Nåzom Sethmishthem's History of Ilus ÄsOur world of Oruborid - "The Everlasting Universes", in the ancient tongue - has seen its share of civilisations rise and fall. For the 250th year of this Epoch, I have chosen to write a brief history of one such civilisation. Not the mightiest, or the most belligerent, but one at a critical juncture. A Dwarven civilisation of monarchs both great and tragic, and now with an unconventional, untested Queen. I write of Ilus Äs, "The Everseeing Cave".
In the early years of this Epoch, the four races spread across Oruborid, expanding their territory and their numbers in a contest for supremacy. A young dwarf named Cerol "Girderrings" Thobathel, eager to play his part, founded Ilus Äs. His band of followers, grandly calling themselves Oltar Kogsak ("The Gilded Palisade"), built the fortress of Sehasmel ("Ordermerchant").
A period of mostly quiet prosperity followed, in which the dwarves founded two more fortresses and six hillocks. Only the unpredictable rampages of legendary beasts disturbed the tranquillity. In year 30, the brush titan Futace Rocksbeached the Cyclopean Fin destroyed the hillock "Furnacebone", but it was reclaimed the following year. As far as can be known, that titan survives to this day.
Similarly, in year 36 the forgotten beast Wara Soakedsweat the Moist Mines destroyed the fortress of Mengag "Lasheddaub". This time, the beast remained. Over the ensuing decades, three challengers confronted Wara in its new lair, most recently a dwarf named Feb "Partneredmachines" Thimsurstâkud in 140, herself a citizen of Ilus Äs. None prevailed, and the fortress of Mengag remains under the sway of the forgotten beast.
Aside from these events, however, it was mostly a time of expansion and peace. That ended in the year 42. King Cerol was abducted by "The Shade of Shadows", a moon freak, and transformed into a mate for the foul creature. After siring a daughter with the freak in 43 (who was later slain without progeny), Cerol went on many rampages, but caused little harm. Finally, in 96, he was struck down, and later so were The Shade of Shadows and her only other daughter, ending the freak's bloodline. It is a great shame to Ilus Äs that this enemy - as with the aforementioned titan, forgotten beast , and many other enemies - was not slain by one of their own dwarves.
Cerol's successor was Domas "Crushtorch" Ômlitast, who reigned as queen from 43 - 79. Domas oversaw the founding of a fortress and eight hillocks. She was a gentle ruler, wishing only for peace, and helped heal the trauma and shame brought by the moon freak Cerol. She was inclined to focus on agriculture and produce, having learned much in her time working in fisheries, farming, as a ranger and tavernkeep. Domas was physically formidable: she faced the minotaur Rushan Squeezedblaze when that beast rampaged through Lertethnomal ("Tangledstaff"), but escaped unharmed. She also won dozens of foot races and weapon throwing competitions, even into her 150th year and beyond, but Domas was not a military leader. When war came to The Everseeing Cave, they were not prepared.
The Goblin civilisation of The Dishonest Insensitive Terror attacked the hillock of Astelalåth ("Alliedbolts") from the west in midspring, on the 1st of Felsite, year 78. They attacked completely without warning, having coexisted without warfare with the other races of the region until this first affray, but with hindsight historians have commented that Domas should have expected aggression from goblins sooner or later and prepared accordingly. She had not, and was struck down by a troll in defence of the hillock, along with 144 other dwarves hastily assembled by the legendary General Lor "Confineshot" Kacothkeskal, one of the original followers of King Cerol, and who had bravely made journeys to the depths of the world to tame jabberers and rutherers. These creatures played their role in mitigating dwarven losses, but in a terrible blow to the defenders he too was killed by a troll. The goblins, meanwhile, led by the equally-formidable tamer of rutherers and cave crawlers General Zom Blockademalign, lost only 104 soldiers, and a grim outcome seemed certain for what has become called "The Strifeful Assaults", the only battle in the war called "The Squashed Conflict".
In this time of war, with their General and peaceful Queen fallen and untested warriors dying, a canny leader emerged who would defend Ilus Äs and oversee a golden age lasting nearly a century and a half. That leader was Stakud "Merchantdangles" Asmelirtir (57 - 226), an unlikely choice for the role. Only 22 at the time, Stakud had recently given up farming for trading, and left his wife and nine-year old son to ply his wares in Astelalåth when the goblins attacked.
