Shawn
*The entrance to the Dwarven city was blocked by an giant gate made out of various metals. The capital itself is embedded inside one of the many mountains. A little slot would be seen toward the lower portion of the gate.*
John
*Makimi took a deep breath to contain her laughter, then approached the gate, crouching down a bit so that she could look through it.* "Hello?"
Shawn
*A dwarf would open the little slit toward the bottom of the massive gate.*
"Whadya want?!"
*The dwarf said in a aggressive tone. Also a distinct smell of mead would seem to be coming from said slot.*
John
"I am just here to buy weapons. There is no need to use that tone, even if you are staggering drunk."

*Coming from a wealthy family, Makimi always carried a good portion of gold, silver, and bronze coins, along with a few precious gemstones for good measure.*
Shawn
"Oh is that so?"
*The Dwarf asked in earnest.*
"Well there's a small fee to getting in here. And a weapons check to see whether or not you're even worth our time."
John
"Alright, then. I have my money right here." *She patted her bag.* "I have two weapons with me, a sword and a dagger. Both have a holy enchantment on them."
Shawn
*In typical dwarf fashion he demanded pay up front and to slide her weapons in the slot.*
"Fork over the pieces you have, as well as your weapons."
John
*With a slight roll of the eyes, Makimi passed a handful of treasure through the slot, then did the same with her holy dagger. When she tried to push her sword through, she realized that it would not fit.*
Shawn
*A loud sigh can be heard on the other side of the gate.* 
"Open the gates!"
*The giant gates slowly began to opening making loud creaking sounds that would echo throughout the mountains.*
John
*Makimi handed over her sword to the nasty little man standing in front of her. She crossed her arms, not overly fond of strangers touching her sword.*
Shawn
*The dwarf counted her coin and handed her weapons back.*
"There, don't cause any trouble."
John
"I will not." *Makimi took her weapons and proceeded into the city, trying to ignore the fact that almost every dwarf could probably look up her skirt.*
Shawn
*The Dwarf huffed and began to close the gate behind her when a series of screams would be heard echoing throughout the mountains. The Dwarf's eyes widened as he started screaming himself.*
"Shut the gates!!! Shut the damn gates!!!"
John
*Immediately, Makimi whipped around, drawing her sword, heart thudding against her ribcage.* "What is happening?"
Shawn
*As the dwarf was saying this Makimi could see icy forms sprinting toward them like deranged animals even though they looked humanoid. They unleashed unearthly screams as more began appearing on the bridge leading to the gates and sprinted behind their brethren.*
John
*Makimi had no idea what these things are, but whatever they were, they did not appear to be very friendly. Glancing around, she grabbed a torch off the wall.* "Bring me a barrel of mead, fast!"
Shawn
"It's too late for that Mrs."
*The creatures were growing ever closer, now Makimi can make out what they are. Their unearthly screams would drown out any thought. Luckily the gate shut before any of the creatures reached them. Even though the gate is closed their screams could still be heard outside along with the sound of their claws scraping against the metal gate.*
John
*Makimi put the torch back, but she never let go of her sword, not even for a second. She took a few cautious steps forward, but still stayed far away from the gate.*

"I have seen golems made from ice before, but these are much more... Aggressive than any man-made creature I have encountered."
Shawn
"It's worse than you think. Those used to be people."
John
"Used to be? Then, what happened to them? Are they climbers who froze to death?"
Shawn
"No. There are creatures known as Shades that inhabit the more forested areas. Well it seems recently those poor bastards have been migrating into the mountains. Shades are the whats left of folk after being consumed my dark magic. You may have seen some, they mostly shamble around and preach about their dark god. But now they're becoming for organized and the creatures you saw are Ice Shades. They are more aggressive and durable at that than the average Shade."
John
*Makimi's eyes grew wide as she remembered the half-metal creature that had shown her visions of how it was made. Was it some kind of Shade too? And did these Shades get killed by the same black dragon? And, most importantly... Was there a way to free their souls?* 

"...I see. In any case, I must not stray from my goal. Please, can you tell me where to find the best blacksmith you know?"
Shawn
"Yeah, he's at the city's center. You'll find what you're looking for there."
John
"Alright, then. Carry on." *Makimi gave a polite wave and headed towards the city's center, a lot on her mind as she walked.*