As you discuss your previous night's dreams, you proceed towards Torch. Getting your first glimpse of the town, you can see that it is an efficiently laid-out city that seems to cater to crafters of all stripes, but especially metalworkers and blacksmiths.
The city itself sits on a plateau, with a hillock the extends even further into the sky. From that hillock the beam of purple light is shooting into the sky. As you watch, it sputters and dies several times before finally disappearing for good.
As you enter the town, you can see a crowd of people are gathered around something on the ground. Pushing your way forward, you see what is clearly an adventurer of some stripe. He is trying to speak but begins hacking up blood and is forced to gasp for air. He manages to gasp out "Tunnels...Dome...Trap...Ants." before slumping down and moves no more.
People in the crowd begin to mumble to each other and look around.
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"Ants? How big good sir?" she asks the stiff.
Turning to her companions, she adds "I've fought ants once...they were big. Didn't like it when I moved them..."
'I wonder if he was meaning little ants...Just stomp on them, right? The trap though...we should watch out for that.' muses the woman as she looks back down to the ex-adventurer.
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The young girl in the blue dress briefly shakes her head and seems to snap back to reality after Dru examines the body. She quickly approaches, kneels, and displays some skill in healing.
The woman in black stops short and over her shoulder says How is he, Bones? with unusual mirth given the gravity of the situation.
The young girl in the blue dress informs that party that he appears to have died of an odd phenomenon mostly restricted to Numeria called Radiation.
As Vixen demands to be taken to the location where the ma was found, someone in the crowd will say "He just stumbled up out of Black Hill, Began jabbering about ants, and then collapsed where he now lies."
Seeing that the excitement is starting to die down, the crowd will begin to disperse.
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Vixen mutters bemusedly I have been... and always shall be... your friend.
Little one, I cannot protect you from that. Perhaps these townsfolk have some means. It must be a common enough request for adventurers. Let us seek out a temple here.
I can't believe it, Vixen. I think I agree with you. What do you suppose the odds are that the Black Hill is the caves our contact disappeared into?
You! Yes, you behind the fat guy. Go get the priest, this lost soul needs peace or you shall have ghosts or worse. Vixen addresses this to the most responsible looking man in the dispersing crowd.
Sable tries to recollect anything she knows about radiation or the Black Hill.
As the group is standing around discussing the now deceased man, some children (street kids, by the look of things) run up and begin pulling off his clothing.
As Agni approaches, the kids scatter, running in all directions with a practiced ease.
As you approach him, she can see that the man was clearly an adventurer of some stripe. His pack is missing and so are his shoes, but other than that, his clothes are intact. You don't really notice anything else in your initial observations, but you might learn more if you interact with the body. Of course, Vixen might well be right: you might want to not touch the body of someone diseased.
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Shrugging at the warning, she reaches out to roll the corpse over. Pausing as her mind wanders back to a previous mission, she looks back to her companion.
"I suppose you could be right."
Pulling her shovel out, she pokes the body with it.
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You find no magic on the body, having likely been scavenged before you arrived.
Poking the body causes it to move with the correct amount of force, and make a squishing sound, like one might hear when pustules break on a diseased person.
A short while later, a travelling priestess of Pharasma arrives to perform last rights for the man, and then his body is taken away, most likely to a local temple.
Asking around about the job for adventurers, your group will be directed to speak to Dolga Freddert, a member of the town council. Meeting you in the audience chamber for the town council, the elderly Dwarven woman beams a smile at you as you enter. "Greetings, greetings. I assume that you're here about the reward?" Hanging from the wall behind her is a Dwarven made warhammer made entirely of Adamantine.
"I'm sure that you have questions. Please, feel free to ask them!"
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I'd heard that Torch's fire had gone out but it seemed fine then went all sputtery. Does it do that often? Also, what's the story about tunnels and ants? Oh yeah, and radiation. Duskin will probably negotiate the prepayment and ancillary fees... all the standard stuff. Vixen waves haphazardly behind her at the group. Agni's experienced in giant ant fighting and we are professionals all. Vixen Noir is my name but "Vixen" is fine for the celebratory banners and cakes.
Sable looks on horrified. She pleadingly scans the group for someone to take over negotiations.
Stop talking!!!
First impressions are important, Sable. I want to make sure this town understands how lucky they are that we...
STOP NOW
Vixen Noir stands stone still and Sable's eyes open wide...
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"Oh? Banners? A parade for our honor would be fun! Yeah, I'm Agni. The experienced ant killer she mentioned."
"I like to move things around, like furniture and people. Put them where they should be verses where they are, you know? But down to the biscuits. As she asked, what's up with this torch thing? Radiation is something new to me, but doesn't sound pleasant. There a salve we can rub on ourselves to fight it?"
Pausing a moment, attempting to collect her thoughts, she continues. "Is there just one entrance to the down below? Or several? What's the pay out for this? Do all bodies affected by radiation make that squishy sound? Oh, and has any of the adventures sent come back alive yet?"
