Deepforge — Ron Washburn

In the time before the legends of Velland stood a citadel, a massive city built into a mountain. It was called Deepforge. It stood as the center of the known world, the apex of civilization. It had existed for untold eons, so long that no scholarly dwarf was sure of when exactly it had been built. Legend said that it had stood before the world was formed by the solar cataclysm, forged in the intense heat for the dwarves themselves by some unknown God. Deepforge was a cave city built into a mountain with high ceilings and ornate construction making up the building inside. In reality, it was an active volcano that the dwarves had tamed before the time of written history. Using incredibly ingenious designs, they fashioned ways to keep the pressure of the constantly rising magma in check and harness the energy. The result was a massive forge right in the center of the city, where amazing creations of metal were fashioned by the highly skilled forge craftsmen. All throughout the city were ports to the magma, venting off the pressure in a very specific way, as regulated by the city's engineers. These engineers utilized the energy of the natural vents to power anything from basic steam to water condensing and purification units, to elaborate engines used for nearly automatic elevators to the other levels, and even some self-propelled vehicles and electrical generation. It was a city of geniuses...Little did the citizens of Deepforge Empire know that their world was about to be invaded by a sinister force bent on destruction. What happened next would change the history of Ahl-Thoor-Hees.