Bastion of Skycleave
The Bastion of Skycleave is a place of lost grandeur hangin’ in the sky like some dream half-remembered. Picture this, cutter: A once boomin’ town with forges roaring day and night, now lying silent and desolate, a ghost of its former self. Raazorforge, it’s called, a place where the ground weeps molten iron, the remains of industry’s golden age, now nothing but a bubbling cauldron of heat and metal, a testament to the hubris of days gone by.
Then imagine gazin’ upon a colossal steel chain rising from the parched earth, its links each the size of a house, stretching up into the sky like a towering ladder to the heavens. Your heart races as you take your first steps on the rickety contraption, each link a test of courage, as the wind howls and the chain swings in the Abyssal breeze.
Now, let yer mind soar, cutter, as you reach the top, and the Bastion of Skycleave unfolds before yer eyes, a place of ethereal beauty and splendor, with towers that touch the sky, and domes that shimmer in the light, a masterpiece of architecture that defies the chaos of the Abyss, a sanctuary amidst the madness, where the light plays through stained glass windows, painting the ground in a kaleidoscope of colours. They say the Bastion was built in primordial times by djinn, but how or why it found itself in the Abyss, now there’s a tale I do not know. Pazunia is a long way from the plane of Elemental Air, so who or whatever wanted it here sure was determined.
But of course you know this cutter, this is the Abyss so it ain’t all rainbows and sunshine. Something dark lurks in the heart of this fortress, a curse unknown that hangs heavy in the air, a secret hidden in the very stones of the citadel, a riddle wrapped in mystery, shrouded in enigma. The tanar’ri give the Bastion a wide berth, they do, avoiding the place like mortals avoid the plague, and that tells ye something, don’t it? ‘Cause when even the demons fear to tread, ye know ye’re treadin’ on thin ice, walking the razor’s edge between the known and the unknown, between safety and danger. Unless what they fear is something that’s benevolent? Haha, that were a good one weren’t it? Of course it’s going to be horrible, welcome to Pazunia.
But still, for the brave and the foolhardy, and those more afraid of tanar’ri that whatever the tanar’ri are afraid of, the Bastion of Skycleave calls. So if ye find yourself at the foot of that great chain, lookin’ up at the sky and wonderin’ what lies beyond, just remember, sometimes it’s better not to know, and sometimes, curiosity kills the cat. But then again, where’s the fun in playin’ it safe, eh cutter? So go ahead, take the plunge, climb the chain, and see what secrets the Bastion of Skycleave holds, just don’t say I didn’t warn ye, yeah?
Source: Demonomicon [4e] p47, expanded by Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
