To Whom It May Concern at the Great Library
Re: Powerful Creature Moving Underground Near Throal
My friend LaShana the acquisition specialist asked Mal the elven archer and myself to join her for a little favor she was doing for the Daicar Brothers of Ben and Jerry's Life Preservations, an alchemists shop in Throal.
LaShana was in the Grand Bazaar when she saw three postings “Looking for Adepts” clustered together.
A Dwarven noble, one Ikthgild Emdger, (nicknamed Icky the Cash Strapped) was asking adepts to look into the tremors that had been heard near the door sealing Bazra’s Kingdom off from Throal (Hex 43.09). Bazra’s Kingdom was a separate mining city deeper under the mountain than Throal. It fell to the horrors during the Scourge. Throal sealed off the area trapping the unfortunate inside, similar to what happened at the main gates during the Weeping.
On either side of the note from Icky the Cash Strapped were two others. One was from the Daicar Brothers, asking adepts to check in with them if they accepted Icky’s request. On the other side was a request from the Bordai Mining Consortium, asking adepts to check in with the BMC if they accepted Icky’s request.
LaShana said something along the lines of how great the Daicar Brothers were and how she wouldn’t trust the BMC after the way they did to the spirit Sif. Got the impression there was a story there that involved a bit more based on the bitterness in LaShana’s voice. LaShana also wanted to see what the folks at the Bordai Mining Company were up to, to see if there was an angle to play. It was her call, and Mal and I agreed to keep her company.
We went to Ben and Jerry’s first. Jerry was working behind the counter, but we met with Ben in the back and found out that the brothers wanted to open the old mine shafts near Bazra’s Kingdom if it was safe for workers to go in. The earthshakes had them concerned that it wouldn’t be, and they wanted someone to go in and check it out. LaShana was pretty clear that Ben and Jerry were good guys. We said we would see what Icky the Cash Strapped wanted and share what we learned.
We then went over to the BMC where Janessa Foukal, Representative of the Borodai Mining Consortium explained how wonderful the company was, and that it would be both a public relations coup and a great job creator for the miners if the old Bazra’s Kingdom mines could be reopened. I was very good and didn’t say anything about what I’d heard about the pittance the BMC pays miners for all the risks they run while the guys at the top rake in the mine profits. Or the enslaving spirits thing. Or… Go me. Go job creation. Yay.
We met with Icky at his home in the Estates. Real glitz. Old money. Young foppish dwarves with an orichalcum spoon in their mouths. For someone called “the cash strapped” he was having a nice dinner. Lots of expensive dishes, drinks, fine china, and dried gravy stains down the vest over his bulging belly. Made the walk through the poor quarters and the hard working dwarves of the Wedshal look pretty good.
Icky said how he could arrange for adepts to get through the old sealed door to check out where the earthshakes were coming from “as a public service to Throal and the good of the kingdom”. He neglected to mention all the mining interests his family is invested in, pitching it as pure community service. Adepts were to go in on their own and brave the dangers for no reward other than what they could scavenge. All Icky asked in return for arranging for the door to open was info on what was on the other side. Huh. Am glad the scion of his house is such a dedicated philanthropist. I got very good at making polite noises while LaShana finessed him, making him think he was getting the intel for free while she was planning to help the Daicars. Don’t know what exactly LaShana has in mind, but the image of a fish on a hook came to mind so I held my peace while she played her game.
I called in some favors from friends at the Great Library and got ahold of a Pre-Scourge map of the area on the other side of the Seal (see below). Have updated it with notes and intel, including the route to the old mine entrance. The pouch attached has samples of the stones from outside the mine entrance to aid with any mystic pursuit talent follow up adepts might find useful, or something as simple as a geologic analysis; should be useful for Ben and Jerry either way. [Jumping ahead a bit, future adepts should also be prepared for the rockworm nest by the mine entrance.]
We had til morning, so we canvassed the bars the guards working the Seal frequented. Bought some drinks and cross checked our intel. A chart of the data we put together on timing, frequency, severity, depth and direction for the Tremors is included in Appendix A (caveat, keep in mind it’s all based on interviews, not primary data). Future adepts who go after whatever is digging at and weakening the old seams under Throal may find it useful when planning their hunt. They might also check with the Pale Ones, as some of the Tremors seemed to be coming from their territory.
