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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CleverName" data-source="post: 1228326" data-attributes="member: 2591">Pre Adventure 9Downtime on JormunsteinnThe Isle of Jormunsteinn boasts two main settlements. Haradrak is the largest surface town, the port city of Jormunsteinn. It is built at the base of the stone spire – the top of which seems perpetually shrouded in mist. Haradrak has at least one sub-layer as well. The docks are carved out of stone and the attached market and warehouses are under town proper.  A large sea cave in Haradrak’ port leads to an exclusive undermountain dock for the Dekkalfar King of Deep Haradrak, Lodur.Deep Haradrak is the dwarven city that is built in the spire itself. Its galleries wander up and down the granite heart of the island. Few non—Alfar are allowed to venture here. Most business is conducted in one of the surface towns. Since the last adventure Copoc and Malcom have been enjoying a weeks-long rest at the Pheasant -- living off of the money they gained against the yuan-ti and waiting for Urian's initiation ceremony into the Halaglaz.During that time they have heard the strange rumors of a dwarf that fell from the sky over the Skia Thalassa and brought to the island kingdom of Jormunsteinn by a passing human freighter. Gann and Makar have since decided to hire on to other vessels plying the trade on the Sea of Shadows. The friends departed, with promises to return. Finally the day of Urian’s investiture came and three Halaglaz escorted the Kulkan and Cimbri into Deep Haradrak. They traveled for over an hour, winding far into the depths of the dekkalfar stronghold, finally ending in a small amphitheater. The two dwarven warriors guided them to stone benches. A few more dwarves and two humans were also there. Suddenly the lights went out.A voice began telling the tale of the Halaglaz.Roughly a thousand years before the first human foot touched the soil of Faerie, the dwarves had a thriving metropolis built into the base of Jormunsteinn, where it lay along a beautiful river valley. Their tunnels stretched up into the heart of the Jormunsteinn, and deep below its surface. At that time, what is now the straits of Iconium formed a huge natural dam, but some force weakened that wall and sea came rushing into the valley, wiping out the dwarven city at the time of the new king’s coronation – killing most of their leaders and trapping thousands of dwarves inside the spire of Jormunsteinn in a vast, but diminishing pocket of air. Worse yet, dark things swam in those waters and began picking off the survivors. With the king, druids and high priests now dead, many dwarves gave up, some committed suicide. Hope faded in the gloom and gathering waters. A few of the novice priests survived and they rallied in face of this doom. They convinced the others to take matters into their own hands. They gathered the best miners and engineers left and set them to tunnel their way above the surface of the new sea, now hundreds of feet above them -- up through the solid granite heart of the Jormunsteinn. The new brotherhood of priests took upon the job of protecting the miners by battling the waters and the creatures it hid. By the time the miners tunneled above the level of the newly born sea, only three of the twenty were left, but the gods themselves marked them with the Halaglaz rune on each of their hands. The Brotherhood of Halaglaz, The Brotherhood of Ordeal was born.Torches were lit and they saw Urian in his full regalia, hammer ready in his hands. He stood alone in the center of stage below the others. An older Halagaz announced one more test and a trap door opened, vomiting out a creature of terror, a chaos beast!The fight was long and hard, but the dwarf prevailed. His hands were marked with the Halaglaz rune and all were led to a waiting feast. During the feast Copoc and Malcomb met Guldag, one of the other dwarves in attendance and the two humans -- Andreas and Dario, a wizard and his servant, a warrior. Andreas had wheedled and invitation in order to meet Gudlag and the group hit it off and decided to meet again onboard the White Dragon to further discuss their mutual goals.</blockquote>

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