Dourstone Mine, run by the dwarven mine manager Ragnolin Dourstone, hosts a larger contingent of dwarves, followed by humans, gnomes, then halflings. The guards at ground level circulate from the entrance, to the office buildings, to the tower overlooking both buildings. During the day, six humans guard. At night, six dwarves do.
Dourstone Mine is run almost exclusively by Ragnolin himself. He does take plenty of time away from office duties to make unannounced visits among his miners, so he allows Dinna Copperfoot, fellow dwarf, to assume clerical duties during the day. She is friendly enough when she expects something from you. Should the day prove mildly overwhelming, she's quick to cut you off from social pleasantries.
As for mine activity/access, Ascaria is mostly allowed freedom on the surface, where most miners come and go from their shifts. If Ascaria seeks to delve deeper into the shafts, he requires supervision, and cause. If word reaches the surface of an injured miner below, the gnome is rigged up and shadowed the entire time. You get the feeling no crew of miners wants to be the one who 'crushed the Canary'.
To your points:
1.)Yes, you've had access to surface level mine entrance areas.
2.)Yes, you have passed through the gated entrance of the mine, past both buildings and tower, and seen the mine through to the main shaft. There has been a narrow fork in the main tunnel that has been fenced off with boards. Balabar mentions that the elevator lies beyond the discouraging wood blockade.
3.)Moot :)
4.)The day shift is the harder working 12-hour schedule. The night shift is leaner, meant for the dwarves to work on bolstering weak points in the veins to allow for more movement on the day shift.
As it stands, you only need to pass the main buildings and the tower, so you may access the mine entrance and pass through the wooden barrier, in order to avoid detection. There are simply fewer bodies at night.
Before you leave, you spy your iron ball sitting on Aesur's work station. Neither Aesur nor Manlin are present when you leave the smithy.
Rae is ready to go.
Ascaria thinks about the mines a little, and suggests, ”Well, I think I can get us to the elevator Smenk talked about. There’s a boarded off bit in the Dourstone Mine that I bet leads right to it. All we gotta do is get into the mine past the guards. That might be tricky.”
He draws a charcoal sketch of the entrance to the mine and the obstacles in their path.
”During the day there’s a half dozen or so folks guarding the mine, and at night they use dwarves with their darkvision. Of course there are far fewer miners at night, so once we’re past the entrance, we’ll likely be unmolested. During the day, we might run into a crew as we make our way in. Chances are they won’t hassle us, but they might say something to the guards…”
”I could get in if I wanted to, though it might take a little time to setup, and I can’t take you lot with me. So I think we should try to sneak. And do it at night. Remember, if we do have to fight any guards, we should be gentle - they’re probably not affiliated with any cult or anything. Just guys guarding the mine.”
Ascaria gets up, ”So let’s check out the cavern this afternoon - make sure we’ve seen everything and secure the place. Then a leisurely dinner and nap, followed by a night raid!”
He waits for the others to agree, and then starts walking to the cairn.
On the way to the cairn, he scurries over to Mort and walks next to him a while. Then he says, quite abruptly, "So you got a tattoo huh? Can I see it?"
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Nearly blindsided by the scurrying diminutive figure, Mort stumbles a bit and involuntarily eructs.
What? What does he want to see that for? Isn't that kind of personal?
Mortimer ponders for a second.
I spend part of the night in the pokey completely naked, and now I'm worried about someone being too personal? ... Yah, THAT makes sense...
Mortimer sighs.
"They're not all that special, except to me.", he says. "You see, I went to the Salute for some gossip...", he trails off reminiscing, "but I -- er -- got pleasantly distracted by someone else's tattoo and ... uh.... Suffice it to say", he continues awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment," -- I'm not much of a gossiper."
He shakes his head. "At all."
"Anyway, any lack of detail in these I blame on my own story telling. It didn't take very long for me to bore even myself."
Mort lifts his chain shirt and tunic for the viewing pleasure of anyone who cares to actually look.
You see -- around the right nipple, a crude picture of owl eyes. Around the left, something resembling a clay pot.
