Katachthon Mountains
| Katachthon Mountains | |
|---|---|
| The Katachthons | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Theros |
| Colors |
 |
| Type | Mountain |
| Part of | Mortal Realm |
The Katachthon Mountains are the scorched frontier east of Akros — a broken range of jagged peaks, restless volcanoes, and choking stormclouds. Unlike the divinely touched Oraniads, these mountains are steeped in older, untamed magic said to predate the gods themselves. Rumors of dragons, mythic forges, and vanished kingdoms persist, but locals speak only warnings: stay to the passes, or never return.
Description
The Katachthon Mountains are a harsh, volcanic range east of Akros, notorious across Theros for their deadly terrain, volatile weather, and ancient, inscrutable magic. Smaller than the eastern Oraniad Mountains, they are infamously treacherous — an ashen wilderness of jagged peaks, shifting paths, and glowing chasms that seem to pulse with an anger older than the gods themselves. While the Oraniads are regarded as places touched by divine favor, the Katachthons are feared as a realm of primordial forces beyond mortal or divine control.[1]
The range is marked by restless volcanoes that smolder and sometimes erupt, sending ash and fire down their slopes. Storms rage constantly over the jagged summits, while rivers carve through shadowed valleys rumored to hold ancient secrets and forgotten sanctuaries. Within this volatile environment, prophetic shrines stand isolated, and mythical forges—said to be the work of gods or titans—lure only the most reckless adventurers or desperate scholars.[1]
Dragons are said to rule the mountain skies and ridges, their flames said to echo the fury of Purphoros, the god of the forge and fire. Travelers who stray from the few known passes quickly become lost to the shifting terrain, violent storms, and disorienting magical disturbances that confound even the most experienced guides. Despite whispered legends of hidden treasures and lost kingdoms, the mountain peoples warn in no uncertain terms: venture beyond the passes, and you will never return.[1]
Locations in the Katachthon Mountains
- Akros
- the lands of the Akroans lie nestled in the Katachthons. See Akros for locations specific to that region. - The Khystonos River
- Whose headwaters reside deep in the Katachthons. After being partially blocked by a rockfall, its waters run low.[1]
- The Court of Orestes
- a crumbling centuries-old, partially flooded stone crypt located a ways up along the river, revealed from beneath its waters after the river lost much of its flow. This is where the legendary oracle Orestes, the first follower of Phenax, is buried. The mythical "Phenax's Silence" is supposed to be located here. The court holds an underground antechamber, a viewing room, flooded catacombs, the crypts of the Deathless, a shrine to Phenax, and the tomb of Orestes itself.[1] - The Pool of Lyth
- a great rock outcropping that looks vaguely like a satyr's face. The stones weep a steady flow of water, which spreads into a serene, sky-blue pond. Said to grant visions of the drinker's greatest desires, the pond is filled with a poison of Pharika which causes drowsiness and meaningless hallucinations. The pool is also guarded by three harpy sisters - Ahkno, Hakno, and Jhamp. Willows grow along the pond's shore.[1] - Shrine Peak - A mountain shrine to Keranos.[1]
- The Court of Orestes
- Mount Sulano - A mountain which erupted during the Great Revel.[2]
- Mount Velus - An energetically active volcano serving as Purphoros's home in the mortal world. While the volcano, which is visible from Akros, has only erupted a few times since the city's founding, those minor catastrophes were enough to demonstrate that a major eruption might destroy the entire region. Akroans regularly leave offerings at the foot of the volcano, and rigorously dissuade travelers from venturing up to the sacred peak, hoping to avert the great explosion they fear is coming. While some adventurers have climbed to the volcano's caldera, met Purphoros, and lived, the god's anger isn't the mountain's only danger, as the dragon Thraxes also lairs here.[3][1]
- Purphoros's forge - A massive iron forge in the deepest part of Mount Velus, near a vast lava pool.[1] It is surrounded by the finest ores, metals, and gems. Some of the greatest treasures Purphoros ever crafted are contained in the god's residence, a forge-palace warded by an enormous, gilded iron door. Occasionally, these doors crack open, admitting a curious anvil-wrought creature into the world or burst wide, unleashing some manifestation of Purphoros's fury.
- Thraxes's lair - A red dragon called Thraxes makes his home in the halls of Purphoros's first residence, which the god abandoned to create a larger and more ornate home deeper in the volcano.[3][1]
- Purphoros's forge
- Mount Vesios, the Little Sister - A smaller volcano that resembles Mount Velus and erupts concurrently with Mount Velus. A monastery on its western slope houses scholars and spellcasters who study the volcano, believing that through it, they might be able to control the eruptions of Mount Velus. Numerous oreads and Akroan Flamespeakers offer their omens from the volcano's heights.[1]
- Stolsluko's Lair - the underground lair of the wolf-toothed night hag Stolsluko, containing an entrance to the Underworld.[1]
References
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wizards RPG Team (2020), D&D Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Flavor text of Pinnacle of Rage
- ↑ a b Jenna Helland (2014) - Theros: Godsend, Part I, WotC.
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