For years, the Consortium fortress within the mountain remained modest, a functional hideout for the smugglers who wove their illicit trade through the narrow passes below. But as their influence grew, so too did their ambitions, and the Consortium embarked on a perilous project to transform their secret base into a citadel of unprecedented scale.
The plan was born from necessity. Their expanding operations demanded more storage for contraband, better defenses against increasingly bold rival factions, and room for the growing ranks of smugglers who pledged allegiance to their cause. However, outward signs of construction would draw unwanted attention, so the Consortium’s leadership devised a cunning approach: every expansion would be carved deeper into the mountain, hidden from prying eyes.
The work began under the cover of night, with teams of miners and engineers brought in from distant lands under the promise of wealth and secrecy. The mountain’s natural caverns were widened into vast chambers capable of housing entire caravans of stolen goods. Elaborate ventilation systems were installed to keep the air flowing through the ever-deepening tunnels, ensuring that smoke from forges and torches would never betray their presence. Hidden escape routes and secret doors were embedded into the mountain’s exterior, allowing Consortium agents to vanish into the rocks at a moment’s notice.
To fund the expansion, the Consortium struck deals with powerful clients, offering secure storage for their most valuable treasures in exchange for exorbitant fees. These deals brought in a flood of wealth, enabling the smugglers to acquire rare materials and hire skilled artisans. These artisans—sculptors, blacksmiths, and architects—transformed the once-rough caves into a labyrinthine fortress adorned with hidden mechanisms and elaborate traps to deter intruders.
As the fortress neared completion, its full scope remained a mystery to all but the highest-ranking members of the Consortium. Outsiders saw only a forbidding mountain peak, its sheer cliffs and rugged slopes as unyielding as ever. But within, the smugglers had carved out an empire, a hidden sanctuary where their influence could grow unchecked. The humble fortress was no longer merely a hideout—it was a monument to the Consortium’s ambition and the shadowy dominion they now wielded over the denizens of Regisfall.