Among the many things Ursay has stashed away in her underground lair is a small cart. The guardian hauls the cart up the passageway until you reach the ladder leading up to the storeroom in the cottage. It takes several trips to bring everything back to the ship, but with the help of the guardian the work isn’t too difficult. Eventually the ship is loaded and the work is done. “Your companion, the guardian, I told you he is a living thing yes? The two of you have something in common. You are both one of a kind. Your father has preserved the secret of their creation. Long ago there was an entire race of warforged. They were originally made to serve their masters as soldiers. Eventually they became sentient and fought for their own freedom. There are none left now, but your grandfather created your the guardian to protect you and perhaps to be your friend. It would do you both well if he had a name. Think on it.”

“Now is the time for action. I will take care of the entrance. You should venture out into the vale and see what you can discover. It is likely that the Dragon men will force the villagers to continue working their farms. The flying cities need to get food and supplies. This valley will be a prize for them. It has a ready supply of wood, water and game. They will mine the mountains for ore and exploit any resources they can find here…starting with the people.”

The cloud layer is still there. Before you go, Ursay reassures you that the clouds themselves are safe. The stories about the clouds are just superstitions, though the first stories were started by Sterran hundreds of years ago. Over time they have grown into quite frightening tales.

She tells you that the mountain peaks are much higher into the cloud layer. It is difficult to see and easy to get lost. There is life above the clouds, but it’s sparse and there may be dangerous things living in the high places in the mountains. She and Sterran have been active in keeping the valley safe and hidden…until now that is.

Ursay directs you to another passage that leads up and out of the cavern. This passage leads in a northerly direction. She tells you that it emerges high up on a mountain peak above the clouds. Once you exit you will find a marked path leading down to a place just below the clouds where she and Sterran often surveyed the valley. In daylight you will be able to survey much of the land from that vantage point. She also tells you that the top of the mountain extends above the clouds. If you so choose, it might be the right time to climb the peak and see what lies above. She suggests that you make the climb at night. There is no cover on the mountain peak.

The journey up the passage is long and uneventful. You eventually come to a cavern that opens to the outside. The air outside is much colder than what you are used to on the valley floor. Exiting the cave you find a small pile of stones that Ursay told you would mark the trail. You can see a way to continue upwards if you choose. It is dark when you emerge. Since it’s night you decide to brave the climb. It’s over an hour to the peak. As you climb higher you can tell the cloud layer is thinning. It still remains impossible to see beyond the clouds, but there is a definite brightening. There is a whitish light emanating from somewhere above. Suddenly the clouds part before you and you find yourself on the summit. The view is staggering. All your life, the sky has been a thick layer of clouds…limiting your sense of the space around you. Your senses reel as you try to take in the sheer scale of the space that has opened up above you. For a moment, you cling to the guardian as if he can keep you from flying off into vast open sky. Looking to the west, over the valley:

Looking east beyond the mountains:

Above