Ancient Appalachia

 The Appalachian Mountains are old. They are were around before the dinosaurs. They were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. When one visits Appalachia they are filled with a sense of history, something ancient. They were around before the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Chippewa, Delaware, Eel River, Haudenosaunee, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Miami, Ottawa, Piankeshaw, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Wea, and Wyandot tread their ancient hills. Though they are no longer tall, the Appalachian Mountains hold an untold majesty. They once stood as tall as the Himalayas, proud and powerful. But through the inevitable passage of time, they have been worn down and become small. But that does not take away their history. Their caves have no bones because they were around before bones. They hold ancient, eldritch memories that our human minds can't comprehend. Their subterranean passages run deep and hide many secrets. Down in the darkness, not even God can say what lurks in the umbral fog deep underground. An ancient power lives down there. Something powerful. It waits in the darkness, waiting for it's discovery; waiting to be discovered and ensnare the minds of the weak. We fear it. We know it's there; and we fear what it can do...