The Risen Goddess (Updated 3.10.08)
- Thread starter (contact)
- Start date
(contact)
Explorer
Prior to this point, the party was concerned that if the boorish and stupid Lord Ilthais found out what was *really* going on in Kor'En eamor, he would do something a) boorish, or b) stupid.
T'sdeal had not been informed about this deception, so when questioned by the Lord, replied "hey, what little I know is all from this book".
T'sdeal had not been informed about this deception, so when questioned by the Lord, replied "hey, what little I know is all from this book".
(contact)
Explorer
(A new handwriting appears, stately and elegant)
Marpenoth the 3rd, DR 1372
So much has transpired that I fear will be lost to time should I not write it here. This filthy book is what must substitute for my own comfortable study, which I likely will not see for some time, if ever.
My name is Ashnern, sage of Storm’s Rise and former pupil to the great Elias the Silver in the Halls of Oghma, Arabel. I have seen sixty winters come and go, and I believe with all my heart that this past month has been the worst of my life.
So many have died, and now it falls to me to record the names of the fallen.
I put pen to paper from within the Room of Golden Writing in the Halls of Kor’En Eamor, First Home and Throne of All Dwarvenkind. Tomorrow, I will begin my studies here in earnest, but tonight I must scribe a tale of blackest treachery and perdifery. Bear with me, sages to come, as much of what I must relate is cruel in the extreme.
The Lord Ilthais Truesilver is a scoundrel of the blackest temperament. On the night of Elient the 24th, Lord Truesilver arrested the adventurers styled as the Band of the Great Delve.
At that time, goblin and giantish forces from the Stonelands came through the pass, operating under an alliance of the four main tribes there and occupied Storm’s Rise, with the blessing of Ilthais Truesilver. Lord Truesilver dispatched two large contingents of goblinoids into the delve to search for Ceridain Lifegiver, whom he refers to as Ceridain Death-Caller.
Merkatha witnessed this event, as she alone escaped arrest.
The adventurers, along with myself and my niece and nephew, were placed into the dungeons beneath the Lord’s Manor, and forced to witness a terrible speech. He announced his intent to find and awaken this Ceridain, and sacrifice us all to dark powers. Ilthais Truesilver is a devout member of Cyric’s faith, and priest to the Mad God. Alas, that I saw no sign of such a dark truth. I was blind, and shall regret my failing for the rest of my days.
His first victim was the Lady Tess, who had been his prisoner since her disappearance some six weeks ago. They misused her in front of us, then beheaded her in a vile ritual that we were all forced to witness. Ilthais promised us that one of our number would face the same fate each day until we were all dead.
His allies include his Lady Arlewen, an entity revealed as no human after all. She is a succubus, a type of fiend often encountered away from the Abyssal planes, charged with the corruption of mortal souls and the spread of evil amongst the Prime Material.
They have several lesser clerics of Cyric with them, all of whom answer to Ilthais, and amongst their number is a blackguard—a true black knight. Rounding out their unholy alliance, the infamous Sorcerer-Queen of the Stoneland goblins stands with them. Why such a worthy would deign to trifle with a traitorous priest of Cyric is beyond me.
Aree was their next victim, and was sacrificed to Cyric on Elient the 26th. May her gods rescue her soul from the damnation that was intended for it.
Fortunately, Merkatha was not passive during this time, and was able to gain intelligence about the goblin occupying army. They represent a unilateral force comprised of four separate tribes from the Stonelands. Had I been able, I would have advised her to wait for a division amongst the goblin groups, but she intuitively understood what my studies have revealed.
The tenuous alliance broke down, and internecine fighting broke out within Storm’s Rise. Merkatha heroically took advantage of this confusion to find us, and liberate us from our prison. Stranger still, the silent dwarf Winterbeard himself told her of the secret passage exiting Storm’s Rise that we used to escape—the dwarf spoke for the first time in the memory of any living man or woman among us.
We were unable to retrieve the body of Aree, but the corpse of the Lady Tess, rightful ruler of Storm’s Rise, came into our possession.
We made a hasty alliance with a handful of hobgoblins who professed hatred for the Sorcerer Queen, and while the majority of their force returned to the Stonelands to warn their kin about the Sorcerer Queen’s treachery, a pair of them assisted our escape.
In our flight from the Lord’s dungeons, Merkatha was able to steal his crystal ball, no doubt the scrying device he had used to keep a watch on us. Unfortunately, it would not be ours for long.
After a night of heated fighting within the town, the Lord Ilthais had regained control of Storm’s Rise, and sent a seek-and-destroy group out after us.
We defeated this group in an ambush, and I am proud to say that equipped with a pair of wands taken from the orcish forces in Kor’En Eamor, I was able to assist that struggle.
Shortly thereafter, the Lord himself appeared, and we fought with him and his Lady the demoness. The Lord fled from the battle once he was weakened, but we overcame his paramour, and put her to the sword.