"Personally, I don't see any flowers, do you?", he inquires, peering down at his own chest.
The short one slips out of the quiet shadows to take a peek at her companion's new tatts. "One person's weeds is another's flowers." We need to get that one some better ink. A man like that - Hell's bells, a chest like that - deserves better. If we were in Egorian, the artists could do so much with whatever story there is, I'm sure of it. Probably something wicked, but still... She shakes out of her reverie back to the task at hand.
"Dwarves, hmmm? Do we know how many guards? If I could distract them enough to let you tall one's past, I might be able sneak past later myself." Thankfully, I tend to be overlooked. "Hmmm, perhaps something to disrupt their darkvision might provide good cover. Turn an opponent's strength into weakness whenever possible, right?"
With Ascaria's firsthand account, and his experience with daytime rotations, it's likely the nightshift mirrors the dayshift. Six human guards during the day, six dwarves at night. The change of the guards occurs as the miners leave for the day, roughly 6 bells past noon.
Rae glances at Mort's new body art, her brows furrowing. Ugh... Sol or Ascaria could have done a better job, surely. But maybe the ... Gossip... made up for it.
"...Turn an opponent's strength into weakness...."
"What do you have in mind, Pill? Some kind of foggery or something? That will leave us in the same boat as the dwarves.
"Ascaria, if we use something like that, can you get us through?"
Sol claps gleefully for Mort's tattoo, supportive and earnest.
"If you want, I can try talking to the guards and see if they will let us in. Maybe we just need to ask nicely," Sol says with a smile. "Especially if we explain that there might be grave evil in the mine."
Sol claps gleefully for Mort's tattoo, supportive and earnest.
"If you want, I can try talking to the guards and see if they will let us in. Maybe we just need to ask nicely," Sol says with a smile. "Especially if we explain that there might be grave evil in the mine."
Rae watches her sister watching Mort's tattoo. Ugh...
"Uhm... Sol, I'm not sure we need to tell everyone about the evil. If they happen to be in on it, or if we're overheard, then it will tip our hand."
"Maybe they were new to this tattooing thing? Sadly, it'll be awhile before I can see the ladies again."
... Definitely less talking next time...
"If you want, I can try talking to the guards and see if they will let us in. Maybe we just need to ask nicely, especially if we explain that there might be grave evil in the mine."
"Bribing the dwarves just to get in might be a better idea, but I'm afraid even that might draw too much attention," says The Former Exhibitionist.
Mortimer continues as he walks towards the Cairn, "Smenk was used by Ragnolin, fairly brutally. Made to stock his mine, sworn to secrecy and threatened should Smenk go to the authorities -- Ragnolin's holding Smenk over a barrel. There's naught for it -- we either have to sneak in past the guards -- preferably with no disruptions, or find another way in and work our way to the elevator."
"There's at least two sections of the Whispering Cairn we haven't seen -- maybe one of them will lead to something -- or give us some idea. If not, there's one other place that I know of we might check out before trying the front door. It's a long shot, but there might be a connection. I don't think it'll be too hard to sneak into, either."
"We might also check in with Allustan on Moonday, see what he's discovered about -- uh -- the art we left with him...", he trails off, remembering that Diamond Lake is full of unfriendly ears.
The group eventually makes their way out to the Whispering Cairn, now a familiar trek, with no significant event. Leaving town along Company Road, the perceptives of the party note no increased level of activity in and around the Dourstone Mine. Of note, though, is the presence of Rastophan once more, perched on the stone wall of the cemetary, like a black crow. From his vantage, it's likely he can see both the Dourstone residence, and light travel back and forth from the mine. And, yes, he's still wearing the tinted glasses.
...
Arriving at Whispering Cairn, the surrounds are much like you've left them.
The footprints of the party are still easily recognizable, but there are different prints intertwined now. At least four sets that stand apart from the tracks made by your party.
Nothing seems out of place along the entrance hall, and the sarcophagus room seems the same, once properly lit.
Ascaria tries very hard to admire Mort's body art, but the best grin he can manage comes out more like a grimace. He politely says nothing about the craftsmanship and continues on to the cairn.
