For The Eyes of His Majesty, Kol Losiszuntir, King Faintanvils of Nomingish, the Godly BodicesFrom the desk of Royal Scribe and Record-Keeper, Tekkud ZuglaridOn this day of Fifth Granite, Year Two-Hundred Fifty-Two of the Everseeing Domain, Xesorsuza
Your most august Majesty,
Since your ascent to power after the all-too-brief reign of Her Majesty Queen Lorbam Urdimkerlig, whom starved to death in mysterious circumstances after a scant year of rulership, I have endeavored to serve you as my clan has for generations served the royal house of Nomingish. Since the late Queen left behind no heir, you were chosen to be the King by acclamation of the High Council, and have ruled us capably and, dare I say, in a most distinguished manner for these seventeen years.
You decided two years ago to found a new city for the glory of our mountainhomes, and formed a party to strike the earth in the Jungles of Competing, seeking mineral wealth and a chance at finding a deposit of the true metal, adamantine. In the time since this group, the settlement, dubbed "Steelbeard" by its founders, has begun to show the signs of success that all look for in a growing dwarven outpost.
To better serve both you and our fledgling mountain halls of Steelbeard, I took the liberty of compiling a great deal of information from the royal archives, in addition to seeking out and recording some of the myths and legends of the common folk as well as the royal family. I enlisted aid from our two neighboring human civilizations, The Realm of Confusion and The Confederation of Slipping, as well. They put their vast information networks the world over to work for the purpose of compiling a useful resource on these realms. This resource was completed yesterday, and I now transmit it to you.
I shall begin my account with a bit of our early history; though it may be known to you, not all the salient details are common knowledge. You no doubt know that the first great hero of this region, the one whom blazed the trail for Nomingish to become a world power, was the great general Stakud Fortressdwellings. Twice he ventured to the depths of the earth, and tamed the giant toads and rutherers that lived there. Twice he escaped unscathed from combat with deadly foes, including the bronze colossus Bardum Lordarrow the Earthen Punch of Apogees, the greatest of our civilization's enemies. He was struck down in the year 56 by a cowardly cyclops, Budam Daysilvers the Blueness of Hardiness.
Our first king, who came to power on the mighty shoulders of Stakud Fortressdwellings, was the great Unib Zuglarustuth, called Shipfences. His reign brought prosperity to our fledgling nation, until he was tragically murdered after fifteen years by Bardum Lordarrow, who first came to our attention around this time. His daughter Solon Gatebear ruled after him for five years, until the foul colossus murdered her as well.
As a nation we were able to get past the tumultuous early years of our history and we have grown tremendously. Certainly we are able to draw great power and comfort from our patron gods; you yourself, Your Majesty, are an outspoken worshipper of the great goddess Asen the Bronze Rocks, mother of mountains. I myself am a fervent disciple of the god Maskir, who brings balance to all things. The great dwarf hero Stakud Fortressdwellings was known to espouse the worship of Shin the Rock of Greenness, the god of jewels and minerals. Our first king was a worshipper of the goddess Limar, she of fire, wealth, and trade. Ber Ravenwound, a known confederate of King Unib, worshipped Toral Coveredloved, the lady of mercy and forgiveness. There are other gods known to us; Etar, god of war and fortresses, and Azmol the Deep Fountain, goddess of fertility and mist, are two of the more prominent.
Other countries in this realm have their own gods, some of which are more unusual than others. You may perhaps forgive me for raising an eyebrow at those in The Confederations of Slipping who prostrate themselves before Atal Suntwig, who is a halibut-god of nature; likewise, I doubt that Ushmal the Hag of Rocks, a soldier ant goddess of muck, has much of a cult even in the far-off Incidental Confederacy. Ceshshed of the Humid Empire, a cardinal-god of sky, wind, and rain, is a far more reasonable object of worship. Still, who is to say what is plausible in the realm of the divine?
Finally, and most importantly, I wish to chronicle various threats to the world and to our civilization; these beasts are not to be trifled with.
