Guide

The Lost Caverns entrances.

Map

Deradune

1.

Vezaar’s Journal

Lore

(This ragged book looks to have been discarded by its owner.)

6.8
Father goads me. He wishes for me to bring him the honor he could never seize for himself. He will learn soon enough I am not his puppet to be jerked about.

Find the Lost Caverns, the old fool commands. How? I am Draken! I am not a jabbit to be digging in the earth!

8.8
My search for the Caverns begins. May Werza guide me!

22.8
Two weeks and nothing! I suspect my father is laughing at me as I write this! By Hazak! I curse his entrails, that they be knotted upon themselves like angry serpents!

24.8
I have found the Lost Caverns. While walking in the hills east of Bloodfire Village, the ground gave way beneath my feet. I am unhurt, but I find myself in a dark place. I must find my way out!

25.8

If these are the Lost Caverns, they are infested with prey! Moodies, razortail, and pumera all make their dens here beneath the savannah. The bones of some great beast, long dead, jut from the stone walls.

It is as if I have been swallowed….

29.8
I hunt in the shadows. Time loses its meaning. The Moodies fear me! The razortail scamper away at my approach! The pumera bend their necks in deference! Here in the darkness, I am a god!

Day Unknown
Swords? Shields? Who needs such toys? The weak! I am Vezaar, first of my name! My claws are deadly! My teeth are like daggers! My horns are stronger than spears!

Blood and bone! This is what life was meant to be!

My people are fools, toiling under the yokes of soft humans like pets bred for fighting! Never again will I bow my head to a Cassian weakling while uttering courteous words! Vezaar is finally HOME!

Day Unknown
My father tried to contact me on my datachron. I did not answer. I threw the cursed thing away! Let him think me lost. I will never return to the surface!

Day Unknown
This journal is tedious. No longer will I scribble between its covers. My time is better spent hunting Moodies and razortails and pumera, sating myself on their flesh. Soon, these pages will be kindling for my fires. I care nothing for these memories any longer!

(The last pages are torn and smudged by a reddish-brown substance.)

Guide

Map

Deradune

1.

Giba Corli’s Research Notes

Lore

(This computer tablet contains Giba Corli’s research notes.)

Mammodin most powerful animal on savannah. Explosive mammodin even more powerful! Kill many enemies simultaneously when detonated!

Dilemma: Mammodin not inherently explosive. Solution: High-grade explosives must be added!

Explosives acquired. Stability questionable. Must warn Biba.

Mammodin explosives harness design complete!

New dilemma: Fastening harness to mammodin may result in pulverized Chua. Solution: Will have Biba fasten harness to sleeping mammodin.

Control of mammodin problematic. Require mammodin mind control device.

Prototype mammodin mind control device complete! Require test subject!

Willing test subjects in short supply. Must bribe Draken to help.

Mammodin mind control device initial trials inconclusive.

Test Subject Alpha suffers from psyche exchange. Now thinks he is mammodin. Will have Biba euthanize him.

Test Subject Beta killed by biofeedback loop. Spectacular cranial explosion! Must have Biba clean brains and bone fragments from control device prior to finding new test subject.

Test Subject Gamma suffered seizure, now drooling idiot. Minor adjustments required. Perfection of mind control device imminent!

Seeking new test subject. Though bodies of prior subjects have been disposed of in river, remaining Draken suspicious. Unwilling to help. Unacceptable!

Priority! Must locate new test subject with sub-par intellect!

(The research log ends.)

Guide

Map

Deradune

1.

The Exile Miner’s Journal

Lore

(This small journal looks old, but it has been well cared-for.)

Day Zero
We land on Nexus tomorrow. I’m pretty excited! Heck, everyone’s excited! I can’t remember the last time I was outside.

Day One
We’ve arrived in Deradune. It’s not exactly what I was expectin’ – a little on the barren side, but it’ll do for now. And here I was hopin’ for some trees!

Scuttlebutt is, the hornheads got a village nearby. That oughta make things… interesting.

Day One – Later
Of all the rotten luck! Command’s assigned me to the mines. You know… minin’. A bot could do my job better, but we’re short on bots. Guess I’ll have to make the best of it.

I spend years aboard ship, get stationed on Nexus, and then I end up workin’ underground. Who did I tick off, I wonder?

Day Two
We’re minin’ accelerite. I guess it’s valuable or somethin’. One of the mercs told me it speeds folks up. He said he knew a guy who knew a guy who inhaled a bunch of accelerite dust. It made him fast – real fast – but it also aged him ten years in about two minutes.

I’m not sure if it’s true, or if he was just tryin’ to scare me, but I’m wearin’ my breath mask… just in case.

Day Four

I just saw Arkos down here. That guy’s one tough hombre! He’s been fightin’ the Draken his whole life, practically. Just havin’ him around makes me feel better.

Day Five
There’s trouble with the transport’s drive system. Hopefully, the mechanic can get it up and runnin’ soon so we can get some of this ore back to the fleet.

Makin’ matters worse, the Draken know we’re here. One of the guards saw one of ’em sneakin’ around, probably a scout. That puts us in somethin’ of a bad spot.

Ah, well. Back to work. This accelerite ain’t gonna mine itself.

Guide

Map

Deradune

1.

Martinus’s Journal

Lore

(This blood-stained journal is the last record of Researcher Martinus’s thoughts.)

The horrible vermin that infest this place leave me little hope of survival. Ontus be damned, the coward! Sending me down here alone… should I die, my blood is on his wretched hands!

There is a slight chance I may be able to pull myself from the proverbial fire. There should be a datacube here, or perhaps some notes from the Eldan that created this place.

I have seen datacube fragments scattered about.
If I can find the pieces and reassemble them, the key to the terminites’ destruction will be mine!

(There is a sketch below the text which details a broken datacube, as well as a nearby Eldan console.)

Guide

Map

Deradune

1.

Wildwood Journal

Lore

Wildwood Grove isn’t exactly a vacation spot. The land is beautiful in its own rugged way, but Deradune is as far from Arboria as you can get. There are wonders, such as the massive canopy trees, the graceful dawngrazers, and the massive mammodin.

But what I miss the most is the forests and woodlands of my home. I fear I shall never see their like again.

(later)

We’ve found something interesting, likely of Eldan make. We’re not sure what it does, but Nular thinks we can
get it working again. All we need to do is find some compatible power crystals to energize the consoles.

The hunt is on!

(later)

The crystals have been found. They require some modification, but it shouldn’t be too tough. We’re all excited to see what comes of this experiment.

(later)

One of our scouts ran into a Dominion patrol. He killed two of them, but they wounded him. He managed to get back to Wildwood Grove before he died. It’s a sad day. This sort of thing has become all too common
lately.

(later)

The device is functional! Though it’s frightening to behold, it seems to be flooding the area with life energy. The undergrowth and trees in the grove are growing to spectacular sizes! In fact, a number of trees sprang up and started to grow right away!

This Eldan device is miraculous! Soon, Deradune will be a lush garden, just like Arboria!

(later)

Given the elevated levels of energy in the Weave – due to the Eldan miracle device – Nular and the matria are going to summon a
guardian to protect the Grove. They decided to do this, in large part, because of the recent incursions by the Dominion’s patrols. Why can’t they leave us alone?

(later)

It is time for me to take my turn at the device’s controls. It’s not hard, really. You just have to look out for warning lights. So far, though, the Eldan device seems to run itself.

We’re going to remove the power crystals from the control consoles, just in case the Dominion starts meddling.
It should keep them from shutting the device down.