Hilt Fortress

is a Tier 5 scene and can be accessed from Nightshade Pass by traveling to the tops of the mountains, and then extends deep down through the mountain.
 * This scene uses two different maps but has the same scene name. Both the different maps are basically the same, but will effect how the Obsidian Forge works.

Connections

 * Nightshade Pass
 * Equitas Passage
 * Paladis Passage

Lore

 * ''Once you pass through the exterior doors, you will appear in an entry hall adorned with friezes and stone carvings of past Obsidian battles and victories, now defaced and crumbling. The torches are lit, evidence of the kobolds which have decided to make this area their own. Beyond, a huge reception rotunda hosts the four stone thrones of the ancient Obsidian generals who once held court here. It has become of den of the kobolds, who just might be willing to make a deal with the players (eventually) which could include escort through these ancient halls if the players are willing to fight an infestation of giant spiders far below.  Deeper still are several of the forgotten chambers adjacent to the large barracks, similar to those at the surface. Here the party will discover areas such as the old kitchens and mess hall, armor and weapons forges, and a small armory. The kobolds are frustrated because neither of these proved to be the Obsidian Forge of legend…  Below the Barracks a huge, shadow-filled training area sits, choked with vast spider webs and filled with crawling horrors. It is here that the players might find a few meager kobolds attempting (and failing) to fight the many giant spiders that prowl this room, especially the lowest arena floor where the players must cross to go deeper…  Sticky webs seem to halt intruders at every turn, and of course the spiders immediately attack any who dare trespass. At the chamber’s center, a huge nest stretching to the ceiling is adorned at its base with many corpses that have been sucked of blood yet still carry treasures to loot… The players are welcome to continue delving further downward in search of the real Obsidian Forge… The kobolds wish them luck…  Below the Training Arena the stairs eventually lead to the main entrance to the Crypts of Eternity… Apparently the ancient Obsidian Builders truly outdid themselves when they found the old lava caves here, because now the grand central crypt hall is an impressive area filled with fly-over walkways, multiple arches leading to tomb-filled halls, and great pillars stretching many stories up and down into darkness. Only further down these side halls might one find evidence of the crude lava tubes they were originally carved from. A single path through this echoing hall, lit by eternal sorcerous crystal sconces, leads to the far side, where a door continues deeper down below… But between here and there, however, sinister green mists rise form the floor and gaunt, skeletal shapes move menacingly through the glowing vapors…  Below the Crypts of Eternity is a long-abandoned Chapel where the Obsidians once performed dark rites in honor of their dead before carrying them back up to be interred in the endless tombs… This is largely full of collapsed stone and old furniture, including a few supply chambers and the office of the old Chaplain, but the main feature here is the secret door the players must discover that will finally allow them into the hidden volcanic chambers of the Obsidian Forge itself.  Beyond the Chapel’s secret door, a natural tunnel lined initially with a few crystalline lights leads deeper into the earth, eventually emptying out into a large, dangerous-looking chamber filled with swirling vapors and angry pools of lava…  Beyond this, at the back of these natural volcanic chambers, is an entrance carved by the Obsidians leading into a large circular chamber excavated to expose part of a massive, alien glyph-covered artifact that seems to be made of volcanic glass even more ancient than that which fell from the shattered moon… This must be the true Hilt that once pierced the land long ago!!! And at its center, under a shaft of crimson light and power that falls from a huge floating piece of obsidian, is the Forge itself…waiting…

Trivia

 * The older style map for this scene can be found at https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/map/?map_id=681
 * Within the Blackblade Mountains, between South Paladis to the west and Midmaer to the east, is the narrow cleft of Nightshade Pass. At its center, the winding pass opens up into a bowl-shaped canyon in which rests a shimmering lake fed by icy water flowing down from glaciers hidden higher in the mountains to the north...
 * Hilt Fortress: The Obsidian Forge is now functioning but beware; for not only does it drain the user’s life and focus, but it also draws the attention of ever increasing waves of enemies (much like a Control Point).
 * In the chat window type the command /loc and you can see the current area name and map name.
 * (Old outdated information) Hilt is a known contested area for Player vs. Player combat. It is the only place in the world where Tears of the Moon can be formed. 
 * This scene has two different maps and the same scene name:
 * Scene Name: Hilt Fortress
 * Map Name: (Used for the Reassemble and Use the Vermillion Lens quest): Novia_R3_Hills02_Hilt_Interior/Quest
 * Map Name: (Default scene): Novia_R3_Hills02_Hilt_Interior/Default