I believe now that Ilthais loved Arlewen in some strange way. His response to her death was as cruel as it was impassioned. As retaliation for our small victory, Ilthais ordered his goblin servitors to fling the elderly of Storm’s Rise from the city’s walls. We were able to witness this tragedy from our hiding place, and I tell you without shame that I was not the only one to shed tears of helplessness and rage.
That next day, T’sdeal used Ilthais’ crystal ball to scry his henchman, the black knight. We determined that they were still within the Manor, and while I waited for the group at a hidden rally-point, the Band of the Great Delve assaulted the Lord, hoping to finish what they had started.
Selise, Merkatha, Bitzfit, Vai, and T’sdeal, along with two hardy hobgoblin warriors assaulted the Manor. They dealt a terrible blow to the Cyric worshippers, but were forced to retreat. Vai, T’sdeal, and both hobgoblins were killed in the assault.
After the failed attack, we quickly fled to Eveningstar to warn the Lady Tessaril of the dire happenings in forgotten Storm’s Rise. Those of you not familiar with our region may not immediately see the distinction between Tess of Storm’s Rise, and Tessaril, of Eveningstar, but I assure you they are as different as night and day. Tessaril is a glorious lady, possessing a powerful gift with magic and (if rumors can be believed) a dear friend to the Harpers.
Marpenoth, the 4th
The Lady Tessaril heard our news, but had terrible news of her own, which I shall relate here, in an attempt to place our struggle within the broader historical context.
On Eleasis the 10th, the dwarven army from Vesper Hall reached the border to Cormyr and sued for free passage. On the 20th, the Steel Regent refused them, and declared a state of general war against Vesper Hall. A half-hearted Sembian attempt to broker peace collapsed, and both sides prepared their forces.
On the 10th of Elient, the battle of Smuggling Stone was engaged, pitting the forces of Vesper Hall against the bulk of the Cormyrian defense.
On the 12th, the entire priesthood of Moradin amongst the Vesper Hall dwarves was murdered as they slept. The dwarves and Sembians blame Cormyr, who is denying any involvement.
On the 16th, Sembian warships began a general practice of seizing Cormyrian merchant vessels, despite the lack of a formal declaration of war.
On the 24th, combined dwarven and Sembian forces managed to navigate the Thunder Gap and Way of the Manticore, a feat previously believed impossible for an army to accomplish. They have since flanked the Cormyrian defenders, and occupy a large section of Southeastern Cormyr.
On the 25th, goblins and their giant allies emerged through the pass and took Storm’s Rise, at the invitation of its Cormyrian Lord. A gathering of Goblin Nations was convened on the 28th, but subsequently fell apart due to a series of assassinations targeting the leaders of the Four Clans, at the direction of the Sorcerer Queen.
We escaped the dungeons beneath the Lord’s Manor that night.
On the 30th, Ilthais massacred the helpless citizenry of Storm’s Rise in retaliation for the death of Arlewen, and subsequently animated their corpses as walking dead.
Marpenoth the 4th
The Lady of Eveningstar promised to send whatever aid she can spare, and has instructed a pair of Lathander’s faithful to join our cause. The cleric Ashara and her paladin cohort Baeren were able to return the body of the Lady Tess to life.
Our band now numbers six: Ashara, cleric and divine emissary of Lathander; Baeren, holy warrior of Lathander; Bitzfit the gnomish druid and transmuter; Merkatha, the drow scout; Tess, the true Lady of Storm’s Rise; Selise, our noblewoman archer; and myself. My assistant Rath, sent to me by the Steel Regent of Arabel two months ago, joins me here as well.
(A list of the murdered people of Storm’s Rise follows, including their names and professions.)
Marpenoth the 3rd, DR 1372
So much has transpired that I fear will be lost to time should I not write it here. This filthy book is what must substitute for my own comfortable study, which I likely will not see for some time, if ever.
My name is Ashnern, sage of Storm’s Rise and former pupil to the great Elias the Silver in the Halls of Oghma, Arabel. I have seen sixty winters come and go, and I believe with all my heart that this past month has been the worst of my life.
So many have died, and now it falls to me to record the names of the fallen.
I put pen to paper from within the Room of Golden Writing in the Halls of Kor’En Eamor, First Home and Throne of All Dwarvenkind. Tomorrow, I will begin my studies here in earnest, but tonight I must scribe a tale of blackest treachery and perdifery. Bear with me, sages to come, as much of what I must relate is cruel in the extreme.
The Lord Ilthais Truesilver is a scoundrel of the blackest temperament. On the night of Elient the 24th, Lord Truesilver arrested the adventurers styled as the Band of the Great Delve.
