Deep underneath the tall
Mount Golog dives a thriving metropolis. The settlement's entrances are plagued by high snow and sometimes by the frightening
balewind from the frequent tempests further up the slopes and east. These lead the trading to be done primarily during the usually reasonable late spring, summer and early autumn. Summer here is grand, hitting warm temperatures in the day and dropping cool at night. Many guards patrol the paths and protect the passes.
Inside, the main entrance hall boasts tall statues to leaders past. Many famous generals or clansmen from myth and lore, or modern champions, reside forever in the hall, welcoming travelers and citizens alike. These marble statues rest atop beautiful pillars of granite. Often they have golden motifs of their favorite or most recognizable items or features. Crowns, axes, branches, staffs, reins, picks, all are perfectly accentuated. Behind are troughs of lava that illuminate the area with bright light. These are covered in harsh grates so that one cannot accidentally fall into it, and they are back far enough to keep people from wandering in.
Beyond the entrance are the great doors. These majestic, metal doors wear several thousand tons. They are several feet thick of solid metal, mostly lead, and fitted upon
mithril hinges. Operating them takes several dozen dwarves, and shutting them is final. These
Gologian dwarves are used to this sort of labor and can open or shut the door in a manner of minutes. It is secured by several bars on the inside to brace it.
Past the door opens the city. The city is layered into several terraces. There are mezzanines between for personal or simple use, but the main thoroughfares are on the wide terraces. The first terrace hangs above the rest of the city. Merchants reside here, being so close to the entrance. The frequent shops and their stalls dot the way. Many buildings are built on the terraces, but most houses are built into the walls. Indeed, the upper 200 feet of the 300 foot roof are primarily for the wealthy, aristocratic, or rulers. Indeed, the king of the Deep Golog resides in his palace carved furthest up in the wall. It boasts a hanging terrace to overlook the entire city, from first terrace to the mines.
The first terrace drops 60 feet to the second terrace. While the first terrace juts out in a point, the second terrace widens with the first terrace's foot leaving about 100 feet to the edge of the second terrace. This level holds the majority of lesser merchants and families. There are some shops, but it mostly for living, not business. It also houses the guards on the east wing. The great stair is a wide and long staircase craved into the stone and used predominantly by the guards who patrol. Various smaller stairs on the central and west wing lead down from the first level.
The third terrace is the longest and widest, being the last "civilized" area before the mines. Here the lowlifes and harsh workers labor and live. Many a bar serves grog made from runoff water from the upper terraces. Those who live here don't find it repulsive, however, the ones from further up do. The dwarves here are happy to work as long as their beer tokens are handed after every shift. Ambition does drive them and many go further up, but a good majority are content living at the bottom. Well, almost bottom.
At the furthest depths are the mines and war camps. Here, the living is roughest with frequent raids from creatures privy to the underdark and its many adversaries. The mines dug into a tunnel left by some unknown thing and that tunnel led to the underdark. The mines here are full aplenty with gems and metals. Of course, stone is the big cause to mine since it's used to build many things and exported to paying customers. The war camps house the only standing military in Deep Golog, but even they are so far down in the city none really pay attention to them. It's just as well with them as they cannot devote the time to do much other than train and fight.
Deep Sentinels they are aptly named.
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