Chapter 1

Outcasts

In the depths of ancient mines a ways down from the upper land existed a city. The people of this city did not choose completely to live and thrive at this location, but many a year ago they were proclaimed outcasts from the empire they had loyally belonged to. The capital was under siege by invaders and these people, who lived peacefully outside of the capital, were ordered to send all their men, supplies, and horses to protect their king. The problem was that they didn’t have anything to send. They had been attacked earlier as the invaders marched to the capital. Their houses were burnt to ashes, their weapons, food, and jewelry was stolen. Anyone who stood in their way was either caught in the stampede of horses or scorched by their torches. Since they were recovering from the destruction the invaders had caused, they had nothing to send. Since they did not send anything, their ignorant king declared them outcasts and after they had finally repelled the invaders, the king had their village destroyed. Now, with no where to go, and with no one to protect them from the other empires, they hid underground and built a city. They found ways to manage without sunlight. They still could get water from underground streams, and air was not a problem. They have taken on a more war-like lifestyle. Since their crops won’t grow deep down in the darkness of the mines, they have to go up to hunt for game.
In the past years, they have flourished and their city, while still unknown to outsiders, has grown quite rapidly. As a result, they have started to prepare an army, incase they are found out. They are training many of their apprentice hunters’ battle tactics. They realize they can’t win with numbers, but they know more about the environment than the other people on this world, and they also have the advantage of being hard to besiege. If you try to go down into the mines your eyes have to adjust, giving hidden warriors enough time to kill you. Also they can easily scout and then retreat into the mines to warn the others of oncoming armies. Of course, with finding ways to thrive underground, they also built more advanced technology. They found ways of using mirrors to see who is coming without peeping through a peep hole ready to get attacked. As prepared as they were to be attacked, they started to think. What if they were to attack?

comments questions w/e. another update whenever I feel like it.