Earthspear stared out over the treeline from his vantage point overlooking the fields below.  It had been so easy to sway the hearts and minds of the other elves to his cause.  Now everything he saw, make that just everything, on Crutarien was going to be his.  This citadel was just his first step in a grand plan to harness the entire planet's magical energy.  The planet was full of strange and wonderful places such as this one.  He planned to harness the magic and store it for the upcoming war against the other races.  That they didn't know a war was coming was something he reveled in. 

"Sir?" The voice, instantly recognizable, came from behind him.  Mawgrin Captain of his magical forces approached quietly.  "We've discovered three more sites sir.  They are some distance away and they are near entrances to both goblin and dwarf tunnels."

The news was both good and bad.  "Plot them on the map we'll have to use them after the war is won.  Any news from the north?"  Mawgrin nodded, "Yes sir.  Third battalion encountered an entire forest unaffected by the frigid cold.  We're assuming the forest is heated from below with some kind of magic.  They're continuing the search for the source.  When it's found we'll begin construction out there as well."

Such news was excellent.  In the frozen north far from the eyes of goblin and dwarf Earthspear was going to build yet another magic school for the elves.  This one wouldn't just be a school however.  He envisioned a master smithy powered by whatever was heating the forest.  It would generate his weapons of war as well as produce the magic required for amulets, runes, and whatever magical baubles were deemed required for the upcoming fight.  It was going to take years to prepare for the upcoming battle but being the sole species in control of so much magical power was going to do wonders for elvenkind.

"Thank you Mawgrin.  Keep up the good work.  Oh, and Mawgrin any word yet on how we plan to harness the magical energy?"

"Yes sir.  We've discovered a number of crystals that are able to hold a tremendous amount of power.  The crytals can then be trained by any of our mages.  The only drawback is the sheer amount of power available from the crystal seems to be able to cause irrerable harm to some."

"That's a risk we're going to have to take.  Lose a few mages to win the upcoming war.  Well done."

"Sir?"

"Yes Mawgrin?"

"The crystals we need are found deep within the earth.  I believe we're going to have to enlist the aid of the dwarves or the goblins to be able to harvest any of them."

Earthspear's laughter rang out over the city below.  It was quite funny really.  The other species would mine the crystals selling them at an insane price to the elves without knowing they were selling their future enemy the means to destroy them.  "Not to worry Mawgrin as long as we pay them double what they think they're worth.  The dwarves are far too stupid to realize the power of the crystals."

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Hundreds of miles away and miles underground.

"The elves want what?"

"That's what I said.  They look nice when light is passing though them but so do gems.  For the price they offered something isn't right.  We need to look into this, quietly.  I don't trust Earthspear and his elves.  They've been seen racing all over the planet searching for something.  If it's these crystals they're after we'd better know just what they're capable of.  I'm putting you in charge of finding that out.  Jorin, as much as it pains me to say it...talk to the goblins."

Garlin King of Dwarves twirled the crystal his son had brought him in his hand.  "Romji? Romji I think now is the time to start preparing our men.  I don't trust those surface dwellers.  We need every dwarf ready to do his or her part in case this goes to war.  The training begins today."

Jorin replayed the conversation with his father over and over in his mind as he and his contingent of men made their way east.  He agreed with his father that the elves were not to be trusted.  What he disagreed on was the method of dealing with them.  His blade would love to taste elven blood.  The idea of going to war and slaying dozens, or even hundreds of the stuck up creatures got his heart pumping.  His father had told him to warn the goblins though and the goblins should be fairly easy to convince to start building their armies.

The goblins had been abused by countless other species for millenia.  They had come here seeking and finding a sanctuary from all other cultures.  If the elves were on the move it threatened that sanctuary.  Jorin planned to drive that point home.  The goblins would be forced to commit to building up their forces.  If nothing else it would help the trade relations within the two species as weapons and armor were forged and sold.

The goblins were adept in magic in ways that the dwarves had yet to fathom and that Jorin decided meant bringing them in on the crystals.  He was still puzzled over just what the elves hoped to accomplish with them.  In any case he had traveled with a number of the crystals hoping the goblins might have an answer.

The underground journey took a week and two days making it a quick trip indeed.  As Jorin descended towards the goblin city he marvled at their archetecture and how different it was from the dwarves.  The dwarves went for straight solid lines, function over form.  Here the goblins showcased incredible underground spires, domed rooftops, and oddly even offered farming on the occasional roof.  His thoughts were interrupted when a delegation of gobins approached. 

"Prince Jorin a pleasure to meet you.  What brings you to our humble abode?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news Ranza the elves appear to be gearing up for war.  Not with one another and who else does that leave?"

Ranza's already dark eyes darkened further as he soaked in the news.  My father will want to hear of this."  He glanced at the cart being pulled behind the dwarves and motioned at it.  "What gifs did you bring? Why did you feel the need to do so?"

"Not gifts I'm afraid.  Something the elves asked us to dig up for them.  They offered a considerable amount for them as well.  I've come to ask for help in finding their reason for aquiring them."

A series of gasps from behind Ramza gave Jorin all the information he needed.  Whatever the crystals were they were going to be bad news.  "Ramza can you show us how to utilize the crystals? I have the beginings of a plan.  I'll have to run it past your father and mine."

The plan was as genius as it was simple.  The goblins and dwarves would harvest massive quantities of the crystals but would save the best crystals for their own use.  The goblins were quick to show the dwarves how to store magical energy within the crystals and then how to slowly siphon if out of the crystals over extended periods for greater magical effects.

Seeing the power of the crystals for the first time scared Jorin like he had never been scared before.  While dwarves were not completly unused to magic this was taking magic into a new and dangerous place.  It was going to make swords and spears obsolete and with it the entire dwarven civilization that had worked so hard to master their metalworking crafts.  If the elves didn't utterly destroy them this new magic had the potential to do so.

For Ramza and his father the king the possible alliance with the dwarves was a blessing.  With the elves seeking to harness magical power all over the continent they were sure to have huge stores of it.  Having a dwarf prescence in the fight meant the would outnumber the elves even if they lacked the magical power to compete with them.  Hopefully Jorin's plan would help narrow the gap in stored magic that could be drawn upon.  Having the crystals was only part of the equation though, the dwarves and goblins needed to find places to charge them.

Both nations decided to create elite recon forces tasked with finding areas of potent magical energy.  These forces would not only seek out these places but would also seek to prevent knowledge of their whereabouts from falling into elven hands.  Satisfied with their agreement dwarves and goblins began preparing for the war the both knew would be coming to consume them.