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Barrowland diagram by Blue Rook

The Great Barrow, at the center of the Barrowland

The Great Barrow was the rectangular burial chamber at the center of the Barrowland where the Dominator and his wife the Lady were interred for 370 years. Like the rest of the Barrowland, the Great Barrow was created by the White Rose at the successful conclusion of her Rebellion. It was not unlike other barrows of royalty, but richer than most, stuffed with the Dominator's personal effects. The Dominator and Lady lay side by side on a pair of stone tables in the middle, each enveloped in "humming, crackling forces". The Great Barrow was surrounded by ten lesser barrows, each at the points of a pentagram, each containing one of the Ten Who Were Taken.

As recounted in the "flashback" biographic narrative of Bomanz in The White Rose, the Great Barrow was ruptured by Tokar, the leader of the Resurrectionists. Only the Lady and the Ten escaped, however, and she somehow kept her husband trapped within. For about half a century afterward, the Lady built her own empire, while the Dominator plotted to escape the place. His schemes were the driving forces for most of the key events of the Books of the North.

Many decades later, the Great Barrow was in danger of being opened by the Great Tragic River, which was being flooded and re-routed by the Dominator to effect his escape. The barrow was penetrated by Raven (an insufficiently trained minor wizard) in spirit form, who wanted to personally see if the Dominator had awakened. The Dominator was indeed awake inside, and he terrified Raven sufficiently to cause him to misstep. Raven's soul became entangled in a sinkhole of sorcery, allowing two prehistoric demonsTracker and Toadkiller Dog – to escape. When it became apparent that the river was going to demolish the Great Barrow, the Lady established a truce with the New White Rose Rebellion, and created an alliance with her former enemy Darling so they could finally kill the Dominator. Tracker planted the Sapling above the barrow but it was too late to stop the erosion. The Great Barrow was opened during the Battle of the Barrowland, and the Dominator escaped briefly. The remains of the structure were presumably demolished when the gigantic dragon rose from its slumber.

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