At that time, goblin and giantish forces from the Stonelands came through the pass, operating under an alliance of the four main tribes there and occupied Storm’s Rise, with the blessing of Ilthais Truesilver. Lord Truesilver dispatched two large contingents of goblinoids into the delve to search for Ceridain Lifegiver, whom he refers to as Ceridain Death-Caller.
Merkatha witnessed this event, as she alone escaped arrest.
The adventurers, along with myself and my niece and nephew, were placed into the dungeons beneath the Lord’s Manor, and forced to witness a terrible speech. He announced his intent to find and awaken this Ceridain, and sacrifice us all to dark powers. Ilthais Truesilver is a devout member of Cyric’s faith, and priest to the Mad God. Alas, that I saw no sign of such a dark truth. I was blind, and shall regret my failing for the rest of my days.
His first victim was the Lady Tess, who had been his prisoner since her disappearance some six weeks ago. They misused her in front of us, then beheaded her in a vile ritual that we were all forced to witness. Ilthais promised us that one of our number would face the same fate each day until we were all dead.
His allies include his Lady Arlewen, an entity revealed as no human after all. She is a succubus, a type of fiend often encountered away from the Abyssal planes, charged with the corruption of mortal souls and the spread of evil amongst the Prime Material.
They have several lesser clerics of Cyric with them, all of whom answer to Ilthais, and amongst their number is a blackguard—a true black knight. Rounding out their unholy alliance, the infamous Sorcerer-Queen of the Stoneland goblins stands with them. Why such a worthy would deign to trifle with a traitorous priest of Cyric is beyond me.
Aree was their next victim, and was sacrificed to Cyric on Elient the 26th. May her gods rescue her soul from the damnation that was intended for it.
Fortunately, Merkatha was not passive during this time, and was able to gain intelligence about the goblin occupying army. They represent a unilateral force comprised of four separate tribes from the Stonelands. Had I been able, I would have advised her to wait for a division amongst the goblin groups, but she intuitively understood what my studies have revealed.
The tenuous alliance broke down, and internecine fighting broke out within Storm’s Rise. Merkatha heroically took advantage of this confusion to find us, and liberate us from our prison. Stranger still, the silent dwarf Winterbeard himself told her of the secret passage exiting Storm’s Rise that we used to escape—the dwarf spoke for the first time in the memory of any living man or woman among us.
We were unable to retrieve the body of Aree, but the corpse of the Lady Tess, rightful ruler of Storm’s Rise, came into our possession.
We made a hasty alliance with a handful of hobgoblins who professed hatred for the Sorcerer Queen, and while the majority of their force returned to the Stonelands to warn their kin about the Sorcerer Queen’s treachery, a pair of them assisted our escape.
In our flight from the Lord’s dungeons, Merkatha was able to steal his crystal ball, no doubt the scrying device he had used to keep a watch on us. Unfortunately, it would not be ours for long.
After a night of heated fighting within the town, the Lord Ilthais had regained control of Storm’s Rise, and sent a seek-and-destroy group out after us.
We defeated this group in an ambush, and I am proud to say that equipped with a pair of wands taken from the orcish forces in Kor’En Eamor, I was able to assist that struggle.
Shortly thereafter, the Lord himself appeared, and we fought with him and his Lady the demoness. The Lord fled from the battle once he was weakened, but we overcame his paramour, and put her to the sword.
I believe now that Ilthais loved Arlewen in some strange way. His response to her death was as cruel as it was impassioned. As retaliation for our small victory, Ilthais ordered his goblin servitors to fling the elderly of Storm’s Rise from the city’s walls. We were able to witness this tragedy from our hiding place, and I tell you without shame that I was not the only one to shed tears of helplessness and rage.
That next day, T’sdeal used Ilthais’ crystal ball to scry his henchman, the black knight. We determined that they were still within the Manor, and while I waited for the group at a hidden rally-point, the Band of the Great Delve assaulted the Lord, hoping to finish what they had started.
Selise, Merkatha, Bitzfit, Vai, and T’sdeal, along with two hardy hobgoblin warriors assaulted the Manor. They dealt a terrible blow to the Cyric worshippers, but were forced to retreat. Vai, T’sdeal, and both hobgoblins were killed in the assault.
After the failed attack, we quickly fled to Eveningstar to warn the Lady Tessaril of the dire happenings in forgotten Storm’s Rise. Those of you not familiar with our region may not immediately see the distinction between Tess of Storm’s Rise, and Tessaril, of Eveningstar, but I assure you they are as different as night and day. Tessaril is a glorious lady, possessing a powerful gift with magic and (if rumors can be believed) a dear friend to the Harpers.
Marpenoth, the 4th
The Lady Tessaril heard our news, but had terrible news of her own, which I shall relate here, in an attempt to place our struggle within the broader historical context.
On Eleasis the 10th, the dwarven army from Vesper Hall reached the border to Cormyr and sued for free passage. On the 20th, the Steel Regent refused them, and declared a state of general war against Vesper Hall. A half-hearted Sembian attempt to broker peace collapsed, and both sides prepared their forces.
