Chapter Two – A Mine full of Trouble.

A Mine full of Trouble.

 Three weeks after the outlaws in the forest adventure. Analdir 3 New [3rd month of the year 3rd day of the 1st week]

During these three weeks our heroes have learnt from there experience and improved their skills after their experiences with the outlaws.  Groschl has recovered from his injuries to his left arm but he is left with a nice scar down it, he hopes it will attract more girls, once he was up and about he started to chat them up again. Roj Kir, Boridhren and Yehonala find out they have  much in common and strike up a friendship deciding to adventure together. They have all lived free with there family or friends and been toasted by the town, there have also appeared some interesting graffiti about each of them around town. Mainly a cheeky slant on there heroics, mixed in with stuff about there personality.

 

Red Beard the Gnome, at Gem post, comes to see them and say’s he has a mission for them.

The monthly cart delivery of Quartz and Copper has not come from the small dwarf mine in the hills 15 miles away, for the last few months. Red Beard is worried, it might have been the outlaws but it could be worse. The dwarfs there are only a small family and he fears something has gone wrong.  He offers 500sp for them to go and investigate, he will also cover any food ect supply costs. He suggests that they could hire a few helpers @ 5sp a day if they need it.

 

He has the following information.

Dwarf’s – one extended family of 24, who mine a rich vein of Quartz and coal as well as some Copper , Sliver and a little Gold ore.

Mine – The mine will not be hard to find with his directions, it is along a track from the main highway into the forest and into the wooded hills to a cave. Once you get close to where it should be you will see large areas of tree stumps, and mining debris as well as smoke tendrils coming from the wooded hills.

There are wolfs in the forest, as well as bears and deer. There is often Elf’s seen there hunting down Goblins and there kind. It is rumored that there are large spiders in the forest, there webs have been seen.

It . Other than that the forest has all the normal sounds of life as well as birds and insects. It will take most of 7 hours to reach the cave from town, so nearly a day.

 

Our heroes, thoughtful as ever, decide to ask Red Beard for the loan of a ox and cart and hire a cart driver and a archer to go along with them, they also ask for a hooded lantern and 5 flasks of oil, and 12 torches as well as food for them all for 4 days. Once all is ready they set off in the morning, ready for this new adventure.

 

They follow the instructions of Red Beard and reach the area, a well worn and rutted path leads to a cave entrance through a well chopped forest, there is much mining discard around this area they can also se smoke tendrils raising from the hill. Yehonala and Boridhren scout out one direction while Groschl and Roj take the other. With them doing that the hirlings set up camp and they rest over night, with Yehonala and the driver on first guard, followed by Boridhren, then Roj with Groschl and the archer last. The night passes uneventfully and the morning dawns with the smell of bad cooking by Yehonala.

 

 

With Broidhren 60′ ahead the group enters the cave entrance to the Dwarf mines wondering what they might find. A high natural cave, with much rubble and mining discard in it as well as a wagon at the furthest end. There is a path through the rubble leading into it. As they move into it and it gets darker they are glad for the lantern, shinning its light in a path ahead of them. Roj brings up the rear and is surprised when something hits his back.

 

Four giant rats have pounced on his back and manage three bits on his back and arms, He orders his wolf to attack and swings his hammer across his back splatting one of the rats as he knocks it across the cave. The other three rats flee leaving Roj with three bite wounds, which Yehonala applies first aid to and then Groschl uses his healing skill to make sure they are not infected, he is unsure about them though.

 

At the end of this 100′ long cave is a 5′ wide passage to another cave near to the wagon. Boridhren as he enters notices that behind the pillar of rock with Quartz fragments in it is a another passage. As the other with the lantern enter the small cave the quartz reflects the light in little sparkles.

This hidden passage turns out to be 5′ wide and 6’6″ high and have steps leading down into the dark. This space is going to be tight for the 6’6″ 340lb Groschl once in no one will be able to get past him. Letting the wolf go first with Boridhren just behind and the wolf having orders to defend him they make there way down the steps.

 

Halfway down Boridhren hears a twang, and a bolt misses the wolf and him and goes into the roof, it appears, on a good look that there was a tripwire on the steps which Wolf set off. At the same time they hear a yapping and yelping noise.

 

Something else is here.

 

The stairs come down into a 20′ sq room. With a corridor on the other side of it, at the bottom of the stairs are 4 barrels 2 wide 2 deep blocking the way. Behind them can be seen four small dog like heads and four arms moving forward to release javelins. All four miss the wolf. Then they hear the sound of running and yelping followed by the sound of a gong. It seems the critters have fled ringing a alarm as they go.

