The Heights of Madness
In a tavern in Steam City.
The air was filled with a sweet and sour smell of alcohol, and the place was a melting pot of people, from the elite to the poor.
Someone tossed coins into the overhead machine; the gears turned, and wine flowed from the pipes.
Someone was cursing loudly at a rat scurrying across the ground.
However, most people were talking loudly about the expanded new areas.
Yesterday, after discussions among various high-ranking officials in Arkham, it was decided that this exploration would involve not only them, as officials, sending personnel.
At the same time, missions will be issued, allowing the mercenaries below to spontaneously organize teams to explore the front lines.
These mercenaries were created due to the impending annual Great Ruin and the rapid advancement of technology.
Without exception, they would have been completely different if they hadn't possessed their own steam-powered exoskeleton devices, powered by Magic Energy energy.
Or perhaps they are connected to Potions, gaining superhuman powers after drinking Potions.
They would Great Ruin each year, and be hired to protect them.
While such protection cannot deal with truly terrifying and Eldritch Beings, it can deal with ghosts and monsters born from the Domain of Emotions.
He's got some skills.
However, the mortality rate in their line of work is as high as 30%.
The following day, the authorities dispatched a large number of city guards from different cities, along with a group of Potions from Esoteric Order of Dagon, to explore the area.
A massive mechanical drive, loaded with various Magic Energy weapons, spewed out white mist, carrying them at high speed.
All the mercenaries also set off with their respective groups.
A massive exploration operation has officially begun.
The large number of people involved in the exploration resulted in very rapid feedback.
A few days later, a map was drawn showing the coordinates of each resource point and their movement routes.
They were then sent back to the city.
The biggest discovery of this expedition was the new boundary of the area: massive, continuous snow-capped mountain ranges.
They had never seen such a magnificent sight; the mountains stretched endlessly, like the border of the world.
The mountains are higher than imagined, with towering peaks piercing the clouds.
But this is also the most significant discovery.
The Potions of the Esoteric Order of Dagon could sense a different aura within, and the terrain was so magnificent and vast.
This is also something they don't currently possess in the areas they control.
Regardless, this mountain range is bound to be their target for conquest.
The ten-day expedition has temporarily come to an end.
All personnel returned to base and began planning the exploitation of the discovered resource sites.
They also plan to continue expanding their cities and towns.
Meanwhile, the plan to conquer that massive mountain range is also underway.
Because it was a remote and desolate place, eternally silent, a barren land with only ice and death.
It's not a place where humans can survive at all; just looking ahead is an incredibly difficult task.
The Steam City was the first to issue a bounty, sending mercenaries to scout the area.
Lured by the hefty reward, a large number of mercenaries set off.
However, their equipment was simply insufficient to withstand the harsh terrain and climate there.
Some mercenaries perished there, while many more returned empty-handed, never daring to challenge that massive mountain range again.
Finally, based on the information provided by these mercenaries, the authorities made preparations for more than ten days.
A team composed of scholars who study the Eldritch Beings, various scientists, Potions, and the best-equipped special task force.
They embarked on the road to conquering the mountains.
Several days later, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The mountains shone brightly under the Sun.
They began to fly over the nearest mountain in specially developed Magic Energy machines.
Then, using an exoskeleton device, they began to explore in greater depths.
The snow covered the rugged road, and every step had to be taken with extreme care.
As they continued deeper into the mountains, after climbing the two nearest peaks...
They discovered some corpses, the bodies of the mercenaries who had previously explored the area.
However, they did not freeze to death here; rather, their bodies were dissected and found to be remains.
Everyone realized that these mountains were definitely filled with ominous signs, and that something special must exist there.
However, they were well-equipped and had made thorough preparations, so the exploration continued.
But little did they know, this was just the beginning of their nightmare...
As they continued their journey, they encountered several blizzards.
Several members of their task force have lost contact.
However, they persevered and continued forward, after several days of trekking.
The moment they climbed over the current hilltop, they finally saw something different!
At the same time, everyone let out a scream that seemed to come from the depths of their souls.
Excitement, panic, trembling, and awe intertwined in their minds!
Beneath the sky ahead, amidst those mountains, in this eternally silent, untouched place.
It actually possesses a huge ruin embedded in the snow-capped mountains!
The ruins are composed of regular-shaped megaliths, resembling a huge labyrinth.
However, it appears to have suffered a devastating, unknown event; some of the boulders have collapsed, and the area is clearly abandoned.
But everyone was still reeling from the shock this place had brought them.
This is not a natural wonder; it is a structure built by another civilization!
They couldn't imagine what kind of mad creatures had once lived here.
This place is not suitable for any living thing to survive.
Filled with immense shock, awe, and a hint of fanaticism in their eyes.
They began to explore the ruins.
Once inside the ruins, the environment was far more suitable than they had imagined.
This stands in stark contrast to the harsh environment outside.
The ruins contain numerous tunnels and wall carvings.
Although they couldn't understand what it meant, they subconsciously knew that it recorded the history of another race.
As they explored more and more places, their curiosity did not diminish in the slightest.
Instead, it became even more concentrated.
Moreover, through the numerous wall carvings, they gradually began to understand what it all meant.
Unaware of their own folly, a madness gradually crept into their eyes.
The wall carvings record the creatures that once lived here, a kind of creature called the Elder Things, and also something called the Shoggoth.
They possessed a sophisticated social system and constituted a powerful civilization.
Finally, everyone arrived at the highest point, in the last stone chamber.
Here, there is a huge stone gate, and the last wall carving.
The final wall carvings record that this civilization once waged war against another civilization.
And that civilization seems to be the Deep Ones they know!
This is the building that was destroyed after the great battle with the Deep Ones.
The Elder Things and the Shoggoth who fought the Great War with the Deep Ones were not destroyed, nor were they defeated!
Instead, it was a taboo about certain things that led to a reconciliation with the Deep Ones.
The ruins here are just abandoned remnants!
The land they were treading on belonged to a powerful civilized race capable of contending with the Deep Ones!
They remembered the corpses they had seen a few days earlier.
If they had known beforehand, how could they have had the courage and boldness to set foot here, even on the very edge of the snow-capped mountains!
This is their abyss, a death trap that lures life, a colossal mountain range filled with madness!
A wave of dizziness washed over them, and a sense of unknown dread seeped into their very bones.
The madness in his eyes intensified.
Just then, an unsettling sound came from behind the innermost stone door of the stone chamber!