Whispers from a shattered age speak of the Hellstorm Flumes, potent magical siege engines and watchtowers constructed by Runelord Alaznist of Bakrakhan during Thassilon’s twilight. These colossal structures were not mere fortifications; they were arcane weapons capable of unleashing devastating blasts of concentrated fire and destructive energy across vast distances, primarily to defend against the rival nation of Shalast.
Most Flumes were obliterated during Earthfall, their terrible power lost to the cataclysm. Sandpoint’s iconic Old Light is, in fact, the crumbling remnant of one such Hellstorm Flume. While Varisians later mistook it for a simple lighthouse, its original purpose was far more terrifying.
These weapons required complex infrastructure. It’s believed that external focusing arrays, like the ancient standing stones beneath the Sandpoint Cathedral, were used to direct their power. Deeper still, hidden “Underflumes” likely housed their power cores and operational chambers. The recently discovered Hellstorm Focus artifact is thought to be a key component in controlling or reactivating such a device.
Though largely dormant for millennia, the residual energies and potential for reactivation make any surviving remnants of the Hellstorm Flumes, or their focusing mechanisms, sites of immense power and considerable danger. Should one be brought back online, its destructive capability would be catastrophic.