Soulcrusher¶
Soulcrusher is the two-handed darkmetal spiked hammer wielded by the Faceless One, guardian of the Heart of Bhol'tho atop the Citadel of Bhol-tho on the Araxian Plane. It "absorbs the souls of those it kills", and it is the one weapon named that can break the darkmetal casing of the Heart (S197).
Nature¶
The Faceless One "is actually a giant mass of beetles in the shape of a Large BeetleKnight in armor. The armor is darkmetal and it wields two-handed Soulcrusher (a darkmetal spiked hammer that absorbs the souls of those it kills)" (S197). The hammer also throws "a range beam of orange energy" that deals necrotic harm (S197). The Araxians and their Thur'arax, Bhol-tho, are described on their own page; the plane is described under the Void.
The Heart of Bhol'tho¶
The Thur'arax Bhol-tho keeps its heart on the Araxian Plane, at the very top of its citadel, "a roughly triangular shaped structure connected to the ground by a thin column", above a volcanic waste under a black sky (S197). "Very Top is where the Heart of Bhol'tho resides. Upon close inspection, images from its location in the mortal world are reflected upon its surface" (S197). It is held in orange energy by controls hidden in the forges below; turned off, "the encased heart drops to the platform". "The heart itself is encased in a darkmetal casing and only a very powerful darkmetal object such as Soulcrusher will be able to penetrate it" (S197).
The Heart is the Thur'arax's weak point. A Thur'arax of the first estate "spans two planes at a time ... It is conscious in both and needs to be killed in both", and the dying Lokgorm warns the party: "Your only hope is to find the Thur'arax's heart on the Araxian Plane and destroy it!" (S197).
Araxian Darkmetal¶
The citadel's "top tier is forges (Araxian Darkmetal imbued with the soul energies of the vanquished)" (S197). The Faceless One's armour, Soulcrusher and the Heart's casing are all darkmetal. Below the forges are "prisons for controlled spirits (the spirits seem dead ... but can be revived by healing their spirit form)" (S197).
The Blue Fire¶
In the mortal world Bhol-tho lairs in an ancient dwarven hall, and draws on what the party saw as a blue glow: "The Blue Fire (glow) is actually ancient dwarven power source the Thur'arax is using to energize itself" (S197). One of its fragments "stays near the dwarven power source" (S197).
The encounter belongs to the Sancturi Campaign.
Gap
The only source is one session's prep notes. They do not say who forged Soulcrusher, whether the party took it or broke the Heart, or what the dwarven power source was before the Thur'arax claimed it.