The dwarf king had been in his palatial room for many days while Aegwyn, Galion, and Tarmand waited. They had to get out of the mountain as soon as possible. The Orcs were seen on the borders of the dwarven kingdom and there were goblin sappers attacking the mines. The mountain shook occasionally, as if it were growling in anger. If the dwarf tunnels weren’t so well made, they would have all caved in. But even with the help of their expert artisans, some of the passageways did collapse from the weight.
The days and nights seemed to blur in the heart of the mountain. Aegwyn’s meals were cold and devoid of happiness as the time dragged on. King Tarin came out of his room and said they were all to leave soon. His face was grim and his mood was barren of the joyfulness that was there before.
King Tarin met Aegwyn, Galion, and Tarmand in the great hall where they had feasted so many moons before. Beside him there was another dwarf with his bright red beard braided and about his body was a coat of silver. King Tarin wore a mail coat of pure mithril, armor fit for a king. Both of them had swords and shields and wore elaborately carved and wrought helms. The other dwarf introduced itself as Lord Galud, son of Gathűl.
“I’ll lead ye through the passageways,” King Tarin said, his voice low and somewhat sad. His eyes turned downward as he led the company through the tunnels. The road forked and went gently downward as they continued. All of them had to carry packs of supplies and blankets, as well as necessary provisions for the long trip. King Tarin said that they were going to go through Khaz Modan and into the Red Ridge Mountains, emerging near the Great Sea on the western shores north of the ruins of Stormwind Keep.
In the distance, Aegwyn began to hear the sound of hammers gently tinking ahead of her. The heavy sound of picks and shovels soon came as well until the sound of metal striking metal and stone was almost deafening.
Torches lit the hole as they began to enter the mines. Shafts of stone held the mines together as dwarves came back and forth, hauling empty and battered iron buckets or sometimes carrying heavy loads of unrefined gold ores or unpolished gems of diamond and crystal. Many of them were dirty and dusty from all the mining and their beards and scalps were covered with rock gravel and finely ground sand. Gnomes hurried along, pushing or sometimes pulling strange contraptions. Aegwyn was able to see one of these things in action. She saw the cone shaped nose of the machine pointed towards the rock face. It let out a high pitched whine and slammed into the rock, sending gravel and chunks of debris flying in all directions. The sound of explosives and picks made her ears ring.
King Tarin and Lord Galud seemed unaffected by the sound of the mining, as if they were used to it. For some reason, Aegwyn couldn’t help but wonder why the king of the dwarves only had one bodyguard.
The crowds of the mines began to thin and soon the number of dwarves fell to nothing. There were many glittering gems still on the walls and picks and shovels were leaning against the walls.
A glitter of light caught her eye and Aegwyn turned to see what it was. She saw the face of a diamond shining at her from the surface of the rock. It was so pretty. It stood out from all the other unpolished and uncut crystals. She looked to see Galion, Tarmand, King Tarin, and Lord Galud were walking away, but she couldn’t help but approach the gem.
She gently ran her fingers across the surface of the pretty jewel. She smiled as the rainbow colors lit her eyes.
“Aegwyn...”
Aegwyn suddenly jumped backward as she heard the softest whisper enter her ears. She looked at her companions to see if any of them had called to her. They were all facing away and continuing as if none of them knew she had stopped.
“...Aegwyn...”
The sound echoed again in her ears. It was a deep rich voice that rumbled and shook like falling stones from the mountain cliffs. Aegwyn looked about her again but she couldn’t see anyone calling her.
She looked towards the diamond and let out a cry. The diamond seemed to pulsate and radiate a power she hadn’t felt in ages. She stood there, frozen with surprise and fear. The diamond flashed brightly and she saw an eye staring at her through the diamond.
Aegwyn screamed and staggered backwards, trying to get away. The eye stared roving about the hallway, as if it were looking for something. It centered on her and a pale red light started to creep across the stone floor towards her.
“Lady Aegwyn!”
She heard the sound of Galion. It was faint in her ears. She heard a tremendous rumbling and shaking, as if the very core of the world were falling apart.
“...Aegwyn...” the voice said towards her again. Deep and as rough as gravel, yet as rich as a thousand gold veins in all the mountains of Khaz Modan.
She tried to move, but was frozen to the ground. Aegwyn’s body stiffened as the pale light moved closer and closer towards her. In the corner of her eye, she could see her companions running towards her. They were moving slowly, as if they were trapped in thick molasses.
The red light reached her, and everything went black. She could see nothing, as if all light had fled from her vision. A small orb appeared in the center of her vision and she could see it growing brighter and brighter. The eye that she had seen in the diamond manifested, and it stared at her intensely with the power that she hadn’t beheld in many a year.
“...Tirisfal...” the voice echoed into her soul, rattling her body and shaking her very being to the core, “...In the heart of the mountain a darkness wanders...”
The eye disappeared suddenly and a slow vision appeared. She saw something dark and hideous wandering through the caverns. She could feel it. Its very scent reeked of death and decay.
Around it thousands upon thousands of creatures swarmed through the veins of the mountain. Their hideous stench and lust for blood overwhelmed her.
The vision faded and she was left with nothingness. The darkness overwhelmed her every sense. She tried to flail her limbs. Tried to find something concrete to hold onto, something to tell her she was still alive.
“...The heart of Khaz Modan still beats...”
Her vision flashed a bright red. Aegwyn threw up her arms to shield her eyes and shut her lids as tightly as possible. The searing heat and blinding light overwhelmed any defense she could muster. She saw spawning and bubbling lava pits and the tendons of rock arches and bridges hanging across a pit of molten stone. The heat and power that emanated from it was enough to fill her, consume the emptiness that was in her and burn it away.
“...And power still grows...”
The lava pit started to foam furiously as the liquid fire burst and splattered all over the cavern walls. The mountains trembled beneath her feet as the molten rock burst and consumed the surrounding walls. All about her she could feel the trembling might of Khaz Modan, shaking her and rocking her.
On a narrow bridge overlooking the furiously boiling lava, she could see a dark cloaked figure standing. The rotting cloak swirled with the heat and the eyes glowed a sickly green. It seemed as if the figure was staring at her directly.
The vision faded, and she started to see the dimness of a tunnel surrounding her. The unpolished diamonds on the wall reflected back at her. The eye still glowed from the single beautiful diamond, casting a red light about her still form.
“...And hope still burns...” The voice was soft now, almost a whisper.
The eye started to close and the beam of pale red light narrowed. The eye looked at her one last time, and then disappeared into the depths of the crystal.
“...Never give up...”
Aegwyn stood there. Stunned by the events she had seen. The power she had witnessed was so immense, so strong. She hadn’t felt it at any time before the birth of Medivh. She was honestly shocked.
“What was that?”
She slowly turned her head to see the Paladin Tarmand was staring at the diamond, his brows furrowed, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle.
“That. Was the eye of Khaz Modan.”
King Tarin was standing nearby, his face completely unaffected by the events that had transpired. The dwarf lord Galud, however, looked at Aegwyn with a newfound curiosity that had never been there before.
