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[Stronghammer]

This is a story that I am writing as i play the game, the purpose for this is just because i like to write, and wanted to share with the community, so thye may enjoy it as well.

Hello my name is Bernard Brightgem, I am an historian of the Fair Heights Academy. I was charged by the head of my department to go out and find this small dwarven community and then to report on its ways. I have journeyed far and wide in search of this community and have finally found it in the most unlikely of places. A great plain. I first discovered it while traveling by to a distant mountain chain that looked to be promising in yielding this village. I was on horseback when I noticed a dark spot on the southern horizon on the side of a hill. At first I was tempted to forget about it and merely think of it as a oddity or mass of dark dirt. Oh woe would be me if I had simply ignored it, yet fortune smiled down on me, for it was beginning to become dark. So a decided that the small hill that the dark spot was on, was as good as any to camp. Upon my arrival I noticed that this was not a simple patch of dirt, but was in fact a opening into the hill. All along the edge of the opening I could see small scratching and odd shapes. However due to the poor lighting I passed it off as the claw markings of the animal that had dug the small opening. And so had spent the night camped on the hill.
   Early the next morning I returned to the opening in the hill, to once again study the sides of the hole. I had a nagging feeling that my earlier presumption was incorrect and had, had the most peculiar dream. You might imagine my excitement, when upon studying the marking again I noticed that they were in fact ancient dwarven runes. My hands trembling with excitement pulled out my note book and did a quick rubbing. I then pulled out my large text, by which I was able to translate the runes. I will give you the translated version as putting in the dwarven runes would be a waste of space as many would not know how to read it. Welcome Stranger to the home of the CrystalArdent Clan. If ye be friend know that ye be welcome. If ye be enemy know that this place holds ye doom. It took me several hours to translate the runes, and by the end of it I was quite excited at the possibilities of the cave.

[Stronghammer]

I quickly packed my belongings and headed into the low dirt tunnel. As I walked I noticed spots on the ground where it seemed, as if the floor was false or had been bricked in. Often it was heard of that dwarves defended their homes with various traps and trap doors that opened up to bottomless pits. Well as I spotted more and more of these spots I became increasingly more excited, for it meant that this was definitely a home of the dwarves. I then came upon an old oaken door with strips of iron bound across it to increase its strength. It lay off its hinges leaning against the wall as if some creature with great weight or force had shouldered its way through. As I stepped over the door I bent in closer to inspect the door and the writing on it. Welcome to Zakisdir, village and home of the CrystalArdent Clan. Before you lay the stair of judgement, if ye pass know that ye walk the hallowed halls of the clan. I had quickly scribbled the runes down and then continued past the door. Immediately before me stretched a long and circular stair that seemed to stretch far off down into the depths of the earth. The stairs where worn in the middle as if booted feet had made the same trek hundreds of times. The walls of the stairs appeared to be engraved with various pieces of history of the clan. In some places along the wall, their appeared to be regular locations for torches to be placed, as was the norm with dwarven towns. I pulled an ancient torch down from the wall and quickly lit it. As if it had been made yesterday, the dwarven ever burning torch flared to life illuminating the tunnel. In the presence of the light it became evident that this place had seen bloodshed, for every step was spattered with blood. Curious as to why there had been more blood I stepped forward further down the stairs. I tripped however on what appeared to be a bone, and quickly fell down several steps before I could catch myself. I was quite furious with myself until I noticed the various blades and spears retract back into the wall were I would have been standing. This led me to believe that the stairs were trapped the whole way down, and was most likely how the stair got its name.
   I would have been stuck there unable to go forward or backward, if not for the small spider that I was inspired by. I was about to give up when I had noticed this small spider climbing down the stair, not by the steps, but by a thread of its silk, and was gliding down the space beside the stair. I quickly remembered my rope and pulled it out of my pack and tied it off on one of the nearby rocks and threw the rest down the center. At this point I proceeded to shimmy down the rope, several stories into the ground, until I had reached the bottom of the stair. As I touched down I quickly did a scan of the landing to ensure no more traps were present. After a few moments I was satisfied with my search and began my walk done what appeared to be another long tunnel hall. This one was entirely of stone, as it seemed that the miners had bypassed the soil in their construction of the stair and so continued down at a more leisurely pace. As I strolled I studied the walls for they as well were carved and engraved with the most exquisite detail, showing the history of the clan. I paused at this point to drink from my canteen and to rest, as it had clearly become well past mid-day. As I sat and rested eating some bread, I noticed that the bottom of the wall was covered in ancient Dwarven script. I once more pulled out my leather journal and began to record the writings. It soon became apparent to me that the writing contained the history of the dwarves within it. The founding of the Clan hall came about on the 3rd of obsidian 39, by the clan leader Iteb Ketath, with his 6 kin. They arrived and noticed with despair, the lack of rock in the region. Iteb however being of sterner stuff than the rest ordered the group to dig into a nearby hill and seek shelter from the elements. And so the dwarves listened to their leader and dug into the small hill and cleared themselves a small home. And for a time the dwarves knew peace, for they lived well off of the fruits of their labours, with wine, and vegetable a plenty. After a time the others grew upset and once again came to Iteb with their complaints. They complained that they wished to become wealthy, and to feel the rock around them like a good dwarf should. Iteb then told the dwarves to carve a great stair deep into the earth to reach the riches of the deep. And so the dwarves listened to words of their leader and dug a great stair into the earth and found great riches in silver and gold. It was at this time that their clan was joined by 6 more dwarves who had wandered the land in search of a home.......
   This went on further down the wall they I could reach at that time and so I put away my work and went back to studying my surroundings. The walls of the hallway seemed to have been at one point carved from silver and gold veins, similar to the ones described by the ancient writing. In places it seemed as if the tunnel had branched off at one point, yet the masonry of the dwarves was of such skill, that I could not see the brickwork that blocked up any tunnels. 

