Chronicles of Lormere

Collection: Submissions/Lormere, Guest Chronicle by Ghasty

Their footsteps echoed as they walked through the barren halls. The halls had once been part of a vast subterranean metropolis called Lormere. It had been full of people, like a hive packed with bees. They had all mysteriously disappeared one day with no clues as to what happened. Some theorized there had been a mass evacuation of the city; others theorized it was caused by something supernatural. Whatever had happened had caused the nearby inhabitants of the village of Eriwynne to fear for their lives. They wanted an explanation for the disappearance of the Lormerians and were willing to look to anyone for help, but first, we must discuss how they got there.

A traveler by the name of Azarias was traveling through Eriwynne. He stopped at a small tavern in Eriwynne owned by a couple by the name of Thénardier. He was speaking with the Thénardiers about payment for a room when Madame Thénardier brought up the subject of the disappearance of the Lormerians. As a man interested in adventures, he was intrigued by the disappearance of the Lormerians. He asked a bit more about the Lormerians and their disappearance before deciding to investigate the matter. He thanked the Thénardiers for the information and left the tavern shortly after. While leaving the town, he stopped at the local general store and picked up several supplies for the investigation, including several different types of tools, food, and other items. After the trip to the general store, he set out to Lormere.
It was about ten miles from Eriwynne to the surface entrance to Lormere. A worn, cobble road called the Crylk Road connected the two cities. Azarias found himself traveling upon this road. He carried a bloodwood staff in his left hand, using it as a walking stick. He kept a steady pace, as there was little foot traffic, because of the fear of the Lormerian Disappearance. He calculated he would be there in a few hours if he kept at his pace. The walk was mostly uneventful until he came to a fork in the road. The road split off in the direction of the village Wildepond. This road was known as Zawomn Road. Most people avoided this road due to bandit activity. Rather, they took a detour by way of the Wraulf Road which connected the towns of Wildepond, Morhedge, and Eriwynne. These three roads encompassed Vyjorst Forest. At the center of Vyjorst Forest rested Lake Xuwhyl. Azarias was unaware of the bandit situation and was surprised to find a group of bandits on horseback blocking his path. The bandits had strayed from Zawomn Road onto Crylk Road at the fork in the roads. There were five bandits and they all started to threaten Azarias.
"This land now belongs to the Scourge of the Light and its all-powerful leader Zadimus Delacroix! You are trespassing on our land, and the sentence for that is death!" a bandit exclaimed. He was dressed better than the others. While the others wore simple hide armor, he wore very intricate silver armor. The helmet resembled that of a gladiator's helmet. It had two small holes where two icy blue eyes stared out. These two holes and the edges of the helmet were outlined in gold. The shoulders of the armor were adorned with dragon claws that curved around to the back of the neck, and gemstones of varying hues. The armor itself consisted of interlocking silver plates with gold outlines and more gemstones. Azarias assumed this was Zadimus.
"What say do you have over these lands? They belong to Queen Amelda, and what you are doing is treason and is punishable by death. If anything you should be put to death." Azarias replied. Zadimus was taken aback by Azarias' response. He realized that Azarias would put up a fight when robbed, unlike their previous victims. Zadimus reached for the golden hilt of a sword which was sheathed in an embroidered leather scabbard. The scabbard was embroidered with greenery made from lime green string. He pulled out a silver sword from the scabbard. The golden hilt of the sword had one solitary pezzottaite gemstone. When the other bandits saw Zadimus take out his sword, they took theirs out too. Their swords were simple iron swords with grooves in them. Azarias tightened his grip on his walking stick before uttering a warning.
"You will not harm me if you want to keep your heads!" Azarias warned. Zadimus laughed before ordering his men to attack. Azarias held up his staff and muttered something from a strange language lost t time. Suddenly, he struck his staff on the cobblestones and a blinding light appeared. The light subsided a few moments later to reveal that the bandits had vanished. He had not harmed them in any way, but he did teleport them to the jailhouse in Wildepond. The horses, however, remained as they were innocent creatures. Azarias realized he couldn't just leave the horses there, so he rode all five of them back to Eriwynne for safe keeping. He kept one horse which he called Quaxius. Quaxius was a strong, swift, black horse. Azarias chose this name because it meant swift in Okkathi. Okkathi was a language used now only by magic users. Azarias was taught Okkathi when his magical abilities became apparent in his youth. He now seldom used it except in self-defense, such as the incident with the Scourge of the Light. He rode back down the road to the entrance of Lormere. They entered and found a long staircase led down to the city. They put one foot in front of the other and traveled down the staircase into the darkness of Lormere.