Surrounding the base of the mountain is the settlement of Kannorgopad (literally "Mountain Foot", in Sereti). It is inhabited entirely by the blue orcs of the Seret, and is roughly half a day from Kherkhana. The orcs there worship Aivrid as a god, having long caught glimpses of him in flight above the mountains and created a crude mythology from tales told of Aivrid's time terrorizing Amol-Kalit. Its population had long been relatively small, only numbering a few thousand at any time.

Ever since the 'God of the Mountain' had descended and spoken to them, what had once been passing worship has now turned to a daily aspect of the lives of the orcs. At his command they have bred to soon man his armies, with children hoping to one day be graced by a mission given by the great wyrm. Compared to the other small towns and villages in the Seret, Kannorgopad is bustling and lively, its people spending their days honing their craft. Warbands bringing the spoils of their battles as tribute to the dragon, shamans practice new teachings given to them by the black behemoth, and mothers pray for their newborns to be blessed by the dragon's presence.

Kannorgopad's buildings are constructed in the crude, practical manner of the blue orcs; primarily of stone or using caves carved into the nearby mountains. While not defenseless, the town does not have the same fortifications as most do; intruders are expected to be kept out by the fortress that is Kherkhana.

Aivrid's lair is built into the Dragon's Summit, known to the Sereti orcs as Kannor Brumnus, is among the tallest mountains in the Seret Mountains. The two entrances to the lair are near the summit. The more easily accessible one is at the top of a long, winding path up the mountain.





Through this entrance is an apparent tunnel system. Powerful enchantments and rune magic placed on the cave cause a disorientation to any who enter. Due to his connection to his magic and his lair, if Aivrid wills it, he can make it next to impossible for those who are unwelcome to find their way within his lair. The air within the tunnels seems stale and stifling, hanging ominously over all those who enter.



The tunnel opens to an enormous cavern, though due to the general lack of lighting it is difficult to tell the size. Here lies Aivrid's hoard; an enormous collection of coins, precious metals, and other riches fill the area. Those who venture further inside quickly learn that this is only the beginning. Past the first few piles of gold lies a steep drop to a gold-covered ocean below, with many platforms lining the walls of the inside of the mountain. The sheer scale of the cavern betrays the mountain's true nature -- it is almost entirely hollow. Whether Aivrid built this himself, or if this was some relic of the past is unclear.



The treasures here exude a calm warmth; the cavern is a comfortable temperature for a dragon. Each descending level contains riches greater than the last. They are surprisingly well organized; gemstones arranged by type and size and precious metals by their worth. The lowest level contains an enormous mound of gold on which Aivrid sleeps. Under each of the mounds lies a large magic seal of great complexity.

This level contains several other minor wonders, notably several piles of magical artifacts and weapons, in particular numerous fabled dragon-slaying swords, which Aivrid has a vested interest in keeping out of the hands of his enemies.

On the east side of the lowest level lies a sort of collage of half-ruined libraries, cobbled together against the walls of the cavern. Aivrid has not bothered to mend the libraries themselves, but instead he has imbued the area with protective magics to stop any decay of the books contained there. A vast number of texts on magic, history, and the nature of the world rest on innumerable shelves; there are so many that it is even in doubt if Aivrid has read them all.

To the west lies a graveyard of sorts, filled with the bones of his many victims, as well as several dragon skeletons: the largest of which is only slightly smaller than Aivrid himself, while the others died in their adolescence.

To the north lies what Aivrid considers one of the greatest treasures of all: a long-ruined portal stone. He has only seen it activated twice; most recently after the discovery of the ancient city of Alok-Therak, despite his many attempts to use it as a general-purpose portal stone. There is a secret passageway that leads into Kannorgopad on the far side of this chamber.

The second entrance is only accessible from the air, and is hidden by a powerful illusion. Aivrid had removed a large chunk of the mountain, clearing out a platform on which he could land easily and quietly -- in fact, the main land access is actually very difficult for him to fit through. The orcs tend to describe Aivrid's comings as him disappearing into the mountain. The platform has several large, patterned circles on its floor, for use in Aivrid's scrying ceremonies during the Lessat eclipses.

Aivrid may be most known for his power as a great dragon, but few tales tell of his talent for magic. The enchantments that surround, protect, and permeate his great domain are his magnum opus.

First are the enchantments at the edges of his region of the Seret. Powerful detection magic runes -- regularly re-applied by Aivrid -- dot the landscape, and inform Aivrid immediately if any beings have entered his realm, their species, and whether or not their intentions are hostile. Should a mage conceal themselves while entering his realm, they may avoid detection, or at least avoid having their intentions and being revealed; though sneaking into one's home is often making one's intentions clear.

Second are the enchantments around the mountain itself. In the town of Kannorgopad rest several magical seals and runes. They can provide magical defenses and aid in case of an attack; notably the erection of stone walls around the settlement, creation of magical barriers, and the summoning of stone golems of moderate power and autonomy. More nefarious are the seals of Empathy that minimally sap at the emotional states of the blue orcs, linked directly to Aivrid's magical stored emotions. Aivrid has ordered regular festivals and events that focus on demonstration of one particular emotion -- great war rallies often leave the orcs unable to muster the anger to fight truly for weeks afterwards. Secondary detection magics are also placed here.

Finally, the enchantments on the mountain itself are most impressive. The illusion magic placed on the entrances is particularly powerful; the flight entrance is a perfect imitation of the mountain face, whereas the magic seals placed at the cave entrance are strong enough to disorient even the most experienced of mages and dishearten the most courageous of adventurers. Protective seals on the bottom level prevent anyone without express permission from Aivrid from entering without terrible cost. The magic seals under Aivrid's hoard link his treasures with him directly -- his enormous material wealth directly powers his magic; taking the rule of "Magic has a cost" to its literal meaning.

Nearly all of the magic seals can be activated over great distances by Aivrid, and his strong connection to his domain allow the detection magic to inform him almost instantly of intruders, wherever he may be within the world. Additionally, no matter where he may be, he can always sense the way home.

When more specific information is uncovered by the shamans of Kannorgopad, they have the ability to magically contact Aivrid through enchanted messaging stones, given to them directly by the dragon and marking them as his chosen. Through them, he can summon flaming avatars of himself wherever they may be.

Aivrid could, in theory, perform a ritual taking place over several weeks that would install similar magical defenses and bindings around a new area, though he has not yet attempted such a feat. The cost of such a ritual would be astronomical.