PFS No Response from Deepmar (Inactive)

Game Master Nefreet

The Voyage:
The storm abates as the crew calls out that the island of Deepmar is within sight. Over the prow, the island is just visible through the rain. Although not large, looking to be no more than thirty miles across at its widest point, the island is quite lush, covered in wind-lashed trees and shrubs. Sitting at the island’s southernmost point is a small colony, surrounded by a wooden palisade in front of a single, long dock. The iron doors to the colony appear closed, but no guards can be seen. Indeed, as the boat draws closer, no one can be seen moving about the island.

The Penal Colony:
Tall, stout timbers topped with inward-facing hooks and barbs surround a small settlement of single-story wooden buildings with thatch roofs. Towers stand to either side of a large gate leading out to the docks. Chickens wander here and there, pecking at the ground—the only evidence of life within the colony.

Areas you've explored:

A1, Gates and Walls:

Both gates are 20 feet tall and consist of 3-inch-thick crisscrossed iron bars, functioning as huge double doors with a massive locking mechanism in the center where the two doors connect. Both gates are locked.
The wooden palisade surrounding the colony is made of 1-foot-thick reinforced timber and treated with a slick resin, making it difficult to climb.

A2, Guard Towers:

A wooden ladder ascends twenty-five feet to a simply fortified guard tower offering a clear view of the colony and the surrounding terrain. Two heavy crossbows are propped neatly against the wall, and a nearby box holds a sizable supply of crossbow bolts.

A3, Mess Hall:

The door to this long building is ajar. A sign hanging over the doorway depicts a frothy mug, a plate, and eating utensils. Within, broken plates, forks and spoons, and a few wooden mugs lie scattered about the floor around several long trestle tables.

A4, Kitchen:

This large kitchen is furnished with a pair of stoves, preparation areas, hanging cookware, and shelves stocked with enough food supplies to feed the entire population of the colony for several weeks. Both stoves have been pushed forward to create makeshift barricades that block both the door to the main dining hall and the door leading outside.

A5, the Garden:

This fenced-in area contains a large fruit and vegetable garden, though it appears it hasn’t been tended in a while, judging by the many weeds competing with the plants. Several rain barrels connected to a simple irrigation system ensure that the plants always get plenty of water.

Searching through the garden you discover the grisly remains of several chickens and the tracks of some large ape. Grimdoc's discerning eye uncovers a trio of crossbow bolts among the gore. The angle of the bolts indicates they were fired from one of the northern guard towers.

Your second discovery is even more alarming. You find evidence of a hastily filled in hole. Excavating the hole you find that the soil underneath is loose and gives way to a small tunnel sloping downward.

A6, the Chicken Coops:

Wood-and-wire chicken coops occupy the spaces here along the outer wall. Only a pair of very thin chickens now remain in the one coop whose doors are closed. Those you see wandering around the colony were lucky to have "flown the coop".

A7, the Barracks:

A placard hanging above the door to this building depicts a helmet over a pair of crossed swords. Several bunk beds occupy the interior. Pegs on the wall hold a few well-used cloaks. A collection of spears, swords, and a few crossbows hangs from a locked weapon rack on the far wall, next to a door leading to another room.

A8, Miner's Quarters:

This long building has numerous small, barred windows along its exterior walls and a covered entrance at each end. Within, a series of doors line each side of a long central corridor.
Both buildings feature 16 simply furnished 10-foot-by-10-foot sleeping chambers. Each chamber contains a small bed, pegs on the wall for hanging clothes, and a single shelf under the small barred window. Aside from a few personal belongings, there is nothing of value in these rooms.

A9, the Tool Shed:

This simple shack has the image of a mining pick painted on the placard hanging over its ironbound door. It is secured with a sturdy-looking padlock.

Inside the tool shed you find dozens of mining picks, shovels, work gloves, hammers, rope, chisels, spikes, knives, and pitchforks. A box here also contains all of the tools used at the smithy.

A10, Staff Quarters:

This building is cheerily painted, in contrast to the rest of the structures in the colony. A variety of potted plants sit alongside the building. The door is ajar, revealing a room with a table, several chairs around it, and many hanging plants.

