“The path becomes known and the Ninavor is proud!” – Gnomish saying from the oldest days.
My grandfather Bamper started his career as a gnome when he was by the standards of our realm, still very young. Being inspired by our ancestor, Grawno Crissinthalliger the fourth, Bamper chose to emulate a solitary explorer’s lifestyle. His grandsire Grawno was the foremost story finder of his era, and brought the family much prestige in our society back at home. There on Edden our kind live pampered existences well into their centuries. Spending their years moving between many mansion estates. Often these estates were afforded a full arrangement of menageries, staff, companions, and would be comfortably nestled together with other neighboring families freeholds. So for us exploring the cosmos meant leaving all of that behind for adventure and fame.
As a young ninavor Bamper knew his destiny would be like the story of his grandfather’s life. He was bold like Grawno, and at the age of twenty eight he had already every clearance to explore the lower realms. Now that he had observed the appropriate family customs and his father’s heir was chosen his career as a gnome would begin, but unlike most of his kin he would venture alone.
Bamper may have had clearances to explore the lower realms, but this was granted to any ninavor who knew well the dangers of being exposed as a surveyor. The fabled red caps are known throughout the fourteen realms, in some fashion or another. Attracting the attention of small red capped fellows encouraged peoples throughout the realms to act their best with the certainty that their deeds were being memorialized into the annals of the great Gnomish surveillance logs.
However certain peoples abhorrent to the invasion of such privacy they believe they afford themselves, will often take great and violent measures to destroy or even capture our kin. At his age most who were brave enough to venture out past the surface of Edden Prime, often began their career with something like a survey course of Wanu breeding grounds in the interior. Perhaps a specially curated mission would be devised, with well compensated and enthusiastic veteran Gnomes leading teams of new recruits. For most ninavor this made sense when trying to begin life as a gnomish surveyor, and many who wished to dawn the red cap did just this.
For Bamper, whose goal was to expand upon the Crissinthalliger namesake, he needed to begin his search in the frozen wastes of Plaith. His Grandsire, Grawno Crissinthalliger the fourth, was most renowned for his inside investigation of the mysterious Alimarian people. These incredibly alien beings possess a stunning social hierarchy that by merit of his charm alone Grawno was able to befriend. To his credit, and for any unaware of the Alimarian people, these magnanimous beings are of an aquatic stock. Their bodies are tall and slender possessing eight tentacle-like limbs in total, four legs, and four arms. Their large elongated heads bare two massive eyes and a beakish maux. At any given time, whether at comfort in a state of repose, or enmeshed within an external body suit these Alimarians were quite unlike most of the races of the Lower realms, inspiring great fear. Not only were their towering forms intimidating, their technological advancements were in competition with those of the ninavor.
Under the care of the Cafererkn Bareian, Grawno was well treated and loved by all that he met on their water filled crafts. In the later period of his time spent among their kind, his hosts made aware to him a great discovery their people had made concerning the mysterious realm Ephora. The implications of this discovery would mean a treasure trove of stories, but also much more.
Since continuing his grandfather’s legacy had to be literal, he would not wait for his career to merit the drafting of such an expedition course, as had been suggested by his father. As was custom in his society, Bamper’s father Faryndul was interested in many things, but he was no adventurer. Faryndul had suggested Bamper gain his experience like most gnomes, and had offered to contact known family connections to start Bamper’s career. However unbeknownst to Faryndul, the fame of his father Grawno was more like worship among those who explored the cosmos beyond Edden Prime. When Bamper made his intentions clear to those gnomes who were to be his tutors, they equipped him with the best of what he would need. Faryndul had purchased an advanced package which supplied the two veterans, for which Bamper already knew as friends of his family, and admirers of Grawno.
While Bamper sat on a cushioned stool twisting his fully grown mustache hairs, he was tempted to nervously stuff them into his mouth like he did as a child. He looked towards two old veteran gnomes with worn yet not damaged red cone caps. The two veteran’s clothes were in stark contrast to the auburn youth’s blue tunic and lack of cap. As the gnomes were of a retired age they sought comfort over attention, and so they each had on a typical loose fitting jumpsuit. Gabriden wore a rough beige jacket over his blue and gray suit, with the typical brown boots of a Keinber. This meant they were pointed, and drawn together with a cord. Konureh was the older of the pair, his long white beard formed together with his thick white hair. He also wore the jumpsuit un fastened at the top between his shoulders, exposing yet more thick white bristled hair. His boots were the typical Ninavor black and sealed to his feet.