We went past the crystal greenhouses to the old mine shafts, then took the western passage to the old seal. Impressive work. Big round vault door with orichalcum seals and an incredible astral presence. The old dwarven masters really did some amazing enchantments.
At the Seal we met with Icky’s wagemage, a human the guards called Whizzy, tho he introduced himself as Wesley. I called him Wesley. We got Wesley to rig a doorbell of sorts we could use to let the guards know to let us back in, along with a schedule for when they would open up anyway over the next few days.
Frankly, I had to really steel myself for that first quarter mile. Hundreds and hundreds of fleeing folks had crushed themselves to death against the back side of the Seal, trying desperately to get away from whatever broke in during the Scourge. Was eerie to hear their desperate screams still echoing on the astral and see the floor licked clean.
After a ways, we came to the edge of the old city. Whatever went through here really did a number on it and collapsed Bazra’s caverns like bunch of troubadours partying in a rented room at an inn after a concert. The claw marks we found were larger than a troll. Many of the routes we tried were dead ends or had gaps too small for Mal. It was a little easier for LaShana and I since we are pretty nimble windlings, but any big folk would have found it a near impenetrable maze. After we found the eighth or ninth stone block with a crushed leg trapped under it I began to see a horrible pattern as whatever went through here played with its food and made the meal last.
The Tremors come and go but we had a general direction to go on and kept plugging away. We finally lucked out and heard them start up not too far off. The area near where we tracked it down is mapped in detail below. The larger map of how we got to the area is in Appendix B.
As we crawled from section to section and through the partially open areas of the collapsed streets, we quickly discovered that there were far more traps in this area than in the others we had moved through. Huh.
LaShana really showed off her trap detection and disarming skills. Mostly. Well, except for that one arrow trap but those DID bounce off Mal’s armor… …anyway. We also discovered that giant spiders don’t like their pit trap home disturbed but taught them that windlings are considerably more agile and tough than flies. Thank you Mal, by the way.
As we moved from east to west, we saw what best can be described as a feral windling keeping an eye on us. Calling out to him didn’t do any good. Since he didn’t seem hostile we put out some food and gave him space to come to us while we continued to track the Tremors.
Passing through the bar area (and yet more traps) we heard screams ahead. Rushing forward we saw an awful sight, some horror construct diggers had broken through and were murdering a young feral female windling as the male we had seen earlier desperately tried to fight them off.
There were a lot of them, but we leaped into the fray and were able to save the male and used a last chance salve and healing potion to revive the young girl. From them we learned the siblings, Stonebreaker (the male) and Scuttle (the female), were the last survivors of a cobbled together windling kaer that had made it all the way through the Scourge by working the tiniest of tunnels and their skills with improvised traps. Hearing what they and their ancestors went through would break anyone’s heart, let along how their parents and uncle were killed, leaving them all alone.
Stonebreaker and Scuttle gave us a tour of the rest of the area, and warned us about the rockworm nest near the mine entrance. They also showed us how to listen to the stone and hear something… …a very large creature of some sort… …moving beneath us and causing the weakened geology of the cavern to shift and quake even more.
Our objective was to determine if it was safe to send non-adept miners in to open the mine. We had a resounding NO consensus from the three of us.
We shared with Stonebreaker and Scuttle a description of the windling community on Skyreader Island. They had thought they were the last of their kind since their parents died, and they were pretty overwhelmed to meet LaShana and I, let alone hear of a colony of windlings. I have asked Sensei Ziv if it will be alright for the two of them to stay with us for a while on the island, while the two survivors adapt to the outside world.
We retraced our route, rang the doorbell, and thanked Wesley and the guards. We then returned to Ben and reported our findings, providing copies of the maps and other supplemental material. When Mal, Stonebreaker, Scuttle and I left, LaShana was chuckling over something as she and Ben continued planning whatever game they are playing with the BMC and Icky. Time will tell. I’m just glad the two young windlings are safe and have a chance at a life.
Yours in Service,
Nib
Addenda: There were more ancient documents in the room marked "Library" than we could carry back to Throal. A cross section of the materials is listed in Appendix C, and the recovered items have been donated to the Great Library (see forms filed with the Reclamations and Conservation Department, copies attached). I have left a note with the Conservation Director recommending that the materials be reviewed and the remaining documents from Braza's Kingdom recovered as schedules and resources permit.
