Shurrock

Shurrock was the second layer of Bytopia. An untamed wilderness, it was the location of Martyrdom, the divine realm of Ilmater in the Great Wheel cosmology.

Geography
Unlike the mild weather and clear skies of the first layer, Dothion, the weather on Shurrock was harsh and unpredictable. Storms constantly ravaged the landscape, strong winds were almost constant and clear skies were very rare. The landscape was very mountainous, and the abundant creeks and rivers flowed fast throughout the layer.

Shurrock had an abundance of raw materials. As in Dothion, Shurrock was a place of hard work and satisfaction from a job well done, but instead of taming the land, work on Shurrock focused on the extraction of natural resources. The wild landscape of the layer was peppered with mines, mills, and quarries. Due to the layer's harsh weather and rocky, irregular terrain, most dwellings and active work sites were underground.

Trade
Most of the raw materials used in construction and the industries of Dothion came from Shurrock. In order to transport them there, traders braved the harsh weather of the layer to either reach a portal to Dothion, which was usually controlled by guilds that charged high tariffs, or to transport them directly there using a floating gnomish contraption.

Taking advantage of the unique configuration of Bytopia, traders put their goods into protected baskets and sewed together large pieces of tarp into bags, which they filled with hot air. After attaching enough of these bags to the basket, it began to float until it reached the divide between the layers. By the time the load crossed the divide and started falling towards Dothion, the cooling air had lost enough of its buoyancy for the cargo to descend gently onto Dothion.

Notable Locations

 * Centerspire, an enormous mountain that physically connected Dothion and Shurrock. It was a common land route between the layers.
 * Martyrdom, realm of Ilmater.
 * Watchkeep, the home of Gorm Gulthyn, protector of all dwarves.
 * Windwrath, the rainy realm of Tefnut, mother of Geb in the Mulhorandi pantheon.

Inhabitants
Among other creatures native to both layers of Bytopia, Shurrock was inhabited by a race known as air sentinels, gentle and benevolent beings similar to djinn who guided visitors and traders to shelter against the perilous weather in the layer's abundant caves.

Shurrock was also home to the adamantine dragon Mercialla. She considered herself the guardian of all good things that existed in Shurrock, working together with the air sentinels.