Chapter Three

Notice

This Chapter is still in progress. Information within will continue to be updated as it occurs in-game.

Chapter Three
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Start Date	14th January 2023
End Date	19th August 2023
Days Active	224

Many generations ago, a mysterious Dwarf arrived in Bormar. When he died, he left his heirs a will and inheritance. Now, it is in the hands of Lord Tolbar Maldus, almost penniless and bereft. Thanks to his trusty librarian, they have revealed that Tolbar's ancestor came from a land known as Gellion's Cross. Tolbar used the last of his wealth and influence to sponsor an Outpost in this lost Dwarven land. This Outpost was named Kon Belben, but its Dwarven adventurers soon realized that Gellion's Cross held a deadly and mysterious past.

History[edit | edit source]

Many, many years ago, a strange and disheveled Dwarf appeared in the small town of Blashryk speaking a strange language that no one understood. The Dwarf was grey-skinned and secretive, with his homeland never being known. He was also extremely quick-witted and, after reading nearly every book in the town's library, used his keen mind to amass great wealth for himself. His descendants would inherit this wealth and expand it further, eventually becoming the richest family in Blashryk and the surrounding area. With the rise of Bormar and the standardization of its noble system, the ancient Dwarf's descendants were typically selected as the most capable family to run the holding as its ruling Lord or Lady.

Sadly, this fortune would not last forever. Lord Tolbar Maldus, the youngest descendent of the strange Dwarf and the current Lord of Blashryk, has suffered a series of misfortunes that have left his holding in ruins and his pockets empty. Attacks from pillaging Grol drove out most of the Dwarves of the area, and only a small retainer of his most loyal subjects still reside in the town. There was little hope that Lord Maldus would be able to continue to run his holding until his Librarian discovered a document hidden in the town's library. This document described a land that was the home of the ancient Dwarf, the land known as Gellion's Cross.

Lord Maldus could not pass up on the opportunity. Using the last of his resources he negotiated a deal with the Office of Outpost Affairs to receive a portion of the earnings received from an Outpost to Gellion's Cross. The expedition was organized quickly, and two ships set sail for the lost land with great ambitions.

Upon arriving in the northeast corner of Gellion's Cross, a massive drake passed overhead and obliterated one of the vessels. The Dwarves regrouped on the shore and quickly got to work establishing a camp on top of some ancient Dwarven ruins. Progress was swift, and the small tent camp soon became a bustling Outpost.

The ancient obelisk of Kon Belben, its spiral text being very difficult to read at first glance.

At the center of the ruins on which the Outpost was constructed was a stone obelisk with words carved deep into its surface. The text told an ancient tale of Gellion's Cross. The land was once the domain of the kingdom of Thol Urdim, the city of two kings. The city was destroyed long ago by a creature named Arikora. After a great deal of exploration and research, several other obelisks were discovered, and each gave further clues as to the fate of this ancient civilization.

The Dwarves of the Outpost found the information tantalizing, but little could be done until more information was discovered. They concerned themselves with building their new home, starting businesses, forming a government, and other great tasks.

After facing down the mighty Stone Troll Pebbil, the Outpost was besieged by a primitive human tribe that was native to Gellion's Cross. The group was known as The Spider Tribe due to their use of the creatures in their attacks, and after a ceasefire was achieved they became a great wealth of knowledge into Gellion's Cross and its ancient Dwarven hold. Apparently, the kingdom had fallen hundreds of years ago and was survived only by the many ruins that they left behind.

An ancient deeptunnel which held the first of the Skyshriekers capable of killing Arikora.

All of the death and destruction was due to a massive drake known as Arikora. The name was spoken with such fear and reverence by the Spider Tribe Humans that they would bow their heads upon merely hearing the name.

The tribe would later inform the Dwarves of the Outpost (known now as Kon Belben) that the ancient Dwarves had a plan to kill great drake using master-crafted ballista bolts. These Skyshriekers were scattered across Gellion's Cross, and the tribe showed the Dwarves where to find them. It was here that a plan developed to kill Arikora and reclaim Gellion's Cross once and for all.

The Dwarves of Kon Belben would recover four of the ancient Skyshriekers, and even fire one into Arikora, injuring the great beast and causing an ancient blade to fall from its hide. This blade was nothing less than one of three keys to the lost hold of Thol Urdim. After being led there by Ethoko, leader of the Spider Tribe, the Dwarves entered the hold which had lied dormant for thousands of years.

They found a massive subterranean complex built into a deep cavity in the earth. When Arikora and the drakes arrived above, they decimated the city's crops on the surface and forced its residents into a slow descent into starvation.

The final battle with Arikora among the ruins of Thol Urdim.

