A) Against the Elements - Prologue

*Prologue to 'Against the Elements'*

Far back in antiquity, early humans spread into the land that they
would later call Miraloc. Where they came from and why they left no-one
now remembers. The tribes came from the south, dressed in the pelts of
animals they had killed and eaten, and carrying weapons and tools
fashioned from bronze. They journeyed through lush, green pastures
populated with herds of deer and wild pigs. They negotiated the
perilous ground of leech-filled marshes. They even succeeded in
constructing simple boats and crossing the great river, before
traversing ever-thickening woodland fraught with dangers. Finally, they
reached the bleak, impenetrable and towering crags of what were quickly
named the Dark Mountains, and could go no further. Some of them, in any
case, had no wish to. These humans had become entranced by the
sparkling metal with which the mountains were infused and did not want
to part with it. Others could not bear to stay under the mountains'
cold shadow.

And so it was that some tribes retraced their steps and crossed the
river once again, with an aim to settling among the plentiful greenery
on the other side, while others resolutely remained in the desolate
wasteland around the base of the mountains to harvest their silver.
Over time, the tribes grew and semi-permanent settlements of scattered
tents became stable villages with buildings of wood and stone. The
villagers learned to work the land, the art of writing became more
fully developed and the psuedo-sciences of astrology and alchemy became
quite popular.

In Twing, children would often hurry in groups to the village scholar's
home to be regaled with stories of their people's great journey
generations before. Farmers in the village of Gruntlithe, exhausted
after a day of feeding pigs and sowing wheat, gathered regularly in the
tavern to drink, sing and play games of chance. The Ailornian
alchemists concentrated furiously on acquiring a cure for their
unnatural skin condition. Each village developed its own character, its
own traditions and its own preoccupations.

However, this diversification also brought its problems. People who are
different often become hostile towards one another and in Miraloc each
tribe was convinced that at least one other village was more prosperous
than they were. Minor skirmishes often broke out after misguided
attempts at theft or vandalism. Dilfun envied Holfarth, Elthron was
jealous of Gruntlithe and all the western villages became deeply
suspicious of the eastern ones. Only the people of Krathlithe believed
themselves to be truly superior to all the other tribes.

Krathlithe was forged by the hardiest and most determined of the human
tribes and, some would say, the greediest. No other settlement was
located so close to the Dark Mountains, no other place was so enveloped
in mist and gloom and no other village prospered so well. With their
close proximity to the silver mines and their cunning ways in business,
the Krath were able to exploit the other tribes and their little
village quickly grew into a sprawling town. Krathlithe was the first
and only town to have a bank, to develop written law (primarily based
around the principles of property and ownership) and, interestingly, to
discover religion.

It began with a simple miner called Seth Kardraith, who used to
experience strange visions in his sleep. He would find himself drifting
through a shadowy image of the mountains, surrounded by barely audible,
rasping voices, whose language he could not understand. After some time
he would stop at some nondescript spot and somehow he would know that
in the ground beneath his feet there was silver to be found. At this
moment he would wake, with one thought alone in his mind; to dig for
the precious metal to which someone had shown him the way.

Of course, the first time this happened everyone thought he had lost
his mind, but after a week of digging, cold and alone, in the very
place shown to him in his dream he did indeed find silver, and lots of
it. His fellow miners were amazed and soon the whole of Krathlithe was
abuzz with the news - Seketh Kardraith was receiving messages from
another realm. The same miraculous sequence of events occurred again
and again and Kardraith quickly became revered as a messiah, not just
because of the extra wealth he brought to the town (which was of course
very important to its covetous inhabitants) but because of the great
and mysterious power he seemed to possess.

The whole business did not end there, however. The young miner's
visions grew in intensity. Whilst drifting through the darkness of the
mountains he began to see faces in the trees and rocks, as well as
inhuman silhouettes among the shadows. He began to feel unseen bodies
brushing past his own. He began to understand the words that were
whispered in his ears. Whatever the force that he was in contact with
was, it had unimaginable power, and it wanted Kardraith to share it. In
return, however, it demanded the constant worship of the townsfolk and
regular sacrifices, often animal but sometimes human. Kardraith became
the spiritual leader of the Krath people and, after their chieftain's
untimely death, took up his position as the Lord of Krathlithe. Many
worshippers secretly believed that all of his good fortunes came about
as a direct result of the Great Power's influence and some even
suspected that it was manipulating Kardraith and the town to its own
ends, although none would dare speak it.

Whatever the reason for Kardraith's rise to power, it became clear to
all that he was not done yet. With almost full control over the hearts
and minds of the people of Krathlithe, Kardraith turned his attention
to the rest of Miraloc. It is here that our tale of magic, mystery and
adventure truly begins.

*('Against the Elements' continues in Chapter 1 - An Unpleasant
Intrusion)