| abstract
| - The Poison Forges were structures used by the Black Hand to equip their troops in the Year 425. The term 'Poison Forges' also refers to the historical time period in which the cities of Oberin fought the Black Hand in an attempt to destroy the forges. The Poison Forges saga was also notable for involving the modern reappearance of the Black Hand. The Poison Forges were created by the wizard Yadeth, who was then the leader of the Hand. Before the existence of the forges were known, Yadeth had already attacked the city of Mirith a few times. Mayor Palmer of Lerilin, who had been searching for the Black Hand's hideout, fled his town when he learned of the invasions. Palmer went to look for information and assistance that would later prove invaluable. Not long afterwards, Yadeth was killed with the help of Nita, the princess of the Mhara folk. But Yadeth's creations remained. The Poison Forges were first discovered in the Tree Maze by a group of adventurers. They journey through the maze, smashing the structures as they went. However, in the large clearing where the ruined MariRangers Guild Hall sits, the group ran into the Twins, powerful members of the Black Hand. The Twins were guarding the Forges and successfully repelled the assailants from destroying the Forges. Around this time it became known that the Forges had a very serious side effect. The King of the Mhara told an adventurer that the creatures that lived in the ocean were being poisoned by the Forges. Nita, also the daughter of the king, had become quite ill. The king threatened to hold the humans responsible if his daughter died. He then announced that the poison was spreading through the river near Mirith and then returned to his home. After the successful destruction of a Black Hand fortress near Mirith and the subsequent retrieval of the Ring of Thievery, a letter from Mayor Palmer arrived in Lerilin. The letter detailed Palmer's friendship with the Mhara people, how the poisoning of the waters had begun even before Yadeth first attacked Mirith, and how badly the unnatural poison was affecting the sea creatures. The letter also revealed that Nita had helped kill Yadeth because she hoped that the humans would return the favor by destroying the Poison Forges. Lastly, the letter took on an ominous tone as it warned that the death of Nita would likely cause a war between the surfacefolk and the seafolk. Later, during the Harvest Moon, a rescue party searching the Tree Maze happened upon a Brigand Thug and his men. The bandits were quickly defeated, although the leader claimed that the Twins would avenge his death. Quickly the rescue mission turned into a full-scale assault on the fortress that had been built in the center of the maze. Kolarysan, brother of Nita, even joined up with the humans. After a tough battle, all of the forges were destroyed and Kolarysan and the humans set out in victory. However, the party ran into the Twins, who were blocking the entrance to the maze. According to them, the Forges were only destroyed because Zexe, the Royal Guard of Mirith, had tried to stop the Twins. In response, the Twins killed him, or so they claimed. They disappeared and the heroes of the day returned to Mirith. Although Zexe hadn't been killed, he had been severely injured. The injury went unreported, so not much is known about it. Nonetheless, the threat of the Poison Forges were over.
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