 

All but Groschl can climb over the barrels, but there is not enough room for him to do so, so they set about moving them out of the way. Then they use Roj hammer to open one finding it full of mine waste. With all of them now in the room they look around. In the bottom left corner is a pen for two mules, which are not there, the opposite wall has more barrels along it. The eight barrels 2 high  1 deep 4 wide. are 3′ high 2’Dia barrels are of  simple construction, some much older than others. They all have chalk marks on them, in what they assume to be dwarfish, but as none of  them read it, it could be anything.  They open them and find some have mining spoil in them, some are empty a few have Copper ore or Quartz in them With at least ten minutes gone they move on down the corridor.

 

This passage is still tight for Groschl and with Boridhren leading again, they move along the 30′ of corridor till he reaches a corner turning left. He checks for sound and carefully rounds the corner, the passage continues. Twenty foot on it turns right, again Boridhren checks before moving round it. He stops as his keen senses notices something.

 

At his feet is a trip wire, just like on the stairs, so properly linked to a crossbow, he also notices a difference in the floor. There is a pit trap here as well, a Dwarven swinging floor trap. There should be a control lever near by to disable the trap. Ah there it is, a small hidden lever on the wall over the pit, He pulls it to secure the floor.

 

They move on, ahead is the small crossbow, which Groschl takes, it might be useful he says. The corridor turns right again here and then left after a few more feet. Ahead is another long passage, still 5′ wide and 6’6″ tall. However on the right just after the turn is a door. Boridhren checks for traps, sound and anything else, all seems to be clear. He opens the door with Groschl covering him, behind the door is a 20×20 room with 2 twin bunks.  It has a sconce for a torch on the further wall, 4 chests, a table and 4 stools. A quick check show no hostiles, so Boridhren checks the chests to see who might live here. Varrommm a ball of fire 10′ across erupts from the second chest he touches. His quick reflexes help minimise the damage he takes, but the bedding in the room catches fire. As he leaves the room and closes the door, he reports that the first chest held Dwarf clothes.

 

Leaving a burning room behind they apply first aid to Boridhren and then some magical healing by Roj.  With that done they continue down the passage which ends at another door on the left. They have now been in the mine for around 30 minutes.

 

Again Boridhren checks out the area, and detects no traps or sounds, opening the door he sees. A 15×20 room, with two doors, another further down the same side as this one, and many shelves along the walls. These shelves hold various items like rope, hammers etc. They check them out without touching and find, Rope Hemp 150′ x2 30’x2 60′ 100′, nails, hammers, candles [1hr], Block & Tackle, Crowbars, Hatchet’s x4, Basic Lanterns x4 only one seems to be in working condition 20 Small Casks, Pickaxe’s, 6hr Torch’s x 20, and 12 Water skins. Leaving it all in place, realising  that the Dwarfs might not like them looting, if any are left.   Boridhren listens at the lower door and hear’s japping sounds, so more of those Kobolds must be in there. Groschl takes the lead and opens the door, Roj is behind with the light. This odd T shaped hall, has a 8′ ceiling and is 15′ wide and 55′ long. In the middle of the ceiling at the T is a Hammer shaped Quartz around 1′ across which gives off multi hued light this illuminates the whole hallway. The walls have Dwarfish art work on them, depicting battles and family scenes, the floor is worked stone with hammers carved into them.

 

Action is immanent.

Yehonala, being fast starts to cast Shield, followed by Boridhren doing the same. Groschl fire the crossbow, the one he picked up, at a Kobold who parries with his shield, The bolt goes through the shield and is stopped by his orange leather helm. All the Kobold seem to have Orange armour, there response is a shower of eight javelins all at Groschl who blocks the doorway, he still tries to evade but with no where to go fails. However although 5 hit none penetrate his scale armour. Roj and his wolf just wait.

Yehonala shield spell  fails and so she starts a sleep spell instead., Boridhren’s shield spell works and it shimmers into life in front of him. The Kobolds pick up another javelin, ready to throw again.

Yehonala sleep spell goes off, putting all eight Kobold’s asleep.

End of action.

