The Deep Realms OOC
PROLOGUE:
An old scholar sits quietly in his hermitage, drinking a dark brown tea. Several others are seated around him. As he sets down his fragile cup onto its saucer, he takes a large book from a shelf nearby. "This tome," he says to his guests, "contains a great deal of dwarven knowledge. I endured many hardships to collect such knowledge, and every word is more valuable than a king's ransom, for all know how closely the dwarves guard their secrets."
Carefully he unclasped the golden buckle sealing the ornate covers. A rich dust rose from the each page, but not one that chokes the lungs. The hermit stopped about three-quarters to the end. "This portion," he continued after another sip of tea, "contains a long forgotten secret that even the dwarves themselves have all but forgotten. The parts they do remember are grossly distorted; naturally, the dwarves rewrote much of it to their own glory.
"It began back when the realm of Bharhoomm was still the dwarven capitol of the world. In those days, the dwarves had established superiority in all manor of smithing and crafting. Every race and kingdom called to the dwarves for their skill, and gold flowed faster than the sun-rivers of the earth.
"What was kept secret from the world was the alliance the dwarves held. Angels, demons, gods, fates; each dwarf had a different legend to tell, but all held the same fact, this alliance made the kingdom the great empire it was. The materials given to the dwarves from these people combined with the dwarves natural smithcraft made the stuff of legends, and all prospered.
"However, one day there came a great earthquake. After that, the other race never returned. Many believed that something had angered the gods, who prevented the return of this benefactor. Without new materials, the dwarven empire began to wane. However, there were other problems.
"The earthquakes increased rapidly and became more intense. All were convinced now of the gods' anger, and it was divined that the only solution was to leave Bharhoomm as penance for their sins. Thus the great Dwarven exodus of well known lore began."
The scholar poured himself another cup of tea, and after a sip, began again. "It was a brave band of dwarves that escorted me to the ruins of that once great city; dwarves are forbidden by their laws to return there lest they incur the ancient anger. I explored that ruin vastly, with some of my colleagues, and was struck by signs of battle. Nearly every structure, ruined though they were, held some sign of a tuffle.
"I felt a greater mystery enveloping my inquiries, but we were yet to find the greatest mystery. It was toward a secluded part of the city, and there was found an inscription. It was carved in an fancy script, but it was like no tongue I had ever known. Below it, much more roughly, was a smattering of dwarven script. It read, 'We are at war. Horrors have broken out. The betrayers fled. We abandoned. Still we fight.' There was also a very small portion of the common tongue, reading: 'Beware betrayers. Beware the horrors.'"
The man sipped his tea again. "Now, the reason I have called you. I have found precious little about this script. The dwarves have nothing to say about it, be it that they do not know or that they will not say. I want to venture into that ancient city again and learn what I can about the true events of the Dwarven exodus. However, I do not know the dangers, these 'horrors,' as they are called, my still lurk in the depths. I cannot convince any dwarf to escort me again. No kingdom will sponsor my expedition either; at least, not with troops. Thus, I turn to you. I can pay you handsomely for your protection, and of course, any spoils we find are yours to keep. All I seek is knowledge. Will you help me?"
Thus begins the journey into the deep realms.
Thread:
The Deep Realms
The setting is a traditional fantasy, being set in a Renaissance type period for technology. There will be magic, but keep it reasonable. Races are anything found in classical myths, and any user-defined races.
Any questions?
PROLOGUE:
An old scholar sits quietly in his hermitage, drinking a dark brown tea. Several others are seated around him. As he sets down his fragile cup onto its saucer, he takes a large book from a shelf nearby. "This tome," he says to his guests, "contains a great deal of dwarven knowledge. I endured many hardships to collect such knowledge, and every word is more valuable than a king's ransom, for all know how closely the dwarves guard their secrets."
Carefully he unclasped the golden buckle sealing the ornate covers. A rich dust rose from the each page, but not one that chokes the lungs. The hermit stopped about three-quarters to the end. "This portion," he continued after another sip of tea, "contains a long forgotten secret that even the dwarves themselves have all but forgotten. The parts they do remember are grossly distorted; naturally, the dwarves rewrote much of it to their own glory.
"It began back when the realm of Bharhoomm was still the dwarven capitol of the world. In those days, the dwarves had established superiority in all manor of smithing and crafting. Every race and kingdom called to the dwarves for their skill, and gold flowed faster than the sun-rivers of the earth.
"What was kept secret from the world was the alliance the dwarves held. Angels, demons, gods, fates; each dwarf had a different legend to tell, but all held the same fact, this alliance made the kingdom the great empire it was. The materials given to the dwarves from these people combined with the dwarves natural smithcraft made the stuff of legends, and all prospered.
"However, one day there came a great earthquake. After that, the other race never returned. Many believed that something had angered the gods, who prevented the return of this benefactor. Without new materials, the dwarven empire began to wane. However, there were other problems.
"The earthquakes increased rapidly and became more intense. All were convinced now of the gods' anger, and it was divined that the only solution was to leave Bharhoomm as penance for their sins. Thus the great Dwarven exodus of well known lore began."
The scholar poured himself another cup of tea, and after a sip, began again. "It was a brave band of dwarves that escorted me to the ruins of that once great city; dwarves are forbidden by their laws to return there lest they incur the ancient anger. I explored that ruin vastly, with some of my colleagues, and was struck by signs of battle. Nearly every structure, ruined though they were, held some sign of a tuffle.
"I felt a greater mystery enveloping my inquiries, but we were yet to find the greatest mystery. It was toward a secluded part of the city, and there was found an inscription. It was carved in an fancy script, but it was like no tongue I had ever known. Below it, much more roughly, was a smattering of dwarven script. It read, 'We are at war. Horrors have broken out. The betrayers fled. We abandoned. Still we fight.' There was also a very small portion of the common tongue, reading: 'Beware betrayers. Beware the horrors.'"
The man sipped his tea again. "Now, the reason I have called you. I have found precious little about this script. The dwarves have nothing to say about it, be it that they do not know or that they will not say. I want to venture into that ancient city again and learn what I can about the true events of the Dwarven exodus. However, I do not know the dangers, these 'horrors,' as they are called, my still lurk in the depths. I cannot convince any dwarf to escort me again. No kingdom will sponsor my expedition either; at least, not with troops. Thus, I turn to you. I can pay you handsomely for your protection, and of course, any spoils we find are yours to keep. All I seek is knowledge. Will you help me?"
Thus begins the journey into the deep realms.
Thread:
The Deep Realms
The setting is a traditional fantasy, being set in a Renaissance type period for technology. There will be magic, but keep it reasonable. Races are anything found in classical myths, and any user-defined races.
Any questions?
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