Emergence Of The Dwarves

The details surrounding the first appearance of the Dwarves.

A few hundred years before the factions of the  **world** would set foot in the **Sea Of Wolves**, only a few races were known of within the world. **Humans** spread amongst the lands, **Elves** held firm in their great forests and the mysterious **Deep Ones** made contact when they pleased. These three races formed relations and alliances amongst one another, with many towns hosting populations of each race.

In the tundra-filled realm of Volansk, the Human and Elf presence was strong. Here, the Deep Ones were a rare visitor, as the region was a vast inland forest. The capital city; Krnov, grew rich and prosperous from their location. The forest was thick, leading to a large natural defence and Elven warriors skill in navigating the thickets. The animals here grew large and were covered in fur in order to survive the cold weather. Hardy lumbers sold to distant towns and rare furs to sell to nobles was how Krnov built their wealth.

The people of Krnov were an old folk, many set in their ways. The means to survive the cold winters shaped the people here; hearty food, warm clothes, roaring fires and a communal spirit made Krnov a most enjoyable place to live.

When a minor trader arrived back at Krnov with a handful of gems, most townsfolk were a little suspicious, but ultimately he made a healthy profit.

The trader, whose name has been stricken off all records, continued to return. Instead of his usual loads of lumbers, furs, meats and other things, he would return with gold rings, fashioned gems and metalwork the likes of which had no been seen in Krnov.

He grew rich and powerful and in a very short time became the ruler of Krnov; a position he established through wealth, resources and contacts.

However, his treasures held a secret.

Far in the forests of Krnov, off a beaten trail not often used, lay a series of caves. Within these winding tunnels, the **Dwarves** of the underground realm had broken through. It was a journey of many days from their home of Dol Kurum ; a Fortress that existed almost directly beneath Krnov, and the way was treacherous.

When this trade stumbled upon this cave after being caught in a storm, he chanced upon these stunted peoples. Not sharing a language, the group of Dwarves and the trader managed to understand each other enough; they were starving, he had meat.

In return for the gems they had picked up on their long hike, he swapped his haul of meat, furs and timber to the Dwarves. Most were a new sight to the people, who did not know the true price for these things.

Whatever came to pass between them after this is unknown, but the trader continued to disappear for weeks at a time, only to return with goods and metals of an unknown fashion.

But soon, the Dwarves came to know they were being cheated.

One night, when the people of Krnov began to settle in for the night, a dim, red glow was on the horizon. Small plumes of smoke filtered up through the forest, no more than a day away.

Alvar Viitala, Overseer of Dol Kurum, had made his way upwards.

Over many days, he and his Dwarves had travelled upwards, with Krnov in their sights. Alvar, clad in adamant, with his mithril-armoured honour guard, tramped through the forest up to the city gates, with a host of Dwarven warriors armoured in heavy steel.

Such a sight was unseen and unknown to the guards of the city. With little trouble, the gates were opened to Alvar Viitala and his Dwarves; with a few of them now speaking the common language.

As it came to pass, Alvar hauled the trader out of his mansion and saw to it that he was flayed alive for his taking of the great Dwarf as a fool.

The people of Krnov were terrified of this new foe; powerful, sturdy and proud. However, Alvar saw the potential of this new world and began to take over the many trade routes that the previous ruler had amassed. With their strange new materials brought from the underground, they found themselves able to restrict the flow of their valuable commodities and, soon, Alvar had the entire region under his grasp.

This event was such an important one, that the calendars of the realm all shifted to mark this momentous moment. Before Emergence and After Emergence became the new standards of time-keeping, all stemming from Alvar's appearance.

All over the world, Dwarves would appear. Forced above ground by religious strife, civil wars, plague, famine, curiosity and other such things made the Dwarves a common sight across the world.