I need to looks this up, but as I recall, in Aihrde, the Red God Ornduhl put gems and jewels in the earth that can corrupt those who find them. Ornduhl is the greed of the All Father personified, and it was under his influence that the first goblins were made from dwarves who fell under his sway.
As is told, Ornduhl mined all the deep places of the world and set there precious metals and gems of his own design. These he buried in the rock so that none might find them, for they were his most precious creations. But more, he imbued the precious metals with his own desires, casting enchantments upon them, so that any who handled them ran the risk of being cursed with the desire to possess it ever after. These precious gems, gold and silver veins, and other metals lay hidden from all for many ages (Codex of Aihrde, pg. 199).
I am trying to find any information about a region of the map of the world of Aihrde called Damenfaur. So far, I can't find a thing. But I'm trying to place something far enough away from the core areas (the lands of Ursal) so I can world build without stepping on anyone's toes.
My thought: there is a large farm in an agricultural area (sort of Anglo-Saxon vibe). On one of these farms is a little girl named Margen. Margen is the daughter of a thrall who died giving birth to her. Margen has known nothing but cruelty, want, and indifference her entire ten years of life. She is barely fed, treated slightly better than the dogs, and is either tormented for sport or completely ignored. She is, literally, no one, has no one, and is cared for by no one. Her life is horrible.
One day Margen, after being soundly cuffed for spilling a pail of goat milk, runs off into a stony field to cry tears no one will ever see or care about. While she is standing there, miserable and alone, a new emotion begins to arise in her young mind: hatred. Hatred for those who hurt her, hatred for those who ignore, and hatred for everyone she has ever met. As she stands there, turning red with rage and black with hate...she notices an unusual glint in the frozen ground beneath her holed shoes: the glint of a gem! Falling quickly to her knees, she begins to claw at the hard dirt until she uncovers something utterly beautiful: a many faceted, richly red gemstone the size of her fist. Where this treasure came from she does not know, but to Margen, this is the most important moment of her sad life because this gem begins to speak to her.
The gem warms Margens heart, and for the first time in her life, she feels love. She begins to sob even harder as the gem fills her mind with visions of ample food, warm clothes, a soft sleep pallet by the fire, and the smiling faces of people who understand her, care for her, and wish to hear her thoughts and desires. All this, the gem whispers, all this for you, Margen, but first...
Margen can feel the gems power burning around her, then in her. The gem fuses to her right hand and begins to emit an hellish, pulsing light. Margen returns to the farmhouse, then enters into the main room where the large family and their servants are eating their dinner. There are bright flashes of blood red light, screams of pain and horror, then silence. Moments later, Margen emerges. Her tattered frock has changed to a long crimson cape that she wraps around her thin body. Her eyes, too, glow with the red fires of Orndul while behind her, those who tormented her or ignored her lay dead...for a moment. With a flick of her gem-fused hand, those whom Margen slew raise again to serve her.
Six months later, in [someplace] rumors have began telling of a great evil that has been born in [someplace]. A creature calling itself the Red Queen has been destroying thorpes, villages, and towns with armies of the ravening dead. Worse still, these armies are now moving toward [someplace]...
Fun, right? So what's the adventure? The party can be hired as spies by a local ruler to go and learn what is really going on. They could be part of a militia that encounters the forces of the Red Queen and get stranded in lands she has conquered. They could simply be curious, or be sent on an errand by a patron. Whatever it takes to get them into the area where Margen and her forces are becoming more powerful. So...a point crawl?
In any event, I'm kicking this idea around.
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