The Ages     Created on Tuesday, 13 September 2005 17:33  
  The Lost Mines  
 
Thousands of years before the reign of King Yuri, a race of trolls lived and mined far from the Sun, or "Great Eye" as they called it. Whether these trolls were human miners perverted by lust for wealth or some ogre-like creature is unknown. Deep below the ground, they wrested jewels and precious metals from the bowels of the Earth. These creatures ventured not into the light, lest greedy humans follow them into their vast caverns. Filled with paranoia, the trolls closed off their caves and bred tame rodents which they used for food. These rodents were "geovores", consuming the very rocks and gems to become fat and hardy.

 Their search for wealth led them deeper into the earth, until, it is rumored, a great Evil was awakened. It is said that the Evil ones could suck the very soul from the body of a victim. The trolls' caution proved to be their undoing. The horrors they released overpowered them before they had managed to escape through their own elaborate defenses. At last, every trace of this mining civilization was lost. The rodent herd beasts grew feral and fierce.

 In Yuri's 27th year of reign, miners in the Northern Pass uncovered the hidden entrance to the trolls' Lost Mines, causing much excitement amongst the adventurers of the kingdoms. Buyans and Kogurians alike rushed to explore what appeared to be a miner's haven. Yet the rodent beasts had grown over the years, surviving upon the rocks and minerals, proving to be great opponents for the treasure hunters who entered. Many perished for the sake of their own greed, though brave few escaped with their lives and extraordinary treasures.

 Not long after, the commotion of several hundred citizens shook the very foundation of the old mines, proving unstable over the years. The antrance collapsed, trapping the geovores deep inside, along with the trolls' treasures and forges, and keeping curious eyes from glimpsing the temptations within.