Once inside he suggests, "Let's go up where we were last and try descending down that hole. Yes, that's where we should start I think."
Assuming someone helps with some rope, Ascaria carefully climbs up and into that airy chamber with the others.
Sol brightens when she sees the yellow cylinder and sarcophagus.
"Rae, look! It's the yellow thing! I want to go down. Do you want to come with me? We should do that! We'll be explorers! Wouldn't that be fun!"
Pillette is happy to follow Ascaria's suggestion, but on the way, she will probe Sol a bit further.
"Ma'am, as your sister said, telling the guards there is evil might give us away, especially if they are part of the cult. But you still might be able to distract them, even better than I. Of course, that scale might be a bit off-putting." After a moment, Pillette re-thinks her suggestion. "Or maybe not. One never knows about Dwarven tastes, does one?"
Entering the cairn, Tynan pauses sensing something amiss. He kneels to examine the tracks on the dusty floor, then speaks quietly.
"We should proceed with caution, as we're not alone down here. These tracks indicate that there are at least four individuals that have passed into the cairn since we left."
Tynan stands, unsheathes his sword, and quietly proceeds into the tunnel.
Rae turns to answer her sister, for once feeling a small bit of her desire to explore. Tynan's word's dash her hopes.
"Crap, are you sure?!? Can you lead us to where they are? We should look into that to be sure. "
"I can certainly try, but I'll need to go in front, so no one disturbs the tracks." Tynan turns back to the tracks, and begins to follow them.
As you study the tracks, and follow them through the story they tell, you get the sense that the set of four additional tracks follow your own, as you follow theirs now.
The sets lead to each tunnel, to the lip of the shaft opening downwards in the green tunnel, and also to the end of the blue tunnel. They also pace around the sarcophagus a bit.
They are not fresh, of the day. Possibly from the day before...?
"Telling the guards there is evil might give us away...especially if they are part of the cult."
Sol starts as Pillette starts speaking to her.
"Oh Pillette, I didn't see you there! You're a good hider, you are!" Sol says with a smile...which fades as she thinks upon Pillette's words, her brow furrowed in thought.
"Oh, I still think we should talk to them. After all, if they are evil cultists, then we should cut them down and not have to worry about them spreading their influence." Sol smiles briefly at Pillette.
"After all, we don't want evil cultists running around town, do we?"
Sol walks along.
"Maybe I could talk to them and pay them money to let us in. People like money whether they are cultists or not. That could work too."
"Let's go up where we were last and try descending down that hole. Yes, that's where we should start I think."
"I agree," concurs Mort. "If we move the sarcophagus to go down the cylinder now we might reset everything leading to the Air Column Room -- and not be able to get back in without great hardship. We should check the Air Column Room out first."
"We should proceed with caution, as we're not alone down here. These tracks indicate that there are at least four individuals that have passed into the cairn since we left."
Hmmmm? Mort walks over to Tynan and looks over his shoulder
"Are any of those footprints Rhastophan sized? I hope it was just them. If it was -- that means that they didn't leave the Cairn the way they came in -- if I understand you correctly, Tynan."
I should wear a soft clay vest and trick the Rastophan Weasle into kicking me. That'll leave an imprint that'll make it easier to track that sorry excuse for a rogue.
"Maybe I could talk to them and pay them money to let us in..."
Mortimer quietly sighs and rolls his eyes.
... there's an echo in here, and I'm not even as good as Pillette at hiding...
Tynan follows the tracks as they move to the various alcoves, and to the sarcophagus in the center of the chamber.
"They were definitely following our tracks, and paused both at the sarcophagus, and at the base of the blue tunnel." Tynan looks over at Mort and gives him a nod. "You're right about it being Rastophan and his crew. I recognize some of their bootprints from when I tracked them from the Land farmstead."
Tynan continues examining the tracks, when they lead him back to the entrance tunnel. "It looks like I missed these earlier. It appears all four of them made it safely back out of the cairn." A note of disappointment is in his voice.
