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Stairway to Nowhere

"His story tells of a flight of steps hanging over the void, which leads to a maze. He will not speak of what can be found beyond the stairs and becomes edgy when questioned about it."

A flight of steps somewhere beneath Cadwallon, hanging over the void, leading to the Labyrinth. A myth told among the Dark-ones of Acheron; a fragment of testimony from a dwarf who fell through time; one of the few named thresholds into the maze that seals Desire's prison. To find it is to find a door into the place beyond time — which is exactly why almost no one who finds it comes back to give directions.

The Myth

Among the Dark-ones of Acheron, there is a legend: somewhere under Cadwallon, a stairway leads to another Realm. A flight of steps hanging over nothing, climbing or descending into a maze. The Acheronians — who understand Darkness and old things — speak of it as real, and as located "beyond time."

The Witness: Yelmor

The strongest evidence is the testimony of Yelmor, a dwarf warrior found wandering the catacrypts and interrogated by Captain Kelian Durak (whose report went to Constable Kal Rajghur):

  • Yelmor claims he left the city in 857, serving in the Steel Hearts, one of the Dogs of War's companies
  • The ducal archives can't confirm him, but his knowledge and equipment are genuinely of a time long gone
  • He describes "a flight of steps hanging over the void, which leads to a maze"
  • He will not speak of what lies beyond the stairs, and becomes agitated when pressed
  • He was found in 1003 — but is persuaded he comes from the past and that he wandered the maze "for no more than a few days." The revelation of the true date shocked him badly.

Yelmor's account "shares several elements with the myth of the 'stairway to nowhere.'" If he's telling the truth, the stairway is real, it leads into the Labyrinth, and it is located beyond time — which is why Yelmor's "few days" were 146 years. (see Cadwallon/06 History/Timeline, The Labyrinth)

What It Means

A stable(ish) door into the maze

Most intrusions into the Labyrinth happen by accident — someone crosses a threshold "often without knowing." The Stairway is different: it is a recognized, named entrance, described consistently across an Acheronian myth and a 146-year-displaced eyewitness. If it could be relocated, it would be the most reliable known way into the Labyrinth — and therefore the most reliable way toward Vanius, toward Desire's prison, and toward whatever the Open Hand tarot-mages want to map. It would also be the most reliable way to lose a league forever, since the stairway is "beyond time" and the maze swallows those who enter.

Where It Is

Unknown. The clues:
- Yelmor was found in the catacrypts (the deep necropolis layers, originating under Ghieronburg)
- The Acheronians know of it — suggesting a connection to the "way of the dead," Acheron's necromantic transport route into the bay
- It connects to the Labyrinth, so it is near the corridors the tarot-mages guard
- It "hangs over the void" — implying a great vertical shaft or abyss, possibly near the deep Cynwäll quarries or the Sphinx vestiges

Relations

Find the stairs

The Duke's card-collection effort, an Open Hand tarot-mage, and Sophet Drahas all want the Stairway located. Yelmor is the only living lead — but he won't describe what's beyond the steps, and pressing him risks breaking the fragile mind that survived 146 years in the maze. A league must win his trust, not his testimony.

Beyond the stairs

A league finds the Stairway. The steps hang over a void; below and ahead lies the maze. The clock starts the moment they descend — and on the surface, it may already be running faster than they know. Whatever Yelmor wouldn't describe is down there.

See Also