Stakud acquitted himself well in the defence of the hillock, slaying the goblin Mato Owlwitches and proving his marksdwarfship. The night after the devastating first assault, counting their dead, Stakud realised they could not survive all-out conflict with the vast goblin civilisation. Although young, the future king was a persuasive and deft negotiator, and convinced the dwarves of Ilus Äs to play to their strengths - being a mercantile civilisation, they should bargain with the aggressors for peace. Ordinarily, dwarvish martial honour would preclude such a diplomatic solution, but Stakud made his case so convincingly that he was chosen as the representative for the negotiations and received a battlefield coronation that very night. King Stakud managed to forestall further attacks, and after long diplomatic engagement ultimately managed to reach a peace agreement with the goblins on 8th Granite 79 - early spring of the following year. The Squashed Conflict was over.
There followed a short period of peace, during which seven more hillocks were founded. Stakud was untrusting of the goblins and intensified scouting and patrolling activities on the western border. In late summer of year 89, The Dishonest Insensitive Terror, again led by the fierce General Zom, attacked a large division of dwarves patrolling Shetbêth Zimkel ("The Twinkling Plains"), well inside the goblins' territory.
Although disadvantaged and far from home, things went differently for the dwarves this time. King Stakud, untrusting of the goblins, had not been idle, and had bolstered the military under another young leader, General Alath "Endedconstructs" Lushônaban, who returned from an under-world voyage with a great strategic asset: tamed giant cave swallows. With the new flying division - armed with long lances and trained in dive-charges - the Scream-Battle of Lances ended in the dwarves' favour. Despite being outnumbered 334 to 248, the dwarves only lost 115, slew 156 of the goblins' number, and King Stakud immediately sued for peace. The demoralised goblins accepted on 22nd Galena, 89 - a mere seven days after their ill-fated assault. The opening salvo of The Violent War was also to be its last, and King Stakud's project of military transformation had been tested and proven successful in under ten years.
That peace has lasted to the present day. Apparently seeking easier targets, The Dishonest Insensitive Terror have constantly since waged wars on elvish and human neighbours and civilisations further afield, but never again have they troubled dwarves.
Indeed, the dwarves of Ilus Äs have pushed westward, reclaiming an abandoned mountain-hall called Zedotkol ("Lobsterwheel") deep in goblin territory, which serves as a forward outpost in their vigilant monitoring of the westward threat (and, slightly to the south, another goblin nation called The Witch of Amazing). Many more sites were founded, and although beasts still rampaged through the settlements of The Everseeing Caves, none fell. Tragically, one such rampage claimed the life of Stakud's only son, Mayor Asmel "Towerclod" Urdimân, at the hands of the human werebeast Imec Boyishsnack the Conqueror of Scraping. The pig-monster Imec was later slain at the hands of a citizen of Ilus Äs - the monster hunter Kosoth "Bodicesandal" - restoring the honour of Ilus Äs. Finally, in 226, Stakud died peacefully of old age, passing the crown to his daughter, Kel "Worshiproughness" Solozdumat.
Queen Kel has overseen a relatively quiet 24-year period in the history of Ilus Äs. The beasts still rampage, but their settlements stand, and the goblins are not yet willing to test the might of the Daughter of Stakud. Barring some cataclysm, the bloodline would appear secure - to date, Kel has five surviving children, and one of her brother's children also lives. She has some distinctly un-dwarfish ideas, such as worshiping an obscure human deity of salt, Thomo. Thomo is venerated in a fading civilisation of only 29 humans called "The Narrow Kingdom". Kel likely devoted herself to him early, when she moved at age 12 to the town of Beardrill in 154 - formerly of The Narrow Kingdom but now claimed by the elves of The Disembowelled Fell - to be a herbalist. She obtained dual citizenship with the elves, and in 161 married Ral "Curlshield" Amemsodel, a fishery worker. Eventually bored with their civilian lives, the two dwarves felt the call of the fortress once more. They moved to Sehasmel "Ordermerchant" and took up as mercenaries; he a macedwarf, she a swordsdwarf. Upon the passing of her father, Kel assumed the throne and absolute power over the lives of the citizens of Ilus Äs.
Current estimates of the civilisation's size stand at approximately 3,700 dwarves, 100 humans, less than 50 elves, and a handful of other races - a size which makes them the tenth-largest of Oruborid's fourteen dwarven civilisations.
Queen Kel rules over 33 sites, including one mountain-hall and four fortresses, and the civilisation is known for their horsedwarfship, having somewhere above 9,000 of the beasts. Apart from the unpredictable rampages of legendary beasts, the group has seen little of conflict since the Violent War, but goblins are ever-thirsty for conquest. The Dishonest Insensitive Terror will one day again test the might of Ilus Äs, or some other threat will arise. Queen Kel has inherited a kingdom in fine vigour, but none can say whether this untested monarch will be ready, as her father was, to defend Ilus Äs when the time comes.
Nåzom Sethmishthem, historian, year 250.
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