The Unraveling - Chapter 1

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. It was actually rare to see the majestic beasts descend from their mountainous lairs. Those who lived in the area were happy to be ignored by their enormous neighbors, even offering some of their livestock in order to keep the peace. For centuries the peace of Sinnifer Valley had been a lasting one, and then suddenly it had all changed. The locals spoke in hushed tones of their recent visitors from the League of Sorcery. The secretive order of sorcerers had arrived only days before the dragons had begun migrating into the Valley, so surely the League had some part to play in the sudden behavioral change of the fiery beasts. Yet no one was certain of the purpose of the League’s presence as they had laid claim to the very center of Sinnifer and then actively kept people away. A few brave - or perhaps foolish - souls had attempted to get past the League’s blockade. The first ones had returned whole but obviously under some sort of enchantment. Then the disappearances started.

Rumors of these events had not yet reached outside of the Valley however. While the unusual behavior of the Sinnifer dragons was cause for concern the undertakings of the League of Sorcery never amounted to much suspicion. Although no one knew who the League members were, it was widely speculated that the aristocrats of the Empire held most of the high ranking seats within. Some rumors claimed that even the Empress herself was a member. It would certainly explain the seemingly endless resources of the League as well as why they seemed to never face opposition from imperial authorities, but instead being aided by them.

With the dragons threatening to ravage the Valley as they descended from their mountain peaks it would seem that it was up to the inhabitants of Sinnifer to help themselves. A truly daunting task for a collection of farming communities. They seldom needed protection due to the way that the mountains covered the land from the outside world, except for from the ocean. The only time that Sinnifer Valley had known any sort of threat was the pirate raids on the coastal fishing villages every now and then, and they could mostly be bought off with an offering. Safe to say the locals were not ready to take on such a formidable enemy as dragons should it come to a direct conflict. Fortunately, so far, it had not come to that. But as people spoke it was only a matter of time. And that time would come sooner than anyone would have wanted.

Happily oblivious of the situation in the destination of the trade caravan he was part of, Tevin Carrenor marveled at the enormous gate leading into the mountain that stood before him. It was the first time that he’d laid eyes on dwarven architecture, and it was truly as splendid as the stories told. The gates must have been at least twenty meters high with ornate carvings and metalworks all over it. While the face of the gate was solid steel the frames were seemingly made of gold, or a metal that resembled it. Tevin looked at the artwork of the gate while his employer discussed tariffs and other details with the guardsmen. At first he simply admired the masterful craftsmanship. Then he started to realize that the various pieces were made up to tell a story. Tevin could only assume that it was the story of the dwarven hold of Highforge, to which they were currently traveling. It was not easy to figure out the story though. There didn’t seem to be any particular order to the art pieces, or perhaps you needed to understand dwarven culture better to interpret it properly. He could make out several dragons of varying sizes seemingly battling an armored legion. Above them was a mountain with a great anvil at its peak. The other details were so numerous that Tevin didn’t have the chance to go over them all before his master called his name.

“Carrenor!”

Tevin immediately turned his attention to mister Malkorn. He was still turned towards the guards but motioning for Tevin to approach, and Tevin did as he was bid. As he approached the group the man turned around, a frustrated look on his tired, elderly face.

“Do you speak dwarven at all?”

Tevin was taken aback by the question.

“Sir, what…? No.”

“They’re trying to tell me something, but these stunted fellows don't seem to speak the common tongue.”

Tevin sighed. He’d heard that most dwarves only spoke and read their own language due to the isolationist tendencies of their people. Though one might have thought that guards, and especially those tending to the borders, would have some understanding of the common tongue to better be able to greet visitors.

“Aren’t they letting us pass, sir?”

Malkorn didn’t answer Tevin, but instead produced a coin purse from one of his coat’s pockets. As he held it out to the dwarven guards they started to confer with one another in their crude language. After about a minute of deliberations one of them shrugged and reached out to accept the money. The other walker over to the gate and slammed the butt of his spear into it thrice, causing a metallic cacophony. And then the great gate began to swing open. Malkorn motioned for Tevin to get back into the carriage and they both got themselves seated as the road under the mountain was revealed to them.