 

Using rope from the last room they tie them up, each one wakes as they do so but is soon gagged to shut them up. Groschl picks up a javelin, it might be useful he says.  They then look around the T and find two more doors one in the upper R]right of the T and one in the bottom left, they decide to tie the bottom left door to the one they came through to stop it being opened while they check out the upper one. While doing that Boridhren cast the spell Comprehend Language on a Kobold to find out what they are saying. ‘Don’t let that Orc eats us’ is what it is saying, however as the spell does not allow the caster to speak the language just understand it Boridhren can not ask any questions.

 

They move to the door and Boridhren checks listens, then checks for traps. Then gets Groschl to open it. BOOM

Another ball of fire.

Groschl takes light burns across his body.

The door frame catches fire.

 

He knocks a hole in the door and sees another metal one ahead.

The group put the fire out and then smash down the wooden door. Now they can see a short 15′ passage with a metal door at the end. Again Boridhren checks it out and when he tries to  open it finds it locked but no boom. Roj call’s out but there is no reply, so Boridhren picks the lock eventually.  Ahead is a short passage with stairs going up.  Boridhren followed by the others start up, the steps are earth and crumble a little. Tree roots cris-cross  them making a trip hazard although making using them easier. After a few steps Groschl says its much to tight for him and there is no point going this way. So back to the T room and the other door they go, locking the metal one behind them.

 

They untie the rope and check the door and listen, nothing, so they open it. Behind it is a 25×25 room with two doors in the West, opposite, wall and one in the south. Illuminated by a light in centre ceiling. The area is messy with coal dust, it has 6 lockers along the North wall. Checking the tracks it seems that Dwarfs and little critters have been through here. Yehonala say’s ‘its a mine head with lockers for there stuff’. They decide not to open any lockers and prepare to move on, they have been in here for around an hour and a half.

 

What lies ahead?

Are there any Dwarfs left here?

 

Roj goes and gets a Kobold to check the door again, they put water skins from the store over it to provide some protection if a fire trap goes off. They get it to touch the south door first then the two west doors. Nothing goes off so they feed him and put him back with the others. Boridhren the checks all three door for traps which work on opening, there appears to be none.  He then listens at the southern door and hears nothing, opens the door and see’s stairs going down.  Down they go and round the 180 corner and on down. As they reach the bottom of the stairs Broidhren see’s another dwarf pit trap and secures it.

 

After the pit there is a short 10′ corridor which opens into a 15×25′ room, with two doors in the West wall, and one in the east. The room is illuminated by a Continual light in centre ceiling. The area is messy with rock dust, it has 6 lockers along the North wall. They check to see if they can find any useful tracks in the dust but it is to messy for that.  They then get Boridhren to check the tree door for traps, he see’s none. So they open the east door  and enter a 25 x 25 room with a Continual light in the ceiling. this area has tables with ore on. There is a lot of small Quartz gems stored here. Yehonala checks the ore, but holds to her good nature and does not pocket any of the quartz or any ore with copper or sliver in it.  This room has another door in its east wall, so again they get Boridhren to check it out.

 

They enter and this leads into a 10×25 room or corridor with a door at its upper eastern end, the door they came through was at the centre west end.  Boridhren checks this door and listens. Behind he can hear the sounds of a fire, and some gentle crying. He casts understand Language and finds it is the crying language of Kobolds, it must be some pups. After a quick chat they decide not to kill the pups and doubt that any mayor force would be there so retrace there tracks to the room at the bottom of the stairs.

 

Back in the messy rock dust room they check the two west doors, these seem fine. They then open the NW door and a passage 5′ high behind the 5′ door, opening the SW one they see the same. So as the passages are low they send the short elf Boridhren to check them out for about 150′, he finds that both appear to be mining shafts the NW one curving further north as it goes and the SW one curving further south as it goes. They then go back up the stairs to the coal dust room and check out its west doors and then send Boridhren in to check these two passages. Again they seem to curve north and south and are mine shafts 5′ high.  with another hour gone so two and a half in total they need to push on to find these dwarfs.

 

Going back into the T shaped room they see a door they missed opposite the one which took them into the coal area. They get Boridhren to check it out  and then open it. It is a 15×25 room, with a door on the other end and racks on the north and south wall of weapons and armour. Looking but not touching the see 8 Heavy Repeating CrossBows, although places for 10 are there, with 5 casks; 14 Great Hammers; 24 full suites of Scale all for Dwarf size 10-14, it seems to an armoury. The discuss the value of those crossbows and wonder if they could use them as well as how a bunch of Kobolds could mange to overrun the group of dwarfs with this much weaponry.  Groschl has the ability and training to use them so they take one and look for bolts, arrh those casks, yes they have bolts in them. They remove clips from 5 crossbows and Groschl fills them with bolts, he puts one back into the crossbow he is taking and the other clips in his pack.  Now he can engage those sneaky Kobolds at range before they can run.

