From miles away, the dwarven mountains blotted out the sky, encompassing everything below it. The mountains, which Lilith couldn’t quite comprehend why they were so large, felt even more enormous as she approached the gates of the city. They towered over, giving a nice bit of respite from the beaming sun. Her travel to the dwarves was unexpectedly peaceful since she met up with a trade group heading there. They had taken a different route after hearing what was happening in the Holy Empire, which was slower, but safer without having to deal with inspections.
“Next!” a gruff and heavy voice yelled out as the line got one person shorter. The only way to enter the city was through a gate unreasonably large. With the free time, one question that occupied her mind was “why such a large gate?” It made no sense and only left questions, but it was overwhelming at the same time. It was so large that it was impressive, especially since they were not only capable of making such a gate, but putting it up as well.
Unlike human cities, dwarves, mostly, didn’t rely only on passes or identification, but checked every person one by one. This meant that when the line was long to enter the mountains, it could take hours of waiting. Stubborn, some would call them, but if they deemed you a risk, they wouldn’t allow you in.
Being the first time she had ever been to a dwarven city, Lilith was excited. Foot tapping against the ground while a light hum escaped her lips. She had seen dwarves before and even elves, but she could never hold a long conversation with them. Even though they might hate each other, they had one thing in common and that is; they kept to themselves. Although the ones that traveled were the outliers and were fine with other races, they still carried their stoicism to an extent.
“Next!” the dwarf called out and once again, the line got shorter. The line itself was quiet as everyone waited patiently. Anyone going to the dwarves had some kind of business and the weren’t willing to risk getting kicked out before even trying. And finally, after what felt like hours, it was Lilith's turn.
Handing the golden pass over she prepared beforehand, Lilith’s slight excitement continued to show as the dwarf looked at the pass and looked her over. “A cursed one, huh?” the dwarf mentioned while tossing the pass to a different guard who went inside the gate to verify its authenticity. “What’s your purpose for coming here?” He asked.
“I need to go across the Scar.”
“What for?” The dwarf asked, his eyebrow raised and his hand tightening on the hit of his battleaxe that dug into the ground.
“I have a delivery to do that requires me to go through the north,” Lilith said plainly.
This dwarf held Lilith’s gaze for a moment, trying to discern if what she said was a lie, yet Liliths eyes were unwavering. “That’s ridiculous!” he finally yelled out. “Only someone who doesn’t understand what’s beyond these mountains could say such a ridiculous thing.”
The dwarfs sudden change in tone took Lilith by surprise. “Do people not come here often to cross?” Lilith asked, but knew the answer. Far more times than not, if you were to ask someone what they thought of the north, they would shoo you away, not wanting to think about it or describe it in the most negative way possible. These thoughts were instilled in them early on, leading to an adverse feeling of ever going past the Scar. So yes, it would’ve been strange if they came across people willing to go so far.
The dwarf rubbed his beard as he looked Lilith in the eyes. “Ye think you humans would willingly go there?”
“No, I doubt it,” Lilith responded.
The dwarf grumbled. “I guess there was a time when your kind came in droves, but after none of ya came back from the north, you stopped.”
“When was this?” Lilith asked. She never recalled a wave of people exploring the north.
“Ah, right. You’re far too young. This was when I was still a kid.”
“Even so. I don’t recall this ever happening, even if it was that long ago.”
“Go ask your people,” the dwarf waved the conversation away.
“Just one question.” Lilith said, realizing finding out who she was delivering to would be far easier than expected. “Do you know the people who came here to go north in recent years?”
“Humans?” he asked, after thinking about the question.
“Humans,” Lilith responded.
“A mage stood out the most,” the dwarf grumbled. “It was 20 years ago, if I recall correctly.” The dwarf’s voice trailed into mumbles and grunts and only becoming coherent when he finished thinking. “I didn’t know him since I was posted somewhere else, but I heard of him.”
“Do you know anything that could help? Even a sprinkle or information?” Lillith's voice raised. “Did he leave anything? The delivery I have to make is most likely to this mage and the timeline matches.” Lilith was eager after hearing what the dwarf had told her. It matched perfecting, and now that she had a clue, she figured she should press the question. Find out who the mage is.
“Ay, I told you I didn’t know him.” The dwarf pulled back a bit from Lilith’s eagerness. “You’ll have to ask Bram.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Bram?” Lilith asked. “Who’s that?”
“The guard on duty who helped that human out the most.”
“Where do I find this Bram?” She asked quickly.
“He’s quite old now, well he was already old enough 20 years ago. He’s retired now, so you might find him at a pub.”
“Where does he live?” Lilith asked, quickly jumping to something more tangible that she could use.
“I can’t tell you that,” the dwarf said sternly.
“The pass is real!” the other dwarf came back, shouting at the guard Lilith was talking to. “We confirmed her rank as well,” he added while handing the pass over to the dwarf, who then gave it back to Lilith.
The dwarf gave Lilith a long look while she put away the pass. “Outside of your rank, you seem fine. It’s not like we stop people from crossing over as long as you’re not someone who would bring harm to us. Your rank checks out too, so best of luck.”