[Hugo_The_Dwarf]

Post- Ancient Ashes?

[Stronghammer]

 i did

[Stronghammer]

Every few feet a large pillar rose along the wall and was mirror on the other side of the tunnel. The pillars themselves appeared to have been carefully chiselled from the surrounding rock, unlike human constructed pillars. Upon finishing my rest I had picked up my torch and resumed my walked down the hallway. I passed many murals and pictures, as I made my way deeper and deeper underground. Suddenly the tunnel opened into a huge cavern that soared above my head and stretched far off to either side of the tunnel entrance. The cavern appeared to have its own form of lighting, independent of any flame, for the whole cavern was filled with a soft pale blue light. Later on after investigation I discovered this to be the cause of a particular fungus native to the cavern, but more on that later. The stone of the tunnel immediately gave way to a soft sand upon which grew delicate grass the colour of pale milk. I was tempted to take off my traveling boots and stand on the soft ground, and probably would have if my attention was not suddenly grabbed.
   As I had been roaming the cavern with my stare, I had discovered what appeared to be a door. It was five feet tall, and appeared to be made of a red wood type material, though I could not tell from that distance. So with my heart beating a mile a minute, I hurried over to the door to better investigate both the item. As I approached I noticed that there was an engraving to the right of the door, and so like a good historian, I paused and took a rubbing. This is the House of the Ketath Family. With wonder etched on my face I pushed open the clan leader’s house and stepped inside. I was immediately greeted by a small room barely big enough for myself to stand in. The room was of smoothed and edged stone with swirling designs of gold hammered into the walls and floor. The floor had upon it what appeared to be a well worn rug, easily several thousand years old, (Only a dwarf made rug could last this long). The small entry room opened up into what appeared to be a common room of similar design to the entry room, though of larger size. This common room then led off in two different directions to what appeared to be a bedroom, and the other a tomb. It struck me as odd that one’s own home would contain a tomb, yet I was not one to judge dwarven traditions.
   I checked the bedroom first, discovering only a small bed and closet, before moving back to the common room to then explore the tomb. As I pushed open the engraved stone door that led to the tomb, I was immediately assaulted by a rush of stale air. It had seemed that the door had not been opened in some time. I pushed the door the rest of the way excited about what I might find, when I was suddenly shocked. There sitting on the ground with its back resting on the tomb with an arrow protruding from its chest, was a dwarf. I was quite shocked as you might imagine, finding a body when I had expected to only find dust, or maybe even live descendents. The body, or should I say the skeleton was clearly very old, as the only parts remaining was the bones with a wispy beard, and ancient rusted armour clinging to the body. The skeleton appeared to have fallen in life, defending the tomb to the last. Seeing this I decided to move up to the tomb to read exactly who it was that was buried. Here lies Iteb Ketath greatest of dwarves and leaders. May the stone protect his bones. I stepped back from the tomb reverent in my movements, when I noticed a small notebook clutched to the decayed chest of the dwarf skeleton. I bent down and pried loose the notebook and lifted it to get a better view of the title. As soon as I had straightened though, I had heard a sigh escape the skeleton, as if a burden had finally been lifted from some ones shoulders. Then the skeleton before my eyes, simply disintegrated and fell to floor in a pile of dust and rust. I stood for many moments making various arcane symbols to ward off bad spirits before turning back to the journal. On its cover appeared to be blood, and grime from a great fight and dwarven runes in what appeared to be red ink. The Book of Founding. And below those words in much hastier writing, was written. Here in contains our history from founding to the very last moments of our life, may who every reads this return us to the light., and always fear the dark.

