Though it is late in the day, we must continue our work: exceeding our expectations, our call for information regarding Dalganaf has been met with new firsthand accounts of the later days of the city.
Early in the year of 1297 DR reports began to emerge of peculiar activity in the city: sulfurous odors permeated the waterways, livestock grew ill, no less than six residents became afflicted with madness, and a series of misfortunes befell the ore trade routes from the north. Residents posited many varied causes for the happenings such as them being ill omen from the gods, the yield of sacrificial rituals given by local orcs, or karmic justice for abusing the spellforge. However, the theory which grew to prevail within the court of King Igban hinged on the arrival of a strange visitor whose name and description has been lost to time.
Three weeks prior to the fall of the city, this man did arrive. It was not his first visit to the city, as he was a regional adventurer who made a habit of returning to Dalganaf to mingle with the residents at the local tavern and barter for magical armaments at the foundry. He was a cheerful and gregarious man who would regale the local youths with tales of his heroic deeds, sometimes staying to indulge in festivities for weeks on end. However, his last arrival was less than joyous, with his demeanor being significantly more solemn and reserved. It is reported that he kept only solitude for several days after arriving and he did not congregate with old drinking companions nor did he entertain the children. Some days after his arrival he went to visit King Igban - as he had done many times before - but by the accounts we received he never returned from the palace.
There were three days leading up to the first appearance of the zombies which can be most vividly recalled by the citizens, starting with a proclamation from the king to seal the city as a response to an unknown threat. While in most modern cultures this would have been met with panic and dismay, dwarves are a more stalwart folk and met the king's order with fervor and loyalty. However, after the third day, with no answers given by the king and no foe identified the citizens grew frustrated and uncoordinated.
The first horde of zombies - shepherded by a duergar necromancer - emerged from the abandoned mines. The city was ill prepared for such an unexpected appearance. The common understanding is that the horde emerged from a freshly opened passage to the Underdark, allowing them to amass undetected.
Unfortunately, the mysteries of this invasion - the strange visitor, the ill omens, the king's proclamation, and the sudden appearance of the undead - may never be fully understood. However, it is my hope that our beloved adventurers will emerge soon to a new dawn and illuminate some answers.
