The Origins of the Burning City

The Sands of Menechtarun is one of the more notable ares in Xen’drik and in DDO.  In order to survive in this harsh environment, you essentially have to become quite ruthless, creative, and persistent.  One of the region’s most prominent landmarks is the Burning Mountain.  The Firebrand gnolls make the Burning Mountain their home and they have devised quite a creative and persistent community in that hostile environment.  The also make use of slaves quite ruthlessly to expand their community and their social well being.

The Firebrand gnolls have made their base in the extraordinary village known as the Burning City.  The Burning City is located within the heart of the Burning Mountain.  It is a pretty spectacular village, to be quite honest.  It is a mutli-tiered city with numerous levels built inside the impressive volcano.  It is constructed into a variety of tunnels and pathways that are linked by bridges and ladders.  Its layout provides a number of excellent military and defensive positions allowing the Firebrand gnolls the ability to rain down fiery arrows of death into any invaders foolish enough to invade the village.  Although I haven’t verified this, I’m assuming there also other tunnels that lead from the Burning City to the Firebrand mines where the gnolls send their slaves to mine the jewels and ores that are so plentiful in these mountains.

Hamllin gazing off towards the Burning City in the Menechtarun Desert.

All of this makes me wonder, what exactly is the origin of the Burning City.  The Firebrand gnolls are already a unique population of gnolls as the majority of gnolls are known to be found in smaller packs or are completely nomadic.  Forming large villages, such as those of the Firebrand and Windlashers is quite unique.  It is also known that most gnoll cultures survive by scavenging from other races and doing as little as they can when it comes to actual physical labor.  So if this is case, who actually constructed the Burning City?

Being located in the heart of the Burning Mountain, the Burning City seems to have the trappings of being created by a clan of dwarves.  The stonework and ingenuity with its design is quite typical for such a culture.  I can easily a strong mountain dwarf clan turning the Burning Mountain into a valuable commodity.  I can also see how making an alliance with Lailat, better known as the Demon Queen, could have given the Firebrand gnolls the ability to take control and over through such a population of dwarves.  I just don’t see it likely that a small population of gnolls could have built the Burning City, at least not with out some help.  I believe their alliance with Lailat has allowed them to expand their own culture and family ties to encompass a village and to become proficient in some of the crafts and trades of the other races.  Just looking at some of their red armors and powerful and wicked falchions can attest to that.  I can also see how Rashad the Vizier can be acting as an emissary between Lailat and the Firebrand gnolls.

The Burning City is definitely a dangerous but yet interesting location.  Its origination is in question and is uknown, currently, but it does lead to some interesting questions.  What does everybody else think about this topic?  Thanks for reading everybody and happy hunting in the Burning Mountain!!