Lost Mines primer

Eldasaari is an island located not too far from the coast of Los Sosirre and some territories belonging to lizardmen and Rhotwe. It was colonized by elves of House Sulonwy who desired the grasslands on the north and south side to be used for farmland, the forests to be used for horticulture and magical botany, and the mountains to be mined and quarried.

House Sulonwy hired dwarvish workers to engage in the building and initial mining in the manner of indentured servitude. It was understood that the dwarves who worked for Sulonwy would receive a small parcel of land once their period of servitude was finished. In the first few months of building and settling, much work was done, mostly on the more bountiful south side of the island.

Unfortunately, the dormant volcano in the center of the island then went active and spat out a massive eruption of fire, lava, and ash. Eldasaari's south side became covered in ash, as did the smaller islands off its south coast. Blame was placed on dwarvish miners, as well as the House Sulonwy officials who were supervising the mining project. Those who survived and suffered blame were executed.

The leaders of House Sulonwy were on the north side of the island at the time, and were engaging in the building of Eldaport when the explosion happened. There were reports that trees were felled and houses blown down from the shockwave of the eruption. Expeditions and investigations were made to recover elvish survivors, but only dwarves and ruins were found.

Since then, progress had been made, but the island was decidedly split into a north and south half, named Greater Side and Lesser Side by the elves. The north half was built into the Elvish civilization it was initially planned to be, though it was much more cramped. The population was much more dense, as the intended settlers decided to move to the more inhabitable north half. The richer among House Sulonwy own fantastic mansions and are served by Moon Cat slaves, while the more modest live in the surrounding area, often working farms and engaging in craftselfship.

The southern side of the island is now a massive waste of ash and soot. The volcano continues to blow on the daily, spreading its blackness over the island and into the water nearby. What fish were previously there died out quickly as the water became saturated with ash containing sulfur, iron, and heavy metals.The sun is often blocked out by the low-flying ashy clouds, or at least heavily obscured. The dwarvish settlers laid claim to the land that was promised now that it had been abandoned. Several towns were built on the coast of the island. Rather than wander and move over the wastes, the dwarves instead learned to build longboats that could bring them over the shallows of the island. Mining efforts continue, and every so often import/export ships come in to trade with them and give them what materials they need to continue living.

Among the dwarvish settlements is Kusterberg, located on the north-western shore of the island. It is the unofficial capital of the Lesser Side, being a trade hub as well as a major mining town.