 

They check the east door and its seems fine, so opening it the enter the corridor behind. This corridor goes 15′ then bends north then east again, Boridhren see’s another of those dwarf pit traps and disables it so they can continue. The corridor goes another 15′ east and ends where a drape covers the passage.  Boridhren checks it for traps, and it seems fine. So he pokes his head through the gap which can be made between the two parts of it. Twang.

 

A bolt hits the drape and then another both missing, Boridhren steps back  another three hit the drape. So that is where one of the missing crossbows went. They all charge in behind Boridhren, combat time.

 

The Kobolds with surprise and reaction speed on there side throw six javelins at Boridhren 3 hit and hurt him in the head and chest. Yehonala back in the passageway starts to cast sheild. Groschl delays as he also can not get to the action with Roj in the way. Boridhren seeing 3 kobolds each side of him behind tables and 3 more at the other end of the room, tries to do a backward flip over Roj to get out of the line of fire. Unfortunately he finds that he can not do it and so aborts still facing the room. This is a large 50×25 hall, there are drapes at each end which have a slit in to allow passage. The walls have tapestries hanging on them depicting, dragons, and battles against Elf’s, these are old and decaying but the quality can be seen.  There is a large throne like chair at the East end behind a long table. Around the hall are long benches and tables. Just back from the main table and throne on the ceiling is a Continual light Quartz chandelier.

Roj tries to grab Boridhren and pull him back but with a lantern in his right hand he finds using his left with a shield on it makes it diffulcult and he fails to grasp Boridhren.

The 6 Koblods pick up a new javelin while the thee at the other end throw, Boridhren casts feather fall to drop the javelins mid flight. Yehonala finishes her shield spell and starts on a sleep spell. Groschl and Boridhren delay then Roj retreats back and they both do the same, letting the drapes cover them. Hardly a 5 second fight. [some luck points used]

 

They but themselves into a different order, with hard man Groschl at the front, Yehonala holding a sleep spell behind, then the archer with Roj tending to Boridhren’s wounds at the rear. Back in they go, combat again.

 

This time the Kobolds are not quick enough and Yehonala goes first delaying for Groschl to move in, Roj starts to cast cure light wounds on Boridhren. Groschl moves into the room and fires off a wild shot with his repeating crossbow. The Kobolds return the favour with 9 javelins, 5 hit him but only two got through his armour. Impaling into his chest and left leg, annoying having them stuck in him but not much damage.

Yehonala moves forward and lets her sleep spell off aiming at the top of the room to avoid Groschl. The spell puts the top four asleep including the one in red amour all over who would appear to be in charge. Roj abandons the healing to go and help the others leaving Boridhren. Groschl fires the crossbow again hitting a kobold in the left leg, it makes its pain roll and manages to hobble away, the none sleeping kobolds all run towards the other end of the room.

Yehonala starts to cast a magic missile, while the running kobolds kick the sleeping ones awake.

 

Yehonala fails to get the magic missile spell to work, Roj and his wolf arrive and the wolf diving under a table bits and kills a kobold. Groschl shoots again and misses again as all the remaining 5 kobolds run or roll out through the drape. One dead Kobold, two sleeping prisoners, one half Orc with two javelins stuck in him and a injured half elf. [even with more luck used]

 

Roj, Yehonala and Groschl push the top table towards the far drapes and act as cover. then first aid is started on Groschl for the two impaled javelins by Yehonala, she manages to remove the chest one ok and with the use of a healing salve improve his chest, however the leg javelin must have been in harder as getting it out made the wound worse and beyond her ability to heal. She does however manage again with a healing salve to allow him to walk. While she is spending 10 minutes doing this Roj casts cure light wounds on Boridhren’s head.

 

With the healing done they check out the far drape and they go through it with Boridhren back in the lead. ahead is a 25′ corridor with a door at the other end and a cross passage halfway along.  Three hours have now passed. When Boridhren reaches the cross he can see doors 10′ along in both directions there as well. They decide to check south first and Boridhren checks the door and then opens it. A 20 x 15 room, it has a table and chair in it, and is lit by a continual Light Quartz figure of a one foot Dwarf with a War Hammer on the desk.

