Northern Reconstruction 13: Unquale Mine 1

 

Objective

Scout the area around Unquale mine. Determine if the land can be developed further. Find the scouts who went up to the mine ahead of us. Determine if the mine can be operational.    

Observations

The icy terrain around Unquale mine is harsh and unforgiving.   Progress was slow and exhausting: Using magic such as Fly may be the way to go.   There are sharp inclines, traverses and icy walls that require climbing equipment to scale.   At one point, the paths divide into three directions: Take the middle path that seems to move directly upward.   Pilky, the head scout, is stationed by the mine and the smoke from his fire was helpful in terms of getting our bearings. There is a hungry wolf roaming the area by the mine.   The mine is still caved in, but we found small chips of diamond embedded in the rocks.   There was an old mining cart that contained several brickets that contained flecks of diamond.   A dark mist-like creature attacked our party when we removed a small diamond from the wall.   Pilky has some ideas as to how we can develop the area for easier access to the mine. He will need time and resources to carry out his plan.  

Follow up

Check up on Pilky and see if he made any progress with plans to develop the area.   Investigate the mine further and clear out the area of any curses/danger.   Ask Pilky if he needs any resources to speed up progress and/or assist with any work to help with accessibility to the mind.   Determine if Pilky was able to locate his two scout companions (Sariah? and another woman) and if he needs help finding them.      

Preparation Details

Luminos prepared basic mining equipment, including a miner's pick, candles, parchment, rope, grapping hook, hammer, and pitons. We were lucky that Lark had a climber's kit and knew how to use it.  

Operation Details

Major Rem's orders were to investigate the Unquale mine, determine if the land could be further developed, and link up with an advanced scouting party if possible. The point of contact's name is Pilky, a bald fellow with an entrepreneurial spirit, who would be accompanied by two female scouts (no additional descriptions were given about the two other scouts). The major also advised that we were not to touch anything within the mine.   We teleported to the Northern embassy which would shorten the distance of travel to the mine.   We traveled on foot from the embassy, and faced extreme weather conditions and difficult terrain. We highly recommend that the next party bring along extra climbing gear, crampons, and several heat sources for warmth.   At the base of the mountain, we followed the greater hedgerow, and signs of existing pathways, possibly trails that were used by the miners.   At one point, the path divided into three directions.   The path to the left dipped down, the path to the right looked more exposed, and the center path lead straight up. We took the center path which Pilky later confirmed was the best route up to the mine.   Lark and Caelindriel cast spells so the party could fly (or be carried) part way up the mountain. The use of magic cut our travel time and helped us avoid some of the obstacles on the way up to the mine.   We saw wisps of smoke in the distance and decided to head towards it, as it was difficult to tell where we were going. Fortunately, the wisps of smoke came from Pilky's camp fire.   The spells eventually ran out, and we had to ascend the last few hundred feet on foot. We found pre-existing pitons and rope anchored into the rock face, iced over. Lark lead the way by hammering in the pitons and prepping the rest of us so that we traversed a cliff face, hand over hand, towards a landing which would lead us to the mine.   We were in a precarious position, as we saw a hungry wolf that was waiting for us to arrive on the landing. It could potentially attack us one by one, as we had to move onto the landing from the anchors. The process required a lot of athleticism.   Rather than eliminate the wolf, we pacified it by feeding it rations. I (Luminos) tried to speak with it, in hopes of gaining an ally and possibly more information about the mine. However, the wolf did not seem interested in us after it ate it's fill of rations.   We picked up the wisps of smoke and made our way closer, as we discovered that the smoke was coming from a camp fire that was unattended at the time.   The mine entrance was located nearby, along with several old mining carts and crates.   Caelindriel found a brick of dusty rock in one of the crates, which Rubble sampled and noted that there were specks of diamond embedded in it.   We continued to the cave entrance, which was dark and we could feel a chill wind blowing from within.   I used my divine sense within the mine entrance, but did not find anything.   We walked into the cave and confirmed that the tunnel was collapsed.   After more investigating, we found chips of diamond embedded within the rocks that blocked the tunnel.   I used a miner's pick to retrieve a larger chip of diamond, which may have upset the dark-mist entity which speed through cracks in the walls and assaulted us. The mist did not physically harm us but it had some kind of attack that would have likely poisoned or paralyzed anyone who failed to withstand it. We defeated it unscathed.   We found Pilky who must have been asleep under a warm blanket beneath the snow as we exited the cave and wanted to look for the scouts before heading back to camp.   We consulted with Pilky and advised that he continue with plans to develop the area for easier access. He was very knowledgeable of the area, and referenced a map to show us the best way to get back down the mountain.   Pilky seemed to know a lot about how to develop the land, and also tried to sell his wooden board invention which were designed as a means of sliding down the mountain. The price for the boards as 5 platinum pieces, which Lark negotiated down to zero pieces.   Pilky mentioned that a boy died when he rode one of the boards and hit a tree. Regardless, we were willing to give them a try, as we did not want to go back the way we came (some of us had a very difficult time traversing the cliff surface).   We succeeded and were able to make it back to the embassy safely.   However, as we spent quite a lot of time out in the cold, our entire party was feeling quite exhausted.