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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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83
 Carefully you make your way towards the dark entranceway. Upon its threshold you hesitate for a moment, the huge Warrior-King statues at either side looking down upon you with grim determination as you peer into the gloom. At your back the suns are still bright in the sky and a brisk wind blows from the north-east. Above the sounds of the forest you can hear nothing from inside but there is a strange resonance that flows from the shadows, a feeling of power that gives you reason to pause, but only for a moment.
Quickly you move forward, your senses alert to any hint of danger. Around you the Imperial Entrance is a tall arching frame to the clear light of day, but that light is quickly and effectively consumed by the darkness that waits ahead. From your limited knowledge of the fortress you know that the entrance opens into the King's Hall, a large ceremonial chamber, however as you stand at its end you realise that nothing you have ever heard has done justice to what confronts you.
As you try and make sense of the vast space that extends into the darkness you realise the difficulty of what lies ahead. The King's Hall is huge on a scale that defies your understanding, and for a short time you can do little but simply stare into its recesses. Quickly you recognise that the Hall is not one vast chamber but three; a long central avenue bordered on either side by smaller halls, separated by a series of vaulted arches that disappear into the gloom. Each of the arches reaches from the floor as a tree might in the oldest of forests, great branches of stone spreading out high overhead to meet with its neighbour in a wide vault that is almost lost to your sight in the shadows. Between each of the great pillars you can see the remains of intricately carved stone lattices, and against the far walls of the lesser chambers languish the shattered remains of huge stained glass mosaics, now broken by a century of neglect and fierce mistreatment. Within the gloom you can also see doors and arched exits, but most appear blocked, deliberately collapsed by the Hordim for some purpose unknown to you.
In this great space you stand and listen. There is no sound, however there is something moving in the stone and you can sense it keenly. It was for good reason that you were chosen as a novice of the Temple when you were younger. More than most Dwarvendim you have always had the ability to feel the proximity of EarthMagic, and within the King's Hall it is a distant but palpable pulse, one that reverberates through the stone as a heartbeat might in a living thing. Where the source is remains beyond your knowledge, but you know that where the focus of this power resides will be where you will also find the Tellandra.
As you walk carefully into the shadows you realise that finding the Deep Vault is going to be a daunting task. The King's Hall is vast and within its reaches your footsteps ring out on the smooth stone, echoing down into the great silent space as you move forward. Broken furniture and smashed stonework litter the once polished floor, large drifts of dust and filth make your progress forward slow and not a little frustrating. About 80 metres into the chamber, just as the darkness of the interior becomes almost total, you discover a pile of discarded lanterns and half burnt torches lying against one of the huge pillars. Looking through them you find one lantern half full of oil. You estimate that it holds enough liquid for about one hour of use.
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Will you pick up the lantern and continue? If so, turn to section 71. If you do not wish to pick up the lantern turn to section 18.
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This book, and its associated books and other documents in the Chronicles of Arborell series are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Windhammer is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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