Hall of Infinite Doors
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" you insist, digging your heels into the ground to resist Beonard's hurried attempt to literally push you out the door. You may be four feet tall and on the scrawny side even for a goblin, but the old man's pushing a hundred and you finally get him to a standstill.
"Master, what in the world has gotten into you? Why's this message so important? What's going on?"
"Oh, very well," Beonard sighs, seeing that you're determined. "This IS rather unusual, so I suppose an explanation is in order."
With the aid of his cane he walks back toward the great brass viewing machine, adjusting it to your eye level and then gesturing for you to come over.
Eagerly you do so - though you've often been curious about Beonard's pride and joy, you've never dared actually attempt to use it. Peering through the view lens at his instruction, you gasp as a dark expanse filled with bright points of light suddenly comes into focus.
Though you've been to the overworld and seen its eerie endless ceiling many times before--you just returned from the marsh at the outskirts of the Muddy Flat, in fact--it is deeply unsettling to see it so vivid and close here in the safety of the Beonard's courtyard. True, the stars in the ceiling are not so disturbing as the great fiery ball that sometimes smolders there, but still...
You step back with a shiver. "No, no, look again." Beonard insists, and you reluctantly comply. "Scarcely two hours ago, I studied the stars as you do now. Then, the unthinkable happened - behold, one of them fell from the sky! Perhaps you can see the empty spot? No?"
The old man continues, "I tracked its descent, like so..." Here he does something to the machine, and you're afflicted with the dizzying sight of the sky MOVING, before the great brooding silhouette of the familiar Darkwall mountains blots it out. "The star sent up a great wave of white light when it landed...there, just on the other side of the mountain in the center, the tallest one."
"The Kingspike," you say, vaguely recalling its name from some overheard conversation in the marketplace.
"Yes, the Kingspike, that's right. That star..." Beonard's voice is hushed, an expression of awe on his face, "There is so much power in the stars. Do you have any idea what this could mean? ...no, I suppose you don't."
He pauses a moment, stroking his long beard. "The stars. With just a sprinkling of dust from the tail of one, the Dreadqueen Dronaecia gave life to the Silver Dragon that razed the Old Kingdom with its unquenchable fire. When the dragon swallowed even her, she hatched again from its egg with the power of the stars inside her. All that came from a pinch of DUST!" Beonard's voice trembles as it rises. "Imagine what the Underkingdom could do with an ENTIRE star! No more hiding here in the caves, cowering in our holes like rats while the overworld is ravaged!" He flings an arm out, gesturing violently at the ceiling. "We could raise our OWN unstoppable forces, overthrow the Dreadqueen and take back what is rightfully ours! We could--"
He suddenly stops his uncharacteristic tirade, wincing, and clutches at his chest. "I--I need to sit down."
"Master, what in the world has gotten into you? Why's this message so important? What's going on?"
"Oh, very well," Beonard sighs, seeing that you're determined. "This IS rather unusual, so I suppose an explanation is in order."
With the aid of his cane he walks back toward the great brass viewing machine, adjusting it to your eye level and then gesturing for you to come over.
Eagerly you do so - though you've often been curious about Beonard's pride and joy, you've never dared actually attempt to use it. Peering through the view lens at his instruction, you gasp as a dark expanse filled with bright points of light suddenly comes into focus.
Though you've been to the overworld and seen its eerie endless ceiling many times before--you just returned from the marsh at the outskirts of the Muddy Flat, in fact--it is deeply unsettling to see it so vivid and close here in the safety of the Beonard's courtyard. True, the stars in the ceiling are not so disturbing as the great fiery ball that sometimes smolders there, but still...
You step back with a shiver. "No, no, look again." Beonard insists, and you reluctantly comply. "Scarcely two hours ago, I studied the stars as you do now. Then, the unthinkable happened - behold, one of them fell from the sky! Perhaps you can see the empty spot? No?"
The old man continues, "I tracked its descent, like so..." Here he does something to the machine, and you're afflicted with the dizzying sight of the sky MOVING, before the great brooding silhouette of the familiar Darkwall mountains blots it out. "The star sent up a great wave of white light when it landed...there, just on the other side of the mountain in the center, the tallest one."
"The Kingspike," you say, vaguely recalling its name from some overheard conversation in the marketplace.
"Yes, the Kingspike, that's right. That star..." Beonard's voice is hushed, an expression of awe on his face, "There is so much power in the stars. Do you have any idea what this could mean? ...no, I suppose you don't."
He pauses a moment, stroking his long beard. "The stars. With just a sprinkling of dust from the tail of one, the Dreadqueen Dronaecia gave life to the Silver Dragon that razed the Old Kingdom with its unquenchable fire. When the dragon swallowed even her, she hatched again from its egg with the power of the stars inside her. All that came from a pinch of DUST!" Beonard's voice trembles as it rises. "Imagine what the Underkingdom could do with an ENTIRE star! No more hiding here in the caves, cowering in our holes like rats while the overworld is ravaged!" He flings an arm out, gesturing violently at the ceiling. "We could raise our OWN unstoppable forces, overthrow the Dreadqueen and take back what is rightfully ours! We could--"
He suddenly stops his uncharacteristic tirade, wincing, and clutches at his chest. "I--I need to sit down."