Bamper was not vain, and much like those in his household he felt that the color of his tunic and pants, let alone hood or cap was entirely irrelevant. However he could never understand how the Keinber were able to justify leaving their feet in such wrappings, it nearly tainted his heart to the old gnome, but he pushed past his gripe for the state of the half-lings feet.
Konureh scratched his head while holding his red cone cap, “So how did you say you were planning on linking up with these Alimarians?” He asked.
Gabriden, the shorter better kempt Gnome said while twitching his pointy nose adjusting his round spectacles as they nearly fell off, “The lad said he has to get down to the lower realm’s ice world”
Bamper affirmed in a determined tone “Yes, the North Northeastern portion of Plaith.”
Konureh began, “Plaith the…””Ice realm” they both stated while nodding looking at the floor.
“Yes, and I don’t expect you mind the fact that war between the Alimares and the Xexus has made such trips…ill advised.” Konureh said raising his bushy eyebrows high and with an heir of reluctance.
“Well the way I see it is that story cant be missed, and if I should start my journey in the midst of battle…so be it!” Bamper affirmed checking Konureh’s brows with his own.
Konureh shook his head looking down as he topped himself again with his red cap. “We may be from the higher realms, but don’t be mistaken young one, the Xexus are nothing to brush off lightly.”
Bamper proceeded to offer up a series of expertly written requisition orders for a series of quite expensive, yet all too necessary pieces of equipment.
Gabriden shuffled through the stack of colored and embroidered papers halfway muttering, “One exo-edden suit mythril branded with extended aquatic assistance, two resonance detectors…why two? Oh never mind in addition to 333 all fresh obsidian rune stones you need three separate etchers divine class or higher?! Why two scanners and three etchers?”
Bamper retorted with ease, “Should I lose either the scanner or the etcher my prospects at making a return home would be grim, and a pair of extras doesn’t seem too much more to carry.”
“Right, Atmobore’s fully loaded harness and tool belt, and a mini demidome generator!” Gabriden looked nearly angry, “Kid those aren’t for sale, that’s top of the line hardware what makes you think that’s something we can even find?”
“Let alone afford!” Konureh chimed in having since drawn up a stool of his own to sit down.
“Keep reading that one, the request allows for the prerequisite materials…” Bamper was cut off.
“I see…you have a schematic then?” Konureh said giving a look of approval as he cocked his head to the left with a wink.
Gabriden shook his head and persisted in muttering and shuffling, “humph…seems like some of this isn’t strictly surveyor equipment. You plan on doing some trading with the sea folk?”
“Aye!” Bamper said, perking up he continued, “The Alimarians adore silver and platinum both, not to mention Mythril!”
Gabriden looked positively horrified his mouth hung open.
“Now I’m not going to trade any mythril Gabriden calm down! I only meant the colors…if the material is pure and holds the same color as polished silver or platinum does…oh well these sea folk love it!” Bamper stammered and nearly danced a little in his spot before calming himself.
Konureh and Gabriden looked at one another holding back smiles, which then erupted into joyous laughter and tears.
“Oh Bamper son, we didn’t think for a moment you’d be so reckless as to even bring an ounce of it with you, let alone trade the bounty of our greatest sin.” Konureh said this as he wiped streaming tears from his red cheeks, still recovering from Bamper’s reaction.
Bamper smiled and began laughing too, he felt foolish for showing his emotions so easily, but he knew these gnomes were friends. Should they choose to tell anyone this story they’d be sure not to make him look a fool. Only young and hot blooded, and they would be right on both accounts.
For both Konureh and Gabriden it had been centuries since either of them had spirit like he did. Suddenly Bamper’s chest felt light and he began to grow nervous as his friend Gabriden found at the bottom of the colorful papers an exceptionally thin tubed scroll. The tube itself resembled an arrow shaft of a pearlescent pale stone, capped on either end by bronze spikes carved much like a pine cone.
“Where on edden did you get an old scroll like this boy?” Gabriden said softly as he looked it over closely, squinting behind his spectacles.
He found on one side a braided yellow ribbon attached to a brass rod that opened the scroll. The ribbon was held in place to the scroll tube by the Crissinthalliger signature in a silver wax seal.
He fingered the seal and whispered, “It is from his hand, and now to mine.”
