The Madness Below (Eye of The Beholder)

GM: So, you guys really want to wreck my campaign, don't you? Hehehe. GM: Beneath the mountain lies a one-of-a-kind Beholder—an Eldritch Abomination tier threat. GM: What do you do? Mwhahaahah! Players: ... Players: The Dwarven Solution! For centuries, the dwarves inhabited the Great Brass Mountain. It was a realm of abundance, a fortress carved from the very bones of the earth, an impenetrable stronghold of rock and steel. Then, the impossible happened: dragons, thought to be extinct for eons, began to darken the skies. But dwarves do not flee. With grim ingenuity, they forged tools to face the fire: projectile weapons of powder and brass, and aircraft of steam and steel. Yet, for every dragon they felled, ten more emerged from the shadows. That’s when the Eldritch Truth revealed itself: the enemy wasn't outside, but within. Deep in the mountain’s core, an ancient Beholder was stirring. The dragons weren't invaders; they were manifestations of its restless mind. They could clear the skies, but they would still be left with a waking god in their basement. The solution? The Dwarven Way. If they couldn't have the mountain, nobody would. A specialist team was sent into the abyss to rig the Steam Cores, ancient thermal vents harnessed for power, now turned into a fuse for a continent-shaking blast. They overloaded the heart of their world to bury the dreamer. In the end, the Beholder was entombed forever, its nightmare extinguished. The dwarves walked away with nothing but their lives and the cold, hard dirt beneath their boots, ready to start again. 🪨⛏️🪨⛏️🪨⛏️🪨👁🪨⛏️🪨⛏️🪨⛏️🪨⛏️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ Dwarven shotgunner: The shotgun is heavy... but the truth is heavier. We can get rid of the dragons... but then, we'll have a Beholder to deal with... My hands are calloused, my lungs are full of dust We spent a century polishing the rust Then the walls started breathing, a wet, rhythmic sound There’s a heartbeat thumping - deep inside the ground The dragons? They weren't real. Just sparks in his head Manifestations of a god who refuses life and death Deep beneath the royal throne A thousand eyes in halls of stone He dreams of wings, he dreams of heat An Eldritch god beneath our feet! No shield, no guns, nowhere to go A dream too vast to overthrow Not angel, demon, nor common foe No one was ready for -  the Madness Below No absolution, no divine sign No victory waiting at the end of the line If the mountain is lost, so be it so No one was ready for -  the Madness Below I looked into the Great Eye, and the Eye looked through me It didn't see a hero, it didn't see an enemy It saw a flea... a glitch in its sleep The gold we mined? Just scales he let us keep My shotgun is shaking, the barrel is now cold There’s no glory here, just stories left untold. No fear, no rage, no final stand Just sanity slipping from my hand The Eldritch Truth is a bitter pill: The world is a madness, with no heart or will. No shield, no guns, nowhere to go A dream too vast to overthrow Not angel, demon, nor common foe No one was ready for -  the Madness Below No absolution, no divine sign No victory waiting at the end of the line If the mountain is lost, so be it so No one was ready for -  the Madness Below There’s no point in shooting a dream... So we’re overloading the machine. Twist the valves, let the pressure roar Until the Steam Cores can't take no more! It's a Dwarven sun in a lead-lined room The atom splits to seal your tomb! No absolution, no sacred role Only the price of keeping the soul But we won’t kneel, we won’t let go Tonight we bury - the Madness Below! Let the kingdom fall, let the treasures go We're kings of rubble, with nothing to show From shattered stone, we've found our way To blast the dark... just to end his day! If we can't have the mountain, nobody can. Better to be homeless than to be a puppet of a dream...