The Mines

You venture forth into the depths of the mountains with only a torch to reveal the path. It’s not much of a path, mind you, and you spend hours upon hours wandering aimlessly through the subterranean passageways. Each tunnel you enter looks just like the last, so you could be running in circles for all you know. You reach identical fork after identical fork, choosing almost completely at random which way to go. You’ve long since lost track of time at this point, but your hunger is much more persistent. You stop and sit in an alcove, hurriedly eating salted meat and moving along within minutes.

You’re constantly worrying about the creatures that may be just around the corner and every noise causes you to jump a little and your hand to grab the familiar hilt of your sword. It’s one thing to know what you’re fighting from the very beginning. It’s another to be searching for beasts that could burst through the tunnel walls at any second.

Eventually, you reach another split in the path. Unlike the others, however, your two options couldn’t be any more different. To your left is a tunnel lined with crude fortifications and the occasional torch. To your right is another nondescript path like the one you were just on. While the left path would probably lead you to life forms, you have no idea what form these beings could take. Other humans? Orcs? There could be demons for all you know. On the other hand, the right path could send you into another round of wandering.