A11, the Latrines:

A group of small, five-foot-wide wooden shacks with shingled roofs occupies an area well away from the other buildings. These five buildings are latrines for the colonists. Without regular maintenance, the latrines reek and attract swarms of flies.

A12, the Wagon Yard:

Six wagons and several mining carts are parked next to what appears to be a stable. These wagons and carts are in bad shape, though still serviceable. The wagons appear to have been used to haul crystals back to the colony.

A13, the Stable:

A painted sign depicting a horse hangs from the eaves of this long, tall building, just above a pair of large double doors. A foul stench wafts from inside the structure.

The stable contains stacks of hay bales across from six sturdy stalls—too sturdy, in fact. Each stall contains the rotting carcass of a horse. With the disappearance of the miners, these poor animals, unable to break free from their stalls, probably slowly succumbed to dehydration and died. The building is full of flies buzzing around the decaying bodies.

A small locked room within the stable acts as the tack room. Among the normal riding gear and grooming tools are a masterwork saddle with silver-and-gold filigree and an ivory saddle horn, together worth 2,500 gp. The saddle bears the initials of Captain Ashferth.

A14, the Smithy:

This open stone building contains a stone forge at its center, surrounded on three sides by slab-topped worktables, as well as numerous hooks on the walls for tools. A small building connected to it appears to serve as living quarters.

The pegs and hooks on the wall where tools would be kept are all empty (probably because they were kept in the tool shed). The adjacent building is simply furnished with a bed, a table with two chairs, a washroom with a small wooden tub, a small stove that serves both for heating the room and cooking meals, and a large collection of paintings and sketches of scantily clad figures hanging on the walls.

A15, Stone Building:

This stone building is surrounded by a tall fence. It occupies a spot of land well away from the other buildings in the colony. Its door is also made of stone and has no apparent latch or lock. Large red letters painted multiple times on every side of the fence spell out, “Danger—Keep away!”

A16, Mining Office:

A flag bearing the Chelish coat of arms flutters in the sea breeze over this small wooden building.

Inside the office appears as abandoned as the rest of the colony. Ledgers, correspondence, pens, and ink bottles clutter a large desk. A tall candelabrum with a continual flame serves to illuminate the office. The walls are covered with maps of the various mines, each designated with the name of one of the layers of Hell.

A scantily detailed map of the island hangs on the wall here with several notes tacked around various numbered locations and names. A quick scan reveals the locations of each mine in relation to Deepmar as a whole, as well as some helpful bits of information:

1. “Skulltop Hill”
This section of the map shows a simple image of a winged lizard flying above a bleached human skull.

2. “Blue Lake”
A tacked up note lists a schedule of names and dates from a month ago.

3. “Marsh Lake”
A tacked up note reads “Unexplored”

4. “Red Hills”
This section of the map shows a simple image of heavyset humanoids standing in a circle with clubs raised high.

5. “Northern Woods”
A tacked up note reads “Unexplored; Demons?”

6. “Beast Meadow”
Tallies of elk, geese and boar are tacked here with a hierarchy of colonists names.

7. "Twitchwood"
A tacked up note reads “Unexplored; Fey?”

8. "Fruit Forest"
A tacked up note lists a schedule of names and dates from a month ago.

9. "’Squito Swamp"
Multiple pin pricks have been made on the map here.

10. "The Black Breaker"
A detailed drawing of a tall, black stone monolith is tacked to the wall here.

A search of the papers and ledgers near the map reveals that dig sites Avernus, Dis, and Erebus have not been mined in some time.

A note about dig site Phlegethon states that there were problems with large, aggressive apes led by a four-armed mutant with white fur that resulted in the mine being shut down and filled in.

Dig sites Malebolge and Cocytus have had pockets of vermin unearthed that poisoned some of the miners.

Dig sites Stygia and Caina appear to be the most recent sites of mining.

The rest of the paperwork contains tedious accounts of daily production at the mines, supply lists and requisition orders, inventory, and other information about the daily administration of Deepmar’s operations. The last ledger is dated roughly a month ago.

A17, Captain's Quarters:

This building is constructed of wood and stone. Though simple in design, it appears opulent compared to the other buildings in the colony. A sign over the porch depicts a pair of white swords on a field of red and black.