Xor'Huul¶
Xor'Huul (also sometimes spelled Xorhuul, pronounced "zoor-hool") is a ruined settlement on the Island of Dawn. It is a significant dungeon, containing a Stone of Agony, four lore books, an artifact, and more.
Built in a cave system on the Island of Dawn, Xor'Huul was founded by a tribe exiled from Casai in mid-Av2, after the founding of the Casain Empire. The inhabitants came to live on the island until just after the Fall of Avsohm, and were prominent worshippers of Koh, the Aspect of Stone.
Location
Approximate Coordinates: -1200, 90, -4041
The entrance to Xor'Huul is marked by a sandstone pillar, at the southern base of the largest mountain on the Island of Dawn.
Contents¶
Xor'Huul is mainly made up of straight, interconnected hallways and rooms with a unique pallette of sandstone, basalt, and blackstone. At certain points, large glowstone and stained glass crystals erupt from the ground.
Crystal Mites (custom textured silverfish) spawn throughout the ruins, always behind an iron trapdoor which can be closed to block them from reaching the player.
The entrance to Xor'Huul leads down into a large open room centered around a large purple crystal, with three hallways branching off.
To the left (west), a long rocky tunnel leads to an area of worship. The Unholy Ritual of Stone book sits on a lectern in front of a few rows of pews, while the attached side room holds the Rocky Helmet artifact and Priest's Diary book.
To the right (east), players will find a fireplace and set of workstation blocks, followed by a collapsed staircase downwards, making this a dead end.
The rest of Xor'Huul is found straight ahead, to the north. Here, the path branches again, to the left and right as well as downwards via a spiral staircase.
To the left is a library room, holding multiple enchanted books (including Infinity and Soul Speed III) as well as the Origins of the Xorhai book.
To the right is a series of smaller rooms, mostly former living quarters, with relatively good loot chests. One hallway is partially blockaded by barrels and bookshelves. A room on the lower floor holds the Commoner's Diary book, which tells the story of the settlement's downfall. Walking beyond the blockaded hallway, then taking a right turn followed by the first left, leads players to the Xor'Huul throne room. This room contains the location's Fervor Stone, which can be uncovered without breaking blocks.
Stone of Agony Location
Pressing the blackstone button on the western wall will trigger a piston in the seat of the throne, retracting to reveal a chest holding the Stone of Agony.
Finally, the spiral staircase downward leads to another circular room, which drops down to a lava pit. This extremely large pit is part of a larger cave system, and holds a massive amount of valuable ores, including an abundance of diamonds.
Lore¶
Xor'Huul was founded in mid-Av2 by an exiled clan of Casains, banished from their ancestral homeland by the newly formed Casain Empire for the sin of killing Athrah Zarha. As written in Origins of the Xorhai, the war ended in Av2 1256, and Clan Xorha's survivors were shackled to ships and set off into the sea north of Casai, left for dead. They would wash up on the shores of the Island of Dawn, which they would come to call the Isle of Dhuzehl (or simply Dhuzehl).
Finding shelter in the cave systems of the island and developing a symbiotic relationship with the predatory Crystal Mites (named the "Vorthrah" by the Xorhai), the people settled and developed into a strong, independent society within the underground. They do not appear to have had any outside contact with other Drehmari of the mainland again.
As part of their new life, the people of Xor'Huul came to worship Koh, Aspect of Stone, said to be responsible for all of Drehmal's caves and tunnels. They came into contact with the Coven of Koh on the Island of Dusk in Av2 1820, but declared their neighbors to be milquetoast worshippers of the Aspect, taking their knowledge and returning home.
Priest's Diary shows that what they uncovered was a ritual intended to ascend one to Kohmari status, being reshaped into a creature of stone scales and gemstone eyes. The priests of Xor'Huul became obsessed with this idea, and although they thought they had succeeded at first, the priests were quickly wiped out by a plague that seems to have developed as a side effect of their new forms. This story is continued in the Commoner's Diary, which shows that the death of the priests led to a panic and conflict between the nobility and commoners of Xor'Huul. The entire city would soon perish in the fighting or through the plague that killed their clergy.
Since the very beginning of Av3, Xor'Huul has gone abandoned, although the Virmari occupants of Star-Rise Bastion do seem to suspect that there is an underground dwelling on the island.
Extras¶
Trivia¶
As a result of the fact that they were cut off from the mainland, Xor'Huul was not made aware of the Fall of Avsohm in Av2 1820, the event that ended the Second Avihm. As such, the Priest's Diary and Commoner's Diary books contain dates marked as Av2 1821, which the rest of the continent would consider to be Av3 1.
Build Contest¶
Xor'Huul was the winner of the 2021 Ruins and Remnants Build Contest, a competition held within the Drehmal community to create new ruined cities and remnants of ancient civilizations. The top three placers were added to the map in version 2.2. This build was submitted by the user "Black Sabbath".