Arefal's Journal - Volume 4

Scholar's Log, 8th of Frostfall?
Zulema and Turol are dead. Killed on impact. The dwarves of Itnamzand dug too greedily and too deep. We fell  through a hallway that must have been folded, turned sideways. I thought quickly and protected myself with  Ironflesh, and Sudene must have relaxed her body or used Alteration magic, as she is unharmed. We have lost much  of our equipment. We are lost, and have no way back to the surface.
After killing more of those ash hopper mimics, Sudene and I rested and spoke.
"Hey, listen," Sudene said. "Quiet. Utter quiet."
My thought was that the folded section was cut off from the rest of the ruin, so nothing that could make noise  did. Neither of us spoke for some time after this.
"Ruins like this are altars, each with ten thousand attendants, big, small, servicing, attending, in choirs. But  the gods have gone away, and the ritual of the religion continues senselessly, uselessly. It is as though the  Dwarves never disappeared: their servants are just as busy and dutiful without them."
== Notes ==
Arefal mentions Tektites.
Arefal's tone in Volume 4 is much more bleak and to-the-point than in previous volumes. Instead of embellishing, he relates events and facts. Also, he consistently refers to Sudene as "she," having not known her gender in Volume 1.
== Background and Inspiration ==
The quote, "The dwarves...dug too greedily and too deep" is a reference to The Lord of the Rings, specifically to the Dwarves of Moria.
The quote, "Ruins like this are altars, each with ten thousand attendants, big, small, servicing, attending, in choirs. But the gods have gone away, and the ritual of the religion continues senselessly, uselessly" is a reference to the short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury.
== See Also ==
Itnamzand
Arefal's Journal - Volume 1
Arefal's Journal - Volume 2
Arefal's Journal - Volume 3
Arefal's Journal - Volume 5
Category:Lore
Category:Books