On the 10th of Elient, the battle of Smuggling Stone was engaged, pitting the forces of Vesper Hall against the bulk of the Cormyrian defense.
On the 12th, the entire priesthood of Moradin amongst the Vesper Hall dwarves was murdered as they slept. The dwarves and Sembians blame Cormyr, who is denying any involvement.
On the 16th, Sembian warships began a general practice of seizing Cormyrian merchant vessels, despite the lack of a formal declaration of war.
On the 24th, combined dwarven and Sembian forces managed to navigate the Thunder Gap and Way of the Manticore, a feat previously believed impossible for an army to accomplish. They have since flanked the Cormyrian defenders, and occupy a large section of Southeastern Cormyr.
On the 25th, goblins and their giant allies emerged through the pass and took Storm’s Rise, at the invitation of its Cormyrian Lord. A gathering of Goblin Nations was convened on the 28th, but subsequently fell apart due to a series of assassinations targeting the leaders of the Four Clans, at the direction of the Sorcerer Queen.
We escaped the dungeons beneath the Lord’s Manor that night.
On the 30th, Ilthais massacred the helpless citizenry of Storm’s Rise in retaliation for the death of Arlewen, and subsequently animated their corpses as walking dead.
Marpenoth the 4th
The Lady of Eveningstar promised to send whatever aid she can spare, and has instructed a pair of Lathander’s faithful to join our cause. The cleric Ashara and her paladin cohort Baeren were able to return the body of the Lady Tess to life.
Our band now numbers six: Ashara, cleric and divine emissary of Lathander; Baeren, holy warrior of Lathander; Bitzfit the gnomish druid and transmuter; Merkatha, the drow scout; Tess, the true Lady of Storm’s Rise; Selise, our noblewoman archer; and myself. My assistant Rath, sent to me by the Steel Regent of Arabel two months ago, joins me here as well.
(A list of the murdered people of Storm’s Rise follows, including their names and professions.)
Joshua Randall
Legend
The Great Delve adventure is starting to sound like Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil II: This Time, It's War!
In related news, I've decided that the reason (contact)'s game is so much cooler than mine is that more people die in his. Therefor, starting immediately, I plan to kill one PC per session.
(Has there been any research regarding the link between PC death and player enjoyment?)
In related news, I've decided that the reason (contact)'s game is so much cooler than mine is that more people die in his. Therefor, starting immediately, I plan to kill one PC per session.
(Has there been any research regarding the link between PC death and player enjoyment?)
dpdx
Explorer
I don't have the BoVD, but flinging the elderly from the walls (I'm imagining this was done with catapults) sounds like it came right out of that playbook. If it didn't, however, BoVD should be edited to include this tactic. Amazingly and absolutely evil; this Ilthais is one for the legends.
That being said, I can't wait to hear about Taran and Thelbar taking this on.
That being said, I can't wait to hear about Taran and Thelbar taking this on.
(contact)
Explorer
For the record, since about the time when Elgin Trezler and his buddies smashed Taran and Thelbar's stronghold, the TOEE2 DM has been running the show.
He also ran the Delve campaign, and I think it shows.
The Book of Vile Darkness could have been his book, I think. His baddies are usually really, really bad.
My baddies are exemplified by the Liberation of Tenh-- evil, to be sure, but kind of pathetic and funny in the long run.
He also ran the Delve campaign, and I think it shows.
The Book of Vile Darkness could have been his book, I think. His baddies are usually really, really bad.My baddies are exemplified by the Liberation of Tenh-- evil, to be sure, but kind of pathetic and funny in the long run.
(contact)
Explorer
Marpenoth the 4th
I sorrow to relate these dark events, and I pray to Oghma that He might give me the wisdom to make some sense of these runes carved into the Room of Golden Writing, in hopes that what I find here may shed some light on our cheerless trial.
Marpenoth the 5th
We made it to the Room of Golden Writing yesterday by fighting through the first war-band sent into Kor’En Eamor by Lord Ilthais. They were a mixed force of goblins and giants, and have entrenched themselves within the Great Highway. I suppose I am putting this to paper in an attempt to avoid relating what I have learned, and as a way to understand this transformation I have undergone.
Quill and Ink, I love battle! I was given wands by Bitzfit and used them to great effect against the goblins. I used to disparage Fernal’s obsession with danger, but truthfully, I have never felt so alive as when vile goblins are burning beneath my works!
My frail assistant Rath does not share my newfound passion, and I am sorry to say he took his own life this morning.
Marpenoth the 6th
My hands are shaking. What I am learning is as amazing and powerful a thing as I have ever read, fantastical histories included. Oghma’s Steady Mark, the tragedy here is overwhelming.