Blinking away tears and getting them all over the inside of his glasses Gabriden looked up suddenly at Bamper for a sign of reassurance that this indeed belonged to his grandfather. Konureh, who at this time was deeply engrossed in sketching out some rough hand designs for ideas he had that were inspired by Bamper’s quest, halted his scribing and too looked for reassurances.
“Grawno handed it to me, and may have spoken his last words ever.” Bamper said with fondness in his voice to recall the memory.
Gabriden looked wide eyed waiting for more, “Before he went silent, yes go on, what did he say?”
“He told me, ‘When you are of an age to leave our land. When you are the next Crissinthalliger you will need this.’ And he handed me this scroll, with a wink and a silent chuckle. I think my face must have lit up when he said ‘the next Crissinthalliger’ see I was but my fathers son and hadn’t sworn the title yet, but he knew I would be his heir.” Bamper said all of this with a series of happy nods, his face red with the emotion of that memory.
Bamper walked over and stood between the pair as Gabriden cracked the seal and pulled open the scroll, the page stretched out and became rigid. The paper of the scroll was a thick stock with silver gilding giving the edges of the paper the appearance of a white light. The interior border of the single page was intricately decorated with colored figures carved into the thick material. The figures and scenes were of Grawno’s life story in summary, and started at the bottom left and followed up and over towards the right detailing his life abroad in the many realms he explored. In the center of the page was written in bold brown ink the following message:
For the gnomes who inherited this charge in aiding my heir, first I kindly praise thee.
For the sake of my heir I have left these instructions to guide the brave and noble Bamper to my sanctum. All that which was mine will be yours now, and you will find your path forward. As Dwarthalligan gifted me, I now pass on to you the Marfelpwip.
Her make was designed to travel like a dart in the wind, through stone and sea alike. Such a vessel will be your grace and in far and distant lands will keep your mind safe from despair.
Below were interconnected geometric symbols in black which were understood to be a rune map.
“The outer hollow of Juranderon on the northern rims cresting peaks there we should find the sanctum.” Bamper said in a confident tone.
“You read our runes like you see them! Right! There’s no missing it, and we ought to be headed out then.” Konureh said in a cheerful scramble to clean up his mess.
Gabriden agreed with a hop off his stool with a beaming smile spread across his face, “We lucky gnomes get to set up the next Crissinthalliger, what a special part to play!”
This Keinber, as his people were often referred, simply adored a good story. A little too much at times, for he often got lost in the pursuit of living his own life like a story, and referring to others not always by their names but sometimes by the roles he saw them playing in his personal narrative. Having this moment in the twilight of his career as a gnome unfortunately validated centuries worth of calling certain obstinate members of his order “simple foil characters” to his own compelling life’s tale as the well spoken protagonist. Most Keinber gnomes had this reputation, that considering their heritage it was of something to boast that they were there at all.
The trio started out of the beige and gray parlor, a plain unadorned room, into a stone paved courtyard that opened up into an expansive subterranean atrium filled with clear white light and many green and purple plants growing in both pot and terrace. To the left of the open wooden archway there was a square courtyard that connected four apartments all like the one they just left. Across from their exit was a spiral stairwell that led upwards towards a passage through the stone roof. At the center of the roof was a large crystal blue skylight where above a winged saible car sat parked. The large decagon skylight dominated the majority of the stone dome, and gave Bamper the feeling he was inside a giant blue eye looking at a bird in the sky. He had arrived via saible car at the far end of the courtyard where a roofed off entry hall lay in utter ninavor fashion. The den was not a family home, and to Bamper it seemed a product of the latest generations desire for expansion that such superfluous dwellings were made in anticipation of a growing Ninavor civilization. Although the space was lacking in art and relics, the designed layout of the plain stone structures with lawns, shrubbery and flowers made Bamper proud of his friend’s modest holdings. Such freeholds were often afforded to retired Gnomes in either an on-call retainer or permanent ownership.
The courtyard above was similar, in fact it was nearly a mirror image, as the apartments below were built through the atrium roof and were themselves all neatly roofed together here at the surface of the property. The blue winged saible car’s door opened up at the backside of the small craft’s hull, and the three entered using a small two step ramp that extended to meet the floor.
A saible car as they’re known on Edden are self navigating transports of any sort. This particular model was shaped like an image of a bird with outstretched and arching wings. It had a large hemispheric view port on one end of a very short fuselage that only extended the lengths of the wings themselves. When the three were well situated the craft silently lifted in the air and began an arched course over the estate towards a line of similar craft. Much like the craft Bamper arrived in, these winged saible cars followed unseen tracks that guided them faithfully to their programmed destinations.
