EQOA – Of the Caer Siloth

The highly lucrative salt trade on Tunaria is controlled by the Caer Siloth, a confederation of humans that occupy the lands east of Forkwatch. Operating outside the purview of Antonius Bayle II, the Siloth are fully capable of defending their lands, although they generally keep to themselves. Because little is known about them, they are able to conduct their business using practices that others might find reprehensible.

The Siloth are followers of Bertoxxolous and have great prowess in the arts of ritualism and necromancy. These skills are quite helpful in ‘recruiting’ new workers to their mines. As with any labor-intensive industry, they have a need for strong-bodied individuals. Fortunately for the Siloth, those that are physically strong are often mentally weak. Using their dark powers (and sometimes brute force), they are able to keep a fairly steady flow of workers in the mines. However, Slavemaster Hern is always looking for new ‘recruits’ and will reward those that bring him new laborers, often preferring drunks and ne’er-do-wells, as their weak minds make them easier to control.

The depths of Norrath hold many surprises for the unwary, and the salt mines are no exception. Recently, the Siloth have lost some miners in one of the deeper sections. They have posted a guard to warn visitors about the dangers of continuing. A recent expedition into the area revealed that the area is infested by drachnids, a mutated race of giant spiders with humanoid torsos. These creatures seem to be gifted in the arcane arts and some even seem to have the ability to see those under the guise of invisibility spells. The expedition dispensed with many of the eight-legged freaks but was unable to find the queen and put an end to the race once and for all. Common wisdom dictates that the drachnids will be back in full force by the time the next expedition enters the lair.

The Siloth maintain a mountaintop fortress to the east of Forkwatch Keep. They also have a village on the Serpent River to facilitate the movement of salt blocks to the rest of the continent. The mine itself is a short distance from the shipping village. The primary enemies of the Siloth are the Blackscourge Pirates that operate out of a nearby camp and attempt to disrupt the Siloth shipping operations. As followers of Bertoxxolous, the Siloth welcome only the dark races and humans, perhaps a subtle indictment of the continent’s youngest and most ambitious race.

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