The Earth-Heart¶
"The largest became known as the earth-heart (for its deep red color)." — from The Heart (S522)
The earth-heart is the greatest surviving fragment of the Worldstone: a deep-red crystal that struck Markhan in the aftermath of the Shattering. The orcs built a temple and a religion around it, the Earth-Heart Cult; the gods had the temple razed; and the dying high priestess Agrob merged her spirit with the crystal, which woke with her mind and made the dinosaurs. The source titles it simply The Heart.
The fall and the temple¶
"In the aftermath of the shattering, a particularly large worldstone fragment slammed into what is now Markhan. A few smaller pieces broke off, but the largest became known as the earth-heart (for its deep red color) and was worshipped by primitive humans, goblins and orcs" (S522). The Orcs won the long struggle for it and built "a sprawling temple complex around the fragment and several smaller neighboring fragments", the Temple of Cath'upak, or Temple of the Earth-Heart, in East Astia. Orcs came from across the continent for hundreds of years to be buried near the crystal, and "literally millions of remains are believed to reside within" its catacombs (S522).
The priests "mastered some of the stone's secrets and their agents set up shrines across the continent surrounding much smaller worldstone fragments" (S522). What they made of it as a faith, and the war the gods of the orcish pantheon waged against it, are told on the Earth-Heart Cult page.
Agrob and the crystal¶
The war ended when "a loyalist army led by the Ascendant Horak successfully overcame the defenses at the Temple of the Earth-Heart and slew many of the priests there. The high priestess, Agrob, lay dying when she merged her spirit with the earth-heart crystal. Horak razed the temple and buried the indestructible crystal under the rubble. He then set a guard upon the site to ensure the cultists could not return and reclaim it" (S522).
The crystal did not stay buried in spirit. "After some time, the crystal awoke. Guided now by the consciousness of Agrob, it sought revenge against the orcs who had murdered its followers. It bred an army from the beasts of the land, warping them into gargantuan creatures known as dinosaurs" (S522). The dinosaurs drove the orcs out of central Markhan and north onto human lands, and were left to roam. "The crystal meanwhile, fortified its home and strengthened connections with the other crystal fragments located across Markhan at old orcish shrines" (S522).
The heart-mother¶
The awakened crystal is the power behind a new priesthood of humans, goblins and other creatures. "Their power is mithis based, bestowed by the heart-mother, Agrob'Anzut" (S522), who can project herself almost anywhere on Markhan. She is described on her own page, Agrob'Anzut. The priests' holy symbol is "a clear red crystal", and they often carry "a staff with a clear red crystal on top" (S522).
Gap
No source gives the crystal's size, dates its fall, the temple's razing or its awakening, or says whether the guard Horak set still holds the site. S449 (2014) is the same text as S522.