"My best guess is that they were here sometime yesterday, likely while we were speaking with Allustan. It looks like we're clear to continue our investigation, but we should definitely watch our backs, should they be following us again."
"My best guess is that they were here sometime yesterday, likely while we were speaking with Allustan. It looks like we're clear to continue our investigation, but we should definitely watch our backs, should they be following us again."
"Ha. Let 'em," says Mortimer, feeling a little invisible again. He checks to make sure everything is still in place to disarm the traps, then follows Alastor's invisible footsteps to the base of the Blue Tunnel.
He climbs.
He strides across the Ball Hall bridge and beyond to the Column of Air where he awaits his companions.
When they arrive, he'll once again tether himself then step into the air column with the desire to descend.
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Tynan climbs the chain, and joins Mort in the corridor beyond the blue lantern.
He sets up a rope to help the others climb up to the ledge.
"One at a time folks."
"...we should definitely watch our backs..."
Always a good policy. "I will try and keep an eye on what's behind us, unless I'm ever needed to scout ahead. Many will overlook a slim slip sliding through the shadows."
Pillette will continue to take long looks behind her companions, attempting to notice if anyone is trailing behind the rather noisey group.
As the party proceeds to set the Lanterns to light, and climbs the chain to the Yawn expertly, across the Ball Hall beam, into the Air Column Chamber, it is as you previously left it.
The Air Column swirls languidly, only picking up speed when the giant enters its winds. Mort descends slowly, slipping into the depths of the 60' drop, and the darkness that awaits below.
The column allows your descent to the bottom of the Well. As the ceiling domes above, so the floor bowls below. You come to rest on the floor. Your eyes water from the wind whip, but you can not see the surrounds for the darkness. Producing your Ioun Torch, the walls come into focus as you step from the column.
Several corpses greet you, with upturned mummified/skeletal faces. They lie strewn on the floor, most of their forms broken, as if from a great fall. A couple of them are both broken and cleaved.
The armors are old and worn, the weapons dulled, possibly from the occasional dirt flecks that nick at your skin from the Air Column's reach.
For what you can gather, there are two items that seem to have stood the test of time better than the rest- A gossamer-thin fabric shirt, and a braided leather belt. The items are worn by different corpses.
Mortimer sincerely apologizes to the corpses before carefully relieving them of their time tested fabric and accessory. He apologizes to all the corpses, then steps back into the air column and desires to be back at the bridge.
Returning from the descent, Mortimer says, "It's likely as you guessed. It's just a repository for poor souls who must have fallen to their deaths from here. I did find some less beaten up and time worn items down there -- maybe someone who can see magic might want to have another look down there. There's nothing else down there but corpses, as near as I can tell."
He holds forth a gossamer-thin fabric shirt, and a braided leather belt for everyone's inspection.
Sol goes down the airy shaft after Mortimer.
"Rae, look! I'm air walking again!"
The column allows your descent to the bottom of the Well. As the ceiling domes above, so the floor bowls below. You come to rest on the floor. Your eyes water from the wind whip, but you can not see the surrounds for the darkness. The walls come into focus as you step from the column. (Presuming a light source, of course...)
Several corpses greet you, with upturned mummified/skeletal faces. They lie strewn on the floor, most of their forms broken, as if from a great fall. A couple of them are both broken and cleaved.
The armors are old and worn, the weapons dulled, possibly from the occasional dirt flecks that nick at your skin from the Air Column's reach.
Ascaria is delighted at Mort's find, and immediately casts Detect Magic so he can take a closer look.
He then descends into the pit, and casts again, looking for any loot that Mort might have missed with his unaided vision. I'll cast Light as well to see more clearly (though I do have darkvision).
Tynan joins the others at the base, and helps to search the remains, keeping a close watch for his own errant throwing dagger.
It should be around here somewhere...
Both items definitely radiate in the glow of magic, and your sense of their purpose seems to focus more easily on the shirt. On closer inspection, there are little lightning bolts stitched into a pattern across the sleeves. It is a Quick Runner's Shirt. As for the belt, well... perhaps with a little more study you'll be able to suss out its purpose.
