In Avechary of the year 503 after the Coming of Estarra, the skies of
Lusternia cracked open with blue-purple lightning. The very atoms of
reality shifted, and strange shapes and stars shifted in and out of view
upon the firmament.

While the inhabitants of the Basin of Life were reeling from these
strange circumstances, a rain of bouncing balls began to fall from the
roiling skies, with no hint as to their origins. The dense, elastic
spheres bounced everywhere throughout the Basin of Life, finding their
way to the most unlikely of places. Capitalising on the appearance of
the spheres, a dark-spectacled gnome named Stefano arrived on Avechna's
Peak, seeking to purchase the spheres for his collection and giving
those who brought him the balls a sizeable reward for doing so. Although
there were suspicions on the origins of the dark-spectacled gnome, no
one could get a straight answer out of the wily businessman.

And the balls kept raining down, and the skies kept flashing with
lightning, and the astute who looked up to the stars saw that Papaxi and
Aapek struggled with one another against a strange backdrop. So for many
months, the inhabitants of Lusternia brought Stefano the raining balls,
and they enriched their own pockets in the process.

In Avechary of the year 505 after the Coming of Estarra, the skies of
Lusternia were lit with an altogether different light. Flashes of green
appeared, followed by explosions that rocked the mountains and the
undervaults of the Basin of Life. Dwarves shouted their glee and vied
with one another across the peaks.

Xenthos was the first to find his way to Gemli Vonglori of the Southgard
silver mines. He among others questioned Gemli as to the meaning and
source of the explosions: The dwarf reported that a gnome came by and
sold the village many round 'explosives' that they were using to
significantly speed up their production of ore; in a gesture of
magnanimity, he gave Xenthos a sample of the glowing explosive. At the
same time, across the Basin of Life, Ayisdra was questioning another
dwarf, Fofur Whurgrim, as to the origins of Rockholm's explosions and
explosives. Fofur told much of the same story, and he provided Ayisdra
also with a sample of the same glowing explosive.

Another explosion drew Xenthos and inhabitants of Glomdoring towards the
village of Angkrag in Avechna's Teeth, while at the same time, Ayisdra
made for another source of information so prominently planted upon
Avechna's Peak, the gnome in dark spectacles. Ayisdra questioned the
Stefano on his intent with the balls, accusing him of association with
the glowing explosives now appearing all over the Basin's mining
villages, but the gnome adamantly denied involvement. The further
arrival of Kethaera, and then Yendor, and then Nuli, and then many
others, each with their own questions, yielded few answers despite
offers of money; it seems that some information was worth more than
money. Stefano blithely continued his purchase of the balls falling from
the heavens, paying for them handsomely. Meanwhile, in Angkrag,
Glomdorians including Xenthos, Crek, Yendor, Deichtine, Synl and Tylwyth
were plying Omar d'Vanecu and Nasir n'Rotri for information on the
explosive glowing balls. Suspicious that the questioners were spies from
the dwarves, Omar was reluctant to give information, particularly
smarting from insults by Crek and Yendor. Deichtine funded the purchase
of information, along with another explosive ball from Nasir, setting it
off along with Xenthos some distance away to test its effects, which the
two Ascendants found underwhelming for their tastes. Satisfied with what
they've learned, the Glomdorians left Angkrag.

Another set of explosions in the Undervault signalled that the villages
of Ptoma and Ixthiaxa were not immune to the charms of whatever
salesperson had been peddling the green-glowing bombs. Losing interest
by this time, the inhabitants of the Basin of Life returned to Stefano
upon Avechna's Peak in another half-hearted attempt to glean some
admission from the gnome, but none was forthcoming, and the
dark-spectacled businessman continued to claim ignorance of the
explosives.

Many questions remain: Where do the bouncing balls come from that rain
down from the lightning-filled sky? Are the related to the glowing,
explosive balls that are now driving a two-fold increase in the
commodity production of the affected villages? What is the role of
Stefano the gnome who sits upon Avechna's Peak? And what of the
strangeness in the stars and vibrations that continue to resound
nauseatingly through reality?

Penned by My hand on the 6th of Tzarin, in the year 505 CE.