Baile-na-Muir
“Well, time to go” thought Doran. Taking one last look at his small room in the apprentice’s quarters, he hoisted his pack and set out. Down the long hallway he went, past the roaring smelting furnaces until he reached the main thoroughfare. he heard the sound of miner’s picks from his left. He was glad he hadn’t been picked for the quarry after failing his apprenticeship. His eyes panned right, taking in the low ceilings and simple hewn walls of the Stonecrafter's Tier. His heels followed his eyes and he headed for the grand stairs that led up and out of Baile-na-Muir.
As he climbed the stairs he wondered if he was making the right choice. Perhaps he could apprentice here among the farmers of the Garden Tier. The main promenade was lined with Hrothi homes, but he knew the farming caverns were just beyond them. Even though the lanky topsiders grew some of the food for the settlement, most of it was grown down here. After all, the elders spoke of lessons learned years ago when the sun vanished and surface crops failed. "Better to stick to the plan" he thought and crossed to the next flight of stairs leading up.
As he reached the next tier he looked down the length of the promenade of the Hrothi living quarter. Though he had passed through only few times before, he had forgotten how much brighter this space was. They even made an effort to line the street with lanterns, though he suspected it was merely to draw attention to the splendour of their homes since no one actually needed all this light to see. To think, if he had succeeded at his training he might have one day lived here. It was best to keep such daydreams from his mind. He quietly crossed to the next flight and ascended.
As he reached the top of these stairs, Doran looked around the commerce district. Here the ceilings were raised and the street was widened. Though some shops and taverns along the concourse were Hrothi sized, several others were enlarged to accommodate Brudvir and Neran visitors who came down from the surface level of the settlement. Of course Baile-na-Muir was all one town, but there was still a clear distinction between surface and the Delve.
Suddenly a cacophony of jovial laughter and terrible singing rang out as the door to Maggie’s Meads burst open, spilling some patrons into the street. Doran was sorely tempted to head inside and find solace in a cup and a warm fire, but he stayed his course, turning instead to face his final climb. Though he had been to the commerce district a few times in his life, he had never ventured to the surface before. Before him a long ramp gradually sloped upward with stairs climbing on either side. Carts of various goods were being hauled in and out from the surface beyond.
Steeling himself Doran made the climb. As he reached the top he found himself in the guardhouse that secured the Delve’s entrance. Sunlight streamed through the long slit windows and wide doorway ahead, glinting off the bars of the raised portcullis. Taking some time to let his eyes adjust, Doran stepped out into the sunshine. There were many tall buildings that seemed to twine around in rows, though with no stone to hold them in place, Doran couldn’t really tell. For a single moment he wanted to run back inside. Then he saw it, gleaming like cordierite. Past the meandering shops and homes, past the fields with livestock, past the warehouses lined with barrels, was the Sea.
He had never seen so much water. It was incredible. In that moment he knew he had made the right choice. He could have sought to apprentice with another trade. He could have come topside and found work among the farms or shops of the Nerans. He might have found a place for himself with a Brudvir hunting party. He could have joined the guard or fought in the arena. But as soon as he saw the sun playing on the waves of that endless sea, he knew that becoming a sailor was his real destiny. Silently he said a prayer to the Virtues, and headed for the docks.
