And in case anyone here fell asleep in cultural studies, we all know what exploring old dwarven holds digs up — traps, monsters best left undisturbed, and lots of explorers' bodies. Let's not add to the mystery.
— Qara, Neverwinter Nights 2
You turn the corner and find that this is where the digging of this tunnel came to an end. A frozen body lies on the floor ahead of you. The smugglers had the singular bad luck to break into an old crypt, and the dark magic here was still active.
Thanks to thousands of years of active magic use by the people of Lynaeus, it's amazing that anyone anywhere has the courage to dig holes at all.
Thanks to thousands of years of active magic use by the people of Lynaeus, it's amazing that anyone anywhere has the courage to dig holes at all.
— Avadon, the Black Fortress
"There's power here, begging to be released. And The Illuminati, they tried their best; in their arrogance, they believed they could tame it, use it somehow. That's why the entire island is riddled with esoteric markings and archaic symbols, with tunnels and secret rooms. They dug deep... and what they found scared them. They wised up eventually, moved onto bigger and better things, left the town to rot. Those who remained... well, who would they leave behind? Not their best and brightest, I can guarantee you that. Those people, they kept feeding on the power until it permeated everything."
Simon Lane: But, like, the, you know, dwarves...it's in our nature to dig deep, and sometimes we dig too deep, and we awaken something in the darkness.
Duncan Jones: Mmm hmm. Well, don't do that, but find diamonds for us.
— The Yogscast — Jaffa Factory (Tekkit) Part 2 — Raining Ladders
You have discovered an eerie cavern. The air above the dark stone floor is alive with vortices of purple light and dark, boiling clouds. Seemingly bottomless glowing pits mark the surface.
Horrifying screams come from the darkness below!
—Dwarf Fortress, quote displayed when you break into the Underworld and unleash The Legions of Hell on your fortress
Harold Shinken: No, we're not going over the mountain, that'd be stupid! I heard this tale of going ''under'' the mountain... It ends well for all parties involved.
Ash Lonechild: Except the flaming demon guy
.
.Misty the Demon Sidekick: Shit!
— Jade Regent, episode 16, from RPGMP3
Cassandra: S/he must have known! Somehow, the Champion knew what was down there! That's why s/he wanted to join your expedition.
Varric: No. None of us knew. If we had... this would have all turned out very differently.
Varric: No. None of us knew. If we had... this would have all turned out very differently.
"Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look. Unless, of course, they're putting up low-rent housing."
— Angelus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
We do not fear what lies beneath! We can never dig too deep!
— The Yogscast song "Diggy Diggy Hole"
"Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm... shadow and flame."
The Nosferatu do not like to speak of Last Chance Warren in Colorado. Its members, spurred by similarities between certain legends in the Book of Nod and descriptions of the fabled city of El Dorado, began an extensive foray into the heretofore unexplored cave systems beneath the Rockies. A lone Nosferatu stayed in the upper caves, keeping in touch with the rest of the warren via walkie-talkie. About 12 hours into the exploration, the warren excitedly reported findings of various carved structures -- evidently buildings of some sort. The description was interrupted by a deafening roaring or grinding noise, peals of terrified screams, and crunching sounds. Then the walkie-talkie went dead safe for static. None of the members of Last Chance Warren ever returned to the surface, and a frantic rescue squad found the warren's path into the depths blocked by an enormous cave-in. The Nosferatu claim that the warren was destroyed in a landslide, but to this night, the lone survivor swears that no rockslide could have made the noises she overheard.
— Vampire: The Masquerade — Clanbook: Nosferatu
2376. The Dwarven work ethic is not just "Dig until we hit evil."
And it was said that when the mine reached its final depth, the lights carried by the miners flickered as though troubled by a breeze where no breeze could exist, and a great sighing was heard, as of souls released from their bondage. A stench of burning arose, and tunnels collapsed, trapping and killing those beneath. A storm of filth and dirt emerged, sweeping through the mine, choking and blinding all in its path. Those who survived spoke of voices in the abyss, and the beating of wings in the midst of the clouds. The storm ascended toward the main shaft, bursting forth into the night sky, and the men who saw it glimpsed a redness at its heart, as though it were all aflame.
Thomas knew the moment well. The splitting earth; the hand; the stench. He knew it from some nightmare he'd heard at his father's knee. Now he wanted to let go of the spade, but he no longer had the will. All he could do was obey some imperative from underground, to haul until his ligaments tore and his sinews bled.
Beneath the thin crust of earth, Rawhead smelt the sky. It was pure ether to his dulled senses, making him sick with pleasure. Kingdoms for the taking, just a few inches away. After so may years, after the endless suffocation, there was light on his eyes again and the taste of human terror on his tongue.
Some Sons of Ether believed that their ahistorical exploratory societies delved too greedily and too deep, like the dwarves of fantasy legends. A pervasive theory holds that the dero and tero are actually hobgoblins of the mind, anomalous phenomena created by a tremendous Paradox Backlash. Some posit that the Eterites actually created these realms as they delved, and that their ambition and hubris summoned the very spirits that would destroy them.
—Mage: The Ascension — Infinite Tapestry
It's a surprisingly high-risk field, archaeology. You never know what sort of cursed tombs or crashed Skrull ship you're liable to uncover next.
—Doctor Strange, The Avengers (2018)
Dwarves: We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig in our mine the whole day through...
Grumpy: BALROG!
Grumpy: BALROG!
"Big excavation near Bad Carl's Caverns. Spelunkers trying to fill up caves, took rock away from wrong place to put it somewhere else, uncover lair of Blue Kryptonite meanies. Them am come out in droves. All spelunkers dead but one, and him alone am escaped to tell me."
"A thousand years ago, a group of emerald miners unearthed a mysterious portal. Unknowingly, they doomed the province to centuries of war against the mysterious force known as corruption."
"Despite mining opening up the infamous portal, it did not stop. Some speculate that these mines are hiding an even greater danger..."
"The mysteries uncovered from this excavation were quickly abandoned as an ancient dark force, one far more dangerous than anything this province has encountered, was found to be lurking beyond Wynn's southern border."
"Despite mining opening up the infamous portal, it did not stop. Some speculate that these mines are hiding an even greater danger..."
"The mysteries uncovered from this excavation were quickly abandoned as an ancient dark force, one far more dangerous than anything this province has encountered, was found to be lurking beyond Wynn's southern border."
—Area descriptions for the Roots of Corruption, the Abandoned Mines, and the Mining Operation Secret Discovery, Wynncraft
"The Sardian dwarves have let superstition override common sense. There's plenty of ore left in the mountain, and we mustn't let it go to waste."
Our fathers sinned through avarice; the open hand became a fist
And greed: a miser's drunkenness.
The dwarven treasure trove increased, incessant mining roused a beast
The eldest born of fire released.
Corporeal in his domain, he bound the dwarves with heated chains,
Save one, to fetch him gems, remained.
And greed: a miser's drunkenness.
The dwarven treasure trove increased, incessant mining roused a beast
The eldest born of fire released.
Corporeal in his domain, he bound the dwarves with heated chains,
Save one, to fetch him gems, remained.
