Dain Farhammer

[Shoi 173]

Dain Farhammer

Long ago, when Aegis was still young, there was a Dwarf named Karn Farhammer. Karn was a simple Dwarf. He worked in the deep mines of Aegis, trying to make his fortune in diamonds and other gems. Everyday he would delve deeper and deeper into the earth, searching for these elusive items. But, this was a boring life, so one day Karn decided he was through with this trivial digging. And so, Karn gathered up all his belongings, his rusty old pick, the clothes on his back, and his high-fathers sword and set out to have the adventure of a lifetime. Karn’s journey was a long one. He spent years exploring the wilderness and wilds of Aegis. Whilst on his journey, Karn established himself amongst the Dwarf community as an exceptional spelunker. No cave was too dark or too deep for Karn to venture into. But, one day he had had enough adventuring and decided to settle down. So, he settled in the newly founded city of Kal’Urguan. Karn got married and spent the rest of his life in the comfort of his new home.

Many years later, when Karn was very old, he had a grandson. His son Dorin’s wife had given birth to a beautiful young Dwarf, Dain. As soon as Karn laid his eyes on Dain, he knew that this young Dwarf would grow up to be something special. Dain had that same glint of adventure in his eye as Karn did.

Dain grew up in the bustling Dwarf metropolis of Kal’Urguan. When he wasn’t learning the ins and outs of spelunking from his grandfather, Dain spent his times in the abandoned mines scattered about the city. Dain would spend endless days in the mines, searching for any gems or jewels that the long gone miners may have forgotten. Dain’s life was perfect. But then, it came time for Dain to leave his home city and venture forth into the world to prove himself a true Dwarf! Karn instructed Dain to head north and to continue traveling north until the snow was falling so quick that you couldn’t see even a foot in front of your face. And so, with his pick in one hand, a mug of ale in the other, and his high-father’s sword on his back, Dain set out to prove himself.

In the Farhammer clan there is a tradition unlike any other in all of Aegis. At the age of 50, every Farhammer must prove themselves. To prove oneself means you must go for 1 year to a place where no Farhammer has gone before and settle the area. For Dain this place is far in the north, a quite inhospitable place. Also, upon your return to the clan, you must bring an artifact of your time of proving showing that you have proven yourself a be a true Farhammer.

Dain spent many days traveling northward. He saw many great sites including the mighty capital of Oren and the vast deserts of the war nation of Krugmar. But eventually, after many days of travel, Dain had decided that he had found a suitable place to prove himself at. The location he chose was a small cave in the side of a mountain. It was extremely cold and Dain was thankful to have his goblin skin boots on to keep him warm. The snow seemed to never stop falling and all the ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow.

For the next couple of weeks, Dain spent his time fortifying his new cave home. He dug farther into the mountain, carving out a bedroom and a mining shaft for him to work from. He also created a small wall around the entrance to his cave to help keep any ‘undesirables’ out. For many days, life was boring for Dain. Endlessly digging, hoping to break into a cavern did not suit Dain. But then, after months of digging, Dain finally found what he was looking for. Through a small slit in the rocks in his mining shaft, Dain could hear running water. This meant that there was a cavern right on the other side of the rock. So, Dain, with his sword in his left hand and a torch in his right broke through the flimsy rock separating him from the cavern. A rush of cavern air hit Dain at full force almost knocking him off his feet. Dain took his first slow steps into the cavern. Almost immediately, Dain felt something wasn’t right. He heard the scuffling of someone or something’s feet on the cavern floor. Dain raised his torch and his eyes filled with horror. 10 cave goblins were slinking toward Dain. Dain dropped his torch and raised his blade. As the goblins advanced, Dain made a silent prayer to his ancestors to allow him to survive this battle. The goblins were now in a dead sprint towards Dain. The first goblin to reach Dain was hewn in two by his blade. Two more goblins tried to leap onto him, but Dain rolled out of harms way. When he got up, Dain saw that he was surrounded. 9 goblins encircled him. The goblins then began trying to attack him one by one, with each attack being forced back by Dain. Eventually it was down to only 5 goblins and Dain. Dain then charged the remaining goblins, and to his surprise they sprinted away from him. Dain, thinking he was the victor, then slid his blade back into its scabbard and picked up his torch. The smell of death lay heavy in the air and Dain wanted to leave the cavern. But then he heard a noise that made the hair of his beard stand up straight. A loud roar filled the cavern. Dain turned around to see the 5 goblins coming back toward him, but this time, they had a troll.