Blackburrow

Nestled between Qeynos Hills and the peaks of Everfrost to the north, Blackburrow is the present day home of the Sabertooth Gnoll Pack. In the past, over 500 hundred years ago, the original excavation of the deepest level was done by a group of dwarves long since forgotten to time. Evidence of their superior stonework can still be found in sections of the complex, although their purpose within this region of Norrath remains as mysterious as their fate.

The Sabertooth Pack originated in the Jaggedpine Forest, but migrated to the hills that laid just beyond the evergreen woodland's borders. There they found the abandoned Blackburrow complex at a time when the then-nomadic people of Jaggedpine were inexorably driving them out of the forest. The Sabertooths retreated to the complex and made it their stronghold as the conflict with the human settlers began to reach dangerous levels.

The Sabertooth clan has remained active in the area now known as Qeynos Hills since before the construction of the great human city of Qeynos. It was around the time that Antonius Bayle, the Great Unifier and the patriarch of this famed namesake, united the coastal settlement of Oceangreen with human clans in the regions of the Karana plains and the Jaggedpine Forest, that the construction of Qeynos began.

When Oceangreen was first created, the yet to be named, Qeynos Hills was home to several different clans of gnolls. Only one of these clans the Sabertooth clan, the largest was violent towards human settlers. However, this violence would not hinder the construction of what would become the jewel of the human race.

One generation later Antonius Bayle II, the Great Defender, appointed Gynok Captain of the Tower Guard. Captain Gynok Moltar would order small units of his guards to slay gnolls in Qeynos Hills, unbeknownst to his superior and commander. It was well known that Gynok despised the gnolls, who had slain his parents years before. Gynok would later cut off High Shaman Opalla's hand during the elder gnoll's attempt to make a treaty of peace with the humans. This horrible act led to the eternal war between the citizens of Qeynos and the Sabertooths.

"The Basic Mining Guide -- Part One, Blackburrow." Proudly sponsored by the Sabertooth Gnoll Miner's Guild. Learn the history of mining in Blackburrow from the Clan With a Plan!

It is dark. In the mines we work by the light of our lamps. We must dig for ore. Ore can be sold. Ore can be made into things. Therefore, we mine. Gnolls, the Sabertooth gnolls, have a keen sense of smell. We smell the ore beneath the earth, behind the rocks and underground. That led us to Blackburrow many, many years ago.

Unlike the trotters, we Sabertooth gnolls are clever. We found something precious and we stay with it. Before mining, we preyed on what caught our fancy. Then we were enlightened and some of us turned to mining to support our Clan. For it was told to us by the Great Sage, "The furless light their darkness and we can be their light!"

The Great Sage was not a miner. He knew the language of the furless and taught it to us. He taught us many things he learned in his travels. Not a trotter, no! He went among them to learn their ways and teach us so that we would be strong. Our mines we had, but mostly kept them because even if we did not use them, we did not want anyone else to use them.

We learned what rocks would sell to the furless. Sometimes they would try to remove the Clan by force, but we would chase them from the lowest caverns to the entrance. They were trained to run swiftly away through the many tunnels. We chased them for sport. We chased them to keep them away from our mines. They never learned.

The furless fought each other, which was good for the Clan. If they fought each other, they would not bother us. We worked in the dark in our mines, our paws flowing with ore. While the furless fought, we kept to ourselves. The Clan is not interested in the wars of those who do not believe in the Great Sage.

Now, a word about mining itself, pups. To mine successfully, get a pick. A pick has a sharp, pointed end like a fang. You swing this at the stones hiding the ore. Swing, swing again. The stones crumble and are pulled away. The ore shows. Then the miners bring carts that are rolled from the depths full of ore. That is the basic mining principle. Now back to our history.