| Category | Magic Items |
| Type | cannon |
| Forge | Tahaldril Vats |
| Smith | Drethrar |
| Location | Tara-Har |
The initial Squealer of the Abyss was conceived by the demonic engineer Drethrar. He served the demon lord Orcus and constructed numerous field cannons of this type.
During an expedition to an abyssal realm, Black Banner recovered one of these cannons. The Black Tide employed it in both the Black Tide War ( 1465 - 1486 ) and the Athenian Crusade ( 1539 - 1551 ) . It was consistently the first cannon to fire against an enemy and was never lost in battle. During the Siege of Milithian, it engaged another legendary cannon known as Ole' Faithful. Rather than allow it to be captured by righteous forces, the Black Tide ultimately pushed the cannon into Tara-Har in the final days of their demise on Brucrumus.
A Squealer of the Abyss is a magical cannon built upon a bronze chassis. It has massive wheels of mithril with grisly spikes jutting out from them. The beaten bronze chassis features a trap door near the rear, which leads down a bronze ladder into a chamber measuring 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 12 feet high. At the back of this chamber stands a stove used to power the device. Carved into the machine of war are images of demons carrying out torture and death, and the end of the cannon is shaped like a demoniac skull. Closed apertures in the chamber allow occupants to look out the front and sides of the chassis. At the front of the chamber is a large wheel made of polished ebony and carved with evil visages. Behind this wheel is a driver's seat, built for the mass of an ogre, with no padding and large spikes used to anchor it to the floor. Further back is another chair, sized for a human, which holds the firing panel. On this panel are small bronze heads of various demons that function as levers to activate the weapon's different powers.
| Name | Power |
|---|---|
| Vrock Lever | movement |
| Babau Lever | spikes emerge from the chassis and begin to shoot forward and retract rapidly, anyone within 20' of the device must make a Reflex DC17 or take 2-12hps of damage |
| Baphomet Lever | fires the cannon |
Sentience
The Maw of the Abyss is fueled by soul energy. This grants the device a degree of sapience which manifests as an insatiable craving for consuming flesh, whether decaying or living. It occasionally communicates telepathically, offering great devastation to one's foes if sustained by cadavers and living beings.
Powering the device
The device is powered by disposing of either living or deceased beings into a 6-foot diameter aperture at the rear of the apparatus. Introducing the "fuel" near the opening causes it to spring to life with immense, salivating mandibles. Any creature cast into this maw endures 10 to 100 hit points of damage per round. Each 1 hit die of creatures fed into the mouth provides 2 charges of power.
Charges
Each charge provides movement of 3 inches for 1 hour. The charges can also be utilized to fire a blast comprising poisonous blood, bone fragments, and negative energy. The cumulative damage inflicted is 1-8 hit points per charge. The maximum number of charges that can be expended is 10. The weapon's rate of fire is only constrained by the available charges, rendering it exceptionally lethal on the battlefield. The weapon's range and other non-damage attributes are equivalent to a hull cracker cannon.