One of the city's kings, the Smith, led his army to face Arikora and found only death. Since his departure, the city had lied dormant, save for an ill-fated expedition by some of the Smith's surviving subordinates to reclaim the hold from the forces of the city's second king: the Priest. The Dwarves of Kon Belben learned that the Priest was once an ordinary Dwarf who discovered an otherworldly substance flowing below the city. This substance--known as muon--gave the Priest and his followers great power but caused a great rift with the Smith. With the death of the Smith and the army of Thol Urdim, the Priest and his followers searched for a way to survive starvation and reduced themself to a state of

The Dwarves of Kon Belben struggled as they fought their way through the dangers of Thol Urdim. First, they slayed the Priest's undead followers, then Thikut, former commander of the Smith who used muon to transform her forces into monstrous, fire-spewing Iron Scribes. Eventually, the Dwarves descended to the lair of Arikora, who had made its nest among the hoard of riches of the city. After a great battle, and the death of Dubir Lout, the great drake was finally defeated.

Timeline[edit | edit source]

???[edit | edit source]

In ancient Bormar, a mysterious Dwarf of unknown nationality arrives with great wealth and knowledge.

810 BY[edit | edit source]

After facing a string of misfortunes that have stripped him and his holding of Blashryk of its wealth, Lord Tolbar Maldus discovers an ancient document revealing that Gellion's Cross was once a Dwarven realm. This persuades the Office of Outpost Affairs to support an expedition to the region to learn more of this information and recover resources for All Bormar. Lord Maldus is promised a cut of the earnings of the expedition, and recruitment begins immediately.

812 BY[edit | edit source]

14 Jantag - The expedition is launched to reclaim Gellion's Cross, but the two expedition ships are attacked by a massive drake, destroying one of the vessels.
29 Jantag - Stone Trolls attack the Outpost
11 Febtag - The Dwarves discover a drake nest near the Outpost but manage to slay the beast and destroy its eggs.
12 Febtag - The giant Stone Troll known as Pebbil begins marching on the Outpost, starting a five-day series of battles to stop the monstrous creature.
17 Febtag - Pebbil the Stone Troll is slain after being hit with a ballista bolt.
7 Aptag - The Outpost is nearly overwhelmed by massive spiders commanded by a mysterious tribe of Humans native to Gellion's Cross. A tentative peace agreement is struck between the Humans and Dwarves.
3 Juntag - A meeting is held with the Spider Tribe, revealing the history of Gellion's Cross as well as the monstrous drake that prowls its skies: Arikora.
11 Juntag - The human tribal Ethoko tells the Dwarves of three ancient "arrows" that can be used to kill the monstrous Arikora. The first expedition succeeds in recovering the first of the arrows, which is actually a ballista bolt.
25 Juntag - The second expedition to find a Skyshrieker arrow is held, leading the Dwarves into a deeptunnel filled with Stone Trolls. The arrow is recovered and brought back to the Outpost.
7 Jultag - The third expedition to find an ancient Skyshrieker arrow is held, with the Dwarves repairing an ancient forge and forging their own Skyshrieker.
5 Augtag - The fourth expedition to find an ancient Skyshrieker arrow is held, with the Dwarves searching an ancient battlefield and learning the grim fate of Thol Urdim's army at the fires of the drakes led by Arikora. A massive drake is slain and a Skyshrieker is recovered from its nest but it is used to injure Arikora which drops a lost key to Thol Urdim.
12 Augtag - The Dwarves of Kon Belben enter Thol Urdim and attempt to reclaim it for All Bormar. Much is learned of the city, its people, and their fate, but great suffering is had at the hand of Commander Thikut, her Iron Scribes, and the undead forces of the Priest. The Dwarves attempt to fall back to Kon Belben to lick their wounds, but they are unwillingly sent to the lowest levels of the ancient Hold.
19 Augtag - The lowest levels of Thol Urdim are cleared of many foul creatures as the Dwarves attempt to fight their way home. They stumble upon the nest of Arikora and use the Skyshriekers arrows to wound it, before entering a protracted battle to bring the great beast down. After a great battle, Arikora plummets to the earth, its reign of terror over Gellion's Cross ended with Dwarven arrows and blades.

Geography[edit | edit source]

The geography of Gellion's Cross is defined by its eponymous mountain range which divides the land into four roughly equal parts.

The first is the Northeast section, which is where the expedition landed and where Kon Belben was founded. This region became known as Drakeshore due to the early encounters the Dwarves had with drakes of the region. Particularly notable is the large crater-like area near the center of Drakeshore which was devoid of all plant life and was known to be populated by Vekhorn.

The Northwest section was known for its large river system and its swamp. The swamp had at least one location of strange mushroom creatures that were hostile. The forests up the river were known to be populated by Tuskhide boars and ruins from an ancient civilization.

The Southwest region is most notable for its contact with the Ariq desert, just as the Southeast is most notable for its scorched landscape and lava flows.

Places of Interest[edit | edit source]

Kon Belben - The Outpost built by the Dwarves of Chapter Three
Thol Urdim - An ancient Dwarven hold unknown to most of the world and rediscovered by the Dwarves of Kon Belben