Chapter 6: Out of the Black
The Four sit in the Lord Mayor's nicely appointed chambers- which occupy most of the uppermost floor of the newly renovated Fire Hall- sipping drinks served by Mayor Vander's secretary. Commandant Overmark is there; so is the half-elf ranger, Zima, just back from Yonder's Hole. Everyone's attention is directed, at present, towards a stranger to the Four, a mid-aged dwarf introduced as Kerek Crusher.
"Tell them what you told us." Vander directs the newcomer.
"Alright, then. About a week ago, a prospector named Gulo, and his team are digging an exploratory shaft about two miles north of the camp when they hit a big vein of platinum, least that wide." the dwarf holds his calloused hands about half a meter apart.
"They tried keeping it a secret, but Yonder's Hole aint big, and word spread like the crotch pox."
"So, they stake their claim with the mayor- er, Deepdelver, not your lordship- and start following the vein, digging deeper, bringing out huge chunks of pure platinum. Others show up and start digging nearby. Anyway, some of the miners start getting sick, acting really odd. Gulo goes insane, murders one of his mates, starts eating his face. Sergeant Jaff had to lock him up, gagged and bound nearly head to toe. Hasn't been able to get a word o' sense out of him since."
Kerek shakes his head slowly, as if he doesn't want to believe his own memories.
"With Gulo locked away, there's a big row over who owns his mine. It gets ugly quick. More murders. Deepdevler steps in, negotiates a profit-sharing deal for the rival claimants. Nobody's really happy about it, but at least they can start digging again. And they do- faster now. A day or two later, they hit another shaft, a big one, cut stone, smooth walls, really high. I only saw it for a couple of minutes, but one man could stand on another's shoulders and not even hit his head on the ceiling."
"Show them," Overmark interjects, "the symbol you saw."
The dwarf removes a piece of parchment from his tunic, unfolds it carefully, and flattens it out on the coffee table. "Never seen anything like it in all my life." Kerek claims. Corros recognize the symbol at once. It's the numeral 2, in the long-dead script of the Forgotten Ones.
"Then things get really weird. Dead miners- the ones that got murdered and the others that were killed by them orcs a few months back, they dig themselves outta their graves, start attacking the living. We fight most of them off, but then other things start coming out of Gulo's shaft, monstrous things, lots of 'em. They killed a lot of people. The survivors retreated to the stockade and holed up there. Deepdelver sent us," Kerek indicates Zima, "back to get help."
Vander looks at the Four. There's a pause; everyone knows what's coming next, but Vander seems hesitant to say it.
"I can't send any of the Watch. They're still at half strength- barely able to keep the peace here in the city."
Overmark's scowl confirms Vander's assessment. He continues, "You know the way to Yonder's Hole; you've worked with Deepdelver before. You'll be paid, of course."
And then the Lord Mayor is quiet, looking expectantly at the adventurers.
Your Turn.
-
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:34, Thu 08 Dec 2016.