Galstyxe

Category	Strongholds
Continent	Brucrumus
Region	Hells Womb
Built	14 Temporal 106 GE
Map	Lirgaza

A relic of the Demon Spawn War (89 GE - 269 GE), Galstyxe was constructed by labor divisions serving Demogorgon. Strategically positioned by the demon general Siva'yah, it guarded the Sorrow Pass, a critical choke-point for enemy forces entering Hells Womb from the northwest, both then and now.

Ever since the demon war, Galstyxe has endured as a domain of malevolence. Occasionally, a demon or two finds itself drawn into this locale. They are abruptly pulled through ephemeral Rifts bridging this region with a random site on Abyssm, Demogorgon's home world. The manifestation of this interdimensional passage remains unpredictable in terms of its timing, location, and duration.

The ominous blood-red fortress is nestled against the western peaks of Trudnar. The approach is uneven and hilly, with pools of stagnant, poisonous water filling the lower areas. Noxious gases frequently emit from the crags, and the level surfaces are ankle-deep in bones - a testament to the numerous attacks on this seemingly impregnable bastion. Many armies, including the Orchish Empire, Gimhak, and long-ago forces from the Demon Spawn War, have thrown themselves against this formidable fortress.

Over the millennia, Galstyxe has been ruled by a multitude of leaders, including demons, cambions, undead lords, giants, and even elementals. Even at the zenith of its authority, the Black Tide of Thasmudyan refrained from engaging with a seemingly sentient bastion, one capable of marshaling formidable armies solely for the purpose of self-defense - "... magical monsters, undead, gargoyles, archer and spouter constructs in the hundreds."

One distinguished individual who was lost to this locale was General Rassald, the Orchish Empire's highest-ranking general at the time. Centuries after he was presumed deceased, he returned to this venerable stronghold, now as a vampire, dubbing himself General Bloodthirst.