The Long Dark Chapter 1
Nonorlim walked a small and poorly marked path through a dim forest. Through the trees, he noticed he was approaching the crest of a hill. Coming into view, he could see a large and distant plain extending to the horizon dominated by the setting sun. His kin, the dwarven race, were not bereft of boastful tales of adventures in distant lands. Indeed his brothers had earned reputations amongst their people as exceptional warriors, extending the borders of their kingdom. However as Nonorlim looked out across the plains, he was struck by the beauty of the landscape.
Nonorlim's feet were heavy and had become sore from four days of travel through the wilderness. Despite the objections of his family, who had served in the king's army for generations and achieved high standing among the people, he had offered his services to a company of dwarves on a private enterprise. He had trekked out to the frontier lands of the Dwarven kingdom to join this group at fort Nosdrum. Together they were to conduct a survey of precious minerals issuing from the foot rivers of the 'Wild Mountains'. This was the frontier. Beyond this point, Dwarven feet had seldom trod and rarely to their benefit. These lands were renowned for the mysterious and dangerous powers, peoples and creatures. Whilst Nonorlim could appreciate the beauty of this land, he could not deny that he was scared of what may await. Indeed he had reluctantly agreed to travel unaccompanied to Nosdrum and was looking forward to re-joining his kin. However he would have to wait until the dawn as night was now upon him and he daren't continue through the dark lest he risk losing the poorly marked path.
The following day he made haste. A red sun had risen, filling the land with intense heat. Soon enough he was walking through the empty plains, no trees standing to provide shade in the sun. At midday, he finally glimpsed the settlement in the distance. He picked up his pace. He could tell that settlement would not be to his liking, as a dwarf, he was at home in the mountain halls of his people, rarely did they venture outside, let alone live above aground. Even walking across this plain made him feel exposed.
As he got closer, he began to realise that not all was right. The buildings appeared broken and the palisade were collapsed. The settlement was in a poor condition indeed. Nonorlim cautiously approached, listening for any signs of activity however the fort was deserted. A great sadness filled his heart as he realised that he was alone and likely to meet the same fate as the forts previous occupants. It occurred to him now that he had two options, abandon his post like a coward and be further shunned by his family as weak, or to remain and investigate the fate of his comrades at his own peril.
Nonorlim began to search for clues of the dwarfs' whereabouts. Plentiful supplies remained intact in the dilapidated houses including malt beer, salted pork and smoking weed. These helped lift his spirits. All the tools needed for prospecting remained tied up in one corner unused. Nonorlim concluded that the dwarfs must have been taken or killed. It was no use to return as a coward and so rather he determined not to abandon his comrades to torment and death. Instead he would wait tonight for the attacker to return and ambush them. Unfortunately however, whilst Nonorlim's intentions were noble, his partiality to a hearty drink of beer to calm his nerves left him prone to sleep. Soon enough he was unconscious, snoring loudly through his nasal.
In his dreams he saw his parents approaching him. With a look of disdain they turned and walked to embrace his other brothers. With resentment filling his heart like a molten iron in a forge, he reached his fist towards his axe. The muscly and military physique's of his brothers contorted in laughter as they noticed Nonorlim walking towards them. He raised his axe in rage and suddenly their faces were terrified. A whistle of arrows sped past his head narrowly avoiding his own body. He watched as his family fell wounded and screaming. Before he could turn, the bodies and screams began to fade and the next moment he was awake.
Or at least he thought so. Utter darkness had descended. He could not see his hands in front of his face. Moreover the night had become inexplicably cold after the heat of the day. His head was throbbing badly and he raised his hand to his wound. His hair was sticky with blood increasing his sense of panic. Stretching out his hand around him he could not find the walls of the hut. He dropped his hands to the ground and was surprised at the hard rock surface that he felt. This was not the flat dirt floor of the settlement. In distress, he called out into the darkness 'Hello, is anybody there'.
To his surprise a weary voice called back in astonishment, 'Nonorlim? is.. is that you?'. The voice spoke in the Dwarven tongue and was evidently pleased . Nonorlim called back and asked 'that's right and who are you'. In conversation it appeared that this man was none other than the leader of their expedition Ralin son of Runbar. This was the man who had planned this abysmal scheme. Nonetheless he was a reassuring presence.
Ralin recounted the fate of the mission. The company of dwarfs consisted of some 6 highly educated prospectors as well as 3 security staff.
'The team was in high spirits when it set up Nosdrum 6 moths ago. Very quickly the team began reporting the mineral contents of the foot rivers of the wild mountains. The results were mainly disappointing with some limited findings of gold and silver. Nothing that would generate significant profit margins. However a couple of months ago our luck changed. To the North of the wild mountains is a black craggy peak named wounded mountain. Off this mountain proceeds the river Shard, a relatively small stream that disappears underground. One day the dwarfs tasked with prospecting that river never returned to Nosdrum. So in the night we all set off heavily armed to find them… however it was too late. We found them not far from the river Shard both dead with knife wounds that they had seemingly inflicted on each other. We sought to ascertain the cause of this infighting and realised that the mineral content of the Shard had not been recorded'.
'So after bringing the bodies back to camp we decided to return collectively to the waters to complete their measurements. What we found , well, I struggle to believe. It made everyone crazy … such precious… more than a royal ransom.. but'.
Ralin had been giving a methodical account but now his voice seemed changed. Nonorlim was intrigued by the possibility of riches to be found in the mountain. Surely if he returned rich, he could prove his quality to those who doubted him. However before Ralin could continue and explain how he became captured, a light had been lit in the darkness. It was clear now that they were in locked cells with doors onto a shared corridor. Someone was approaching as a light grew stronger and footsteps echoed lightly through the dark chasm. All thought of riches drained from Nonorlim as he returned to anticipating an oncoming danger. Indeed to achieve glory, he must first survive and escape this long dark
By Joseph Walsh