Post by Aenwyn on Aug 7, 2024 13:42:39 GMT
CHILDREN OF UTARR
Long ago, when the Dark Cave was still called the Cave of Plenty, there was a bridge between the Cave and Krolis. Around the entrance of the cave grew fruit bearing shrubs, and the citizens of Krolis traveled to the Caves often to pick berries (in big quantities, because on foot it took 4 days to go to the caves and back). Somehow, these fruits just tasted better than the ones they planted, or the ones outside of the city. They tried to plant the fruits from the Cave in Krolis, but no matter how well they cared for the shrubs, they would emerge from the earth already barren and dry. One of the citizens told the others maybe it was the dirt around the Cave that made the fruit grow so well. A group of ten men gathered to fill wheelbarrows with dirt, but after a whole week, none of them had returned. A rescue mission was sent to the Cave, and the bodies of all the men were found in strange positions. Afraid that they had angered some sort of Nature God, they destroyed the bridge between the Cave, which they now called the Dark Cave.
With Illemore's bridge destroyed, there was no way (without swimming) to get to the rest of Idrenor. A second city was founded, Southeast of Coast Peak, which they named Newbridge. Here they built - you guessed it - a new bridge to connect them to the mainland.
But the Dark Cave still had a grip on the people of Illemore. They wondered what it was that had killed their men. From time to time, people took it upon themselves to explore the Cave, but not many returned. Those who did were different. They became withdrawn and would often be found staring across the river in the middle of the night, in the direction of the Cave, talking about Nature Gods.
What resides in the Cave is uncertain, however, sightings of humanoid figures composed of bark and plants have been documented. This led to the belief that the Cave was the earthly home of a malevolent Nature God, which they named Utarr. The Children worship the deity and place offerings by the cave in hopes of pleasing them. In Krolis, they believe that the mood of the Gods affects the development of their crops.