Pom Venzun

The Venzun Family, founded around 600 B.B. was once part of the Bacri tribe. Originating from a crystal cave in East Najera'jad, the family is focused around the crystals discovered. Delium Venzun is said to have been the first find these crystals and mined them for use by his family. Some members of The Venzun family are still around today, but most have died off.

Founding
A small friend group founded the family of Venzun from the Bacri tribe. Deluim Venzun, the one who found the crystal cave was then declared as head of the family. The small group decided to leave the nomadic camps of the Bacri tribe and settle down near the cave.

The family slowly grew over the years and after 80 years the family consisted of around 40 people, all living and mining the crystals. Due to the crystals healing and ageing-preventing properties, many of the original founders were still around when the golden age for the family began.

Collapse of the Venzun 9 B.B.
As the Mahait marched on Jiramivan, Abarinsk panicked. He knew he could not defeat them as is, and decided to search for another way to defeat the Mahait. He had heard legends of a family in central Najer, the Family of the Venzun, who were guardians of a magical crystal. He decided to rest his hopes on obtaining this crystal, and took his forces to assault the Venzun and take their crystal. The Venzun were renowned for being fearsome warriors, and as a result, Abarinsk took a strike force of his own best men. The Mareba ambushed the Venzun at night, and the cave where they resided was soon engulfed in blood and violence.

In the end, the Mareba came out on top, slaughtering the Veznun, although only a fraction of his own men survived. He took several shards of the crystal and, discovering their extreme volatility, used them to create an explosive device. When the Mahait came to retake Jiramivan, they were greeted by a grateful populace and an empty town hall. They quickly reasserted control over the city, but before they could celebrate, the town hall was engulfed in a massive fireball, a detonation caused by Abarinsk improvised explosive. (Credit to The mahait wiki page)

Ameri's Ritual of the Venzun
Ameri lies down for a bath in her home. It had been a while since she relaxed in the warm water. All the current events were too stressful for her, and the worst part was that she didn’t know how to help. She remembered the days of living with her father. It had been six long years since then. Ameri wished that she could talk to Susanda one last time.

After her bath, Ameri slipped on a gown and headed for bed. Lying down underneath the covers, Ameri recalled going through the ritual of The Venzun with her father.

“Ameri!” Susanda calls while standing in the doorway, clenching his bag full of tattered books, “We need to go before the sun rises.”

“I know!” Ameri shouts back while running down the spiral staircase. Her long hair flowing behind her. Quickly she grabs two loaves of bread, a lantern, and her bag of clothes and medicine. They rush outside to the pen. Susanda straps the two-person saddle to Bada Kash while Ameri locks the front door. “The moon isn’t even halfway up in the sky. why must we leave so early?” Ameri questions speculatively.

“It’s because we have far to travel. Now hop on,” Susanda states firmly. Ameri hoists herself onto the white steed behind her father. As the duo gallop through the city Ameri gazes at the twinkling stars of the night sky and marvels at their beauty. She knew it would be a while before she would see them again. As they approach the gate, a young guard strides out of the checkpoint, waiting to ask where they are off to. Already knowing the question, Susanda tells the boy, “We are off to my plantation.” This is a lie, but whatever got them through would have to do. The guard gave a nod and shoved open the gate.

Ameri always enjoyed riding at night with her father, the cool breeze and enjoyable company always put her into a state of bliss. However, this night was different. The two stayed mostly quiet for the whole trip, only exchanging a few words now and then. They spent hours cantering on the stone road across the dimly lit desert. On the trip, they ride past Najera’jad, a city full of life. With shouts from the city being heard from the road. On their travel, they also pass a magnificent blackstone pyramid with lava pouring throughout it.

Around midnight, Susanda steers Bada Kash off the road. They gallop towards a small dune with a short tree on top. Stopping at the base of the hill, Ameri and her father dismount. They walk up the dune, and Susanda ties Bada Kash to the nearby tree. While he does that, Ameri looks in front of them. It’s a deep cave that seems to glow a slight purple hue.

Susanda strides up to Ameri, “I remember when my father took me here.” He recalls. “The night was just like this, the sand was cool, and our robes swayed in the slight breeze. The stars filled the night sky like snow being sprinkled into a cauldron.”

“Dad, you brew too much.” Ameri jokes. “Oh shush, back then I was scared to enter, probably more than you are, I knew that I could see the sky for days or even see my father, but I made it so don’t worry.”

Susanda hands his bag of books over to Ameri. He asks her, “Do you have everything? Food, water, medicine?” “Yes, I do. You don’t need to worry.” Ameri replies. Susanda leans forward and hugs Ameri, “May the Lost Gods guide you.” And with that, Ameri sets off into the cave.

The cave’s walls narrow, and the ceilings quite low. Ameri must crouch to descend. She has to sometimes turn sideways to fit through. Crawling through the caves, getting lower and lower, Ameri stumbles into a dome-like room. In the center was a stone table covered with ash and cracks. Molten purple liquid dripped from the ceiling forming crystals on the floor and filling the entire room with a faint purple hue. Ameri gazes around, spinning in place to admire the beauty of it all.

Crunching beneath her step, Ameri tried to avoid the small crystals. She wondered what this room was used for. Her father told her that the texts left by Delium Venzun would guide her. Tiny crystals chime as she brushes them away to clear a spot to sit down. She reaches into the satchel and grabs an old leather book. “Let’s see, where are we?” Ameri muttered to herself while flipping through the old pages.

After some time, Ameri fails to locate the room she is in in the book and decides it was made after the founders’ time. She guesses the room is a place to collect crystals for jewelry but is not completely sure. Ameri decides to collect a few crystals anyways for a new set of earrings. After stashing some of the rocks into her bag, she asks herself, “Is there anything of importance in this book, in the first place?”

The Magic of Our Caves, A Guide for Our Descendants

By Delium Venzun, Para Shutte and Jeshika Zone

This book is dedicated to our descendants, those who wish to partake in the sacred ways of our family. We have written this in order of encounter from the surface to the very depths of this cave.

While this book may not be found after our deaths, anyone in this cave must learn the dangers and difficulties faced when exploring these sacred grounds. Here is our unprofessional guide to the cave.

Part 1, The basics.

As you may know, the crystals in this cave are magnificent. As soon as I saw them, I wanted one.

However, I must warn you that untreated crystals are highly unstable. Para’s hand is gone because of that one. Any exposure to rapid temperature changes will result in pure unrefined crystals exploding.

While pure crystals are dangerous, they can only be found at very low depths. It took us over ten days to descend to the bottom, so pack plenty of supplies. When you are at the upper parts of the cave, the only worry you should have is the lack of ways to explain how majestical the cave looks.

Ameri believes she has read enough to continue exploring the wonderful underground system. Storing her book away in her pack and conjuring some water with the help of a crystal, she walks across the room to the next set of tunnels.

Slowly walking, admiring the walls and floors, Ameri notices that the cave is opening. After a sharp left turn, Ameri comes face to face with a staggering hall. The ceiling stretches past the torch’s illumination. Pillars of a dark stone support the weight of the earth above. Ameri is but a small figure in the dazzling hall of stone and gem. Shocked and amazed, Ameri decides to camp there for her first night in the cave. She sits down and lights a small fire to draw some of the scenes she has seen so far.