Belching Vortex of Leuk-O

The Belching Vortex of Leuk-O is a mysterious location in the Hestmark Highlands.

Appearance

The Belching Vortex is a black membrane set against a sheer cliff-face (part of the mountain the dwarves call Vashal-Tul). Occasionally it belches out a toxic gas that can strip flesh from bones. The membrane is impenetrable even to magic, and generally accessible only to those in possession of a small gray card known as the Secret of Passage, which must be held before a glowing panel to the right of the Vortex known as the Eye of Aspersion. Those who manage to enter can explore a metal cavern filled with strange artifacts of advanced quasi-magical technology.

History

The Belching Vortex is named for Leuk-O, an ancient Oeridian general who entered it and emerged with his signature artifact, the Mighty Servant.

Before the Great Kingdom was founded, local hills tribes established a colony near the Vortex. The community declined, however, as its members succumbed to a wasting sickness whose symptoms included hair loss, nausea, fatigue, skin lesions, and dehydration. The inhabitants of the community disappeared entirely prior to -10 CY. Only ruins of a strangely advanced community, complete with running water, no remain.

Bibliography

• Mona, Erik. "Places of Mystery." Living Greyhawk Journal #1. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.