Tevin’s expectations of what this leg of the journey would be like were all smashed in an instance. The tunnel beyond the gate was not just any tunnel. Rather than a subterranean road, dimly lit by lanterns of torches, this road was as ornate and magnificent in its craftsmanship as the gate that guarded it. As they entered the long tunnel Tevin looked at the stonework of the walls that seemingly depicted various events throughout history. Not just dwarven history either as he could recognize pictures based on stories he’d been told about both the elven empire and the human cities. The artful stonework was not the only marvel either as each artwork had been framed with the enigmatic rune alphabet of the dwarves.

A deep, metallic booming noise woke Tevin up from his admirations as the gate was shut behind them. It was then that he realized the true ingenuity of the dwarves. The tunnel, despite the previous only lightsource that was now covered by the gate, was as bright as day. He looked around for an explanation as to how an underground tunnel could be as bright as if it was a road that led over the mountain rather than under it.

“Clever, these dwarfs, don’t you think?”

Tevin turned to look at his employer.

“Yes, sir.” he said, uncertain of what kind of answer his master expected. “How can it be like… day in this tunnel?”

Malkorn chuckled lightly.

“I’ll let you figure that out yourself. It’s goin’ to be several hours until we’re through to Sinnifer.”

It annoyed Tevin to some extent that he could seldom get a straight answer from his employer. Most of the time he was told to figure things out for himself. Malkorn was not much of a conversationalist and Tevin thought that this was his way of telling his employee to not bother him with his curiosity. Yet Tevin had gotten used to his employer’s mannerism and so he sat back in the carriage and continued to admire the magnificent work of the dwarves. In many ways he was reminded of another journey they’d made a few years ago. Back then they’d undertaken another trade route to the desert realm of Rahmad. Braving the hostile landscape, the scorching sun, and the constant thirst was not something that Tevin thought back fondly about. The highlight of the journey had been when they had finally arrived at the great city of Miljik. The city was built atop a small mountain and in order to gain entry they had had to climb through the spiraling tunnels running inside the mountain and up to the city itself. Tevin remembered the roughly cut tunnel with smaller caves leading into the darkness, stalactites and such rock formation framing the path. It had been both majestic and terrifying to travel through the Miljik tunnels, yet the way it had all looked so natural despite being anything but now brought it all back as a fond memory to Tevin. He was certain that this journey would live on the same way in his memory, even though this tunnel was clearly artificial in nature.

A bright, white light in the ceiling suddenly caught Tevin’s attention. It took a moment for his blinded vision to adjust before he saw what it was that had caused the phenomenon. A crystal had been put into the ceiling and it seemed as if it caught the light of day from somewhere in its prism, although Tevin couldn’t find anywhere where such light would have been able to enter the tunnel. Looking around further Tevin noticed that throughout the ceiling there were several such crystals. Clearly these crystals were what brought the daylight into the tunnel, but where said light came from was a whole different question. The ingenuity of the dwarves never ceased to amaze Tevin.

For all the wonders that the dwarves offered those traveling through their tunnel eventually Tevin got tired. While the well-lit tunnel seemed to perfectly reflect the light of day it did not do the same for outside air. The air in the tunnel got heavier the further in they traveled. At times a whiff of cool, damp air would reach Tevin, keeping him awake. However it was not enough to keep him awake the entire journey. The journey was a long one, which is why Malkorn had made sure that they’d begin it early in the morning. They were hoping to reach the first settlement on their route through Sinnifer Valley before nightfall.

“If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’ll get me some shut-eye.”

Malkorn gave a short grunt for an answer. Something that Tevin had learned to mean that it was fine. He found a somewhat comfortable place to lie down among the cargo and swiftly fell asleep.

The sound of creaking metal woke Tevin up. He noticed that the light had shifted to be somewhat darker. He rose from his resting place and got over to his employer at the front of the carriage. Before them another great steel gate was slowly being swung open.

“Welcome to Sinnifer Valley, my boy.” Malkorn offered Tevin a tired smile.

