The first halls
You are John Jackson. You’re a wanderer. You see places, you help the odd person who lets you sleep in their home, and you’ve heard lots of tales in your day. One that interested you was an old one; Of a Dwarven city far to the north, far beyond the borders of Human lands. One day, while in a market, you saw a Dwarf selling a number of interesting objects, speaking of the great perils he had faced, and of the City to the north, which he had almost died to see just one glimpse of. One of the objects he was selling was an old book which translated the Dwarven language into Common Heldic. You had nothing better to do at the time, and you were far to the north, so you decided that you would fulfill an ambition of yours, and see the legendary City under the Seven Spears.
That was a month ago.
Now, you stand in before the gates of the City. Tall, foreboding and dark, it looms over you like a portal to the underworld. In spite of yourself, You feel a twinge of fear. It will not be the last time. There is no turning back now. The deep is calling.
The first hall is long and thin, and in the gloom it takes you a minute to see that you are standing on a stone bridge. Below, it seems, are spikes, impaled with the skeletons of Goblin warriors. Their armour looks nice, but the spikes look sharp. You move on. At the hall’s end, there is a gap, crossed by a drawbridge made from timber and steel. Far above is a portcullis. It is raised, but it’s been melted and pulverized by some monster, unlikely to make any difference if it was up or down. There’s nowhere to go but forward, and so you press on.
Through the gate at the far end is a long stone hall, and you are immediately taken aback by the beauty and majesty of it all. On each side, there are enormous statues of bearded figures, glowering down at you. From the vaulted ceiling above you there are crystal lamps hung on long chains that shine so bright you can see your own reflection in the polished stone walls. One of them has fallen and lies on the ground in a sad state. Ahead is a towering gate, similar in size to the one you just came through from the first hall. To your right is a smaller gate leading to another, smaller hall. It has the word “Hostel” carved on the floor in several languages. On your left is a small door made from steel, with the dwarven word for Guard displayed on it. In the far corner is a number of boxes, and a rusted cabinet leans against the left wall. Everything in the hall bears the scars of battle from the statues to the walls themselves.
What shall you do?
1x Wool clothing (Equipped)
1x Boiled leather tunic (equipped)
1x worn Travelling cloak (equipped)
1x Old warhammer (equipped)
3x Torch
7x rations
1x book of Dwarven symbols and translations