Abandoned Mines (M)

Deserted eons ago, the great Abandoned Mines stretch from one end of Midgard to the other, connecting all dungeons in the realm with rideable mine carts.

Adjacent Zones
 * Kobold Undercity

Lore
When Hallvaror and his people began the Undercity, they needed supplies to help them with construction. Hallvaror discovered a small opening in one wall of the cave. Once the opening had been enlarged enough for a Kobold to enter, Hallvaror went in and discovered a rich amount of ore and gemstones. Hallvaror knew that the ore would be useful in building the city, and both the ore and the gemstones could be used when the Kobolds needed to trade with the Dwarves, Trolls, and even the Norse. Soon tunnels were being dug through the earth to harvest the riches and the Kobolds celebrated.

Hallvaror would only let the Kobolds that dwelt within the Undercity mine the ore and gemstones found throughout the tunnels. But the Kobolds that lived on the lands above would not be denied their share of the riches within the mines. They dug their own entrances to the mines from other caves they found scattered through the land. Hallvaror was not pleased when he discovered what the other Kobolds were doing but he soon realized he was being greedy. He agreed to let the above-ground Kobolds take ore and gems from the mines also. A main entrance to the mines was built to allow the above-ground Kobolds to have easier access, and tracks were built to transport all Kobolds to the riches below.

Over the years, as Hallvaror grew old, the Kobolds continued to expand their mines, digging farther from the Undercity and deeper into the earth. What the Kobolds did not know was that the ground under the mines was not the most stable, and the active digging of the Kobolds was weakening that ground. Although the Kobolds would shore up the tunnels to prevent cave-ins, the weakened earth would shake from time to time and tunnels would collapse, trapping or killing a few Kobolds but still they continued to work the mine. It wasn't until a very strong earthquake caused one of the main tunnels to collapse that ancient Hallvaror ordered the mine closed. All work in the mine was abandoned and the entrances boarded up to protect all from the dangers of the mine.

It was with great trepidation that the current leader of the Kobold city, Hallvaror's descendant Odagi, ordered the mine entrance from the Kobold city reopened. Stone was needed to build the wall to protect the city from the evil forces poised to attack. Even now the stone is being carefully harvested from the mines to repair the wall from the brutal attacks of the hordes that roam the Frontlines.