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Earthquakes near Mror Volcano Raise Eruption Concerns
FROSTMANTLE—Five minor earthquakes over the course of the last week have raised fears that the Fist of Onatar in southern Mror Holds may erupt at any time.
A plume of purple-black smoke has emerged from the top of the mountain, rising straight into the sky. Dwarven communities in the south have started buttressing their underground structures in anticipation of an earthquake or volcanic eruption, said Jallech Bantrell, the Sharn Inquisitive’s Mror Holds correspondent.
Merchants and other travelers are heading north away from the mountain, slowing travel on roads through the Mirror Lake valley, Bantrell said. Most of the southern dwarf clans are remaining in their homes, however, he said.
Four of the tremors have been mild and lasting less than two minutes. They could be felt faintly in Frostmantle, more than a hundred miles from the Fist of Onatar. The fifth tremor, which occurred shortly after midnight last Far, was strong enough to knock down wooden surface structures throughout the valley and was felt as far north as Krona Peak.
The Fist of Onatar volcano, one of the largest mountains in the Ironroot Range, is sacred to followers of Onatar. The dwarves of Mroranonhold don’t allow visitors to approach closer than a few miles of the mountain, and they frequently apprehend freelance prospectors seeking dragonshards in the caves and lava tubes in the lower reaches of the mountain.
Occasional tremors from the Fist of Onatar are commonplace, but the presence of the plume and the frequency of the quakes suggest that the volcano may be rumbling to life.
About the Author
David Noonan is a designer/developer for Wizards of the Coast. Before coming to Wizards, he was a daily newspaper reporter in Washington state. Apparently the city hall beat is good practice for an Eberron campaign.
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