It was simple to find someone to guide me to see the Magmique race. The man took me to a place in the mountains of Hogava. You can find it in the lower part of western Karen’der.
I found myself amazed at what I saw. First, a few hours before reaching the mountain, the dirt road gave way to a masterfully constructed street. In the middle of the forest! The Magmiques had built it out of large blocks. I can only guess they had mined them and placed them with such precision that it was impossible to fit a hair in the cracks between the huge stones.
My surprises were only beginning as when we arrived at the entrance of their home, a giant opening had been sculpted into a perfect semicircle. It measured three adult men in height. I paid my guide who rapidly left. He had told me that he didn’t fear the creatures that lived there, but rather felt very uncomfortable in their presence.
I soon found out why someone who didn’t travel or mix with other races could feel as he did.
The Magmique is a reptilian race. They sit at the highest evolution level among their species. Short of height, they reach my hips at most and walk on two legs, as all humanoids do. Black scales cover their body. This allows them to absorb violent shocks.
They probably are the best craft people you could find on the continent. They create magnificent pieces of art on a level that no other can achieve. They take pride in everything they do. This is why they can sell their creations at a very steep price. The individual that I met in the store was expert at selling and I couldn’t escape from purchasing one of the beautiful things he offered me. It was a dark-coloured bracelet I had to pay twenty coins for. This allowed me to bargain for the cost of the visit of their installations beneath the mountain. As I knew these people don’t like to mix with other races, I told the one who was with me that I wanted to help the rest of the world to know how great the Magmique people are. This and the fifty Nobilis coins I offered convinced him. The tour was worth all the small fortune I gave him.
They work tirelessly in the deepest tunnels beneath the surface. Hundreds of them were mining gems, stones and ore. They sent it to a place where they sculpted the stones into different forms. They finely cut the gems to ornate the artifacts that they were building and they melted the ore to extract the purest metal one could find. Then, they turned this into the finest and most solid-state corac can reach. Corac if the most common metal in the world. I suspect that there is possibly a few Kentras among them because a few of their objects turn out to be of magical nature.
After a short wait, another Magmique came to greet customers while my guide told me to follow him. We went to a wall far behind the room. I wondered what he wanted to show me there. This is where my expectations were shattered. The wall, although it appeared whole, was made of two layers that expertly hid a passageway. It was impossible for me to see it until I was next to it!
Then, I saw something that I never saw before. There was a shaft going down the rock. A wooded platform had been built to enable many people to go down without using stairs! A system made of solid ropes tied to the platform on one end, and to boulders on the other, made it possible to descend in the tunnels where the Magmiques work their wonders.
As we went down, Gargl, my guide, explained that there was a level where their people lived. Another one was the hatchery where the females lay their eggs. This is where they care for them during the few weeks that are needed for the baby to get out. They come out half the size of what they will reach as adults. The nursery is one of the cleanest places in the Magmique City.
Every time we reached a different level, there were many people working. Sometimes, the entrance was in front of the platform, sometimes, behind us. I had no idea how big this city could be. The biggest human cities I have seen so far are dwarfed in comparison I have to say.
Then, we arrived at the level of the mines, the deepest one Gargl allowed me to see. I couldn’t believe what I saw. In fact, I didn’t understand how I could see anything. My guide showed me the roof of the mine. He said that they had installed a series of crystals from the top of the mountain and that at every level, a system of torches and mirrors, mixed with the magical properties of the crystals, made it possible for the light to reach the depth of their city.
Indeed, the light didn’t shine as much as it did on the surface. I could compare the ambient lighting to what it looks like a few hours before sun down.
Gargl took me to one of the corridors where they were digging stones from which they extracted the corac in their foundries. There were dozens of Magmiques with pics and hammers who worked in perfect harmony. They hit the stones in a strange rhythm. My guide told me that the vibrations it created made it easier to detach the stones.
I saw one of their machines. It acted as a battering ram. Gargl told me that they were making the entrance of a new tunnel where they found a vein of precious metal. He told me its colour constantly changed from deep blue to dark green, then to deep blue and so on. I asked him how they knew it was there. He didn’t answer.
The workers installed a strange apparatus I had never seen before in another part of the tunnel. Gargl told me that I had to leave because they were going to do a dangerous manoeuvre. I doubted what he said and I tried to stay longer. I even offered him more coins, but he refused. As we went up, I heard a loud noise and the rock shook. I looked at my guide, but he signalled me not to ask any more questions.
I left the city with my things, the memory of this wonderful city and the numerous unanswered questions I wasn’t allowed to ask. They openly say that they’re better than anyone at what they do, and I agree with them.
Taradussa
Name: Magmique
Visual description:
Reptiles who stand and walk on two feet. They’re smaller than humans. Rough black scales cover their body.
Their height reaches the hips of an adult human.
They have strong legs and arms.
They have a snout rather than a mouth.
They don’t have any hair on their body.
Height:
Three to four feet.
Maximum age:
150 years.
Time of gestation:
80 days to hatch.
Litter:
Three to five eggs.
Sight:
They see better in the dark as they spend most of their time in the deep caves. If they’re outside, they need to wear an apparatus equipped with tinted crystals on their eyes to protect them from the light.
Hearing:
Better than a human ear.
Habitat:
Under the biggest mountains. In Karen’der, the Hogava chain is the best known.
Social behaviour:
From the moment they hatch, they’re instinctively bound to the others. They’re a worker race and can work for long hours. Together they can do things no other race can. They’re a proud species and consider themselves better than every other at mining, constructing and cutting precious gems or creating pieces of art and they’re right to believe so.
Nature:
They’re carnivorous and will eat anything that can provide protein to their body. From small insects to big mammals, they will hunt in large groups.
Race’s particularities:
Generally stronger than humans.
Mercantile race.
Proud about their accomplishments.
Combat specialty (attack and defence):
Although strong, they’re no match for trained humans or Ikuans. But they can use huge numbers to compensate.
They wield heavy weapons.
Natural builder race.
Solid scales that cover their body allows them to sustain heavy blows without getting injured.
Weapons/favourite armour:
Battle axe.
War hammer.
Loot:
Precious artifacts.
Precious gems and crystals.
Precious metals.