As news of Doruan Ironhammer's death reached the dark caverns of Iskadar, a lone priest set out on a journey, his destination the distant northern climes of Sapience. For despite the mockery and scorn hurled in his face by his fellows, he held faith that the absent dwarf deserved to rest with his kin, no matter his reasons or crimes. Through bears, sharks, and bandits did he journey in search of his goal, only to find a dwarf inexplicably not deceased. Confusion warring with concern, the offering of Ashtan as a source of silence and ritualism was both provided and accepted to the unsettled cleric.

Moving in the wake of the one called Jy'Rakym, an ominous silence stilled those gathered as the priest worked his will upon the spirit of the lost Ironhammer. Manifesting as a spark of incandescent luminescence, the expanding aura would soon grow to envelop all of Achaea and even the vast expanse beyond the borders of the Prime Material Plane, revealing countless spirits seemingly wandering without purpose. Fearing the repercussions of adventurer and dwarf alike, the priest beat a hasty retreat to his homeland to begin anew his search for understanding. Unamused yet curiously unsurprised, the less-than-living dwarf returned to the mountain in which he had been found, once more tending to his carving of the rock.

It was months later when Doruan's pick broke through the final wall of earth barring his way forward, the ground beneath collapsing into a grand, hollowed-out chamber. His passage now restrained by a massive disc of unknown rock and stone, he had at last discovered the object of his unspoken desire.

As the days passed, however, none proved able to discern a way into the mysterious vault, not the Nihilists of Oblivion's Lord, the Caefir of Deucalion, or the Chosen of the Smith. Meanwhile, the lone priest, abandoned by his fellows, continued his research with dogged determination. Many came and went, but only one deigned to assist his foreign brother: Sir Eril Rian-Moonshadow. After much searching, the beleaguered pair discovered a charred missive that spoke of the earth's bounty, as well as the descendants of the Orcsplitter Clan. With hardly a word to his devout companion, Eril departed to gather his fellow adventurers, heading for the Siroccians to confront the remnants of the clan named within.

The words exchanged in the meeting that followed shall remain unknown. A short while after their arrival, the Smith's Chosen emerged from the dwarven encampment, bearing with them a small, strange disc. Rushing to the Vashnar Mountains to place the key within the doors of the great vault, they looked on as the stone gave way, the very earth trembling beneath their feet. At last, the grand portal stood open, and with it came a warning to the curious adventurers, one that would resound in their minds and the minds of all whom they came into contact with:

"Woe betide those who enter this place, lest the earth itself rise up to protect her bounty."

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Summary: In an attempt to find answers, a priest from Iskadar revealed the souls that came to wander the lands of Achaea and beyond. Doruan Ironhammer discovered a vault deep within the mountains, and after some time the Chosen of Phaestus found the key to its ancient entrance, as well as a dire warning upon its unlocking.

Penned by My hand on the 17th of Sarapin, in the year 779 AF.