How I got to Sigil

How did I get to Sigil? It's not a very exciting story, but I suppose it'll pass a bit of time.

I was travelling the world with a trade caravan. The caravan was mostly humans, but there were a few elves, and some more exotic folk with them. There was even a horribly stereotypical dwarven smith with us. You may not believe it, but he actually wore a helmet and chainmail all the time, even when he slept! He was an odd one. Brought his money and his axe to bed with him every night. I didn't think too hard about that one.

Anyway, we were on our way back towards our home base after a rather lengthy circuit that takes about 6 months to complete, but is worth quite a bit of money for those who can manage it. I was along more to scout prospects and to look for opportunities to strike out on my own than to work for the caravan, but I did have to pull my weight as well, so it wasn't turning out to be a terribly profitable trip for me. What can I say, I was young.

Well, we arrived in one of the larger cities, our last major stop before we headed home, though certainly not the last stop on the trade route. And it was a large city. Probably the second largest I've ever been to. From the gates, it seems to spread to the horizon. And no, I don't remember what they called it. But it was a big city. A *Big* city.

So the caravan went in, and we found lodgings in one of the larger inns, stabled our horses and oxen, and set up shop nearby in the back of one of the wagons. The caravan leader let me take the rest of the day off, which wasn't a huge stretch since we'd gotten there in the early afternoon, and there wasn't a huge amount to do anyway once we were settled.

I decided to go wandering about the city to see the sights a bit, and see if I could find some entertainment of one sort or another, and possibly even some business prospects. Well, you can imagine that pretty much anything you could want was for sale somewhere in this city. As I was wandering, my spirits fell as I realized there were no new markets to be opened here, and I wasn't likely to be able to bring anything new and profitable to the area. I eventually found my way to a pub and had a mug of a strong, sweet beer, but it seemed to be the sort of place for serious drinkers, and there was very little else going on in there, so I left to continue my wanderings. I must have lost my way at some point, because I realized it was getting late and started trying to find my way back, only to discover that I was in some kind of courtyard at the end of an alley. There was what appeared to me some kind of shop in the building in one side of the courtyard, so I went in to ask for directions back to a landmark I knew.

The shop was dimly lit, and many of the wares on the crowded shelves were covered in a nearly opaque layer of dust. I made my way through the shop, looking for a counter or a shopkeep, and eventually came to what I can only describe as a clearing, since the shelves formed a kind of forest of cobwebs and dust around it. There was an old, wizened man with a stooped back and a very strange hat puttering around a small table in the middle of the space. I cleared my throat, but before I could say anything, he said "What you want is through that door.", pointing at a door in a wall I had taken for more shelves. Slightly stunned, I thanked him and went through the door.

The other side of that doorway came out on a side street in Sigil, and before I realized it wasn't the same city, the door had closed, and vanished. I have managed to get word back to the caravan since then, but it seems they decided I'd run away, or found a too friendly bed and left without me anyway. They were glad to hear I was well, even prosperous, but seemed largely unconcerned with my fate. Ah well, I've never seen that shop since either.

Enough talk for now, let's go find something to drink.