 

Before doing anything else they go to the other door up the north passage. Listening here Boridhren hears sounds, however the elf does not know what they are so Roj comes and listens. He says that is the sound of people working in a kitchen we can leave it alone. so they go back to what looked like an office. Entering it Boridhren notices a secret door in the east wall. Yehonala wonders about the cost of the desk light, but knows she can not take it, while Boridhren wonder if they could just smash it and take the light part. Yehonala says ‘that is terrible smashing up a thing of beauty’ and says no. oridhren then checks the secret door for traps and finding none sees the way to open it a engraved hammer 6″ from the ceiling on the wall. Pressing it the door opens.

 

Behind the door is a 25 x 25 room, it has a double bed 2 chests, a table and chair in it. A comment is made about secure sleeping accommodation. There is a corridor going off the other side of this room but when looked at it appears to go nowhere, even though they tap and sound out the walls.

 

So they go back to the office and back into the croos passage and to the east door they have not checked.  Boridhren checks it as usual and hears nothing, although it appears to have been opened recently. Boridhren opens the door and Groschl goes in. It is a 15×15 room the east and west walls are full of shelves, filled with food stuffs, flour, dried herb, spices, dried meat etc the east wall has a door in it. Again they check this door and then open it into a corridor. It goes 35′ to a T junction going north  and south. The group move south and in 10′ the corridor turns est with a door after another 5′. As he goes round the corner Boridhren sees a secret door in the south wall, he checks it out, it does not seem to be trapped.

 

He then moves to check the eastern door and listening can hear faint noise, Roj can indentify them as Kobold’s again.  They open the secret door in the south and find themselves in a corridor leading west. Boridhren quickly finds that this leads to the big bedroom next to the office, this must be the corridor they could not find a door in.  So back to the eastern door, Boridhren ducks down to open the door while Groschl prepares to enter past him.

 

This 25×15 room has water flowing from the north into a tank  where it is heated by steam and then to a set of showers. In this room are the Kobold champion and 5 others, they surrender being trapped and with no where to run. Groschl talks to them in Goblin which they also understand, The champion says that he is sure that the chief will give up this place if they have somewhere else to go. He explains how they came to be here. There clan was driven from their lair in the Spires by goblins and had been searching for a new place to stay and thought they have found it here. The Kobolds quickly overcame the 12 Dwarfs here and took them prisoner, then they took the others as they came back from the forest. Arh says Roj ‘the perails of chopping down trees’. Since getting here they have added extra traps to the mines, the pits did not go off as they are two light to activate them. Roj knowing area well says he has just the place for them to go some miles from here and the town are some nice caves.

 

The party with the Kobolds head off lead by the champion to find the chief and the dwarfs. They are lead back to where they heard the sounds of the youn and entering there see. A  40×40 area has a locked double gate in front of stairs in the middle leading down to another area. There is a Continual light in the ceiling Behind it is a large furnace with ore crushing pits on the side walls.  This is where the Quartz is removed and the remaining ore smelted. The furnace is just ticking over supplying heat to the area. The Furnace vents into the roof up long narrow twisting shafts, this causes a gentle air flow from the cave entrance. This is where the remaining 12 Kobold‘s and the pup’s are enjoying the heat. Also the Chief  and the Priest and his Boar are here.

 

The Dwarfs are in the mine head down the stairs, behind locked double gates leading into this large 45×50 room which has a large lift shaft in the middle with 6 mine shafts leading off the sides, there is a Continual light in the ceiling. The Lift over a hole allows access to lower mine shafts, the 6 other shafts wiggle away following the veins of ore.

 

There are 16 dwarfs here and there leader is not happy to let the Kobolds go but can see the advantage. The dwarfs are in a bad way having been tortured, They get the Kobold Preist to cast cure light wounds on 5 of them, while Roj uses his last magic potential to cast another one. Then Yehonala assisted by Roj uses first aid with a salve on another 6 and just first aid on the last 4.  All 16 dwarfs improve in health which improves there attitude.   Roj talks to them about there treatment of the environment and says that the local druids will arrange for coppicing trees to be planted for a small fee so the dwarfs will not need to go so far or make such a mess of the forest.

 

With the problem sorted the dwarf chief  wants’ all the kit left here but rewards the party with 2 Sliver bars [worth 1,000sp each] & 10 Gold Ducat’s [2,000sp], they also want to have a party with the party but ask them to come back in a month when they have sorted themselves out. So with only one dead Kobold the party leave the dwarven mine and escort the rest to the caves Roj selected before returning to town. A job well done. Thinking about there next adventure maybe in Wildsgate a border fort to the north.