"Maha Kam, home of the dwarves. Carbon Mountain, a wondrous fortress in the depths of a valley.
Sunlight lit its domes, clouds and snow brushed its windows, steel and flame forged its impregnable walls, and mead and pine resin flowed through the air."
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"Why are we so damn unlucky? We were waiting for the beast-controlling killer, but instead we got a whole squad of fully armed dwarf guards."
Roy and Letho had barely gotten far from the dwarf outpost before the ever-present dwarves caught up with them.
This time, they faced a crowd of crossbowmen. The sheer numbers left them no chance to resist, and Seville Hogg's letter had done no good. Or rather, it had made things worse.
Roy could only sigh as he followed the dwarves into the unknown depths of the forest for more than two hours. As they walked, the temperature dropped rapidly. Frost and snow clung to the branches, and the pines were cloaked in silver.
Then a valley surrounded by mountains appeared before them. People moved to and fro across a vast open space, and beyond the square, in the heart of the valley, stood the destination of their journey—Carbon Mountain.
"Master Witchers, allow me to formally introduce the sight before you. This is the capital of Mahakam, the dwarven stronghold, the refuge of the Elder Races: Carbon Mountain."
Standing before the colossal, magnificent structure, Roy was shaken to his core and could hardly compose himself.
Carbon Mountain was embedded deep in the valley's rocky walls. It consisted of a cauldron-shaped central fortress, sixteen smaller subsidiary forts, and countless towers. The main structure was gray-white, but its concrete frame was sheathed in black steel over a hundred feet high. It had a rugged, impregnable air.
From afar, it looked like a beast lurking