Our story begins in Torch, a large town built around a hill in the barren lands of Numeria. The road - made of packed, dry dirt - is well trafficked, the Market Square is just 100 feet away and visitors from out of town as well as Torch inhabitants are walking to and from the merchants there. Humans, dwarves, some half-orcs, and a couple of gnomes make up the crowd over there, and every single one is there for the skymetal craftsmanship. Later, when the sun goes down, the street would be faintly illuminated in the purple glow of the flame giving Torch it's name... The purple flame has burnt likely for over a hundred years, steadily for all those years (except for the infrequent outbursts when the flame forms a pillar of light into the sky, a hazard that the smiths of the town has learned to anticipate and avoid), and it's been a defining feature of Torch not only for the appearance. The flame burns constantly and evaporates nearly anything thrown into it, making it the waste disposal system of the town, except metals which it melts with ease. Skymetal too, the strange alloys found in the buried structures found around Numeria, can be melted with ease by the flame making Torch a hub for crafting and trade with skymetal and creations made with it.
Rather, it
burned constantly. Eight days ago it stopped. Suddenly and without any dramatic displays, as far as you've heard. People are worried, of course, but the situation isn't catastrophic. Tourists and traveling merchants are still in town, the crafters have a stock to sell off... But in the street where you're standing, there are piles of trash near the house walls and buckets with human waste standing around corners in alleys, spreading their stench. Torch will be forced to change, and there's no solution for the waste problem yet. Of greater interest to those hoping to gain gold, reputation, or just to go on adventures is the fact that the same day that the flame died
Khonnir Baine discovered a large amount of footprints on the banks of the Weeping Pond to the north, and in the pond a submerged tunnel leading into a set of caves. Khonnir Baine is a wizard, a liked and respected member of the council, and the owner of the Foundry Tavern which he runs with his daughter Val. He gathered a group of people and went on an expedition into these caves, but not before a group of halfling adventurers, and then a group of local thugs went down there without returning. Khonnir did return after initial investigations of the caves, and a few days ago, yet another group - this time devotees of Brigh - ventured into the caves without returning. Khonnir organized a second expedition and left just two days ago. He has not returned. Town Hall has now announced that a reward of 4.000gp will be awarded to anyone who can rescue him from whatever trouble he faced in the caves, a reward separate to the 4.000gp reward to anyone that would reignite the flame atop the hill.
A pair of dwarves, two women carrying big pouches likely filled with gold and silver, walk by you on their way to the market. You hear them talking:
"Tell me again what happened to your brother!" "He was with that Kazkar fellow at the Copper Coin drinking away, what do they call that - 'rust beer'? They got hammered, as usual, and - I don't know who started it - but there was a dare, and they both went up the hill to the flame! You know, there's only sludge there now, some sort of... I don't know what. So anyway, they both drank it! Rogtym, they tell me, his muscles grew like a beast! Just for a moment, I think, well he looks as usual now. But he's been sleeping more than twice the usual - and that's a lot - since. I guess he maybe caught that headache, too... Anyway, Kazkar he didn't fare so well. Heard it nearly burnt a hole through his gut! Anyway, he's okay now, the healing was costly but he's recovering." They walk on towards the market, likely to spend the gold they're carrying.
