[Maplore] Redmont

[Nooblius 5794]

Redmont

 

Redmont is a smoldering landscape in stark contrast to the frozen wastes of the Ailmere it is tucked behind. Volcanic heights with sprawling lakes of magma decorate its north with massive archways and formations of stone that indicate an unnatural phenomenon. Great pillars and cavernous entrances lead into the labyrinth hidden within, and ruins of what once was can be encountered. At the foot of the volcano once was a sprawling forest whose flora and fauna were stripped in a blaze leaving only a Burnt Forest, hot pools of melted snow scattering the grounds. 

 

 

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The Furnace

 

In those ancient days when the Spire was still a prosperous metropolis, the Bohra discovered hidden beneath the volcanic peaks of the Redmont a labyrinthine cavern system with a great magical stone at its center in a lake of magma, with heat even more intense than that of the surface. The Bohra empire at its peak was distinguished with sorcerers and artificers who were unable to discern the meaning and origins of the stone, though still they sought to use its great power. They erected about it a construction called the Red Ring which through their enchantments made the volcanic cavern habitable and harnessed that intense magical heat instead for an elaborate workshop. Thus the great cavern system was turned into a Furnace and named so. Eventually the Bohra Empire would fall to a catastrophe, diminishing violently from the realm of Aevos. Over the course of centuries, the Furnace fell into disrepair and ruin. During the catastrophe, many of the tunnels overloaded and collapsed or imploded on themselves, though certain tunnels remained mostly intact, albeit very unstable.

 

Centuries later a dwarf sorceress and Runelord named Ynna would arrive in Aevos with a host of dwarven refugees and kindred. They hailed from the Halls of Urguan, cave dwarves of the truest variety who had not known the surface world beyond the tales from their other kin. They had fled the onset of the dwarven Blood Age, where one clan began to assume total totalitarian control of the mountainhome and its guilds, especially that of the Runesmiths. Ynna and her host had come for the Furnace, and set about reconstructing the Red Ring to the best of their abilities. It required runic equipment and incredible effort to send dwarves in to repair the dilapidated construction and withstand the heat. 

 

The Red Ring and the broader Furnace’s main quality in both its peak during Bohra control and the later diminished dwarven era was not just tapping into the energy of the sealed stone for a single purpose but production of an enchanted fuel which was then able to be used to make special alloys and bolster the artifice both magical and mundane of the workshop. The most notable and widespread production was that of an enchanted metal called by the dwarves Kharvul Steel, used in their enchantments to retain more mana and alloyed with other rare metals. With the restoration of the Red Ring, they were not able to make the metal to the same pure qualities as their Bohra predecessors, but a more diluted version.

 

 

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The Eight Gates

 

Even in its depleted state, the Furnace was still able to be used by the dwarves to create powerful relics, and Ynna had a purpose to risk her kin in its rekindling. Using sorcery and runecraft bolstered by the Furnace, Ynna began the construction of eight great runic seals to be placed across Aevos for some greater scheme, but such would take many years of effort. As they continued to operate the Furnace, Ynna ordered her kindred to begin to make preparations to secure footings across Aevos.

 

Ynna’s dwarves would begin the construction of dwarven deep-roads, encountering the remnants of Bohra pathways and structures as they spread across the depths of Aevos. Frequently, they would set up outposts and holds in prospective locations of great wealth or in strategic positions which were important to defend their deep-roads. It was not uncommon to face conflict with the occasional band of Mori’quessir, specters, goblins and other forgotten beasts which hid beneath the earth.

 

With her enchantments completed and her kin settling in small outposts across Aevos, Ynna constructed Eight Gates and sought to establish a dwarven presence over each to ensure their maintenance, however the folk were spread too thin. The dwarves began to be overwhelmed by their foes beneath the earth, and soon their civilization fell to disrepair, Ynna herself disappearing. Little more than ruins remain of their infrastructure, and what remnants of the kin survived the collapse scattered and hid beneath Aevos committed themselves to fulfilling the purpose of the Eight Gates; “Atta Edhekalmar” in their ancient tongue.

 

 

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OOC Information:

 

Redmont is a maplore piece to offer resources for Story Team actors and players to build off of, as well as offering a greater story behind the typical ashlands aesthetic. It’s a consistent theme that dwarven ruins are scattered across maps, part of this Lore’s purpose is to offer an excuse to that as well lay a foundation of Deeproads events that both players and ET could explore. The story of the Furnace, Ynna and her Eight Gates will be developed by eventlines that will open up more of the lore to be used.