Toll of the Gilded Bell

Beware the ringing, the chiming, the calling of the deep. Beware what lies, beware what sleeps.

Beneath the surface of Iskaldhal exists an entire hidden ecosystem. Polyhedra runs its factories and fills its newest homes whilst the dwarves of Gildómar, Fjolkandr, and Sjarvaldir do trade or battle in passing-points of the Iceflows. The Heartforge of Iskaldhal scars the depths as it does the surface, demons pouring from the tainted wound - often running into undead scourges from Akha Ekhursan or Foldauth, and erupting into horrifying wars.
Further north, Siellumearra flows down into a terrifying maze of underwater rivers that threaten to sweep away explorers and settlers, whilst the cavernous halls of Jäätta gleam in unearthly ice. Even the dragons making their homes beneath the earth avoid it, often choosing to rest beneath the Kylmävikk Desert instead - if not closer to one of the Shrines of Stone.
One tune rings out truely across all of Iskaldhal's settlements from the far west of shadowy Naarim to the eastern point of K'zudh Ev. One fairytale repeated to children in warning - the story of what happens down where the golden dwell. And neither child nor adult is told, but nearly every major organisation has heeded the words of the past and constructed a hidden bell - waiting for the day in which the prophecy comes true.
Waiting for the toll of the gilded bell, and the rise of the Goldendwelt.

Summary

Gold are eyes and gold is blood. But when they rise, red is the flood.

Concern for the goldendwelt is something that has united the Northern Continent since the era of draconic dominance. It is not precisely known when the race of golden beings and strange machinery first appeared, but dwarven mining records report occurrences of aberrant machinery and strange disappearances as far back as the First Divine War. The Order of Unknowing have been pursuing information on the goldendwelt for three decades, and have uncovered little. Their greatest conclusion yet is that these beings may have existed in the time of the dragons, prior to the Shattering of Skies, and if so - the dragons likely hold important information on them, and have not deigned to share it.
Some researchers posit that it is not a lack of willingness, but a lack of knowledge. They suggest that even the dragons are blind in this instance - or, worse, have something to fear. Nobody has been too willing to ask the dragons: fear of the unknown is one thing, but fear of being eaten by a dragon is a far more real concern.
Whatever the case, it was in the centuries following the First Divine War that the prophecy of the Gilded Bell was made. The lingering documentation from that era is mixed on who exactly gave the prophecy. The dwarves claim it was a prophet of theirs - a renowned oracle, and potentially even a Champion. The snow elves claim that the prophecy came to them in whispers and dreams; that they awoke in fear and spread the message, and that the learning of it led to greater persecution. The Witch-Tribes have killed for the implication that it was not one of their most powerful seers who learnt of the sleeping danger.
Regardless of the source, the warning was clear:

One day, the gilded bell shall toll its peal of warning. Those beneath the earth will rise, and ride their chariots of gold unto the sky. They are the bearers of the End, and all will be ash beneath them.

— modern translation of ancient texts

Historical Basis

The Goldendwelt definitely exist - that much is certain. What cannot be certain is how much of the supposed prophecy is true - and how much remains of the original prophecy's meaning, as well. It predated the Worldrend and the Arcane War, and has been passed down into oral tradition through over five milennia. A gilded bell remains in every major settlement, but if they do one day ring, nothing can truly predict what would happen.
If the gods of Fate know anything, they have given no clue away.

Date of First Recording

Pre-Worldrend

Date of Setting

Pre-Worldrend