Marpenoth the 7th
Let me begin my explanation by relating a more recent inscription, found just within the door to this room. It appears to be the writing of King Alvodar, known as Cursebreaker, the only dwarven king to hold court here since the cursing of Hepis Aq Med.
He writes:
”Here hides the shame of Moradin. Great father of us all, how you failed your children. ”
Following this indictment, Alvodar has inscribed the names of the dwarves who died in the civil wars that precipitated Moradin’s curse. There are over 100,000 names, and each one is hand-carved into the rock. It is my belief that Alvodar was a victim of the same visions that overtook Enkil, although to what extent? He learned the proper names of an entire dwarven generation, in the First and Greatest Dwarven home. This Alvodar must surely have died a hopelessly mad dwarf.
The curses of Moradin are also carved here, although they date from a much earlier time, most likely the end of Hepis’ rein. They are translated faithfully here from the Auld Dwarven:
Moradin’s Decree:
All houses loyal to Hepis Aq Med shall never see the sun in freedom again. They will be reviled by all right and true dwarves, living an eternity in shame and exile. They will be forever shunned from my heart, left to walk the tangled deep recesses of worlds unknown. Let them find their homes in warrens abandoned by vermin, to live in constant strife with themselves and their brethren. They shall feel the hatred that spawns from the lost love of their Father.
To Ceridain:
You used your life to conspire against your maker, so you shall have no peace in death. No birth will grow inside you any more, only decay. The corpses of your children will wither inside you but never be gone; you will find no release. You will rot within your own body for all eternity; you are damned.
Ceridain was indeed a goddess, or a divine entity of some sort. I am coming to realize that this Delve, this Kor’En Eamor, is Ceridain the Lifegiver—the dwarven feminine force has always been represented by their warrens and stonework, and I now have the historical truth of it. I am standing within Ceridain Lifegiver right now, a goddess cursed to undeath by her maker.
The writing continues:
To Wulkas Lawgiver
You are exiled from my graces. Wander the vastness alone. Know that your betrayal has led you to this fate. You are nothing to me now.
There is no mention of a dwarven deity of Law anywhere in any record that I am familiar with. Among the dwarven pantheon, Moradin is the sole god of Law. Now we know why. I believe that this Wulkas Lawgiver is the entity worshipped by the duergar as Laduger, and the deep dwarves themselves are the descendants of the Houses that supported Hepis Aq Med.
To Hepis:
You are no son to the dwarves. Your claim to the right of succession was a thing of greed and desire. You will live as your mother dies. And only when eternity passes and her bones and spirit are dust will you be released. Go now and never return. Live forever in the silence of this moment and let that silence ring loudly with the shame of this blood you brought to your kind. Know that paradise was ripped from your brothers’ hands by your ambition.
To all dwarvenkind:
Kor’En Eamor does not exist. It is Tell’Aq Med. Never will one of my subjects enter this place with my sanction. It will stand as a monument to the death and destruction wrought by infidels and idolaters. It will be an undying prison for all who have fallen here, a never-ending curse that will forever remain a symbol of your shame. I command you to leave it now and speak no more of it forever.
Tell’Aq Med means literally the curse of the Aq Med, or the curse of Hepis’ house. I have determined that Ceridain Lifegiver put forth the claim of Hepis the Great, last king of Kor’En Eamor, for divinity as per Moradin’s own Rite of Succession.
Marpenoth the 7th
I have discerned the Rite of Succession, as recorded here:
“No King shall reign for more than five generations. No King shall pass the birth of his eldest grandson’s grandson in the lines of succession. That King will be an unjust and unlawful king.”
Hepis wrote on his own altar: “Here I stand so all may see the God King that I am”, and “The father must make way so his son can be the father—in this, all things must pass. ”
Hepis invoked Moradin’s own High Holy Law, and hoped to dispose the Father God as ruler of the dwarven spiritual life. Ceridain supported him, and Wulkas Lawgiver asserted the rightness of his claim under dwarven law.
They say that history is written by the victors, and in this case it is literally true, but it seems to me that Moradin may well have been in the wrong. Nonetheless, the civil war that erupted left Him victorious, and these are the curses he leveled on a trio of deities who opposed him, and the dwarves who witnessed it.
Marpenoth the 8th
The complex surrounding the Room of Golden Writing contains the historical record of this place up to and including the day Hepis ascended to godhood, at which time the sages go silent. I will attempt to relate it here, in abridged form.
Kor’En Eamor and the Making of the Dwarves
Kor’En Eamor was truly the First Home of the dwarves, and is also accurately called the Throne of All Dwarvenkind. The whole of this place is deified as Ceridain Lifegiver, a vessel made by Moradin to hold his intention while he crafted the dwarven race.
Here, the First Dwarf Nur’Thalem Aq Med took the title of king, and the dwarves grew into mastery of their crafts, under the tutelage of their gods. Nur’Thalem lived for over 600 years, and under his wise rulership, the craftwork of the dwarves was codified and distributed to twenty distinct clans.
