight, Shari Nikkoleth. Under the commands of the coun¬cil of mariliths, the death knight leads or directs many patrols down the Delimbiyr and through the Nether Mountains to imperil the roads around Sundabar. The elves and tre- ants who remain in the High Forest nearby make short work of any patrols who head into the woods. The death knight, faced with firm orders to continue such strikes, uses such duty as punishment, knowing he's throwing forces away. Troops from Citadel Adbar, Ever- lund, Silverymoon and Sundabar together hold Turnstone Pass. Here they prevent Hellgate Keep from over¬running all the cities of the North. Several powerful mages have combined to raise temporary mythal-like magical fields over the Keep. These fields are fueled by magical nodes of power installed long ago by the elves. The magic makes the tanar'ri unable to bring others of their kind from the Abyss into Faerun. The nodes of power can't be destroyed without bringing portions of the Keep crashing down on the heads of the resident tanar'ri, so the spells have hampered the growth of Hellgate Keep. The Harpers have worked hard to sow rumors all across Faerun, so many adventuring bands have heard that the best way to build a reputation is to destroy the tanar'ri patrols of Hellgate Keep. Harpers have even been known to equip such bands with healing potions and horns to blow to call a rescue attempt from a Harper band. The tanar'ri may be hampered in their plans for ruling the entire North, but their cruel rule is firm over Hellgate Keep itself. There they breed and herd captured humans, keeping them for torment and as house slaves. Those who become dis-obedient are transformed into ghouls and set free to roam the North, spreading fear and destruction. This practice has led to Hellgate Keep being called “the ghoul-hold.” Merchants and travelers alike now shun the Delimbiyr headwa¬ters. Game is growing more plenti¬ful, since the tanar'ri only delight in hunting intelligent game, such as humans. The only folk who head for Hellgate Keep today are fools, half¬wits, or slavers, However, slaving is a dangerous trade with Hellgate Keep. The slavers are just as likely to wind up in cruel captivity as the slaves they bring. So beware Hellgate Keep, and keep clear, as I did.

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Другие названия

Ascalhorn