The following morning they were led by lieutenant Sebas to the wide opening of a cave leading into the mountain. They had an escort of five soldiers at his insistence, and the merchants and workers making their way in and out of the cave gave them a wide berth. They walked nearly a hundred yards into the cave, where small stones that glowed with soft light kept their path illuminated, and reached a large wooden platform at the end with a half dozen broad dwarven men standing at a crank. There were a few dozen carts, men, women, and dwarves waiting to board the platform, but it was completely cleared.Sebas said a few quick words to the platform operators and they stepped on. None of the merchants or other travelers seemed to be allowed to board it with them.“Let them on,” said Gabriel simply, gesturing to the men manning the crank.They exchanged a glance with Sebas who nodded at them.The carts and others moved onto the platform with them, and once it was filled the dwarves at the crank began moving and the platform began a long slide down a gentle slope. It was an inclined elevator, and he could see a number of weights and counterweights being activated as they slowly made their way deeper into the caves. It was a tight squeeze in a confined space, but it wasn’t too uncomfortable. The cave gave them a break from the chill wind that was in the air. Ollie was struggling a bit with his proportions, but his hat got hit more than his head did.The ceiling of the elevator was lit with the same glowing stones as the entrance to the cave and Michael’s eyes adjusted quickly. The walls of the cavern they travelled down weren’t smooth except where they needed to be. It was all natural formation wherever it could be with no carving or changes made for purely aesthetic reasons. He found it quite beautiful.When they began to reach the bottom, the narrow tunnel they were being lowered down opened up into a large open cavern. He had been (...)