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Excerpt from "The Dwarven Anthology" --

In the months following the defeat of the dwarves at the hands of the Mareldjans, religious speculation begin to cause unprecedented unrest among the people. Questions arose as to why the gods allowed the dwarves to lose the war, and as to whether the gods existed at all. The troubled dwarves began forming into bands centered around varying priests, each with a different explanation for the misfortune that had befallen them in the war. The bands fiercely defended their newfound beliefs, and the caverns erupted in violence as fanatics hunted down opposing religious leaders with reckless abandon. In vain did the governing council attempt to reunite the commoners, and soon a great schism occurred.

The diverse sects packed their few belongings and turned their backs on their former home, seeking instead to create individual settlements where there would be no voices to refute their beliefs. Most of these sects died in the mountains from a simple lack of population, but three of the least vehement groups managed to carve out a home for themselves: the Ramluf, the Vanari, and the Muradians.

Life for the exiles was difficult, and there was a constant need for more resources, especially water. Each sect discovered an underground river in time, and sent a few small parties to seek out the source of the water in hopes of finding a suitable location for a city.

A party from the Muradian sect soon discovered the source to be an enormous lake, which they named after their leader, Cadain. They sent a few of their number to report their findings to their village, and then set up a small camp for the night. Certain that this would be their new home, they began to explore their surroundings in earnest the next day. After a few days of wandering about, they happened upon a Ramluf camp which had already started the groundwork for a great city on the lake's shore. Surprised at this development, both camps sent out additional scouts and soon discovered similar parties composed of Vanari which shared their intention to build a new city.

The leaders of the three sects met and agreed to combine their efforts and create an unparalleled city to surround the magnificent lake, where religious freedom would be assured and all dwarves could live in harmony.

Construction of the city would span centuries, such was the monumental effort required to excavate an area large enough to contain the whole of their populations. A few names were proposed at various stages, but the citizens took to calling it simply "Cadain," after the lake which had offered them salvation.

The three sects remained somewhat segregated, their previous class divisions being too strong to dismiss. The relatively poor Vanari lived in quiet contentment in the western parts of the city, leading uneventful lives but happy with their lot in life. The Muradians, being composed almost strictly of merchants, settled in the northern areas and began mining the caverns for precious stones that they might trade with travelers from the surface. The Ramluf were former aristocrats, and chose to live in opulent splendor in the eastern area.

Cadain had lived in relative peace since its founding, but now finds itself engaged in a war of attrition against the xymara, a reptilian race bent on destruction without cause. The xymaran numbers seem endless, and the morale of the dwarven army is rapidly worsening.

NOTES: Recommended Levels: any Group Size: any

The city of Cadain offers something for everyone, and is an ideal place to gain early levels in. You may want to investigate the dwarves' xymaran problem, but be aware that as of yet there is no reward for resolving their difficulties.