There is a mountain on the other side of the Shining Sea that is famed for its metamorphic rock. Heat is provided by a constant stream of lava erupting from a subtle volcano. Cold water is added to the mix through common snowfall. Obsidian is the result and the landscape consists of valleys and hills made from shining black glass. It is simply stunning.
These Obsidian Hills become quite popular. At first, the dwarves mined the obsidian with fervor, fearing they would lose the unique fountain with time. They now have their own mountain of obsidian tools. The elves began to visit next and collect pieces to craft their own beautiful jewelry. Crowns were enchanted with virgin diamonds and darkest obsidian. Every monarch had have their own. The Dynol came last but they came in hordes.
Ever an adaptive species, the Dynol quickly set up communities housed around the black glass. The capital city, Sidian, ended up settling on the walls of the obsidian cliffs next to the largest lavafall. In this city, coins were shaped made from obsidian, black sculptures were prominent, and even the buildings were filled with obsidian pieces. And when a single material is used so heavily in society, coming from a unique source, it is no wonder that a religion stemmed off of it.
Queen Bernia is a fickle goddess. Forget to drop an offering in her iridescent red stream and you will find bad luck filling your steps. Those that forgo prayers will lose the trust of their fellow beings. And if enough people lose their faith in their queen, Bernia will cause fire to rain down and draw up smoke from the deepest pits to poison the Dynol. She will burst forth from her obsidian castle showing herself as a dark angel clad in the blackest armor. All who refuse to bow down to her will find death at the tips of her taloned hands.
On the outset, it is a depressing religion, full of fear mongering. But those that live under the shadow of a dark landscape only see the beauty through the glass. To them, it enhances their lives and gives them purpose. And since the Bernians never hurt anyone, why challenge them?
But there came a time where some zealots did hurt some other Dynol. They wished for more glory and sacrificed all the critiques they could find within a day in the burning river. The rest of the reasonable folk where horror stricken and fought against the zealots. The Sidian city officials ended up smothering the Bernian religion and banning all practice. It took many months but life became simple again.
For a time.
There is a theory that if enough people believe in something, their collective consciousnesses will actually create a being reflecting their beliefs. Or in other words, faith can create gods. It has never been proved to be accurate, but the Demon Days challenges those critiques.
Not long after the Bernian cleansing, darkness filled the air. Now, the Obsidian Hills was a fairly dark country to begin with, but that darkness seemed to cling to everything on the first of the Demon Days. Everyone was mostly blinded and fire only made the darkness worse.
The second Demon Day brought earthquakes. You can imagine the damage that was inflicted on Sidian, a city built into a cliff face. Buildings were thrown about and people died. Third came fire, although none knew where it came from. The darkness was still there and so the only way people knew where the fires were was because of the screams of those who fell prey to them.
The day of screaming was the last straw. It started with a moan that might have been mistaken for a Dynol’s if it hadn’t thrummed within everyone’s heart. Fear became terror as the pitch rised. The screaming never took a break and many people went mad. Others fled, falling into chasms opened up by the earthquakes. Others were devoured by flames.
Precious few escaped, but some did escape with their lives. With ragged souls, these refugees fled across the Shining Sea to warn everyone away. Stories spread about the occurrence and were named the Demon Days of the Obsidian Hills. It was revealed later on that the survivors did see a shining winged being amidst the darkness of Sidian.
But since every bard loves to embellish a story, there is no way to know for sure if Bernia had caused the Demon Days or if it was simply convenient for the plotline. Whatever the case, the Obsidian Hills were abandoned.
There are still a few brave souls who travel across the Shining Sea to a land of sparkling blackness. They always bring back fantastic tales of swarms of large bats and creatures within the lava streams. Perhaps there are scientific explanations for all of these occurrences, but now all anyone brings back from this once treasured land is fear.