Hosei asked one of the monks for some research into the stones, and I asked after the statue. Nothing about the statue was discovered. But one evening, Hosei called us all together and related the story. The people from the first group recognized some parts of the story, which tied together what we knew.
A few years ago, a trade caravan was travelling along the road at the base the of the mountain. The caravan was attacked by orcs, and the few survivors continued their way, looking for shelter. They reached a small farming village along the river. A rough stone wall protected the few stone buildings inside. The farmers, bringing in their animals for the night, welcomed the travellers. They also knew about the orcs marauding in the area. They all had dinner in the great hall, a circular stone building in the middle big enough to hold everyone. The village leader, Mother Katarina, said a blessing over the food. As they ate, news was passed, but the villagers seemed not to know anything that had passed in the previous hundred years.
When dinner was finished, one of the village youths ran into the hall, saying there was someone at the gate. Everyone rushed out to see, wondering if the orcs were there. However, they saw a young dwarf, tired and bloody. He said his name was Ganaroku and he had been travelling from the south for the past six days, paralleling the trade road but staying off it. He was attacked by orcs, whom he fought off. The villagers fed him, and he ate as though he had eaten nothing in the previous six days. While he ate, Mother Katarina told the story of the founding of the village by farmers who had been forced off their land by a greedy landlord. Other common tales were told as well, and the merchants told stories in their turn. When Ganaroku finished his dinner, he told his story.
"I don't know what the stones are, only what I've heard from the others. We Dwarfs made them thousands of years ago, four of them, here in the Yetzin Valley. Some called them Doom Stones. I don't know why, or whose doom, or what they were for, because they say the records of those times are lost. But whatever they were made for, it can’t have been a good thing, because them as made them decided to split them up so they could never be joined. Mayhap they were too powerful, too strong. But one went north, one stayed here, one was given to the Elves -- who lost it," he spat on the floor, "and I don't know about the fourth.
"But the stones as went away know their way home. Years ago, some engineers brought one of the stones to Loremaster Hadarin. They'd had it from a human bandit, who'd had it off the Elves.
"Weeks back, Hadarin saw that another of the stones was coming back here, and he knew it was with the Bloodaxe Alliance. He'd been learning all he could about the stones, but if the old Dwarfs thought it was best that the stones be apart, then Hadarin wasn't going to say he knew better. Two in the valley was bad enough; three would be worse, and three stones held by Bloodaxe Orcs -- Hadarin would stop that, or die trying.
"The leaders disagreed. They'd never studied the stones like Hadarin had. So Hadarin gave one stone to a mage he trusted, Yazeran, and took his books and his followers, and his son, and left. Even if the Orcs got the stones, he reckoned, without the learning he had, they'd not know how to use them.
"But the Orcs were cunning, and found him. He and his followers fought hard, but were beaten back into some caves, where the Orcs laid siege to them. So he sent out a messenger, his son, to find the mage and get his help. Because the stones must not fall to the Orcs."
He paused. "Before the messenger left, Hadarin told him that the books said there was a prophecy that only humans, Elves, and Dwarfs together could stop the Orcs getting the stones, and save the valley. That it was their destiny." There was a silence. He looked around awkwardly, and after a moment said, "The messenger is me. Ganaroku, son of Hadarin. I ask your protection and help in rescuing the stones from Chaos."
He was silent again. The silence persisted. Finally Mother Katarina rose." We are farmers," she said, "but we pledge you our help. Tomorrow, who will go north with Ganaroku?"
A few villagers and merchants agreed to accompany Ganaroku, and they all slept for the night. The next morning, the merchants awoke to sunlight in the very old ruins of a village. They reached the monastery later that day, where they told this story to the monks, who wrote it up and placed it in their library. The merchants learned from the monks that orcs had attacked and destroyed the village a hundred years ago, before Yazeran had arrived to build the monastery.
The first group had found Hadarin's corpse in the caves, and also Ganaroku's body and what he carried. They had heard of Yazeran as well, and guessed that he had the crystal. But it was not until the visitation of the Blue Faerie in their fire and out subsequent arrival in Iri that where Yazeran had gone became clear.
We have two of the four crystals that the faeries created long ago. We know where a third lies, and the White Faerie has his instructions on how we should reclaim it. We know nothing about the fourth.