As for the rest of the floor, there is nothing else, other than the party, that detects as magic.
Tynan easily locates his throwing dagger, which has come to rest under the arm of one of the fallen.
The bodies here are well beyond decomposed. The dryness of the air, combined with the swirling dust and the air column, have done a thorough job in eroding exposed flesh. These bodies have been here for years, if not centuries.
Retrieving his dagger, Tynan takes the time to examine the remains it landed near.
"The swirling winds have worn away all of the flesh from these poor souls. Judging from the armor styles, they've been here an exceedingly long time."
Sol looks around, please at what they had found.
"Are we done here? Is it time for the cylinder thing now? My turn to do stuff, isn't it Rae?"
"Thank you for being patient, Miss Sol," says Mortimer,"How should we proceed?"
On the way out, he gathers about 8 iron balls.
Sol looks at Mort and claps her hands excitedly.
"Oh! Mort! You're perfect! I need you turn the sarcophagus!" Sol explains as she moves back to the lights lit room. "I need you to turn the thingy to summon the non-crunchy cylinder so I can get inside and then twist it so I can see where it goes! It will be so much fun!"
Sol answers any questions people have, but she's going down the working cylinder.
Mortimer happily obliges and kicks the sarcophagus into position to point to the yellow tunnel and bring up the cylinder.
"Which tunnel do you want the sarcophagus pointing to once you're in the cylinder? Also -- how long do you want us to wait with it there before bringing the cylinder back up?"
Ascaria smiles at the shirt, "This is a Running Shirt. It lets you move extra fast once a day or so. I don't know what this belt is yet, but give me a couple days and I'll sort it out."
He returns from his search below. "Yeah, there's nothing left down there but bodies. Do you think we should haul them up and bury them? They've been down there a long time, but it might be nice to give the poor folks some closure. Like what we did with the kid."
He follows the group to the sarcophagus room and watches, nervously, as Sol goes down alone. "You sure you don't want some company down there? Could be dangerous still."
"Can you also sculpt clay molds for figures?"
Sol thinks about it as she walks.
"You want me to make a mold? For iron? Out of clay?" Sol asks rhetorically.
"It's not what I'm used to, usually I sculpt in stone, but I see no reason that I couldn't do so in clay. Would you be commissioning these for yourself? How would you be paying for my work?" Sol asks, her eyes serious when she was talking her art. After all, she made a good living being a sculptress and it wasn't because she was prone to give away her work.
"I don't mean to be so blunt," Sol says self-consciously. "But I take my art seriously and if I want to keep doing it, I need to be able to afford materials and time. Besides," Sol's eyes flicker to Rae, "besides, sometimes I'm unsure how much of the rent I will be paying on my own."
* * *
"How long do you want us to wait with it before bringing the cylinder back up?"
"You sure you don't want some company down there?"
Sol smiles brightly at Mort and Ascaria.
"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you want. I'm just excited to see what's down there," Sol says, climbing into the cylinder after grabbing a fresh, lit torch. "If others want to come down, that's great too. More the merrier."
Sol is ready to descend.
Ascaria walks Sol to the cylinder. He thinks a moment, and says, "I'm coming with you Sol. No sense in going off alone - and I can bring extra light."
He cast Light on his yellow headband and squeezes in with Sol for the first trip.
As the party walks back toward the lantern room, Mort further explains his proposition to Sol.
"Would you be commissioning these for yourself? How would you be paying for my work?"
"For me? Unless they're not dragonchess pieces, maybe -- I don't play dragonchess. But I might buy other things with coin."
He inhales, treading carefully."I've got some clay I can provide you, and I think there's tons in the Yard that might be usable. I don't know how you find buyers generally, but my thought was -- we can use this iron for starters -- no cost to us. My labor will cost you nothing as well. You get to keep the pieces, add whatever finishing touches you like. You keep the proceeds from any pieces you sell. I'm hoping we'll run into a contrasting metal for the opposing side, if you're thinking of making dragonchess figures."
"You sure you don't want some company down there?"