Each clan formed a caste, with the clan of the Aq Med sitting the throne. Each clan had a representative that attended the Great Clan Council, and Kor’En Eamor grew prosperous. During this time, the portals were established, and the dwarves explored the countless worlds of the multiverse, establishing new mines and outposts. Their contact with other races brought trade, but also brought warfare and strife. Although there were hardships and bloodshed, these things only strengthened the dwarven resolve.
As trade grew, so did the prominence of the houses that dealt in the most coveted wares. The house Thrarin, forgers of steel and crafters of weapons in particular grew grand, while other clans, concerned with the more mundane requirements of Kor’En Eamor fell low.
This shift weakened the monarchy, and the great houses became steadily more autonomous. A series of weak kings intensified this split, and in time, the Aq Med passed into their twilight as figurehead rulers.
The crowning of King Adwawn IV changed all of that. A charismatic and visionary dwarf, Adwawn was hailed as the greatest dwarven king since First Dwarf Nur’Thalem sat the ebony throne. The power of the Aq Med surged, but their revival was clipped by a great scandal.
Ceridain’s Love
Adwawn’s beauty and majesty attracted the attention of Ceridain Herself, and the Mother-Goddess to the dwarves blessed him with her affections, not as mother to son, but as a lover. This would have been taboo enough, but Adwawn’s existing marriage to a clan-daughter of the powerful Thrarin clan made it completely unacceptable.
Yet Adwawn was still king, and no dwarf could move Adwawn’s gaze once he had set it upon such a beautiful creature as Ceridain—his mother, his home and his life.
Ceridain sought to give Adwawn a son, but unable to carry a true dwarven child herself, the burden was passed, albeit unknowingly and unwillingly to Adwawn’s mortal wife. The woman died in childbirth, but the infant survived. On the dwarven High Father’s Day, Hepis the First was born.
This scandal would have remained a well-kept secret, had not the clan-father of the Bir Qath, a seer and sorcerer, prophesized the demise of Kor’En Eamor through the birth of Hepis Aq Med, of the line of the First Dwarf, son to Ceridain Lifegiver.
The clan-father Urzulm Thrarin was outraged by the infidelity of Adwawn, and challenged the king to a blood-duel. Adwawn accepted, and after a great battle between the two clan-fathers, Adwawn lost his life. With the Thrarin’s honor restored, and the power of the Aq Med diminished, life in Kor’En Eamor returned to a semblance of normalcy for another generation.
The Great Fall
The priests of the Aq Med raised Hepis in relative secrecy, and when the time came for him to take the mantle of rulership, he crowned himself with no ceremony.
His first action as king was to gather the lowest clans, and elevate them by unifying them behind his rule. This attracted the immediate attention of the other clans, who had largely ignored the bastard king as an embarrassing figurehead. Hepis never forgot the enemies of his father, and his agenda was immediately apparent. A backlash was coming, and the fabric of life in Kor’En Eamor was strained to the point of rupturing.
It was at this time that Hepis proved his worth as a statesman. His populist rule transcended clan status, and he was able to find individual supporters even within clans that opposed him. It is true that his divine Mother guided his reign, and she granted him an aura of authority that few dwarves could disregard.
Further, Ceridain told him the secrets of her body, and within Kor’En Eamor, Hepis brought knowledge of ores and materials previously unknown. It was in this fashion that glassteel was discovered, and Hepis rewarded his most loyal clan with the secrets of its working. Adamantine and mithral were also brought forth by Hepis, and he used this new-found wealth to enact massive public works, and inflate the pride of the dwarves in their wondrous home.
For two centuries Kor’En Eamor’s treasuries grew richer, their craftsdwarves grew more skilled, the pride of Hepis grew larger, and the envy of his enemies grew deep beyond reckoning.
Hepis’ last and greatest project was a masterwork temple—a place he dedicated to the Father-King. It was assumed by all that Moradin was the object of this praise, but Hepis and Ceridain had other plans.
Upon its unveiling, Hepis ascended the riser, took the chalice of his Mother in his hands, and spoke the words that brought low the dwarven paradise: “Here I stand so all may see the God that I am. The Father must make way so the son can be the Father. In this All Things Must Pass. ”
The rest, as they say, was a nightmare.
I sorrow to relate these dark events, and I pray to Oghma that He might give me the wisdom to make some sense of these runes carved into the Room of Golden Writing, in hopes that what I find here may shed some light on our cheerless trial.
Marpenoth the 5th
We made it to the Room of Golden Writing yesterday by fighting through the first war-band sent into Kor’En Eamor by Lord Ilthais. They were a mixed force of goblins and giants, and have entrenched themselves within the Great Highway. I suppose I am putting this to paper in an attempt to avoid relating what I have learned, and as a way to understand this transformation I have undergone.
