Do you
Did one of you pack a rope while I wasn’t looking?
[NAME] turns [NAME] wand into a rope, and you’re all set.
Well! This place was quite obviously used as a latrine, as can be seen from theholes in the ground. There is none-too-pleasant smell in the air, even thoughthis place must be out of use for decades by now.
[NAME] earns a harsh look from [NAME] by making a rude remark about Dwarves and the waythey smell.
At the end of the tracks, there’s some kind of construction made from rottenwood. Judging from its shape, I’d say it must have been a buffer once.
Where the tracks end in front of the wall, there are a lot of rotten pieces ofwood scattered on the tracks and the ground around them.
A wooden contraption, totally rotted through by now, is mounted on the end ofthe tracks. A few thousand years ago, it might have been used to actually stopa dump car.
The dump car is filled halfway with charcoal. The body of the car is rotted through,and the mechanical parts are covered in rust, but even so, with a bit of grease,you should be able to get the old thing back in working condition.
Do you want to grease the dump car?
[NAME] greases up the dump car, and indeed it is possible to get it moving alongthe tracks with a bit of effort. It is moving smoother than before with everytry.
Do you want to ride the dump car?
[NAME] climbs into the dump car, and the others start pushing. The dump car’s wheelsscreech and grate on the tracks. At first, the car is resisting, but once youmanage to give it enough momentum, it flies off like a rollercoaster…
The car goes faster and faster. Does [NAME] jump off?
What a graceful leap! That’s something you don’t get to see every day!
That was pretty worthless! The leap turns into a series of quite painful tumbles.
With a loud crash, the rotten dump car breaks apart against a wooden constructionon the wall.
[NAME] is not much better off. [NAME] meeting with the wall is anything but gentle. Inthe end, [NAME] lands on the ground in some dark and dusty corner.
Do you want to examine the ore chute closer?
[NAME] keeps fingering the construction somewhat helplessly, then [NAME] suddenly grinsand starts climbing up the frame. With a whooping laugh, [NAME] slides down the chute,arriving at the other end with a dull thud. You can still hear [NAME] laughing fromthe next room.
Take a piece of ore,
or search the mound?
Yes, well - you’ll pardon my doubts on whether you’ll ever have a need for thatthing, but far be it for me to stop you from lining your pockets.
As I’ve stated before, the ore is damp - making the search quite messy and decidedlyunpleasant. It’s also fruitless.
There are various mountings on the wall, some of them containing rusty forgingtools. There are some rusty iron utensils in the corner. It’s fairly peculiarstuff, especially a sort of oversized ball and chain that couldn’t have beenused for fighting. The ball with thin iron bristles dangles from a 25[N]paces longchain.
Do you want to
examine the utensils,
or take along the “ball and chain”?
The tools are tongs of varying sizes. They are, however, almost completely rustedthrough and thus totally worthless.
Sorry, folks! That sweeper is too big for your backpacks!
[NAME] has found a rusted pair of tongs and is hammering on the anvil with them usingrhythmic blows.
Finally, [NAME] has had enough: [NAME] furiously grasps the tongs from [NAME] hands and flingsthem into the corner.
[NAME] starts off by checking out the forge, climbing a bit into the chimney andof course, getting stuck in it.
Working as a team, you finally manage to pull [NAME] free again.
It takes quite a while for [NAME] to wiggle free again.
The lever doesn’t budge.
On examining the skeleton, [NAME] finds a small leather bag. Inside, there are anumber of yellowed and rotted pieces of vellum that may at one time have beenpages out of some book or another. There isn’t much left that can be called recognizable,no more than a few scraps, and what’s more, the few lines still readable arein Old Arkanian.
“… possess… coin of stone, we are faced with a further conundrum…
entranceto Ingerimm’s forge…
caught… how to open the portal…
Madevik’s sacrilegemust bear the blame for this…
a deserved punishment, when Madevik was buriedin the rockslide…”
After [NAME] has managed to decipher these few words, and not without trouble, eventhose last few scraps fall apart.
Inside the Dwarven Pit, we have found a skeleton carrying several pieces of vellum.Unfortunately, only parts of the text on them remained:
[NAME].
Apparently, itis not advisable to arouse the Smithing God’s ire on His own territory!
Do you want to jump across the pit?
Who will chance the jump?
Do you want to secure [NAME] with a rope?
[NAME] slings a rope around [NAME] body. The others hold on to the opposite end. Then[NAME] goes back as far as the rope allows, before suddenly tearing down the halltoward the pit.
With a presumptuous grin, [NAME] refuses the proffered rope. Three paces seems nodistance at all for precautions like that!
With a graceful leap, [NAME] clears the obstacle.
While [NAME] ties the rope to the doorframe. you find a spot to tie it to on thisside. Now, you can simply climb across the pit hand over hand along the rope.
A short distance from the edge of the pit, [NAME] stumbles and hops right into thehole with all the grace of a giant lovesick jumping leech. A sudden pull on therope and a subdued gasp leaves no doubt that [NAME] has made the acquaintance ofthe pit walls. With some effort, you manage to pull [NAME] back up.
Shortly before reaching the edge of the pit, [NAME] stumbles. A muted “splat!” frombelow makes it abundantly clear that even the lowliest of obstacles can be agrave problem indeed.
Do you want to go get [NAME] body?
[NAME] gets [NAME] body from the pit. Who knows, one of the Divines may be amenable toa deal…
Stones have been piled into a mount with a war axe lying right on top of it.
Do you want to take the axe?
Do you want to search the stone mound?
When you take the axe, the ground shakes for a short time.
You find the buried remains of a Dwarf. While you are searching the grave, theground shakes for a moment.
The altar contains a slab with words in a some sort of runic writing.
Do youwant to try to decipher the writing?
Despite investing quite some time, you have no luck deciphering the altar’s runicinscription.
[NAME] cannot totally make out what the inscription says, but [NAME] is sure that itincludes a dedication to one Tordol, who founded the Pit, and also a remembranceof the victims of some sort of mining disaster.
The floor is covered with rubble from a collapsed drift higher than your knees.
Doyou want to dig out the entrance to the drift?
It doesn’t take you long to come to the conclusion that you won’t be able todo anything without shovels.
[NAME] gets to work digging.
[NAME] and [NAME] get to work digging.
This is anything but easy, but even so, the tunnel slowly, but surely, is beinguncovered.
The tunnel has collapsed here. Apparently, one of the ceiling beams gave way,and several pieces of rock have tumbled down following it into the drift.
Doyou want to shovel the way clear?
The tunnel has completely collapsed here. Rocks and debris block the way ahead.
Doyou want to clear the rubble?
It’s no use! More rocks come sliding down from above as you clear the othersaway
. [NAME] can only just avoid being hit by a particularly big one.
, and one of them hits [NAME] a tremendous blow.
[NAME] points at one of the ceiling beams above you. Around here, the wood appearsto be especially rotten, so you will have to move with the utmost care to avoida cave in.
Suddenly, one of the ceiling beams comes crashing down and buries [NAME] beneatha pile of rocks that came sliding down into the tunnel after it.
It doesn’t take you long to uncover [NAME], but [NAME] has been hit by several rocksand is bleeding profusely. You still have enough time to get past the cave in.
Suddenly, one of those ceiling beams gives way with a loud crash. [NAME] is alertenough to jump out of the way in time. Several large pieces of rock slide downfrom above, but there is enough room left to continue past the blockage.