EverQuest: You're In Our World Now

Discovery of the Coldain Day 3

Our intrepid explorers have found yet another hitherto unknown race!

That is, the descendants of a group of ancient dwarven explorers have apparently lived and thrived on this icy continent for centuries!

The dwarves refer to themselves as Coldain and were encountered by our adventurers in their travels. The Coldain�s initial settlement, which was known as Froststone, now lies in ruins, a grim reminder of ancient slaughter at the hands of ice giants. The valiant Coldain, however, have rebuilt their city at great cost, both in resources and lives.

The Coldain dwarves recounted their history for the party, and in the process explained that the keep they had visited, that known as Ry`Gorr Keep, apparently was erected atop a beautiful and technologically remarkable warren of caverns carved from the velium that covers these lands. Though they have not yet braved the snow orcs who guard it and explore, our party has obtained images of it from their hosts.

The dwarves call these caves the Crystal Caverns. From what we�ve seen in their images, the caves are quite both stunning and cunning.

Their design is attributed to a miner hero of theirs named Glight

Snowchipper, who in turn received his inspiration directly from

Brell in a vision. When the ice giants overran the dwarves back in the time of Dain Frostreaver II (the adventurers report that the leader of these dwarves is always referred to as the Dain), they fled in the only direction they could, deeper into the earth.

While the dwarves were hiding in the frigid caverns after fleeing Froststone, he envisioned this labyrinth of ice where the dwarves could build a haven at the center, and hide from the ice giants. The walls were planned to be semi-translucent so that invading giants would become easily lost and fall into ingenious deathtraps.

For thirty years after creating the Crystal Caverns and the hidden city at their center, the labyrinth served as a refuge, until the ice giants learned of its existence by following a trade caravan.

Slagd Frozentoe of the ice giants led an invasion force of 250 warriors to the caverns, intent on annihilating the Coldain. Glight

Snowchipper himself led the dwarves� defense effort, leading the ice giants deep into the confusing tunnels.

As a last resort, when the giants were nearing the

Coldain refugees� hiding place deep in the caverns, Glight selflessly sacrificed himself and his men by diverting them to a little-used tunnel shaft, then creating an avalanche that brought tons of snow, ice, velium and rock down on giants and dwarves alike, allowing the rest of the Coldain to escape. Our adventuring friends mentioned having heard a rumor whispered among the Coldain that may be more wish than truth � that a small number of the original group who lived in the settlement at the maze�s center refused to leave and still remain in the isolated city.

The Coldain went on to build themselves a new city, known as Thurgadin (sometimes, we hear, they refer to it as New

Froststone, in memoriam), which is cleverly hidden in the mountains.

Our explorers have promised to provide us with further details on that after having visited. We anxiously await their next missive!

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