Soren, Dusk, and Gravuk Versus Verazhul the Obsidian Dragon

There are many stories told throughout Kovere, and no one really knows the truth behind them. But we tell them anyway. Often, these stories give us answers to problems we don't otherwise know how to solve. Sometimes, these stories give us peace, or they provide a hero to look up to and model our behavior after. This story, the story of how three unremarkable friends from an unremarkable forest were thrust into a most remarkable situation that they were neither ready for nor did they want, is a story about resourcefulness, persistence, and bravery.

While some stories are told around the world, others are only known in certain nations. This story is one that is passed down from parents or grandparents to their children or grandchildren in the Delian Empire.

Attack in Plover Wood

As the story goes, it all began when the mayor of Elmore a halfling named Doug Dougle was attacked in Plover Wood by a Volcanic Dragon (Obsidian variety) named Verazhul. Verazhul was angry (and hungry, but mostly just angry). He had spent hundreds of years locked up in Plover Caves as a prisoner of Hylaeus Creates the Lure. The town of Elmore was understandably shaken. It had been over 200 years since Hylaeus created the lure and thus ensured the safety of the region surrounding Plover Caves.

Due to the fact that the region had lived in relative peace as a result of their seclusion in Plover Wood, combined with the lack of monsters to hurt them, they had grown unaccustomed to fighting to the death for survival. Not to mention, Verazhul was not just any monster. He was one of the most daunting and dangerous monsters one could encounter. The secluded lakeside village of Elmore did what any reasonable group of people would do. They gathered their best and they began strategizing. Within a day, the local alchemist, Carat, had devised a plan to protect the village, while a small team would be sent into the caves to try and repair the lure.

Descent Into the Unknown

The village had chosen two unsuspecting friends and heroes: Soren Carranivahao and Dusk Killaquche. Soren was Elmore's most successful fisherman (as well as a hesitant and untrained sorcerer), and Dusk was one of the village's few Rangers. Soren, in particular, was looking for a means of redemption after an accident involving his primal innate magic and some of the villagers. He hadn't been shunned, the accident wasn't that bad, plus it was an accident after all. But Soren struggled to trust himself and he did his best to ignore the magical aspects of his nature.

Dusk, on the other hand, was happy enough to be chosen to accompany his friend (who had once saved his life). As far as anyone can tell, his motivation in going was just that he wanted to serve and protect his home from monsters.

Neither Soren nor Dusk could anticipate what they would encounter when they started out.

The initial descent into the darkness of the cave was as one might expect when venturing into a cave. However, after meandering deeper into the caves for a day or so, Soren and Dusk stumbled into a very large subterranean dwarven city called Brilliance.