Quill and Ink, I love battle! I was given wands by Bitzfit and used them to great effect against the goblins. I used to disparage Fernal’s obsession with danger, but truthfully, I have never felt so alive as when vile goblins are burning beneath my works!
My frail assistant Rath does not share my newfound passion, and I am sorry to say he took his own life this morning.
Marpenoth the 6th
My hands are shaking. What I am learning is as amazing and powerful a thing as I have ever read, fantastical histories included. Oghma’s Steady Mark, the tragedy here is overwhelming.
Marpenoth the 7th
Let me begin my explanation by relating a more recent inscription, found just within the door to this room. It appears to be the writing of King Alvodar, known as Cursebreaker, the only dwarven king to hold court here since the cursing of Hepis Aq Med.
He writes:
”Here hides the shame of Moradin. Great father of us all, how you failed your children. ”
Following this indictment, Alvodar has inscribed the names of the dwarves who died in the civil wars that precipitated Moradin’s curse. There are over 100,000 names, and each one is hand-carved into the rock. It is my belief that Alvodar was a victim of the same visions that overtook Enkil, although to what extent? He learned the proper names of an entire dwarven generation, in the First and Greatest Dwarven home. This Alvodar must surely have died a hopelessly mad dwarf.
The curses of Moradin are also carved here, although they date from a much earlier time, most likely the end of Hepis’ rein. They are translated faithfully here from the Auld Dwarven:
Moradin’s Decree:
All houses loyal to Hepis Aq Med shall never see the sun in freedom again. They will be reviled by all right and true dwarves, living an eternity in shame and exile. They will be forever shunned from my heart, left to walk the tangled deep recesses of worlds unknown. Let them find their homes in warrens abandoned by vermin, to live in constant strife with themselves and their brethren. They shall feel the hatred that spawns from the lost love of their Father.
To Ceridain:
You used your life to conspire against your maker, so you shall have no peace in death. No birth will grow inside you any more, only decay. The corpses of your children will wither inside you but never be gone; you will find no release. You will rot within your own body for all eternity; you are damned.
Ceridain was indeed a goddess, or a divine entity of some sort. I am coming to realize that this Delve, this Kor’En Eamor, is Ceridain the Lifegiver—the dwarven feminine force has always been represented by their warrens and stonework, and I now have the historical truth of it. I am standing within Ceridain Lifegiver right now, a goddess cursed to undeath by her maker.
The writing continues:
To Wulkas Lawgiver
You are exiled from my graces. Wander the vastness alone. Know that your betrayal has led you to this fate. You are nothing to me now.
There is no mention of a dwarven deity of Law anywhere in any record that I am familiar with. Among the dwarven pantheon, Moradin is the sole god of Law. Now we know why. I believe that this Wulkas Lawgiver is the entity worshipped by the duergar as Laduger, and the deep dwarves themselves are the descendants of the Houses that supported Hepis Aq Med.
To Hepis:
You are no son to the dwarves. Your claim to the right of succession was a thing of greed and desire. You will live as your mother dies. And only when eternity passes and her bones and spirit are dust will you be released. Go now and never return. Live forever in the silence of this moment and let that silence ring loudly with the shame of this blood you brought to your kind. Know that paradise was ripped from your brothers’ hands by your ambition.
To all dwarvenkind:
Kor’En Eamor does not exist. It is Tell’Aq Med. Never will one of my subjects enter this place with my sanction. It will stand as a monument to the death and destruction wrought by infidels and idolaters. It will be an undying prison for all who have fallen here, a never-ending curse that will forever remain a symbol of your shame. I command you to leave it now and speak no more of it forever.
Tell’Aq Med means literally the curse of the Aq Med, or the curse of Hepis’ house. I have determined that Ceridain Lifegiver put forth the claim of Hepis the Great, last king of Kor’En Eamor, for divinity as per Moradin’s own Rite of Succession.
Marpenoth the 7th
I have discerned the Rite of Succession, as recorded here:
“No King shall reign for more than five generations. No King shall pass the birth of his eldest grandson’s grandson in the lines of succession. That King will be an unjust and unlawful king.”
Hepis wrote on his own altar: “Here I stand so all may see the God King that I am”, and “The father must make way so his son can be the father—in this, all things must pass. ”
Hepis invoked Moradin’s own High Holy Law, and hoped to dispose the Father God as ruler of the dwarven spiritual life. Ceridain supported him, and Wulkas Lawgiver asserted the rightness of his claim under dwarven law.
They say that history is written by the victors, and in this case it is literally true, but it seems to me that Moradin may well have been in the wrong. Nonetheless, the civil war that erupted left Him victorious, and these are the curses he leveled on a trio of deities who opposed him, and the dwarves who witnessed it.
Marpenoth the 8th
The complex surrounding the Room of Golden Writing contains the historical record of this place up to and including the day Hepis ascended to godhood, at which time the sages go silent. I will attempt to relate it here, in abridged form.
