Kerig was born forty years before Kosul's enslavement of the orcs and dwarves. In that time, his father, Felgar, had taught him much in the ways of Mystika, and Kerig had become very powerful. Kosul recognized this, and struck a deal with Kerig. If Kerig manipulated the minds of the dwarven leaders, then Kerig would be lavishly rewarded and would be saved from the manual labor of the others of his race. Kerig agreed, and used his Mystika to tamper with the thoughts of the heads of the dwarven clans. Felgar, who had become weak with age and effort, wasn't strong enough to overpower Kerig. However, when the rebellion was incited by Kosul's brother, Marion, Kerig was captured and imprisoned in a warded cave far to the north of the Crystal Mountains. He was placed under heavy guard, including many of Marion's most powerful wizards. There, Kerig practiced and perfected his Mystika in hopes that he would be freed. He never was.
Before the rebellion, Kerig manipulated the mind of a young dwarven woman, Bergit, and conceived a son. He was named Egerd. Egerd was naturally gifted with his Mystika, and learned quickly, even without his father's guidance. Because of Kerig's treason, Manord Hammerstone, who led the dwarves out of imprisonment and took the throne of Feldheim, outlawed Mystika. So Egerd practiced his Mystika in secrecy, hoping that one day, the dwarves would see the benefits of using it.
Egerd and his wife gave birth to Holfred, a magnificently gifted dwarf with great potential for Mystika. Egerd saw this, and began to teach Holfred the ways of Mystika under the nose of the Hammerstone rule. However, Egerd's wife gave him up to the authorities, afraid that he would be caught and she would also be executed for hiding his abilities. Egerd was taken prisoner and was executed while Holfred was only fourteen. Holfred fled to the northwest of the Crystal Mountains to practice his Mystika in secrecy. After years of honing his abilities, he had achieved a power greater than his grandfather's by the age of thirty. But what he didn't have were the ancient magics that had been lost when Kerig was imrprisoned. Generatiosn of Mystika handed down from Bergin had died with Kerig.
Then Holfred found Kerig's cave. Inside, the walls were marked with all sorts of gibberish and strange symbols. On a stone altar in the back of the cave, Holfred found Kerig's journal, which was addressed to him. It contained all of Kerig's secrets and the ancient Mystika that Bergin gifted to the dwarves. So Holfred mastered the ancient Mystika.
While Holfred was out in the mountains training, the Orc Chief, Ordthunk's grandfather, led a massive invasion of the dwarven lands in revenge for oppressing the orcs after Kosul's death. The orc legion ravaged the mountains, and quickly pressed the dwarves back to Feldheim, their ancient capital fortress. Holfred had decided to return to Feldheim and try to petition the use of Mystika with Elfricht's father, but foudn Feldheim besieged by thousands of orc warriors and their shamans. Holfred called upon his Mystika and summoned a pillar of fire that annihilated the orcish army entirely, leaving nothing but ash and molten rock. He realized that the dwarves would never allow Mystika after this display of brutality. But he also realized that, in the power of people like Kerig, this power was overwhelming, and could destroy more innocents than it was worth. So Holfred used the ancient Mystika that he had learned from Kerigs journal, and wiped all memory of the war, or Kerig, of Mystika, from the minds of the dwarves.
Before returning to Feldheim, Holfred went back to the cave where Kerig had been imprisoned. There, he channeled his power and forged a mighty hammer, which he named Shiva, storing nearly all of his Mystika in this weapon. He used the last of his power to place wards around the weapon, so that only one of pure heart could retrieve and weild the hammer. He returned to Feldheim, married, and soon, his wife gave birth to Gerwulf and Hodgel.
Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:53 pm