On the 14th of The Hierophant, Strayer the Monk, having recently concocted a batch of Above The Knees Soup, rallied Fern the Elven Spellsword and Fergus the Druid for an urgent quest. Their mission originated from a notice posted by Migrik Dawnsaxe, a dwarf from the Northern Outpost, concerning a collapsed mine and missing miners. With supplies in tow, the trio commenced their northward journey from Keep Bleakheard, an 18-hour march fraught with potential dangers.
Their trek was momentarily paused by a peculiar discovery—a patch of blue, opalescent dust shimmering on the trail. Intrigued, the adventurers investigated, prodding it and flinging torches onto the powder. Strayer secured a sample of this dust mixed with soil in a vial for later analysis.
Navigating by night for 12 hours, they successfully evaded any bandit encounters. Earlier at the inn, they had absorbed a harrowing account of an adventurer who, upon investigating a notorious barrow mound, had his companion decapitated by an invisible, stony force, suggesting that the bandits’ previous threats were now subdued by this relentless guardian.
They reached the Northern Outpost at the 5th Candle of the 15th of The Hierophant, where Migrik Dawnsaxe, though busy, briefed them on the mine’s location up the Brothers’ Mountains. Following a brief respite, Elrik the Wizard joined their ascent to the mine entrance, which they found obstructed by debris. Resourcefully, they accessed the site through an 80-foot-high ventilation shaft using a rope provided by Fergus.
Inside, they encountered an ancient dwarven elevator designed with dark wooden beams and iron bands, requiring a duo to operate. Amidst the scattered remains of dwarves and mining tools, the adventurers equipped themselves with hard hats and pickaxes. Fergus, accompanied by his torch-bearing henchman Gilmak, was first to brave the descent. A brief scare occurred when Strayer momentarily lost control of the crank, but he quickly regained it, averting a catastrophe.
Once at the bottom, they discovered more lifeless pale dwarven bodies and a blood-scrawled warning: “GET OUT. BEWARE OF…” Their exploration continued into a vast, unstable cavern, where Strayer, undeterred by the ominous atmosphere, fished in an underground lake, capturing two anglerfish.
A sudden force yanked Fern back to the main chamber, a chilling encounter that she narrowly escaped by returning to her comrades. Together, they discovered an ancient temple adorned with amethyst statues. While extracting shards from a statue, they confronted two enigmatic doors adorned with reactive knobs.
Reuniting after Fern’s harrowing experience, they approached another set of doors, this time with faces for handles—one happy, one sad. Manipulating both simultaneously evoked an expression of mourning from the faces.
With preparations to venture into another unexplored room, Strayer, Fern, Elrik, and Fergus have not been seen or heard from since leaving the Northern Outpost five hours prior.
It is now the 16th Candle of the 15th of The Hierophant. Summer in the Brothers’ Mountains brings a brisk 55 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds gusting moderately at 15 mph.
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