Oracle Drear

The Oracle Drear is an ancient female witch of Poorthwart, and one of the most powerful of its mystics. She lives in a cavern in a remote and rocky terrain located in an unknown area within Poorthwart, and for more than three thousand years has held her current position of Oracle.

Description
The Oracle is an elderly, morbidly obese female dressed all in black, and with long, wild black hair. She hides her true face with large panes of glass on which have been painted images of beautiful women in various expressions, such as calmness or anger. She seldom leaves her throne, but may transport herself to other places within her cave or on the rocks outside her cave instantaneously.

The Oracle's Challenge
Every visitor to the Oracle's cave is called by her; one cannot find the cave oneself unless she wants you there. Once you enter the gates, you may only leave by taking the Oracle's Challenge, which involves walking deep into the cave to visit two holes that were formed by the Titans in ancient times. You must 'feed' one of the two holes to escape the cave. Those who feed the hole on the left with their armor and weapons, who swear to go forth and live a life of peace, are ejected from the cave into the sight of a huge banquet that is being thrown in their honor. They are given as much food and drink as they like, and allowed to go in peace. Those who feed the hole on the right with a pebble are ejected from the cave as they are - armor and all - and instantly attacked by five soldiers who are capable of regenerating when killed. In most cases, they succeed in killing the ejected visitor, and adding him or her to the skeletons that sit around the banquet table, there to sit for all time as a testament to their hunger for war.

As of the events of Poorthwart: The Cataclysm, only Olinianayat the Smooth had ever chosen the path of peace. Fortola Butane visits the cave and chooses the path of war regretfully, believing it to be the only way to achieve true peace, but promises to return one day and choose the better path. She successfully defeats the five soldiers and is allowed to go on her way, though only after the Oracle appears and correctly predicts that Fortola will later regret her choice.

The Monuments in the Cave
The pathway to the two holes in the Oracle's Cave is filled with thousands of carved marble inscriptions and monuments from some of Poorthwart's most famous soldiers and personalities, as well as countless anonymous individuals. Included are inscriptions from not only Olinianayat the Smooth, but also Slingsidian the Magician, indicating that he, like most, rejected the option to live in peace.