"How do I meet this Bram!?" Lilith shouted out while another guard pushed her past and towards the gate.
“Like I said, check the pubs!” The dwarf yelled back.
“Thank you!” Lilith yelled out.
“Next!” the dwarf demanded.
As Lilith entered the long-winded entrance into the mountain, the gigantic statues lined up on each side of the walls took Lilith by surprise. Each statue was a dwarf, and each dwarf held a weapon, and each weapon was different. Each had a plaque, but unfortunately for Lilith, she couldn’t read ancient dwarven. There was a fundamental difference between modern and ancient languages, and each race held their ancient language close. However, she could only assume they were dwarves who achieved the unthinkable.
There are three things which dwarves are known for: their prowess on the battlefield, their use of magic to enhance their bodies and strength, and then their skill in blacksmithing, which combines magic and metallurgy. Each statue visually displayed these things, allowing Lilith to make educated guesses on what they were best known for out of these three things, but it was impossible to know anything beyond her surface level of knowledge. Some even had crowns that also showed their lineage alongside their accomplishments.
“For being so short, they sure make their statues and doors huge,” Lilith commented as she reached another large metal door. Lilith wondered how she would enter, as it felt impossible for such a door to open, and if it did, how long would it take to even open all the way? However, as if in response to her question, Lilith's head snapped to the sound of metal hinges moving.
A smaller door… in a door, Lilith thought as she watched the door open. “Sneaky,” she said, only noticing the door after the dwarf opened it. It made her wonder, though. Why make the doors that big if they would use a smaller one to begin with? Well, she understood to an extent, but was curious how they opened and closed them to begin with.
The mountain wasn’t only a city, but a large man made open area or at least the zone where the main city resided. The view was amazing in its own right. A smooth road that Lilith had never seen before stretched all the way to the city itself, which was visible from the entrance. Fields upon fields filled with wheat and other types of food alongside animals. It looked peaceful as Lilith took her time watching the dwarves checking their crops. It was a mystery how they could produce anything in a cave, of all places, but she didn’t bother to question it.
What made her more intrigued was how bright it was.
Lilith looked up into the sky. The ceiling stretched far higher than she expected and star like dots scattered around, lighting up the world around it.
Street lights were lined up evenly on both sides of the one main road leading into the city. They seemed nearly identical to the ones in the human cities, with their own twist to them, but they did their job perfectly as they helped light up the pathway as the dots grew darker, signaling the time of day.
People quickly shuffled by with their carts filled with merchandise into the city as Lilith stepped to the side, taking her time. She soaked in the views with clusters of homes, although not enough to form a village. The layout was different, but reasonable. There were no immediate dangers, and with the city so close, there was no need to form any minor or major hubs outside of the city.
The scattered homes were bustling with dwarves who went about their days, and as it got darker, they either made their way to the city, quickly passing by Lilith, or to their homes where smoke came out of their fireplaces. Lilith picked up the pace, as she needed to get to the city and find a place to sleep for the night.
The city was deceptively large. When she first entered the mountain, it seemed small from a distance. But as she got close, it felt larger and larger. Tall, unique buildings made of a type of metal that Lilith had never seen before, with a few brick buildings scattered in between.
The checkpoint to enter the city itself was far more lenient, simply checking Lilith’s belongings and making sure everything was fine. It only took a few moments before she could enter walked around the city. There were a few humans within the crowd of dwarves and, although Lilith was short by human standards, she was still much taller than a dwarf, causing her to stick out like the others. Yet none of the dwarves cared to look. They seemed to have no issue with her or any other human.
Although dwarves' lifespans weren’t as long as elves, they were far longer than a human and even archmages. Which meant that they saw their fair share of the world and most of them, or at least Lilith assumed, lived in their old ways. However, that didn’t seem to be the case entirely. Maybe for some, but at least they were more tolerant than expected. This discovery went against the stories of old, but it lined up with the dwarves she had met while traveling. Although stubborn and talked little, they were extremely tolerable.
“Where am I now?” Lilith asked herself, while looking around. After Lilith questioned some people, mainly humans rather than dwarves, she learned the city was divided into three sections, like a pie. Warriors and schools of training filled the first district. The second district contained blacksmiths with specialized shops lining the streets, while the third district was housing, which, from what Lilith had learned, was for dwarves only alongside an enormous castle in the back. That said, a lot of dwarves lived where they worked. All three districts met in the middle, which was where Lilith was at now and no laughing matter. It was as large as any of the other three districts and filled with pubs and stores of all kinds.
“Ah, right. I need to find Bram,” Lilith mumbled with a yawn. Considering dwarves lived far longer than any regular human could, it was hard to tell just how old Bram currently was and the more she walked around, the more their age visibly blurred as their faces hid behind facial hair.
“I hope the name Bram isn’t common,” Lilith mumbled to herself once more while heading to an inn. Even though it was late enough to head to a pub, she was far too tired after the traveling, so she pushed the worry to tomorrow and sprawled onto the bed.