"Go Ascaria! We'll swing it toward the Green tunnel and wait about a minute before swinging it back to bring the cylinder back up. We'll pause for about 6 seconds between each tunnel in the event things change down there."
The Cylinder snicks closed, the maiden and the imp disappearing behind the metal doors. Almost as quickly, it descends into the floor, a quiet thud as the stone lid comes to rest in place. Shortly thereafter, an even quieter thud can be heard well enough, coming from below, signifying the cylinder's arrival.
The walls here are covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stand in poses of deference, almost as if they are paying homage to the viewer. Many extend their hands in adoration, their faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lack hands, arms, heads, or anything else easily hacked off by long absent
tomb robbers.
About fifteen feet ahead, a dark passage extends from an elaborately carved arch.
If Sol proceeds, Ascaria keeps up as best he can trailing just a little behind the strong warrior.
Sol oohs at what she believes had not been seen in a long time. "Oh this is neat, Ascaria," Sol coos. "We should make sure the immediate area is safe for the others."
Trusting Ascaria with the light, Sol puts her torch a) in a torch holder, b) a hole, c) standing upright among some rocks, or d) someplace upright about 10' from the cylinder.
"Give me a moment to get my shield on," Sol draws and dons her shield.
Sol draws her sword and moves up 15' feet to look around while they await others (if others are coming down).
Tynan looks at Rae and Pillette.
"Do either or both of you want to descend? I think we should leave at least one other person up top with Mort, in case Rastophan and his crew return."
"Yeah, I'm more than ready to head down. Pillette, I bet we can both go at the same time." Unless stopped, Rae grabs up Pillette and readies to head down after her sister.
Tynan nods at the ladies, then turns to Mort.
"I'll be up in the entrance passage, keeping an eye out for unwanted guests. Give a yell if you need my assistance." Tynan pauses briefly. "If I give a yell, there will be trouble headed your way..."
Tynan goes up the stairs, and conceals himself in the first alcove, where he can keep watch on any who might try to pass by.
"Do either or both of you want to descend? I think we should leave at least one other person up top with Mort, in case Rastophan and his crew return."
"Yeah, I'm more than ready to head down. Pillette, I bet we can both go at the same time.""I'll be up in the entrance passage, keeping an eye out for unwanted guests. Give a yell if you need my assistance. If I give a yell, there will be trouble headed your way..."
Mortimer, slightly bewildered, watches Tynan leave the room.
What's he so worried about that crew for? If they work for Smenk they're probably just watching us to report to Smenk and pick up anything we miss. If Rastophan and his cronies were crew enough -- Smenk would have sent them in our stead, but I suppose we own him now anyway.He shrugs and turns to Pillette and Rae.
"Ok -- when the cylinder comes back up and you get into it and descend, I'm going to leave the sarcophagus pointing toward the Yellow Tunnel. Would one of you two ladies do me the favor of stepping out of the cylinder, then stepping right back into it to see if it comes up on its own? I'm a little worried that it requires someone up top to operate this sarcophagus switch. If that place down below doesn't actually lead anywhere -- there might be no way for us to get out if we all choose to go down."
He thinks for a second.
"Maybe there's even a switch for it in the cylinder itself."
I'd really like to know who built this place already...
He prepares to start shuffling the sarcophagus once the minute time limit is up.
A moment after you step from the elevator, the doors snap shut once more, and the elevator rises on a column of air, out of sight.
As Solrisa finishes securing her shield, part of the blackness ahead drips away and materializes into the light, and into both of your views. The creature is the stuff of nightmares. It hovers with flicks of its leathery wings, wings that extend from its skull, with very little else, except for tentacles that wriggle in search of things...
It lays eyes upon the new arrivals, a hunger in its eyes as it surveys the room, and shrieks mightily.
As Mortimer shifts the sarcophagus into alignment with the Green Lantern tunnel, and he begins marking the passing of a minute, a hair-raising shriek can be heard from below that sounds like nothing you've ever heard from the woman or gnome.
The shriek is pretty unique. Only a vargouille can produce such a noise. Evil creatures which inspire nightmares for young and old alike.