The Deeproads Race (Dwarven Legend)

Sometime near the beginning of recorded Dwarven history, plans were drawn up to build the Deeproads. They were presented by Hogart the Mole who developed them after spending years digging mineshafts in Deepshaft.

Around the same time, Glara Hearthand had just finished development on a steam-powered digging machine. Dubbed The Burrower, Glara's machine was a massive drill attached to treads with a seat for an operator. She had long proposed that her machine could dig faster than any Dwarf ever could. This caused tensions between Glara and the duergar clans.

During a Council of Clans, Hogart presented his plans to try to garner support in the form of resources and manpower. Glara, seeing an oppurtunity, claimed that the scope of his project was too incredible. She claimed that the construction of even one of the Deeproad lanes would take generations worth of Dwarves. She proposed that the only logical way to speed up the process would be to adopt The Burrower, and contract her and her clan to build more. Hogart thought this was preposterous, and countered her claim with his own claim that her machines were too unreliable, dangerous even! Not only that, but he asserted that he could tunnel circles around her "Burrower."

The King decided that the only way to know for sure was to hold a race. They would dig parallel tunnels from Moradin's Pride to Highwall, the closest Dwarven city to Moradin's Pride. They both agreed and a date was set.

The Dwarves arrived in Moradin's Pride, both eager to validate what they already knew to be true. In the early days of the race, it was not yet clear who held the lead, as the differences between their tunnel-lengths were nigh-unmeasurable. Both Dwarves seemed to be keeping an equal pace throughout the first fortnight of the race.

Sometime during the second fortnight, it seemed that Hogart was slowing down. His fatigue was finally beginning to catch up with him! Many Dwarves claimed that the outcome was growing certain, Glara and her "Burrower" were simply gaining too much ground each day. Hogart would lose. However, Glara had never designed her "Burrower" to be in operation for as long as it was. It was in desperate need of maintenance and repairs, but she did not have the proper tools with her, nor did she believe that she had time to leave the tunnel to get them.

One the first day of the third fortnight since the beginning of the race, disastor struck Glara. An malfunction with the heal dispersion systems of the "Burrower" caused it to overheat and erupt. The resulting shockwave caused her tunnel to collapse on her and for many miles back. For almost the remainder of the third fortnight, the duergar clans labored to reopen the tunnel and free her, though they feared all might be lost. During this time, Hogart was able to catch up the distance between their tunnels, and even surpass him. He was now within a few short miles of Highwall.

A runner sent by the King finally managed to catch up to Hogart on the first day of the fourth fortnight. He reported to Hogart that Glara's machine had malfunctioned, he had won and was to return. The race was over. However, as Hogart learned of Glara's fate, he ran back down the length of his tunnel to find where she had last been reported. He dug through the side of his tunnel to where her's was. He found her there, in a small space underneath large boulders. Her food had just run out, and she had just begun to lose hope.

She rigged up a power tool out of the remains of her "Burrower" and gave it to Hogart. Together, they joined their tunnels and finished the rest of the length to Highwall. After it's completion, they returned to Moradin's Pride. The King hailed their return as heroes. He granted them both the title of Paragon, and charged them to begin construction of the Deeproads at once.