Prologue
From the Tablets of History kept in the archives of Kagiso
When the world was young, the sun burned down on the land, and drought cracked the ground. In the north, there were two races: the Cadrik and the dwarves.
The Cadrik loved nature. They used mind magic to create lakes and inland seas, planting trees and caring for wildlife. Pleased, the Great One sent rain to their valley. They became the People of the Mountain.
To the west, the land was barren. The dwarves lived in caves at the foot of the mountains. They discovered minerals and gems in the cracks of dead volcanoes. Using these, they made tools and homes. They also created jewelry and trinkets in their spare time, excited by their new skills. The Cadrik rarely ventured out, so it was a long time before the two races met.
Then, the land quarreled with itself. Mountains surged, shafts collapsed, and drought killed many dwarves. Starving and desperate, they saw rain clouds over the mountains. Many left their homes and traveled east, scraping by on weeds during the journey. Tired, hungry, and weak, they finally reached the Cadrik’s valley.
The Cadrik were surprised to find other creatures of the Great One and offered friendship and shelter. The dwarves, amazed by the lush land and regular rains, started rebuilding their mining settlements. The Cadrik tolerated their mining at first, thinking it harmless.
Years passed, and the valley’s soil wore away from erosion caused by the dwarves’ constant digging. The Cadrik asked them to stop mining near their village. Decades flew by before tensions rose. The dwarves had built several settlements, and the Cadrik’s village flourished into the city of Caslo in the Abeni Mountains.
Many years later, blood was first shed in the valley’s pass, marking the beginning of conflict on the Northern Continent.
