Deep below the vale of ancients, in ruins so deep and layered as to become a cave-like labyrinth, is an effigy of a goddess. A small posse of dare seekers ignore the fell myths whispered of the buried divine, though they may come to wish they had heeded the warnings... -- Deathshead419
The world was built by Dragons, then built upon by various civilisations. Some cities, like Arbordeep, have been built up on previous iterations of Arbordeep as various cataclysms, floods, and built-up silt have buried the old ones. It's just one among many such places with a thriving Undercity and links to the Everdark.
The tunnels and caverns may not have been linked originally, but various burrowing species have made them so. It is whispered that one may be able to walk around the world in the Everdark without once glimpsing sunlight. No-one is known to have done this, since the Everdark is thriving with assorted terrors. Living nightmares that have never needed eyes to see. Things that subsist solely on the filth that oozes from above. Abominations created by mad mages that have created their own ecological niche. And, of course, Dragons that like the dark.
If the theoretical traveler attempts to delve in the Everdark under Val'eon, they would find the labyrinths of built stone. Buried by the ages. Some legends say that the buried buildings were made by the first Elves who were born with little magic in their blood. This band of exiles created architecture to last beyond the end of the world.
Nobody knows for certain.
It's become a dungeon as the eons and the soil rolled over it. Adventurers delved into it, seeking whatever Adventurers sought. There, in the depths, they found the goddess.
Carved or shaped out of basalt, she rebuffs light. She refused to reflect, glisten, or gleam. Newcomers who needed light could only derive her shape by walking around her. Those with darksight had to do the same, as she was a void in the greys of their vision.
Those who found her knew that she was special.
Hodryn was one of the unfortunates who tried to move her.
"Leave it," cautioned Baljor the crew's Paladin. "The statue has remained since this place last saw the sun. She must be protected by something. We do not want to mess with whatever it is."
"It's an ancient statue that nobody else has seen in thousands of years," insisted Hodryn. "It's big, it's valuable, and I need the money for ale and whores."
I am not for sale. You are not permitted to touch me, said a voice without a visible speaker. I am Nott, goddess and guardian of the dark spaces. This space is my hallowed ground. You will not besmirch it.
Hodryn immediately turned to glare at the crew's Wizard.
"I didn't do anything," protested Oddle. "I'm out of spell ingredients and magical juju juice. I can't even summon a spark."
"He speaks truth," said Baljor. "I sense a divine aura here. Leave this statue where she stands."
"I am not," announced Hodryn, "leaving this damn pit of nightmares empty-handed."
He was half right.
Hodryn grappled the statue and lifted with his knees. His family was part Giant and therefore had the strength of multiple people. He had rarely had to strain to move anything, but this statue was heavier than it looked. "C'mon," he growled as he strained. "Move you damn stone bitch."
Those were his last words. The light warped around the statue of Nott, and so did Hodryn. He screamed as his body stretched, running faster and faster around Nott's stone waist, until there was nothing resembling an intelligent creature. Until there was no sound, and not a trace of Hodryn or his belongings.
He wanted me, said the goddess. Now he is part of me. Such is the fate of those who disrespect me. The light in the chamber returned to what passed for normal.
"I think I just wet myself," squeaked the team thief, who bore the economical name Thief.
"Feeling rather damp myself," said Oddle. "Let's leave this chamber alone, shall we?"
[Photo by Aman Pal on Unsplash]
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