The Forgotten Holds

Summary

This is a story told in many gnomeish homes, detailing the founding and creation of the first ever holds of their ancestors, the dwarves, and how this home was lost. The main point that parents like to drive home to their children is all the wealth and technology hidden away in those holds, and that one day the gnomes may one day reclaim the ancient halls of the dwarves.

Historical Basis

These ancient holds are actually a set of dome mountains located south east of Torland and the other great kingdoms, though their existence have baffled many scientists and historians, for it's one thing for their to be a handful of dome mountains, but not a whole cluster. The agreed upon theory is that a massive upheaval of magma created these mountains, though what could've caused this is anyone's guess. Regardless, the gnomes still claim these mountains as their ancestral lands. This has been contested by the half-elves, who believe these mountains to be a fortress or military installation of the ancient elves, and unlike the gnomes, the half-elves wish to destroy whatever is held within.

Spread

This is a story that only the gnomes tell, thus the only people outside of them that know of this story are historians, warlocks, and the curious few who study other cultures. The half-elves are aware of this myth too, and believe it to be a complete lie.

Variations & Mutation

The beginning and end are always different from one gnome culture to another, with one origin story being that the dwarves harnessed the magma itself to raise these mountains, and another saying that the gods or giants sculpted the mountains. The possible reasons why the holds were lost are too numerous to count, but the most popular interpretation is that holds were claimed by the elves. The half-elves have no myth of their own for this place, they only believe that the dwarves themselves drove out the elves living there, and ran it into the ground. In fact it's not even know whether the mountains are holds at all, and all expeditions that've been sent to investigate have never returned.

Cultural Reception

The gnomes hold this story near and dear to their hearts, as it is the story of their people, and the one thing that gives them hope for finding a home of their own.

Date of First Recording

15th of Sierppa, 1845 A.E

Date of Setting

Around -2000 B.E.