Dhokaz stepped away to speak to the gate guardians, leaving Lindley to stare in wonder as they proceeded through each of the nine archaic doors, for that’s what they appeared to be in Lindley's eyes. Gates that could be guarding a mammoth’s lair or a dragon’s hoard.

"Living gods!" Lindley whispered to himself. He was completely dumbfounded as he walked behind the scavens like a silent shadow.

They passed through the Iridium door, leaving the dozens of Gate Guardians behind and passing into a wider cavern, where the ceiling soared high above their heads. Being suddenly in the open space, Lindley felt as if some of the pressing weight lifted from him. It was impossible for him to feel too much trepidation with the city of Kulgagar spread out before him.

The light-orbs gave way to glowing, silvery-blue lichen that covered the ceiling, spidering in and out of cracks in the stone and hanging down in clumps throughout the cavern. Once Lindley’s eyes adjusted to the silvery radiance, he found it easier to see around him.

The light revealed a broad avenue of carved stone flanked by towering statues of scavens, their shadows thrown far across the cavern floor. Massive staircases led to buildings carved out of the stone—homes, stalls, shops, temples and other buildings—while passing through them to the centermost cavern was a great river. Stone bridges arched over the flowing water. Green and blue glowplants and other underground shrubs grew on the banks and at the bases of creaking waterwheels scattered throughout the cavern.

“The Iggord River,” Gargdor said, pointing. “It splits at the temple to Varagh at the heart of the cavern. Facing the temple across the plaza is our king’s great hall. My daughter Dhokaz will take you there. Ogvigh, come with me. Igrehl—”

“Soon, father. I want to see Erdaz first and then come to you.” she said respectfully but firmly. Gargdor nodded, and Igrehl moved off down the alley.

“My sister is getting married soon, humanling.” Dhokaz said when the rest of her family had gone. She led them along the avenue under the watchful, frozen gazes of the statues. “Since the attacks of the wereworm, the spiders and drows began, she hasn’t had time to properly see to the preparations.”

“Is Erdaz her betrothed?” Lindley asked slowly. He had no idea how the matter of marriage worked among the Lowerment scavens. He had to thread carefully if he didn't want to lose his head. After all, he was just a boy with little experience in the world. Thinking the eyes of the scaven were upon him, Lindley coughed and glanced at her sidelong, but he saw that she was staring at the space before her. “It must be hard being separated from one's beloved at a time like this.”

“Hahahaha.” Unexpectedly, Dhokaz laughed. “From Erdaz? Her beloved? Oh my, I’ll have to tell her that one. I'll certainly do that.” Her shoulders shook with a sudden burst of laughter. “Forgive me, I should've explain further. Erdaz … Erdaz is a battleaxe.”

“A battleaxe?” Lindley cried. “But..."

"Her look? Yes, well, that’s not really surprising,” Dhokaz said, still fighting to contain her smile. “Igrehl is a blacksmith—the best in our family—and she takes her work very seriously. She has the gift of forging-hand. Her weapons are naturally sharp. Erdaz is the name of the war axe she has forged as a gift for her husband on their wedding day. Adzudh—that’s her betrothed—is also a smith, but a different kind. A soulsmith, and he's very gifted in forging magical items. He’s also preparing a soft armour for her, which she will wear at the wedding. They’ve not been seeing each other for a while, preparing the gifts.”

“A While?” Lindley couldn’t imagine it, separated from one she cared about for all that time. “It must be terribly lonely work.”

“Oh no,” Dhokaz said. They had reached the river and had to climb a staircase wide enough for ten scavens to walk at the same time to get to a stone bridge. Pillars lined the bridge, chips of brilliant white crystal embedded in their dark stone. The sadness that came into her voice distracted Lindley from the grandeur of the cavernous city as she added. “Igrehl is as closely connected to her smithcraft as she is to her family. Her thoughts are with Adzudh while she works the forge, you can be sure of that. She’ll want him to have the greatest weapon her hands can shape, especially now.”

Feeling the sadness in Dhokaz's voice, Lindley inhaled deeply and let out the breath. "You’re sealing off all the major paths to the city, there are giant carrion spiders infesting the tunnels, and the drows are practically launching their attacks on Kulgagar’s doorstep. What is happening? What are you preparing for?”

"Invasion." Dhokaz stopped in the middle of the bridge, gazing out over the city, her face cast in silver-blue light and in shadows, and said calmly. “The drows of Elgard are coming at last to finish what they started centuries ago in the Night Wars. They’re coming to take over Kulgagar.”

Lindley stood in the open market area, glancing between the temple to Varagh and the king’s palace. Carved out of a protrusion of rock, half the temple remained in its natural state, while the other half had been shaped into a columned facade. The building looked as if an inexperienced sculptor had merely discovered the temple in the shape of the stone and decided to just touch it lightly, rather than an architect had built the place.

He was surprised to see the market area empty, though there was evidence of a trade market. Disassembled stalls and some wagons scattered across the open areas, but no one was around to tend them. An eerie quiet had taken over the marketplace.

They had encountered a similarly oppressive silence on their way here. Buildings were empty, their windows dark. Portions of the city must have been evacuated in anticipation of the drow threatening attacks, Lindley concluded. The city truly was preparing for war.

Why did he had to come here at a time like this? What cruel hand was fate trying to deal him? He had no war experience, he was only a learner in swordmanship, he was trying to find his way out of the deep tunnels when he encountered the scaven hunters, bringing him to this place. And now, he was caught in a death war. Wasn't he walking in the shadows of death?

Dhokaz escorted him across the market place to King Baragh Athaebaggar audience chamber. Another columned entrance greeted them, but this time the four pillars were statues of mighty scavens. Lindley guessed by their dress and the jewels embedded in their stone armor that these were the previous kings of the striped scaven kingdom.