Solomon The Wise

### Introduction

'Oh Solomon,man of the mountain, he who knows all that is and is to be.' *Extract from Document 194 chapter C paragraph 12 line 11*. Not much of Solomon's origins are know but much of what he did was recorded and later found by archaeologists. The time of his death is unknown as well as his burial grounds, all that remains are written extracts about what he did.

## Solomon's Life

### Childhood

Not much was and is known about his birth and childhood, all that is given to us is that he was either lost or abandoned by his people, seeing as most of the lands were traversed by steppe nomads who wandered the plains. He was found as a child lying by the Tiber river and was taken in by dwarves. There he was taught to use the forge and craft weapons from a young age. His hands were callused and they were always working, either the forge or the smelters that made their metal.

### The Elder Forge

The date in which The Elder Forge was created was some time around 86 BCE not much was actually known about the date as it's story was passed down through legends and myths. The dwarves that once lived there are now gone and it's entrance was lost.

For much of his grown life he still made weapons and armour, and occasionally going to the mines, but one day he noticed that the forge they were using was inefficient and made the metal faulty. Whenever a weapon or piece of armour was made the metal was not of the best quality and was not held together well enough so he started to work on a new one.

While mining from the mountain he stumbled upon an unknown material, it was unlike any metal they had come across, but it was stronger than the finest metal and lighter too. But when he fired up the forge to melt the metal he realized that no flame was strong enough and no forge could harness enough heat and energy to smelt it. Mithril or more commonly known at that time was Valerian Steel, there was rarely anything that could break it or counter it. But he had to master the work and master the metal so he set of mining, trying to find something to power his forge so that he may make the greatest weapons known to man.

After several hours of hard work and labour he finally found it, a crystal known Aetherium, something that could burn as hot as a thousand suns and for a thousand times longer. He grabbed hold of the blue gem, it was as blue as the summer skies and caught the eye of all that gazed on it. As he brought it to the grand forge he made, the dwarves of the mountain crowded around him trying to watch as he lit the flame. As he put in the crystal and set flame to the sides, they all watched and waited, then the flames shot into the air and flared more ferociously than a city alight that was when they all watched in awe as the Mithril flowed through the forge and into the mold that would forge one of the greatest swords known to man.

Ever since the forge has burnt it never died out, nothing could make it die out and so it lasted for almost a thousand years before being lost to the world but in that time it forged almost all the great weapons and armour of man.

### Manhood

After the Elder forge word of it spread and soon all the finest kings and nobles of the south lands came to claim a weapon or a piece of armour, but only those who were worthy were granted a weapon. During this time Solomon had become commander of the garrison and soon was training troops and leading men, fighting skirmishes with the steppe nomads and occasional lords that tried to take the mountain.

He at the time was known as Solomon the Great as he fought many renowned battles and made some of histories greatest weapons, rarely was there a blade that could match his nor an army as disciplined as his own. Dwarves were dwarves but they still followed him and he still lead them, always welcome but still there was something missing in his heart. He would come to be the teacher and mentor of many great people one of which was Jason the Brave or King Thalias as he became.

### Leaving The Mountain

After he had spent most of his life with dwarves smelting metals and forging great weapons and building contraptions, he finally decided to leave. But the ancient stone halls and the forges that lit up the cavern hall were all that he knew and all that he had known, but something inside him told him to leave. Perhaps the gods had chosen him or perhaps he wanted to see the world, either way the great grates of the mountain flung open as he walked out, alone.

As he walked along the tall grass he looked back and gazed upon the main entrance in which he had only left once, and then turned never to look back again. He had heard of a great land, a city of vast knowledge a place for erudite scholars and all who wished to learn, scribes and Architects, Engineers and Historians. Why not a blacksmith from the misty mountains? With him he brought Dawnbreaker his blade forged at the Elder forge, hand crafted, the metal was slightly blue and had an Aether crystal in its hilt, all finely decorated and made twas the finest blade to be seen anywhere.

He traveled several months following the Tiber river telling himself one thing, you will find the Eyrie where the river meets the lake. He was to learn from the masters of old and to become better than them all, to perfect the fine arts of the craft as well as mastering other skills. He was a fines swordsman in fact the finest of the mountain always out besting each of the dwarves. But those days were over now he was headed to the find what truly called out to him, Life. He left around the time 27 AD.

As he made his way above a hill he saw it the great tower of the Eyire that stored the scrolls and books of old, where every scholar would make their erudite trip, where he would master his world. As he walked inside a great light lit up the tower showing him the way to every scroll and every book there was, he was awed by this but not welcomed by many. He was a blacksmith of unknown origin and most of the men here were noble scholars but it was not going to deter him, he was here to finish what he started.

### Order of Ithil

The order was something that shaped Solomon greatly and something that showed him a whole new world, one north filled with stories of valour, love, treachery and great serpents that breathed fire and ruled the skies. These north men were unique not only did they come from an unknown land but they also brought with them weapons and armour, as well as people, exiles that followed them. Solomon now their friend taught them how to fight, and helped them master the sword as well creating a foot hold for them.

Military tactics were taught to the soldiers while construction of Solitude began, once or twice a raid from marauders and bandits would strike them and then be repealed by a better and more well trained force. They served as protectors of the people helping local towns and villages while protecting routes that lead eastward. He Met them around the time 187 AD before they were properly formed and organized. First acting as a branch of the government and then breaking apart at 537 AD.

### Peace at Last

He didn't know how but soon he found himself sailing down the Tiber and back to the misty mountains, but that was not where he would stay, no not under ground in the great halls that were lit by a thousand torches or the large cavern halls that had were filled with wondrous objects. No he would build a path himself to the top of the mountains, at the Throat of the World. There in his own stone hall made from the mountain and built by him, designed by him. Then finally with a graying beard he looked up to see a completed hall in which he would stay, where his disciples would make erudite trips to learn from him, home at last.

Generation after generation he had taught, and gathered more disciples that learnt from him, spanning from noblemen to peasants they were all treated to his hall and all were taught by him and no one else. It was a perilous journey through the mountain and even more perilous to stay, from him masters of the forge and many skilled engineers as well as tacticians emerged, entering and leaving never ceasing to learn more from their ancient master.

In the end he lost his sight and slowly his students left him, a lone man of the mountains, known to all as Solomon the Wise, he was to teach a great man one day and that day was close. Not only was it fate but also him, he saw in his dreams that he would be visited by a great warrior as well as a leader that would be his final student.