02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

190 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
1,866 BR to provide a permanent place to anchor his
faith. His piety and selfless leadership was rewarded by
Morrow himself when he chose Nolland to become
the first Primarch.
The original stone building is plain and unadorned
except for the Radiance carved into a slab of white
granite over the main entrance. The outer walls added
in later centuries to protect the monastery dwarf it with
their size and splendor. Upon first visiting the holy site,
most pilgrims often overlook the tiny building up the
mountainside from the gilded fortress-like walls sprawling
across the Wyrmswall below the Divinium proper.
The Divinium is the only place on Caen where the
clerics of Morrow suffer the presence of Thamarites
(and not just lay worshippers) and allow them peace
if they ask for it. The inner sanctuary of the Divinium
is a small room of marble pillars that has been the
site of more world-changing miracles than any other
spot in western Immoren. It was in this room where
Morrow appeared before the gathered congregation
to appoint Orellius I as Primarch in 1,865 BR. In 1,810
BR a pious young knight named Katrena gave her life
and died on the cold granite stones of the sanctuary’s
floor to save Primarch Orestag I from Menite assassins
whereupon her soul rose to Urcaen as the first of the
ascendants.
In 1,250 BR this room saw the single greatest
convocation of divine beings in known history—the
ascension of the Fourth Scion. After centuries of
attempts on the lives of Primarchs by assassins, an
immoral priest named Khorva, motivated by gold
and professional pride, succeeded. The granite flags
flowed with the blood of paladins, priests, monks, and
nuns until the hired killer was alone with Primarch
Lorichias. Ascendant Katrena manifested just as
Lorichias died. The ascendant then slew the assassin
outright and Morrow arrived to personally gather
the soul of Lorichias and raise him to the position of
archon just as Thamar arrived to collect the soul of
Khorva and make her a scion. Together in one small
room slick with the blood of Morrow’s servants stood
a nascent archon, a martial ascendant, a brutal scion,
the Lord of Light, and his dark sister, the Whisperer
in Shadow. After that day the seat of the Church of
Morrow was moved to the Sancteum in Caspia, but
the Divinium remains one of the holiest sites of the
Morrowan faith.
Fort Rhyker: The grounds of this destroyed
fortress, some thirty miles northwest of Corvis deep in
the Widower’s Wood, last saw major military use when
the Orgoth arrived in the area. The Orgoth easily
crushed what resistance Fort Rhyker offered and left it
in ruins. This decrepit fortress was largely ignored after
the Scourge, but it saw occasional use as a hideout by
bandits or a temporary encampment for soldiers. In
502 AR a large force of bandits partially restored Fort
Rhyker and used it as a base of operations until the
local division of the Cygnaran army hunted them
down and slaughtered them to the last man for their
attacks on nearby villages. The site remained largely
forgotten for the last century until 603 AR when the
skeletons of the bandit army were animated and set
upon Corvis. Most locals now consider this a cursed
place and refuse to go anywhere near it.
Great Cygnaran Observatory: The most powerful
telescopes in Cygnar have been built on the Mercarian
peninsula northwest of Mercir and up in the foothills
south of the Wyrmwall. This large building has been
expanded considerably since it was first constructed
and now includes the living quarters for a number
of esteemed astronomers, scientists, and professors,
some of whom live here permanently. The lower
reaches of the observatory were built like a fortress and
are garrisoned by a small staff of two dozen soldiers
out of Mercir. Vital work is conducted here under
the direction of Royal Astronomer Ennis Baskworth
(male Caspian Alc5/Exp5/Wiz5) particularly on the
improvement of navigation. Some astronomers here
worry that Ennis, a devout follower of Asc. Corben,
is too zealous about keeping the observatory free of
Cyrissists. Several widely acknowledged and respected
astronomers such as Gameo Ortmin (male Tordoran
Clr2/Exp8) have been refused access based solely on
religious grounds, and it is causing an increasing rift in
the astronomical and scientific community.
Henge Hold: Few records remain of the once
great hall and surrounding town that perched here
overlooking the waters of the Wailing Sea. It is said
to have been the home of more than one legendary
warlord but had fallen into decline by the time the
Orgoth landed. Henge Hold was sacked in 593 BR, its
villagers were spitted and thrown into the waves, and
the cyclopean “hanging stones” that gave Henge Hold
its name were used to build one of the first Orgoth