As you turn around, you notice that Duskin is just....gone.
"I'd heard that Torch's fire had gone out but it seemed fine then went all sputtery. Does it do that often? Also, what's the story about tunnels and ants? Oh yeah, and radiation. Duskin will probably negotiate the prepayment and ancillary fees... all the standard stuff."
"Well, I don't know anything about ants, but there are tunnels below the town which are probably the tunnels you are referring to. It’s been eight days, but only seven since the first explorers braved the new tunnels Khonnir discovered. Khonnir himself led his second foray into the caves just a couple of days ago—and he has yet to return."
"Vixen Noir is my name but "Vixen" is fine for the celebratory banners and cakes."
"Should you succeed, I'll bake you a cake myself."
[spoiler=Agni]
" As she asked, what's up with this torch thing? Radiation is something new to me, but doesn't sound pleasant. There a salve we can rub on ourselves to fight it?"
"Radiation is a form of energy, but it probably isn't something you need to worry about in the tunnels below. I understand that it's something that occurs nearer to Silver Mount."
""That is a lovely warhammer, maam! Is that part of the reward you are offering? And what do you need us to do exactly? We are eager to get underway."
"Well, aren't you a polite young lady." Turning, she looks up at her hammer and says "Unfortunately, I can't part with her. She has been my weapon since I came of age."
At the question of what is required, the Dwarf gets more serious and says "We have a reward for finding out what is causing the problem with the torch, but that is secondary to finding out what happened to Khonnar, one of the councilors for Torch. He disappeared on the 5th expedition into the tunnels, and has not reported back since."
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Vixen, you are not moving... Even breathing. Are you OK? Do something...
Vixen jerks violently into motion striding toward the door. Fix the radiation leak in the warp core and rescue the away team. Check and check, but the prime directive is out the window. Bones, assemble the strike team.
Vixen giggles and scans the room for others laughing at her "joke". Finding only puzzled looks she proceeds toward the cave with a apologetic Sable close behind.
"Do you have a map that might give us details about the areas we might need to search?"
"“The caves are inhabited by several enormous vermin and other
scavengers, along with some strange humanoids who had the ability to blend into the shadows of the cave walls, and a nest of gremlins. Khonnir believed this indicated a deeper connection in the caves to the Darklands, but of more immediate interest was his discovery of a wall of solid metal deep in the caves. A wall made of a skymetal alloy called glaucite. He said it was like the kind we mine from the hills and surrounding plains, but formed into a structure with doors. It was nearone of these doors that Khonnir found the broken automaton that he brought back after his first expedition.”
"We know very little about it. Khonnir examined it himself, and confirmed that it was an alloy of adamantine and iron, and that one of the doors in the wall was locked tight but the other was open. He had planned on exploring deeper beyond that door on his second expedition, but who knows if he actually made it that far?”
"Val, Khonnir’s adopted daughter, has closed down her father’s tavern, the Foundry, for the time being. She’s told me that any group that’s going into the caves to look for her father can use the tavern, free of charge, as a headquarters and a place to rest between forays. Finally, the entrance to the caves is flooded. You’ll need to swim a bit to get to the caves. Joram Kyte has agreed to cast water breathing on any group to aid in entering the caves—free of charge, of course. You can find him at the temple of Brigh or up at Crowfeather Palace when you’re ready to go.”
Brigh is the goddess of Machinery, Invention, Time, and Clockworks. She is also known as The Whisper in the Bronze. She is True Neutral in Alignment.
"Were there any other questions, or are you all as ready to go as this young Kitsune?"
"might it be possible to go shopping for mundane magic or even weapons of adamantine?"
"Of course. Get what you need before entering the tunnels."
"What's this about a broken automaton he brought back? Where is it now? Can we see it?"
"Khonnir moved it to his home. If you want to see it, ask Val."
You ask around a bit and are directed to the Foundry, one of the more popular bars in town. Given that it's midday, you would expect that it would be full, but there is only a young woman doing what could best be described as 'busywork'. As you open the door and begin to step in, her head whips around so quickly you are surprised that she doesn't injure her neck.
"Sorry, the bar is closed. I'd recommend trying the Evercandle Inn. It's on the other side of town, and they are probably still serving lunch."
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We're here for lunch?! Vixen exclaims in anger and throws her arms up in the air in disgust. That is not heroic at all. I thought we were here to clear the caves and save that councilor guy, not grab a sandwich.
Vixen, I'm sure there is a reason Dru lead us here that is not sandwiches. Calm down and see what they say.
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Chuckling at the outburst of her companion, Agni slowly moves about the room, rearranging the chairs so they fit around the tables better. Though preoccupied with her hast, she attempts to keep an eye open for any trouble.
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With Drusillia's mention of her father, Val's demeanor changes "Thank the gods! Please, come in and take a seat. I...did you need anything to eat or drink? Do you need information? What, if anything can I do to help?"
She is clearly overwrought and not sure of what to do. It also looks like she hasn't slept in a few days.