@
LionHeart27 @
gn0me Here's my lore. More
kingdom bound to
evil eldritch gods, stuff, oh boy!
This is about the history of the kingdom. Hope you like it!
(Note: This ties into another lore piece I wrote for a different thread, also part of the eldritch god story.
You can read it here if you want!)
"The country wasn't
made to be a death cult. History forgets that, though.
"If Marianna Winters, Imperial explorer and journeywoman, hadn't agreed to lead a group of deserters] to find a new land, things would have turned out very differently. The kingdom would never have existed.
"But that's what she did! She led the people to an isolated part of the country, the desert and the wastes in the east, where no dragon dared to go. But they went! Because they knew no one would try to follow them!
"The journey was hard and grueling, even with the supplies the group had brought. But after ten difficult days, they finally found a place to call home, with fertile land and trees around to make houses.
"It took around three years, but they finally established the beginnings of a stable town, with gardens and homes and farms and
everything! Marianna supervised it all, as she was voted as the governer. There wasn't a king yet, you see--that came later on.
"But then . . . a terrible winter came. Food was scarce, and hatchlings were dying left and right. Marianna desperately tried to find food for her people, enlisting the hunters to try different routes and locations each day. And each day, they came back with barely anything.
"Marianna would go out herself to hunt for the town. And this is when it happened--this is when she found the cave.
"Hidden in a group of brambles and vines, Marianna found a large, underground entrance, with stairs leading downward. Well, she
was an explorer, after all, so she decided to go see what was down there. Maybe she wanted to find some hibernating bears to hunt!
"When she reached the bottom, there was a long path leading straight ahead--she had known from the steps this place had been carved out, but this was quite an effort for that age. Puffing out fire, she could see strange insignias on the walls, and carved drawings of the cave's previous inhabitants. She wondered if they were still around, or if they'd died long ago.
"At the end of the hallway, she entered into a large room, and she saw it. A large altar, with eleven bowls sculpted into it. Big carved drawings hovering above the altar, of eleven gods. And one god hovered over the rest: First Storm.
"Black Ice told me the whole thing! How all the gods were seeing a mortal for the first time in centuries, and some of them just wanted to kill her and claim a new sacrifice.
"But First Storm stopped them. She knew that the Imperial was desperate for her people. And that if they were patient, the gods would have much more than one sacrifice to feast on.
"She took mortal form and stepped next to Marianna, causing her to jump. 'Be calm. I am one of the gods of this place,' First Storm said. 'My mortal name is First Storm. Tell me, what do you seek?'"
"'A god?'" Marianna exclaimed. "'Then perhaps you can help my people. We are experiencing a terrible winter, and need food desperately.'"
"First Storm knew that--when you're close to the gods, they can sense everything, you see. So it was no effort for First Storm to sift through the contents of Marianna's mind, and know what she had been searching for.
"'Consider it done,' First Storm said. 'But know that when the time is right, you will need to fulfill what I and the Ten gods seek.'
"Marianna nodded eagerly. 'Anything for my people,' she said. 'You have my word.'
"First Storm smiled. These types of mortals were her favorite to play with. 'Return to your camp,' she said. 'You'll find food there.'
"Marianna raced out of the cave and back to her village. The people were waiting for her when she returned, standing in a surprised crowd. A fire was going, and an enormous pile of bats was next to it--more than enough to feed them for the rest of the winter!
"The gods had kept their word--but of course, it would come at a price."
Hawk paused his story for a moment, grinning at his audience of one. "Pretty intriguing, isn't it! I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't been there!" He frowned. "Well, I was there for
some of it anyway,
someone else told me that first p--"
Mirna slammed her butcher's on the cutting table, making Hawk squeak with surprise.
"Stop squawking stories and get back to work!" she snapped. "This order needs to be finished in two hours! Chop those dwarf fawns!"
"Well, alright," Hawk said with a sigh, picking up his knife. "But you did
like the tale, didn't you?"
Mirna
almost wanted to tell him she'd heard that story of his fifty times--and so had everyone else in town who'd even said
hello to him--but she sighed. It made no difference whether she told him or not--no matter what, she'd hear it again anyway.
"Sure," she said, splitting the dwarf fawn in front of her with an expert cut.
Hawk giggled. "Oh, hooray!" He tried to copy her cut, but his was much sloppier.
"Oh, chin up," Mirna said, seeing the tears well up in his eyes. "You're only an apprentice--it gets better with time. Now, let's get some practice in now, shall we?"
Hawk smiled. "Oh yes!"
The rest of the order was completed in silence.
