Sonic Horns

Category Marvels
Continent Karterus
Region Azrik
Alias Bug Obliterators
Owner Ba'lith
Built 1672 - 1694
Map Vetoubahr

The Sonic Horns, also known as the Bug Obliterators, are engineering marvels invented by the Gimrune. These creations were instrumental in ending the Locust Encroachment, which spanned from 1412 to 1694. The construction of these sonic energy weapons stemmed from the Treaty of Droorlow, where the Torgilm Confederacy, active from 1475 to 1719, agreed to provide technological assistance to Ba'lith in dealing with their bug problem. This collaborative effort was intended to stabilize Ba'lith's southern border, allowing them to focus on unifying all of Azrik under one minotaur empire during the Brothers Enmity War, which took place from 1697 to 1723.

A Sonic Horn is a colossal apparatus that inflicts sonic harm. The sonic technology in these devices was conceived by the Auhtai. They termed this application of sound Päiki-Synhö.

Most of Ba'lith's Sonic Horns are situated in the southern region of Azrik. They are dispersed along the four-hundred-mile-long Moralak wall. The towers range in height from fifty feet to five hundred feet. These structures are exceptionally thick and feature numerous apertures facing south, east, and west. Behind each opening lies a series of funnels and chutes, housing enormous brass chimes and hundreds of hardened chitinous bells harvested from knell beetles. Retrieving these bells resulted in the loss of thousands of soldiers in the borderlands between Azrik and the Hive. When wind is forced through these chutes and out the apertures, a sub-sonic sound is produced, creating a sense of unease, headaches, and dizziness in those with sensitive ears. The effect is far more catastrophic for creatures with exceptionally acute hearing, such as insects and animals like dogs, causing severe confusion, internal bleeding, and organ rupture, with the intensity increasing as they approach the Sonic Horns. The area of effect for these towers is proportional to their height, with each 50-foot increment extending the range of sonic damage by 5,000 feet. Although expensive to construct, the Sonic Horns quickly proved their worth, earning the nickname "Bug Obliterators" from the minotaurs after witnessing their devastating impact on attacking Hive Swarms. In 1694, Ba'lith's sonic defenses were put to devastating effect, slaughtering several hundred thousand Hive Swarm members along the Moralak.

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