Kor’En Eamor and the Making of the Dwarves
Kor’En Eamor was truly the First Home of the dwarves, and is also accurately called the Throne of All Dwarvenkind. The whole of this place is deified as Ceridain Lifegiver, a vessel made by Moradin to hold his intention while he crafted the dwarven race.
Here, the First Dwarf Nur’Thalem Aq Med took the title of king, and the dwarves grew into mastery of their crafts, under the tutelage of their gods. Nur’Thalem lived for over 600 years, and under his wise rulership, the craftwork of the dwarves was codified and distributed to twenty distinct clans.
Each clan formed a caste, with the clan of the Aq Med sitting the throne. Each clan had a representative that attended the Great Clan Council, and Kor’En Eamor grew prosperous. During this time, the portals were established, and the dwarves explored the countless worlds of the multiverse, establishing new mines and outposts. Their contact with other races brought trade, but also brought warfare and strife. Although there were hardships and bloodshed, these things only strengthened the dwarven resolve.
As trade grew, so did the prominence of the houses that dealt in the most coveted wares. The house Thrarin, forgers of steel and crafters of weapons in particular grew grand, while other clans, concerned with the more mundane requirements of Kor’En Eamor fell low.
This shift weakened the monarchy, and the great houses became steadily more autonomous. A series of weak kings intensified this split, and in time, the Aq Med passed into their twilight as figurehead rulers.
The crowning of King Adwawn IV changed all of that. A charismatic and visionary dwarf, Adwawn was hailed as the greatest dwarven king since First Dwarf Nur’Thalem sat the ebony throne. The power of the Aq Med surged, but their revival was clipped by a great scandal.
Ceridain’s Love
Adwawn’s beauty and majesty attracted the attention of Ceridain Herself, and the Mother-Goddess to the dwarves blessed him with her affections, not as mother to son, but as a lover. This would have been taboo enough, but Adwawn’s existing marriage to a clan-daughter of the powerful Thrarin clan made it completely unacceptable.
Yet Adwawn was still king, and no dwarf could move Adwawn’s gaze once he had set it upon such a beautiful creature as Ceridain—his mother, his home and his life.
Ceridain sought to give Adwawn a son, but unable to carry a true dwarven child herself, the burden was passed, albeit unknowingly and unwillingly to Adwawn’s mortal wife. The woman died in childbirth, but the infant survived. On the dwarven High Father’s Day, Hepis the First was born.
This scandal would have remained a well-kept secret, had not the clan-father of the Bir Qath, a seer and sorcerer, prophesized the demise of Kor’En Eamor through the birth of Hepis Aq Med, of the line of the First Dwarf, son to Ceridain Lifegiver.
The clan-father Urzulm Thrarin was outraged by the infidelity of Adwawn, and challenged the king to a blood-duel. Adwawn accepted, and after a great battle between the two clan-fathers, Adwawn lost his life. With the Thrarin’s honor restored, and the power of the Aq Med diminished, life in Kor’En Eamor returned to a semblance of normalcy for another generation.
The Great Fall
The priests of the Aq Med raised Hepis in relative secrecy, and when the time came for him to take the mantle of rulership, he crowned himself with no ceremony.
His first action as king was to gather the lowest clans, and elevate them by unifying them behind his rule. This attracted the immediate attention of the other clans, who had largely ignored the bastard king as an embarrassing figurehead. Hepis never forgot the enemies of his father, and his agenda was immediately apparent. A backlash was coming, and the fabric of life in Kor’En Eamor was strained to the point of rupturing.
It was at this time that Hepis proved his worth as a statesman. His populist rule transcended clan status, and he was able to find individual supporters even within clans that opposed him. It is true that his divine Mother guided his reign, and she granted him an aura of authority that few dwarves could disregard.
Further, Ceridain told him the secrets of her body, and within Kor’En Eamor, Hepis brought knowledge of ores and materials previously unknown. It was in this fashion that glassteel was discovered, and Hepis rewarded his most loyal clan with the secrets of its working. Adamantine and mithral were also brought forth by Hepis, and he used this new-found wealth to enact massive public works, and inflate the pride of the dwarves in their wondrous home.
For two centuries Kor’En Eamor’s treasuries grew richer, their craftsdwarves grew more skilled, the pride of Hepis grew larger, and the envy of his enemies grew deep beyond reckoning.
Hepis’ last and greatest project was a masterwork temple—a place he dedicated to the Father-King. It was assumed by all that Moradin was the object of this praise, but Hepis and Ceridain had other plans.
Upon its unveiling, Hepis ascended the riser, took the chalice of his Mother in his hands, and spoke the words that brought low the dwarven paradise: “Here I stand so all may see the God that I am. The Father must make way so the son can be the Father. In this All Things Must Pass. ”
The rest, as they say, was a nightmare.
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