First among these dread horrors is, of course, the bronze colossus, Bardum Lordarrow the Earthen Punch of Apogees. This foul beast is still at large, unpunished for his brutal slaying of our first king and his daughter. This much is known; he has been reported to be wandering the Steppes of Glazing even as recently as the year 246. His rampage of murder goes unabated; as far as I can tell, he has murdered sixty-nine people of note, with uncountable victims who were never recorded for lack of deeds to their name; he can rightly be said to be the enemy of all who live. Even the goblins curse his name. He is rumored to have taken the abandoned temple of Jewelrulers as his lair, though few who venture there live to tell the tale.
Second of these beasts is the great dragon Thali Goldsweltered the Sparks of Treasure, who is dangerous for a different reason. Whether due to his prodigious strength or his instinctual cunning, this dragon has managed to become the object of worship for several human civilizations. Though much of the world sees through his schemes and considers him an enemy, he has still managed to avoid capture and execution due to his cults. He sleeps in the great cave known as The Diamond Silver, where he hoards treasure from the world over.
We must also consider the curious forces of nature called titans. These beings, as you are no doubt aware, have no known origin, no known motivations, and are older than time itself. Each one is totally unique and alone, and often they are possessed of bizarre biology. There are some that I know enough about to make a report on, but there are many who are barely known except in rumors.
Stez Passforests is known to be a tremendous four-legged beast made entirely of ice that stalks the hills. It is relatively peaceful and sedentary, content for the time to lie in its lair, the temple called Birdsberry. Only one person has ever been recorded to have attacked this creature, the human Ustra Filledblankets. Ustra was struck down easily and quickly.
Lema Gullyfin the Leafy Pine is perhaps more dangerous; a great skink-shaped monstrosity with no eyes, it apparently can shoot webbing similar to the giant cave spider.Bright blue in color, it is more proactive than Stez Passforests, attacking human, elven, and dwarven settlements with impunity. It lives in the great savanna called The Steppe of Partners, and has sixty-one notable kills to its name. It has received the worship of some, though not so many as the dragon Thali.
The most disturbing of these threats to our world are not so kind as to make the entire world their enemies. These beasts, who speak in tongues unknown and possess powers unnatural, are as old as the titans, but display clear intelligence, and even sentience. Rather than recieve the worship of creatures, they instead conquer entire civilizations by force and become their kings. Though I am loath to use the word, they are usually simply called demons. I know not whence they come or what their existence means.
One of the less harmful of these demons is called Emepe Ransackedgleamed. In form he resembles nothing so much as a tremendous cyclopean rabbit standing on two legs. He has fiery breath similar to a dragon. He became the leader of a gang of petty goblin bandits, but by great effort and sacrifice he was captured and imprisoned by The Councils of Lulling, a human civilization. He has made no attempt to free himself from his bondage, and is seemingly content to stay a prisoner, though what dark designs he has on the world I dare not guess.
Perhaps the most dangerous of the demons known to us is the monstrous humanoid iguana known as Ulash Webthief the Seducer of Plagues. He conquered the fledgling goblin civilization called The Brilliant Fly and made it a powerful warrior nation. He is the perennial foe of our fellow dwarven nation The Blanketed Urn, personally leading sieges and raids on its fortresses; those who have survived against him in battle say that he is an overwhelming opponent. Even if one manages to scratch him, his blood is certain death to anyone it touches. The war mounts of the Brilliant Fly answer only to his voice and touch, as if he tamed them all personally.
I pray, Your Majesty, that you do not lose heart in the face of such overwhelming power that is aligned against us. Dwarven walls are strong, but the dwarven spirit is stronger. In the name of King Unib, in the name of Nomingish, in the name of the shining suns of Steelbeard and the mighty dwarves of The Godly Bodices, we shall not surrender even the smallest of our outposts to the evils of the world; rather, we shall defend them with all our souls.
Always your loyal servant,
Tekkud Zuglarid
Royal Scribe and Record-Keeper
If anyone wants more details about certain things, just ask. I didn't do the usual method of posting screenshots of Legends mode because I find screenshots incredibly tedious to take, plus I like writing in character.
Author
Topic: For Glory and Adamantine: The Story of Steelbeard (epic succession, .25) (Read 12698 times)