106 Palatial Plots (1/2)
A few moments after I stepped past the guards I found myself within the outer boundary of the palace, within a courtyard to be exact. It was a pretty place, one a few dozen meters wide and equally long.
Between myself and the entrance to the interior of the palace was a path paved with white stone, providing a faint path for those whose eyes needed light. On the sides of this path were massive crystals that radiated a faint pink glow and obstructed any visitor's views of the guards who patrolled the courtyard, as well as providing a sort of pretty decoration.
I began to walk down this path and noticed the relative emptiness of the palace's exterior area. I didn't know if the place was always like this, but I sincerely doubted it. All I could see were well-armed and well-trained guards going through the motions of their tasks, each of whom was as tense as the guards I had walked past earlier.
”Should I read their minds? It's one thing if a few guards are like this but now I've laid my eyes on ten of them and they are all like this. That's a sign of... something.” I mused, internally. After a few moments of quiet debating with myself I chuckled and targeted the closest guard.
She was a squat dwarf, more muscular than the others I had seen. The guards I had seen were of both genders, and of a variety of sizes. The one I selected as my target could accurately be described as ”Barrellike”. I quietly activated my power and a few moments later I heard her thoughts.
”I wonder if the king is feeling better.” She thought, in the supposed privacy of her mind. This intrigued me, but the superficiality of my power didn't allow me to peer any deeper into this. I chuckled, silently of course, and continued my exploration of the palace.
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I made it to the edge of the courtyard after a minute or so of quiet walking. Along the way I scanned three more minds, and in doing so learned that the king was currently sick. This wasn't true, but it appeared to be a sincere belief of the palatial guards.
I knew that the king wasn't sick, because I hadn't heard that he had gotten sick. And when I mentally inspected his status I confirmed that he wasn't sick. I did see something that intrigued me though. The king's personal vice was the sin of sloth.
”I'm glad that Rachel's dad isn't sick.” I mentally muttered though I found the theory I had in my head quite amusing. I suspected that he was faking an illness to get out of work. A part of me considered speaking with Rachel about this, but I knew I could discover the answer myself if I felt like wandering through the palace. Which I did.
In front of me was a massive door, one far larger than any of the dwarves I had seen to date. I put a hand on it, simply to phase through the thing, and as I did I received a notification.
[Alert:
You have made contact with a historic object. As such your 'Historic touch' power is now activating.
You have touched the Emerald Palace. The Emerald Palace is the royal palace of the kingdom of Atlantis. It is a gigantic, by dwarf standards anyway, palace made up of stunning gemstones and precious metals.
The palace is thousands of years old and has been the seat of Atlantis' power for as long as the kingdom has existed. It has housed every king and queen of the kingdom and has been the birthplace of continent-spanning schemes. This place was the birthplace of King Abel and his daughter, Princess Rachel.
It contains a chapel once devoted to the ancient dwarven creator-god Morehammer who was also the overgod of blacksmithing. It is where ancient items once owned by the long-deceased god rest and the palace was once the god's seat of power in Torus.
The items are incredibly ancient divine artifacts. Recovering them would be a major victory for any god who seeks to become a true dwarven god. Not to mention the powers they themselves possess and would grant any deity who recovers them.
The items themselves are protected by ancient, impenetrable barriers made by Morehammer himself. To bypass them you must pass trials they place before you. All of the powerful gods left behind ancient artifacts. Recovering them is one avenue to power.]
I read through the entry with an interested smile on my face. That expression changed when I learned about Morehammer and the artifacts he supposedly left behind. My smile was replaced with a look that mixed shock and delight into one pleasant expression.
I prepared to badger the system with questions.
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”So... Morehammer. Is there anything I can learn about him right now? He is one of the first higher-beings I've learned about by name and the only other one I've learned about and also been close to one of their lairs was Morthos.” I asked the system. I felt excitement well up within me.
The system replied to my question by chuckling. It then went silent for a few moments, considering my question. I proceeded through the door shortly after I asked the system my question. I found myself inside of a grand foyer, one larger than ever the one in Morthos' grand manor in Aronms.
The truth was, I had plans for the Morthonian mansion. I wanted to do something to it to symbolize the changing age the dark-elves of Aronms were living in. I hadn't yet, but I wanted too. It was one of the many things that I had mulled over throughout the last few days.
The mansion was an ugly reminder of an older age, and what was worse was that it was in my eyes unnecessary. This palace, as ostentatious as it was, was not unnecessary. It was still being used and still had a distinct purpose.
My thoughts were interrupted by the system's response to my question.
[Morehammer... That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.] The system mused, amused by my question.
[Morehammer was a long-lived deity of dwarves and blacksmithing. He was also a god of metals, blacksmithing, and the hearts of mountains, in a way not unlike your connection to volcanos. Dwarves were his people and he was the head of the dwarven pantheon.] The system told me, revealing that other dwarven gods existed.
[Morehammer's people have moved on from their once incredible devotion to the ancient god. That said, he created his chosen race to be faithful to his teachings, and even though he himself is long-gone his teachings still define the cultures of dwarves throughout the cosmos.] My companion revealed, causing me to wonder if piety was still important to dwarves.
[Morehammer was a blacksmith and tactician of unequaled skill throughout the multiverse. His people can still be found throughout the multiverse which in and of itself is a testament to the god's teachings and the intelligence of his people.] The system declared, speaking of Morehammer fondly.