Vulture's compound
Vulture's compound is a building located within the Scorpion Den. It is a large, wealth-imbued structure owned by Vulture and inhabited by his Talons of Power.
Description
Vulture's compound is one of the most well-fortified structures in Pyrrhia, lined with mines and traps.[1] Its entrance is a wall as high as six dragons, and is accessed by pushing a particular brick in and then pushing a lever down to reveal the sliding entrance to the compound.[2]
The compound is covered in vast amounts of ostentatious wealth: the sprawling palatial complex, the only marble anywhere near the Scorpion Den, the gold dripping from every surface. There are emerald-studded doors and black diamond eyes bejeweling all of the statues. Through one garishly grandiose door,[2] there is a pavilion where the floor and columns were inlaid with tiny turquoise, gold, and white tiles, and the ceiling is covered with mirrors, while the floor is made of cool marble.[3] There is a dais in the center,[4] with a bowl of dates beside it and a metal sheet hanging behind it.[5]
A white marble walkway leads to a courtyard marked out by a circle of potted palm trees, all in giant clay pots that are painted gold. In center of the floor,[6] there is a trapdoor, just barely big enough to squeeze a medium-sized dragon through. The trapdoor is made of bars, and leads down into a long, dark shaft, from which the sounds of splashing and a low, ongoing hissing could be heard.[7]
The night air typically smelled of burned coconuts and Vulture's perfumed oil, and there is an oasis pool not too far away from Vulture's observatory. There are several garden pavilions[8] and tiled pathways.[9] There is a pear orchard[10] with a small building located in the center. It is built low to the ground, with large windows on all sides, and candlelight flickering within the dim interior. The outside is decorated with a turquoise-and-amber tile mosaic of snakes and lizards chasing one another endlessly.[10]
There are canopies and pavilions,[11] as well as a stand of cacti, a fountain, and several statues of Vulture.[12]
Notable Features
Vulture's observatory
Vulture's observatory is a small, beautiful black building, with a dome set up higher than all of the other structures within the compound. Diamonds twinkle like stars everywhere, scattered throughout the walls and columns. Moon shapes are carved all around the outside of the building, from crescent to full, outlined with milky pale moonstones. The interior is covered with blue cushions[13] and large silk pillows on top of soft silver, black, and dark blue carpets where dragons lie down and look at the sky. On two sides of the dome, telescopes point at the sky, and star charts line the walls. It is a re-creation of the old observatory within the SandWing stronghold.[14] The dome is open at the top.[11]
Vulture's storehouse
Vulture's storehouse is a shed that appeared to be a storehouse for food. It smelled of cinnamon, dates, coconut, smoked ham, live pigs, fancy cheese, lemons, scavengers, dried fish, and live ducks. It had a lock on its door.[15] Inside it contained a large cage in one corner, where five scavengers lived among straw.[16]
Vulture's treasury
Vulture's treasury is located on the outskirts of the compound. It is a small fortress that bristles with long spikes.[9]
History
Qibli and Winter were brought to Vulture's compound by Sirocco and Rattlesnake. Sirocco revealed the entrance to the compound, and Qibli and Winter were then introduced to Vulture, who was busily engaged watching two scavengers attempt to escape a maze in front of him. Winter argued against Vulture's plan to kill the loser, and offered to pay Vulture for the scavengers. Vulture declined, revealing that he knew the truth about Winter's banishment from the Ice Kingdom. He then attempted to convince Qibli that Onyx would be a better option for the SandWing queen rather than Thorn. Vulture sent one of his Talons of Power to bring forth Bog, who admitted the false truth of Moorhen bombing several SandWing cities with dragonflame cacti. Vulture then invited Qibli to see his mother, Cobra, while Winter stayed within the marble pavilion. Qibli was horrified to realize that Vulture had supposedly been keeping Cobra imprisoned since Qibli left with Thorn. Vulture then led Qibli to his observatory, where, after pretending to write valuable information about Thorn and the Outclaws, Ostrich was returned to Qibli. Cobra then used a chakram to kill all of the stationed Talons of Power guards, and they were eventually able to escape the observatory.
Qibli and Winter rescued several scavengers from Vulture's storehouse, and were then intercepted by Bog. They fled back to Cobra, busy with obtaining the Obsidian Mirror from within Vulture's treasury. They then were forced to knock Sirocco and Rattlesnake unconscious, and then set a ball of dragonflame cacti aflame before fleeing towards the SandWing stronghold.
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 70
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Darkness of Dragons, page 77
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 91
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 78
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 83
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 92
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 93
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 112
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Darkness of Dragons, page 113
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Darkness of Dragons, page 116
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Darkness of Dragons, page 95
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 127
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 108
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 94
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 117
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 118
