Dunkel leads the way with his own lantern, taking your party into the sewers below the Undercity where sometimes parties of adventurers and Ptolus workmen run into the ratmen that rule over sections of it. You have no such encounters, however, and arrive in a branch of caverns that has been exposed through one of the side walls of the sewers. Often, caverns such as these lead to underground dwarven towns, or long forgotten crypts and dwellings of things best left undisturbed.
This particular cavern leads to a sealed door, with no apparent lock, and you can see that many past adventurers have tried unsuccessfully to get past. There are chisel marks around the door, but the surrounding rock looks as if it was too tough. There are carvings here also, such as 'Thundarr loves Ariel'. The Thundar is marked off with chalk, and someone wrote 'Ookla' in badly written letters above. Another chalk marking shows an outline of a man peering over a flat surface with the words 'Kilroy Was Here'.
Dunkel simply walks up to the door and begins to sing a song in dwarven. It is a pleasant song, and the musically inclined in your group turn to ask him where the dwarf learned it, when the metal door glows with a strange magic, and moves sideways to allow you to step into a small room with a floor that glows with a yellow circular, light. The dwarf smiles and waves to you, "You boys go on in now and save the princess like nice lads. Don't worry, this door will open for you from the inside when you come on back through. I'm sticking around here where it's a little bit safer."
You say your goodbyes and step through, the yellow light glowing brighter until it swallows your group entirely and blinds you. You feel lighter for an instant, and the glow dims until you can see once more. You step off the portal and look around. Behind you, about a quarter mile away, is a sleepy town with smoke billowing softly from chimneys. Of course, the barricades around the town and armored people at them take away from the scenery a bit. In front of you, a half mile away, you can see what was once a beautiful palace.
Part of the palace's left side has been destroyed and some blocks and rubble cover the mountain side it sits upon. You also see that the almost all of the castle and many parts of the surrounding land glows a soft red. All plant life, except for some strange looking thorn bushes and white roses have withered wherever the red light radiates.
You see a thin path untouched by the red glow that you may be able to use as a trail to reach the front entrance.