As Tevin had heard, Sinnifer Valley was a country of green hills and verdant forests. It was the breadbasket of the elven empire with only small settlements and much farmland. Tevin had longed to lay eyes on this land ever since they had set out from Oakenwall two months ago. It would have to wait a little time yet, he realized as three dwarven guardsmen approached the carriage. As usual Malkorn got off to greet the short grown people, his merchant’s permit at the ready and most likely a coin purse in his pocket. Though as soon as he got off the carriage the dwarves started shouting and waving at him. Once more the meaning of their words were lost to both Tevin and Malkorn, but it was clear that they wanted the two humans to remain in the carriage. And so Malkorn got up in his seat again, waving the permit at the approaching guards. The dwarves kept waving despite their visitors being back in their vehicle. Malkorn shot Tevin a brief, puzzled look. Then his attention turned towards one of the guardsmen that seemed to attempt to bring the horses dragging the carriage back around.

“What’s…” That was all Tevin managed to question as his master had jumped off the carriage again, approaching the guard that was interacting with the horses. The guard dropped the reins and waved for Malkorn to walk back to his seat, something that he would not do this time. Tevin certainly was puzzled by the unusual situation, yet could not help but find it amusing as he watched his employer attempting to communicate with the guards through his own language of gestures. It appeared as if the dwarves wanted the two tradesmen to turn back, but for what reason it was hard to discern. It didn’t appear as if these gentlemen understood the common tongue either. After a few minutes of relentless gesturing Malkorn simply pulled out not just one, but two purses and offered them to the guards. Tevin held his breath as he waited for a reaction from the guards. Was it truly wise to attempt to bribe the guards for passage? It felt as if an hour passed as he waited for the response. To his surprise the guard seemed to yield and only took the one coin purse. Then he walked back to his colleagues, who had positioned themselves close to the gate.

Malkorn returned to the carriage with an annoyed look on his face.

“What was that all about?”

“Who knows?” Malkorn had an angry tone in his voice. “Damn dwarves should learn to speak like the other races…”

They passed the gate without any more issues with its guardians, and it was hastily shut behind them. Tevin looked back at the dwarves, waving to them. The gesture went unnoticed as the guards had hastily retreated into the gatehouse. He shrugged and turned his attention to the landscape ahead.

The golden sun that marked the coming of the evening gave the beautiful landscape before them an even more mythical impression. The entire valley was clad in the golden cape of dusk. The mountain range which they had just traveled under trailed off far in the distance. Sinnifer was encircled by these mountains, yet Tevin couldn’t see them on the other side. The land between them and said mountains were more beautiful than even the plains of Gwandal. The great fields and farmlands were only broken off by groves of leaf-crowned trees. An entire palette of colorful flowers dotted the landscape, and here and there were cattle and horses roaming freely. Tevin was certainly not disappointed by what the stories had promised him of Sinnifer Valley. He turned his gaze towards the west, gazing towards the glittering ocean far in the distance.

“I hope it’s livin’ up to your expectations.”

“It certainly does, sir. Even more fantastic than I imagined.”

“Well, you’d better enjoy it now, while you can. When we get to Taridwen we’ll have plenty of work.”

They kept going for an hour still. The dark of night approached swiftly as they left the gate behind. Tevin thought that he spotted a village far down the road before the darkness set in, and it was confirmed when the lights of that same settlement were all that could be seen apart from their own lanterns. It was a quiet and tranquil road. In the distance Tevin could hear various birds every now and then, but they were still too far from any forests or groves to hear them often.

Unfortunately the peace would not last. Tevin suddenly thought he heard a bell ring in the distance. As he attempted to localize the sound he realized it was the bell from Taridwen’s belltower, warning its citizens of imminent danger.

“What is that?”

Malkorn didn’t answer, save for a low murmur. He was gazing across the darkened landscape, even though it would have been almost impossible for human eyes to see anything.

Tevin opened his mouth to ask another question, but whatever came out was drowned in the sound that followed. A loud roar sounded throughout the landscape. It was unlike anything Tevin had ever heard before. Whatever made such a mighty roar must be enormous, and he could only think of one creature that matched his expectations. He looked up towards the night sky. The stars were out, but the moon had not yet shown its face. He searched for the source of the roar when a mighty wind suddenly struck the carriage by the side, almost turning it over. Tevin heard his master curse, but he paid him little mind due to his fear of what may come next. It was when the light returned to the landscape that Tevin saw the source of both roar and wind. The warm light did nothing for the chill that now ran through his entire body. Next thing he knew the inferno was all around them.