Gaiyamato
2013-11-27, 08:39 PM
The Dwarves at first struggled through the snow in the high peaks. One by one dropping of frostbite. Pushing onward as they had no choice.
Harald made his way through the blizzard to lead the column along with his loyal champion and the last remaining elders of the tribe.
Up steep mountain paths, with the wind, and snow against them. Rockfalls constantly taking many civilians with them.
The sounds of children crying into the cold air slowly faded away as one by one they died in the horrors of the frostfell mountains.
On the second day the group reached a peak, just as the blizzard cleared and the sun shone down on them through white clouds, though it did nothing to warm them and the air was now thin - leading to the last of the elders dying, prayers to Nordi on their frozen lips. Stretching out as far as the eyes could see was more mountains, more snow and more clouds.
Their hearts sank. Behind them was a horde of Trolls, Ogres and Goblins. To the west were white Dragons. The Dwarves had to chose to find somewhere to make a new home, or head east to a Realm that was mere rumors, and become forever refugees in a foreign land.
It was here that Harald, kneeling in the snow, on the verge of giving up, with tears of pain and anguish frozen into his beard saw the stone. It was small, made of a type of stone he had never seen, though he surmised it came from the underdark. On it were Dwarvish Runes, faded from the passages of time. Worn and ancient, impossibly ancient...
"Here lies the path to salvation for the lost, and last of the Azure Dwarves. Welcome home."
For a moment Harald's heart stopped. A strange sense of clarity washed over him, mingling with the fear. Looking up at a nearby peak Harald saw the clouds break open. A single beam of light shone down on the rock face, right onto a cave entrance. A hushed awe broke through the other Dwarves that had made it. Only a mere 600 or so of the Cobolon Dwarves were now left.
They could all feel it, like an electric current in the air. Hope.
With renewed vigor the Dwarves marched back down the mountain top, into frozen gullies and dead pine forests, back up through the snow and over rocks. It took a day and a night. Fighting exhaustion, frostbite, and starvation the Dwarves struggled onward. Till the dawn of the following day Harald stood at the entrance to the cave. Right away he could tell that it was not natural. Though only a dwarf could have noticed.
It was clear that the cave had been designed to appear natural. While being nothing of the sort.
Leading his people into the dark they found a cave that offered shelter, a natural spring and even edible fungus grew here. As if made for them. As if someone had prepared this place, for this time just for them.
The Cobolon Dwarves stopped in silence, ate, rested, tended to their wounds. As one they all joined in silent prayers of thanks to Nordi, before setting off down into the depths of the earth.
Another day they trekked. Each time they grew hungry there way another well and more edible fungus just around the next bend. The cave become more and more obvious that it had been crafted by expert hands. Runes, the like the Cobolon Dwarves had never seen before, began appearing on the cave walls. They lit up in a soft gentle blue glow as they passed by, fading once more into darkness as they moved on. Lighting their way gentle down into the depths.
A week after fleeing Cobolon they arrived, stepping out onto a landing that looked down onto the City of Helduum. The great cavern was a hive of activity. The mighty walls of the city stretched across the front facing the Cobolon Dwarves, massive square squat towers dotted along it's mighty line. A castle built into the sides of the cavern wall and towering from floor to ceiling filled the rear of the city, it's own defensive walls around it. Houses lay stacked like toy blocks upon one another or built in towers hewn from the rock walls themselves. Mines opened holes into the walls of the settlement delving deep into the earth. Forges and smelters were scattered about, smoke billowing up to form dark clouds around the top of the cavern.
Crystal lights lit the streets with glowing blue runic light.
As the Cobolon Dwarves stood there in awe a glowing figure floated across the vast distance toward them. Recognition dawned on the Dwarves as they fell to their knees. Their God had saved them. Their God had come to them.
It was Nordi.
Harald made his way through the blizzard to lead the column along with his loyal champion and the last remaining elders of the tribe.
Up steep mountain paths, with the wind, and snow against them. Rockfalls constantly taking many civilians with them.
The sounds of children crying into the cold air slowly faded away as one by one they died in the horrors of the frostfell mountains.
On the second day the group reached a peak, just as the blizzard cleared and the sun shone down on them through white clouds, though it did nothing to warm them and the air was now thin - leading to the last of the elders dying, prayers to Nordi on their frozen lips. Stretching out as far as the eyes could see was more mountains, more snow and more clouds.
Their hearts sank. Behind them was a horde of Trolls, Ogres and Goblins. To the west were white Dragons. The Dwarves had to chose to find somewhere to make a new home, or head east to a Realm that was mere rumors, and become forever refugees in a foreign land.
It was here that Harald, kneeling in the snow, on the verge of giving up, with tears of pain and anguish frozen into his beard saw the stone. It was small, made of a type of stone he had never seen, though he surmised it came from the underdark. On it were Dwarvish Runes, faded from the passages of time. Worn and ancient, impossibly ancient...
"Here lies the path to salvation for the lost, and last of the Azure Dwarves. Welcome home."
For a moment Harald's heart stopped. A strange sense of clarity washed over him, mingling with the fear. Looking up at a nearby peak Harald saw the clouds break open. A single beam of light shone down on the rock face, right onto a cave entrance. A hushed awe broke through the other Dwarves that had made it. Only a mere 600 or so of the Cobolon Dwarves were now left.
They could all feel it, like an electric current in the air. Hope.
With renewed vigor the Dwarves marched back down the mountain top, into frozen gullies and dead pine forests, back up through the snow and over rocks. It took a day and a night. Fighting exhaustion, frostbite, and starvation the Dwarves struggled onward. Till the dawn of the following day Harald stood at the entrance to the cave. Right away he could tell that it was not natural. Though only a dwarf could have noticed.
It was clear that the cave had been designed to appear natural. While being nothing of the sort.
Leading his people into the dark they found a cave that offered shelter, a natural spring and even edible fungus grew here. As if made for them. As if someone had prepared this place, for this time just for them.
The Cobolon Dwarves stopped in silence, ate, rested, tended to their wounds. As one they all joined in silent prayers of thanks to Nordi, before setting off down into the depths of the earth.
Another day they trekked. Each time they grew hungry there way another well and more edible fungus just around the next bend. The cave become more and more obvious that it had been crafted by expert hands. Runes, the like the Cobolon Dwarves had never seen before, began appearing on the cave walls. They lit up in a soft gentle blue glow as they passed by, fading once more into darkness as they moved on. Lighting their way gentle down into the depths.
A week after fleeing Cobolon they arrived, stepping out onto a landing that looked down onto the City of Helduum. The great cavern was a hive of activity. The mighty walls of the city stretched across the front facing the Cobolon Dwarves, massive square squat towers dotted along it's mighty line. A castle built into the sides of the cavern wall and towering from floor to ceiling filled the rear of the city, it's own defensive walls around it. Houses lay stacked like toy blocks upon one another or built in towers hewn from the rock walls themselves. Mines opened holes into the walls of the settlement delving deep into the earth. Forges and smelters were scattered about, smoke billowing up to form dark clouds around the top of the cavern.
Crystal lights lit the streets with glowing blue runic light.
As the Cobolon Dwarves stood there in awe a glowing figure floated across the vast distance toward them. Recognition dawned on the Dwarves as they fell to their knees. Their God had saved them. Their God had come to them.
It was Nordi.