In the land of Exlidrith there is very little worth extracting from the ground. You can go scarcely a hundred meters deep before encountering a nigh indestructible layer of bedrock, and in those hundred meters there is no metal worth using. Despite this, there are a rare few places where the bedrock gives way. Ancient gashes and crevasses going deep into the earth, through the indestructible stone.

In these rare few places, one can find pieces of the indestructible rock that have become separated from the mass. These rare materials are referred to as gravel-stone, and are prized for being immeasurably harder and tougher than any other known substance to the point that they are impossible to work. They must be used in the shapes they are found, which makes the pieces that are in a naturally useful shape even more valuable. Entire mining operations are run for the mere chance of locating such valuable treasures.

The stonefolk Krolg is on the job today and they watch the soft grey limestone walls around them as they descend. In addition to the smell of blood from the runes powering the lift is the subtle metallic scent of the depths. There is something calming about being down here, it reminded them of the caves back home. Soon their job would be done and they could go back there, back to their child. Just one more day down in the mines.

Eventually the limestone gives way to the angular gravel-stone walls of the depths. Most soft-skinned species would find it painful to walk on these surfaces, but as a stonefolk Krolg’s granite feet had no issue. They could still feel the roughness of the surface as it massaged their feet, but there was no pain or piercing. They happily waltz down the halls of the cavern.

Krolg knew they needed to work quickly. The empress had ordered a doubling of the efforts going to the mines to extract the valuables within. Why this was they did not know, but their job was clearly important. The walls of the cave seem to close in around them as they think about it, as if noticing their concern. They find a wall of limestone to excavate, but doubt has begun to infiltrate. They can almost feel the jagged rock behind them.

The digging begins smoothly, Krolg excavating more and more of this cavern. Occasionally, they encounter gravel-stone and have to change direction. When this happens it feels as if they are being mocked, the reverberations of their pickaxe hitting the indestructible material were a challenge to hurry along and find some treasure to bring back topside. Krolg digs faster and faster until they find something very special.

A particularly thin and sharp piece of gravel-stone is sticking out of the limestone wall. Krolg stares at it, realizing that if it is what it looks like then it could be incredibly valuable. The meeting sirens blare out, but Krolg has no time for meetings. They needed to get this treasure now before anyone else finds it.

Of course, all the other miners topside have no time for Krolg either. They knew not where Krolg was, and it was easiest to assume the stonefolk was simply absent. With the mine evacuated anyway, they decide to perform a routine blasting. A wave of magical force is sent down into the mine to pulverize any bits of ordinary rock laying around and loose any gravel-stone hidden within.

Krolg digs and digs, revealing what seems to be a perfect handhold for this future dagger. Them and their children would be rich for generations with this find. Until… the wave hits. The miners who go in afterwards find a perfect gravel-stone dagger just sitting there, surrounded by crushed granite. They take it out of the mine to bring it back to the empress.

The empress, after observing the stone dagger, decides to send a letter to someone with it attached:

“Dear Silvano Rae Lerc,

I have a very important job for you. The mortal kings and queens of the EON see fit to impose their rules upon the world. As my land lacks the skilled assassins to perform this task, it naturally falls to you to ensure it is carried out. I need Artemis, their current leader, killed. Attached to this letter is an indestructible weapon, capable of cutting any metal.

Sincerely, the one true empress of ages, Merala”


The ancient gravel-stone mine