Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 23

947BCE: Queen Shortrastor used Prince Albirnon’s disappearance as an excuse to conscript soldiers within her kingdom and invade the Underdark. Thousands of dwarves were organized and sent into the deep in groups of various sizes “looking for the prince.” In reality these groups were raiding and pillaging the other Underdark races and species.

946BCE: The groups of Dominarie Dwarves invading the Underdark discovered evidence of Prince Albirnon’s survival in the deepest reaches of the tunnels. King Cogard arrived in the Dominarie Kingdom to lead the rescue effort personally.

945BCE: A group of Cogard’s scouts found Albirnon. A cabal of Drow witches led by a demon held the prince captive. The dwarven soldiers killed the prince’s captors and freed Albirnon, but he was not the same young man who had gone to Shortrastor’s court. No hair grew on his head and the glint of demonic possession glowed behind Albirnon’s eyes and soon the same could be said of his rescuers as the possession passed to them. The first of a new race of dwarves were created, the Duergar. Prince Albirnon stayed in the deep and began turning more and more of Cogard and Shortrastor’s fortune seekers to his will.

944BCE: Rumors of a new band of bald dwarves with red eyes led by a male who resembled Prince Albirnon reached the Dominarie court. Desperate to find his son, King Cogard himself went into the deep. Down in the dark Cogard met his son and recognized the corruption within him. The king and the demon fought for control of the prince. Cogard achieved a half victory. The demon was not cast out of his son, but the contagion could no longer spread. Cogard sealed the hellish presence within Albirnon and all the other afflicted, but the demon would live on in their descendants.

943BCE: Cogard brought Albirnon back to Shortrastor’s court. The Queen was informed of Albirnon’s new passenger. Not wishing to welcome a viper into her home, the Queen commanded King Cogard to remove Prince Albirnon and the other duergar from the Dominarie Mountains. The King did so, moving the duergar people to the wild regions of the western Underdark.

Next: Cimmerian Timeline Part 25