Chapter Two

A complete map of the Julnoor Province

The western coast of The Thorn mountain range had been rumored to be the location of the genius redstoneer, Jolvis Volt where he lived and worked in self-imposed exile after the disastrous Genhoven Incident. Seeking to determine the whereabouts of the Human miracle worker, the First House of Bormar ordered an investigation that confirmed the rumors to be true.

An Outpost was established in the region now known as the Julnoor Province with hopes of contacting the long-lost Jolvis. This Outpost was named Thornheim by its Dwarven adventurers, and it was here where Chapter Two began in earnest.

History

Many years ago, the Human small city of Genhoven sought to elevate itself to a higher status in the world. Situated on the edge of the snowy mountain range known to most as The Thorn, Genhoven held little of note when compared to the great metropolises of the world. This changed when the Council of Genhoven was approached by Jolvis Volt, a Human genius whose work with redstone was far beyond what any other could accomplish. His creations bordered on magical to those unable to comprehend his highly advanced redstoneering. Jolvis declared he would work with the city's council to convert the entire city from coal to redstone and usher in a new age of technology.

Work began quickly, with Jolvis, his apprentice Beyle, and his team of redstoneers nearly emptying Genhoven's coffers to purchase the necessary materials. Unfortunately, the renovation would run into immediate troubles. Many of the warehouses that the materials were stored in were found to be insecure after much of the stock was found rusted, rotten, or otherwise spoiled. Soon, equipment began to go missing and deadlines failed to be met. Whispers of sabotage came from the redstoneering team, and the townsfolk began to become wary of their supposed saviors. Tensions came to a head when several fires broke out in the materials warehouses and destroyed much of Genhoven. The city's residents called for justice, and mobs soon began to destroy what remained of the redstone mechanisms. Jolvis and his team fled the town and vanished without a trace. This event has since become known as the Genhoven Incident.

One of Jolvis Volt's many strange mechanisms built in the Julnoor Province.

The isolated Julnoor Province would become the testing ground for Jolvis' greatest experiments. With encouragement from his apprentice Beyle, he began to experiment with terraforming the area, creating a great number of mechanisms that could change the landscape of Julnoor as Jolvis saw fit. For a time, Jolvis and his team were in redstoneering paradise. Sadly, this was not to last. Unbeknownst to everyone, Beyle had become envious of Jolvis work and knowledge, thinking them wasted on his quaint experiments. Beyle had a grander vision, one which led her to imprison Jolvis and act began acting as leader. This was unknown to the rest of the team, who believed that Jolvis had retreated into yet another self-imposed exile in some hidden workshop.

Some years later, Bormar's First House would become eager to find the legendary Jolvis and would dispatch a team of investigators to look into his disappearance. They would find his team working in the Julnoor Province, and it was not long before an Outpost was dispatched to the region in hopes of contacting the redstoneer. The Dwarves who journeyed here would give the Outpost the name of Thornheim, built in the snowy mountains of the southeast not far from the Grol village of Bol Venturba.

The Dwarves that would join this venture did not find Jolvis or his team, and it appeared to them that many of the mechanisms had gone haywire sometime before their arrival. They began investigating the ruins, devised, and mechanisms of the region. They found the incomprehensible A.D.A.M. system that would alert them to dangers. They discovered metallic Automata that were used by the redstoneers to accomplish simple, routine tasks. What few members of Jolvis' team were found seemed to have gone mad, including the Human known as TibTam Tinkerton, who was found in poor state hiding in the grand lightning tower of the desert. Some of the workers devolved into frantic states, even forming cults that worshipped Jolvis as a living god.

Eventually, the Voice of Volt boomed across the Province and was heard by all Dwarves. Unknown to them was the fact that this was Beyle, and not Jolvis, the latter of which was still imprisoned somewhere in the region. Sadly, this false voice was and still is thought to be the last trace of Jolvis Volt.

Jolvis Volt's Automata, now known as the foot soldiers of the Iron Kingdom.

The region proved too isolated and too hostile for an Outpost to survive on its own. As Thornheim's population dwindled, the mission was declared a failure. Its survivors fled the region by sea, leaving Jolvis to his fate.

It was soon revealed that Beyle had seized control of Jolvis' many creations, most importantly being his Automata which Beyle used to dominate the Julnoor Province with a cold, mechanical fist. This became known to the world after Beyle sent a flurry of messages to various heads of state declaring herself as the ruler of "The Iron Kingdom." Jolvis Volt was presumed dead, and the world looks to the self-proclaimed Iron Kingdom and its growing army of Automata with bated breath.

Timeline

799 BY

• The Genhoven Incident occurs.
• Jolvis Volt and his team flees Genhoven.
• Presumed date of Jolvis' arrival in the Julnoor Province.

801 BY

• Bormar's First House dispatches several ONI agents to investigate the disappearance of Jolvis Volt.

804 BY

• 2nd Octag - The Outpost of Thornheim is established.
• 9th Octag - A blizzard, previously keeping the Dwarves in the Outpost, lifts.
• 21 Novtag - The Voice of Volt is heard booming across the landscape from an unknown location
• 23rd Aptag - The Outpost is declared a failure and the Dwarves flee the Outpost.

Places of Interest

Settlements

• Thornheim - The Outpost built by the Dwarves
• Bol Venturba - A small village of Grol.

Jolvis Volt's Creations

• A.D.A.M. - 'Atmospheric Disturbance Alerting Machine', a handful of static mechanisms dotted around the region to alert nearby occupants of dangers.
• Swamp Pumps - a series of pumps designed to control the water level in the swamplands.
• Lightning Tower - used to harness the power of lightning for the facility underneath. Some rudimentary buildings and a wall surrounded it.
• Hulud Research Complex - a massive subterranean facility powered by the Lightning Tower and designed to study the hulud sandworms.
• Magma Rig - an off-shore rig with tunnels leading underground and used for pumping magma to the surface.

Gallery

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  The Outpost of Thornheim in its earliest days.

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  Thornheim at night, covered in snow.

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  The Grol village of Bol Venturba, built in the same mountains as Thornheim.

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  Number one of Jolvis Volt's Atmospheric Disturbance Alerting Machine ("A.D.A.M. 1").

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  Jolvis Volt's Lightning Tower built in Julnoor Province's small desert.

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  Jolvis Volt's water pumping station built in a swampy coast.

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  The Hulud Research Complex deep beneath the Lightning Tower

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  Jolvis Volt's magma rig constructed in the Western oceans of Julnoor Province.

World Download

Download the Chapter Two map HERE!