“There has never been a perfect society, but for a brief time, there was Shol Lomenar.”
-From Rise and Fall of Paradise by Yellenyth Octallion
Shol Lomenar is one of the lost wonders of the ancient world. It was a joint venture between elves and dwarves carved into the caverns beneath the woodland mountains. Anyone could come there and share in revelry beneath the hills lit by magical lanterns. Merchants from known lands made pilgrimages to the “Glimmering City” to trade their wares. For centuries, the halls of Shol Lomenar only knew peace and prosperity.
The war that ripped Shol Lomenar apart took place a thousand years before humanity began writing history. It was a devastating and dark time that saw the immortal lives of elves and the near-immortal lives of dwarves snuffed out. The friendship forged over centuries of camaraderie was strangled by hate.
During the decades-long war, the High King of the Elves and his court of magicians developed spells and weapons to eradicate the dwarves. The dwarves devised weapons to kill the elves. Ultimately, they were all doomed by the development of a sentient curse known as the Eventide. The ruined halls of Shol Lomenar are now a tomb to a forgotten shining civilization.
Since its destruction, a clan of unruly beastmen has moved in. They seem only interested in eating, drinking, and smashing. Foolish merchants are still making their way through the twisting roads of the Elf King in the silly hope of finding a shortcut through the mountain passes. Finally, the Eventide seems to be sealed within Shol Lomenar. It’s only a matter of time before the doom that destroyed the “Jeweled City” and lays waste to a world unprepared for that kind of evil.
Recently, an expedition funded by the Collegio Maximo (the most prestigious college in the land) set forth to map the entirety of the Shol Lomenar. Led by Yellenyth Octallion, the elven wizard and historian. He is the most prominent scholar of Elven-Lore and has published several books on the matter, including Rise and Fall of Paradise. No one has heard from his team for several months, and they are presumed dead. The Collegio Maximo will pay a bounty of 250 gp for the return of their team or any research-related documents that can be reclaimed.
Behind the Scenes
The Collegio Maximo is an easter egg, the kind of reference back to my own material I throw in there just for myself. It shows up my upcoming adventure “Ziggurat of the Blood God.” It’s just a place for professors to come from who get themselves into trouble. The type of place Indiana Jones would teach at.
History plays a major part of my dungeon because it used to be a place people lived in. Now it is a ruin. A lot of the encounters players will engage with are going to be related to this history. I’m only starting with a rough outline of what the history of this place is. I’m going to seed the dungeon with remnants from this Elf/Dwarf War (which will probably receive a really sad and poetic name like “The War of Shattered Tears” or something. Expect to find notes from Yellenyth Octallion throughout the dungeon.
While I may not know as much about the history of Shol Lomenar as Octallion, I do know a few things: This place was a joint venture between elves and dwarves. Then the elves and dwarves fought each other. Then they ruined everything. What you find in the dungeon falls into two categories, its either the left overs from that war, or something moved into the dungeon recently (like the clan of beastmen).
