After nearly twelve hours of waiting, resting, and recovering from the difficult road here, the doors to the waiting area open and the bespectacled dwarven aide appears. You are led from the antechamber through a portcullis and into a landing. The landing is an irregularly shaped room with a domed ceiling. The wall opposite the portcullis is extremely tall and rounded at its edge. A steep and grand staircase leads from the landing to whatever sits at the top of the wall. The aide ascends the stairs, motioning for you to follow him.
The aide leads you under an open portcullis into an antechamber and up the steep stairs, you see a hint of a huge dome above and ahead of you, over what can only be the audience room. A guard in armor (same style as the guard you met at the door) emblazoned with the symbol of Cihuacoatl (Juna) escorts the aide and your party up the stairs, then steps behind you to stand guard.
After ascending the stairs, you stand in a wide oval-shaped throne room shielded by a great dome of stained glass. The chamber perches atop the palace like a hawk’s aerie—between the pillars that hold up the dome, you can see the tall buildings and cave networks of the city.
Eight staircases—each warded by a guard in armor—lead down from the platformlike chamber, which is flanked by thick pillars. Long tapestries depicting scenes sacred to Cihuacoatl hang between the pillars from the edge of the dome, and they flap gently in the breeze.
A raised throne of gold-gilded adamantite and burgundy velvet stands at the center of the room, and upon which who can only be their leader, k’ul ahau Nuun Yax Ain, sits. He sits upright but not stiffly, with the bearing of a great ruler.Lines of worry trace his eyes—perhaps he has slept little these last nights. Several attendants stand nearby, their faces obviously anxious.
[sblock=k’ul ahau Nuun Yax Ain]
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The aide looks at you and says,
"Please kneel before k’ul ahau Nuun Yax Ain"
After a few moments (whether you kneel or not), the dwarf stands up from the throne
"Stand up, yer welcome in our home and don't need ta be standing on ceremony. So I hear you've heard from 7 Rabbit, that's good. We couldn't stop him from leaving to chase his brother, despite the dangers. Now, though, to the matter at hand. What brings you to our doorstep?" the dwarven leader asks.
