Troubles at the Silver Mine of Gnaefor Ridge

Original Scope: Transformation of Crestwold pt. 2 > Troubles at the Silver Mine of Gnaefor Ridge

NOTICE:

Nearby/connected/related Locales…

Dripping water in a mine

Summary

Kill powerful mage Dez Kolci, Conjurer of Rhyl in Bladden Silver Mine area of Gnaefor Ridge; He taken over the operation and volume has gone down 10%. It actually went up by 10% then down. Its legit that the vein is running dry and needs significant investment from the scarecrow crew its got to get going again. He bought a stake in it, then the entire thing.

Feather says to go to town and meet Barons Herald Verel Blackdown
Not welcome at the keep – treated like outsiders. Servant presents a message from the herald.

Baron’s Herald Verel Blackdown asks to see the party in a back room at the Bittrewheel Tavern. Baron cant know right now who is operating on his behalf, he may reveal secrets to competitors of the PCs (Lightbringers, Green Church, who knows!?) that are around him all the time now.

PER 20 > he obviously has symbol of the Green Church

The new mine owner has pushed so deep that a connection to The Deeping has been found, or nearly so, and is in danger of being opened.

The settlers of the area should tell them that the mine was struck and everyone was killed. The wizard Dez has not come out since, they do not know if he perished or not – he may be hiding in the mines.

> If they kill all giants, the crazed wizard attacks the villagers nearby.
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History Insights from __ (PC Trade Contact)

He is from Rhyl, not the merchant cities. Volume has gone down 10% to most, in reality 20%. It actually went up for a short while (few months) significantly (like double output) then has gradually slipped. No new workers were hired, in fact a few were let go and a few left because of strange happenings in the mine. It is believed he can summon creatures to work the most dangerous parts of the mine. There have been rumors of a a couple of young men who went to work there never returning to Torrelson’s Ford during the last year (normally they would have had a break).

#PC x2 lemures currently; they can be disconcerting when viewed as a mob.
> He has been able to persist the lemure summonings for work in the mines by sacrificing some miners he fired to the dark masters of the fiendish entities.

Mining Camp

– Each door with a lock has had the lock softened and broken by a strange force.

Wall: stacked rubble, 8′ high and 5′ wide

Switchback

Mine entrance is 70′ up

* Body at base

Mining Store

This is a small general store and personal supply shop – blankets, etc.

Proprietor Room: In the back is where Dez normally sleeps. Its got all the records of the mine, notes, and a crude map (DC 15 Investigation). A luxurious cot, and the fireplace to stay warm. There is a ‘secret compartment’ under the bed that is a decoy. Its got copies of the ledgers, a fake map of the mines that will lead followers right into traps. There is 4 scrolls that appear to be written in cipher (its gibberish), a locked box with 3 labeled healing potions that make the imbiber sick, a spell book with Explosive Runes (destroys the book – fire), the deed to the mine, a brief history of the mine and its operations (all commonly known), and about 230sc.

Covered Pool out Back: A large stone tub has been cut out of a rock. There is a fire pit for heating stones – the stones used for heating water and bathing. The covered area can handle about 4 people to do a mini sauna.

Stable

The stable is well ventilated and stocked for 4 horses.

Corral: 4 horse

Behind: a couple extra wagon wheel for a cart or wagon, extra grease and tarps.

Warehouse

Inside are piles of equipment and mining supplies, equipment for sifting and breaking up ore. Bins for ores and containers for transport. There is still ore here.

* Body

Worker Barracks

Each barracks hold

Fire pit

* Body

Bladden Mine

Entrance to Bladden Mine

> inside: 45w/25 deep

Collapsed Area (Dez’s ‘Lair’)

Entrance to The Deeping:

Misty Step Marker:

After

The mine was still full of silver; too dangerous.

The mine should be shut down. It is not going to be profitable without loss of life.

Outcomes

> If the sale can be contested, then there is a chance that a new buyer, through proper channels, can be found through one of the connections of the PCs.

Battle for the Good Will of Torrelson’s Ford

– There is a big “show of favor” – the new owner will sponsor a day of contests and promise to re-open the mine.

> If the PCs win the majority of the contests, it will negate the “good will”…
* Cart Race (Cartwright)
* Lifting (teamsters)
* Throwing
* Swimming
@ Night
* Drinking
* Dancing (PCs might meet someone; plus Anna Waithe from a Troupe: The Climax Assembly – has a good night out with her, no questions asked)

– Legal battle; see if the PCs want to engage? Oration and rhetoric can win the day, with a little big of legal knowledge and help from the {Trade Ally}.