[Hugo_The_Dwarf]

I guess my wording sucked, I meant to say is this the after wreakage of Ancient Ashes lol

EDIT:
Also Liking it thus far

[Stronghammer]

Ya this is a village I started in the remains of Ancient ashes, and then tunneled down to the caverns and hid from the zombies Glad your liking it so far.

[Stronghammer]

Excerpt from the book. Dear Journal, we have arrived at are new home today, a place from ancient times called ancient ashes. I laughed a little at the fact that Iteb wanted to start a new home in the corpse of another, but he is the boss so off we went. Well when we got here the first thing we saw was a strange half built wall leading from the top of the hill to the entrance of the hill. We all naturally asked Iteb what it was, and he said it was some ancient monument that had just weathered with time. Well we went inside and found a broken old bridge that had been raised at one point. We quickly got it down and out of the way with our picks and miners. We went inside and found so many old things, though iteb said to touch nothing because the people here had died of plague and insanity. What a way to die journal, I won’t ever let myself die like that even if I have to take an arrow to the chest. Well we quickly walled of all the side tunnels that went further into the abandoned fort, though while laying the bricks, I thought I had saw a shuffling body. Iteb tells me it’s just the lighting and dust. Well we are now finished the walling off, and Iteb says that we are to use their old staircase and dig down. I don’t know why he wants us to dig down, especially since we need dirt, and all that is down is stone. But we listened and are now digging. Well that is all for now journal, it’s my turn in the digging rotation, I just hope they keep my seeds safe while I dig.
   I stopped in my reading and translation to look down at the pile of dust that had been the skeleton. “Well you didn’t die of plague, and you did get your wish of arrow to the chest. But worry not I will protect your story.” I put the journal away for now and exited the small home, eager to explore the rest of the village. The first thing I noticed as I exited the house was that it was surrounded by several other houses that all bordered the small grassy plain. Upon inspection each of the other houses had several names and professions upon them. I soon discovered the miner’s house and quickly collected a pick from inside. I noticed as I had went from house to house, that they all were of the same design and setup, though no more bodies were found in the whole of the town. It was quite curious, however I stopped in my exploration of the town to venture back to the surface to see if I could reopen, the tunnels of AncientAshes, the town I had been looking for. The exploration of the little village would have to wait.

[Hugo_The_Dwarf]

Bam zombie invasion

[BranRhi]

Just popping in to say I like this, and hope you'll write more.

[Stronghammer]

  glad you like, no worries lots more to come, just currently having my bday party.

