Chapter 3 - The Mapmaker
You can finally see it! As you make your way over the green rolling landscapes, over one hill after the other, the house that you have wandered for days to reach is now in sight. Bigger than you imagined, it stands alone on top of a hill with a flag hanging from its porch. With the power of your ancient staff, and with newfound hope in your mind, you start your final ascent towards your next stop -
The Mapmaker
As you come closer towards the house, your hope quickly starts to diminish as the house that you first thought to be a safe haven is starting to look more and more abandoned. You can now see cracks in its windows, and the whole wooden structure looks rotten, feeling like its ready to fall down on itself any second. You hesitantly walk up to the front door, hanging askew in its frame, and slowly pull its handle...
With a creek, the door slowly opens towards you. You pause for a second, before stepping inside its frame. Your eyes scan around the house interior and…
...you’re filled with horror as your eyes meet the eyes of your biggest nightmare
A salesman!!!
“Hello and welcome to the mapmakers gift shop! What can I help you with today?”
He says with a smile and with his eyes firmly locked on yours through his big round glasses. He must’ve seen the last sliver of happiness being drained from your body, as his piercing gaze finally leave your eyes and slowly starts to wanders towards your staff.
“Oh right, you’re the shepherd we have been waiting for! An extra welcome once again! I know you must be eager to meet the mapmaker, but first I urge you to take a look around my famous gift shop - I know it’s not much, but it means the world to me. Take your time; we’re open all summer!”
You glance towards the stairs behind the register, leading down to the cellar. Above the stairs hangs a sign just like the one outside - depicting a map. So close, yet so far away. You give out a loud sigh - no matter how far you travel, some things you just can not escape...
Keep scrolling to continue down the stairs…
Just a few steps down the stairs, you feel like your ears will fall off. Your newfound friend excitedly keeps on talking, like he’s had no visitors for several years. Now that you think about it, that might be the case...
You keep following the torchlit stairway down towards the basement, and approximately 50 steps down, they end. In front of you is now a massive door, twice the height of both you and the salesman combined. While you wait a few feet away, the salesman walks up and opens the door. You step in side by side into the massive room that is now revealed. Looking up, floating orbs of light illuminate the floor and walls around you, and you look with wonder at the massive room, fully covered with paper, maps and scrolls in all sizes and shapes.
Welcome to my workshop
You turn around with a confused look - still, it’s just the salesman standing there.
What, you didn’t recognize who I was?
He gives out a laugh, and leads you across the room towards a big wooden table, seemingly made out of a single log. It is completely cleaned from any items, apart from a huge white paper in the middle. Looking closer at the paper, you can see faint sketches of the city, but the lines have yet to be filled in.
I have waited for you to arrive before I begin my task of guiding you on your journey towards the king. I need you, and the powers in your staff, to guide my making. I have years, and years, and years of maps depictioning the inside of the city - but now it’s time to bring it all together. I have your route at hand - but we need a week to finish it all.
He hands you a handwritten note, showing a rough outline of the journey you need to take inside the city, and the route that will take you to the king:
One: The Blacksmith
Two: The Cellars
Three: The Throne Room
So, what are you waiting for? Lets begin!