As they cruised along Bamper took the opportunity to take in the sights of the newly developed lands his friends invited him to. This was the first time Bamper had seen the polis of Trembenway where the mountains of the Der-nath-lint crest into sharp isolated peaks. Trembenway was a new polis in the sense that for the past four centuries the original outpost was developed into a popular residential option for those who desired closer interactions with the vast wilderness of Edden Prime. The city below was established along a cliff face that looked out towards a perfect view of the range. The shear wall was itself a part of a large basin that at its bottom was inundated with a vast shallow lake. This lake, called Yentraflib, reached the bottoms of each isolated peak, all of which had melt rivers that would seasonally let their torrents down into the lake in spectacular waterfalls. It was the cold season during this visit, but Bamper found the range awesome to witness all the same. The buildings below were gray stone dwellings with many rooms and windows, almost always roofed with dark stone tiles. The estates were terraced out along the edge of the cliff like a broad stairwell of green groves and comfortable homes. The many properties below were divided by trench like partitions which connected to many underground tunnels which branched out towards dens such as the one they just left. Saible car tracks lay in these partitions stacked and side-by-side creating a web of uniform rails where a flurry of cars sped along in their predetermined courses. Konureh was back to business with his sketching and scribing schematic ideas on large pages with many creases and folds.
He looked up and mused to Bamper, “You know its just occurred to me that your demidome…the Marfelpwip could probably be modified to manifest one.”
“I never considered that!” Bamper said excitedly.
“What inspiration this quest has given you Konureh!” Gabriden said with a dry laugh, “You remind me of a young friend I had, always trying to recreate the wonders of Caseth-marr!”
“I can see it now, yes the Marfelpwip’s core will be modified. While you two are out and about collecting your gear and treasures I’ll see about that demidome idea we have going.” Konureh declared with a nod, ignoring the chiding remarks regarding his long time interest in the lost technologies of the Casmarians.
“If it’s going to be what I need Konureh it can’t be for the Marfelpwip alone. This needs to be portable, like I stated in the requisition form..” Bamper said with concern.
“In Faado-fedas there is someone who ought to have already thought of this.” Konureh interrupted, “Her name…well her family’s workshop was deep in Faado-fedas, and what was her name?”
“Faado-fedas first, and from there the ancient polis of Io-dialauntiv, there we will find the nexus of trade.” Gabriden said adjusting the saible car’s navigation panel.
“Yes Storehouse One should be perfect enough a start for your quest young Crissinthalliger. Also plenty of distraction for me to work out a deal with Yujrark.” Konureh said after a brief silence, “Yes Yujrark this was her name, hmm maybe not. I think, I thought at the time it only sounded like Yujrark.”
“You know, never have I been down into the vaulted chambers of Faado-fedas. How does that fortified township compare to Megranthonox?” Bamper asked, expecting a good response from an admirer of the relics and ruins of their people’s dark brethren, the Casmarians.
“It does not compare whatsoever! Faado-fedas is but a humid chamber compared to the glory that was and still is Megranthonox.” Konureh saw the growing smiles on each of their faces and stopped for a moment to scowl at the both of them. “Still hold such pride in your people do you! Fine, for you Bamper you descend from a noble family old and wise to the history of Edden!”
“Yes! Yes I know of their downfall, and our ancestors’ complicity in the calamity that befell the ancient defenders of the interior..” Bamper began, but was cut off by a growl of sorts as Konureh continued his tirade.
“Not just the interior laddy, the whole of the Realm itself, the Yailepps weren’t like what you see in those sanctuaries today! Those neutered cubs are but shadows of the forces of our brethren the valiant Casmarians fought for eons in pursuit of the peaceful splendor of this realm you see before you!” Konureh bellowed, standing and extending his arms outward gesturing towards the passing vista of the vast forested lands they were soaring over.
In between them and their destination lay the bulk of their realm, a vast seemingly endless wilderness of humongous proportions. The forests here were pristine and undisturbed since their seeding in the time before Ninavor when Helvestus walked the woods and created with the will of a Demiurge our home of Edden Prime. The realm is the most stable and comfortable place in all the cosmos, thanks to the skill the Ninavor have in maintenance in all they love. Their steady hand in all things related to the realm’s security came with major sacrifices.