[Hugo_The_Dwarf]

glad you like, no worries lots more to come, just currently having my bday party.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and with this in mind... I should try and release the ADVANCED booze in REGEN for you (and I mean ASAP now )

[Stronghammer]

heheheheheheh

[Stronghammer]

I once again used the rope to bypass the various traps on the stairs and then headed back out into the low tunnel. As I walked along, I tapped the walk checking for a spot that may have a hollow point behind it. Using this method and the journal, I soon found what appeared to be the old entrance to their farming warrens. I lifted the pick and tested its weight several times before I began to swing with all my might at the wall. After several minutes of hacking at the stone wall, the bricks caved outwards, and a small opening was revealed. I waited several moments allowing the dust to settle, and then prepared to move inwards. I had just stuck my arm with the torch through the opening, when I heard a groan from the other. Startled, I jumped backwards withdrawing my hand and the torch from the hole. And not a moment too soon, for immediately were my hand had been I saw a rotten arm swipe. I immediately began to panic, and looked about for anything that I could use to defend myself. Quickly my eyes settled on the torch and the mining pick, both of which I scooped up and held at the ready.
   As I stood shaking and waiting for the creature to emerge, I caught a glimpse of its face. It was clearly dwarven, though the beard was long gone, and the face was severely wizened. However I saw on the breastplate of the creature as it emerged further out of the hole, a name. Don gatto, mace of the district. However at that point, I would not have cared if it was Armok himself, and so I swung the pick as hard as I could at the creature. The weapon collided with the creatures chest as it was still trying to extract its self from the hole, though the weapon glanced off the still brilliant dwarven plate. Horrified at my failure and at the fact that more of it had emerged from the hole, I swung again though this time with all the might I had. This time the pick connected with rotten flesh, though to my dismay the pick plunged into an opening in the breastplate and became imbedded in the zombie’s body. I stumbled backwards, in my shock at how this creature survived the mortal wound. As I stumbled I dropped my torch and it rolled under the zombie. As it was about to reach forward and end my life, it suddenly caught fire. The zombie unlike how it shrugged off the first wound, suddenly became crazed, and let loose a deafening keen. It immediately began to flail about and ran back into its hole, screaming the entire time. In a few minutes though, the creature fell silent as it crumpled to the ground in a smouldering heap.     

[Stronghammer]

After several moments I finally had regained enough courage to venture back into the hole in the wall. I quickly found the body of the zombie dwarf still, burning and smoking on the floor. I also noticed once again his name emblazoned on his armour. I quickly pulled out the book of history and leafed through to find any reference to the dwarf. Dear diary. Today while we were bricking up the side tunnels, I saw one of the zombies shuffling towards us. I noticed his armour had the name Don gatto on it and decided to ask iteb about it. Well after he looked at the old expedition leaders records, he told me that he was the sheriff, captain of the guard, and the hammerer. He also told me, that according to the records, he was the last dwarf left alive though had become infected. Wow that has to be a pretty sad way to die, i would much........ The passage continued on, however I had stopped reading. Apparently there was some sort of records of the old fort, which the village dwarves had found. I knew I must find those records, so decided that after exploring further into the ruins of AncientAshes that I would go back.
   So I put away the journal, lifted up my torch and continued on my way further into the farming warrens. As I moved further in the walls became increasingly made of dirt, and the ground became more uneven and covered in dust. It took me several minutes before I realised I had stepped on to one of the old fields of those dwarves. In fact in several places plump helmet mushrooms, and pigtails were growing up out of the soil, in the first stages of growth. I continued on and discovered as I walked, several items scattered on the ground, which looked like old farming tools that had been dropped in a rush. I eventually made it through the field and came to what must have been their processing facilities. Various tables and benches stood along the dirt wall, with old rust tools, and half decayed barrels, filled with vermin. I went through the garbage and discovered nothing of value, other than the idea that many here must have relied on the cloth and cattle industry for wealth. I was about to turn around when I discovered something glinting in the dirt in one of the corners.
I moved over to investigate, and discovered that it was the remains of an old skeleton, with a gleaming steel sword in its hands. I moved closer and took the sword from the skeletons hand, careful not to destroy the skeleton in the process. As I picked up the sword and ran my eyes over its gleaming surface, I noticed the name Ross engraved near the hilt. Quite happy with the discovery of a weapon and artefact, I was about to leave when I noticed a carved stone tablet in the dwarfs other hand. I stooped and picked it up, and rubbed my hand across it to brush aside the dust and grime. As before the skeleton seemed to heave a sigh and crumbled into dust, though I thought I almost heard the words fleeeeeee while you can, come from the skeleton.