Duvik’s Pass was a small town located in a valley in the eastern foothills of The Jotens. Historically, the town was a rest stop for travelers and adventurers crossing the mountains in search of adventure, or of a good drink to drown painful memories. For several years, the town’s fortunes had been on the upswing, due to the discovery of a large deposit of silver in the surrounding mountains. Local men burrowed into the hillsides, and others from lands as far away as Cryllor, Longspear, and even Loftwick in The Yeomanry flocked to the town, hoping for a big strike, or at least a share of the riches to be found. The town population swelled to over 1600 souls, mostly humans with a few halflings, dwarves and other races mixed in.
Business took a turn for the worse about three months ago. Rumors began to spread that some kind of unknown disease was spreading throughout the town, and had shut down mining operations. It was true that the flow of silver out of Duvik’s Pass had slowed to a trickle and then stopped altogether.
The adventurers had these developments in mind as they reached the town limits.
"State your business!" demanded one of the guards, while the other watched warily from the guardhouse.
"We’re here to help," replied Fiora. "We heard of your distress."
The guards looked at each other, surprised expressions on their faces. "You must be very brave indeed, to come to this town that has been so afflicted," the guard said to Fiora. "Go to the mayor’s office and introduce yourselves. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have your assistance." The guards directed the adventurers to the mayor’s office, which was nearby. They all hastened to the office.
The town seemed unusually quiet. While Adam stood guard outside, the others went in.
The staff inside seemed nervous, depressed, almost panicky. One of the staffers greeted the adventurers, then went to the mayor. Soon he returned, and admitted the party to see the mayor.
Mayor Christofar Sendars was a middle-aged, low-ranking nobleman. He was having a difficult time. He didn’t know what it was that was afflicting his town, and was desperate for help.
The adventurers introduced themselves. "We’ve heard you are in distress," Fiora told the mayor. "We’d like to help." The mayor eagerly welcomed them to town, and proceeded to describe the recent events.
"It began about four months ago," Sendars began. "Some miners started coming home at night complaining about being sick. They had blistering sores, and they also had a burning thirst. Not long after this, the local livestock died off. Something started killing the crops too.
"Our local elders said that some unknown disease had soured the town well. They called it "the Burning Plague". By then, the young and the sickly in town started to die. And it kept getting worse." The mayor made sure the door to his office was closed. "This doesn’t leave this office," said Sendars. The adventurers nodded agreement. "The few men who were still strong enough to work the mines never came home. They were all wiped out by a sudden attack by a kobold warband. About a month and a half ago. The townfolk are still hoping and praying for their return, and for an end to this illness."
The mayor looked over the adventurers before him, sizing them up. "Do you think you can find the source of this illness, and help recover the mines?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yes, we do!" Zzyggy piped up confidently. "We’ll do our best," added Troy, more soberly. "How far to the mines?" Mayor Sandars told them. It was only about half an hour away. "I’ll see that you’re well equipped. Ropes, lanterns, tools, spikes, whatever you need."
The mayor also arranged for the town’s cleric, Father Samual, to accompany the party. "You may need him and his cures," said the mayor. The party gratefully accepted his aid. With that, the party were taken to a comfortable inn to rest and prepare for their mission.
Early the next morning, the party made their way to the mine entrance. A cool breeze drifted down from the surrounding Jotens. There was still frost on the ground at this time of the year, and it lay on scattered tools, picks and shovels. A dirt path led into the depths of the mine, surrounded by wooden supports. Some burnt-out torches were strewn around the floor of the tunnel.
Troy, Adam and Fiora took the front rank, followed by Graves, then Zzyggy and Father Sam. Zzyggy held a bulls-eye lantern, and Father Sam carried another lantern.
The party looked around, examining the area. Father Sam spotted that the wooden supports were damaged and bloody, as if a battle had taken place. Nothing of value was to be seen.
Proceeding about 120 feet down the tunnel, at last the party reached a small, roughly rectangular chamber. From the information the mayor had provided, they recognized the Greeting Room, which served as a common area for sorting, weighing, cataloging and shipping out ore. There were exits leading east and west from the room.
The party could tell that the room had been the scene of a bloody battle. They could see dried blood smeared across the northern wall of the room. The lanterns in the room had been smashed. Scattered chunks of rock surrounded a pair of overturned carts.
Adam noticed the legs of an apparently human body protruded from under one of the carts. He lifted the cart off the body. As he did so, a huge clap of thunder detonated in the room: a thunderstone trap! The barbarian managed to cover his ears in time, as did Father Sam, Fiora and Graves. But Zzyggy and Troy shook their heads violently, trying to restore their hearing. They were deafened!
Father Samual recognized the body: it was Jacen Tungsten, chief engineer of the mine! "I can’t tell if Jacen died of the disease," the cleric observed. "His body is too damaged."
"I’m guessing he died of a kobold’s sword," Troy opined. Meanwhile, Adam was examining the rubble strewn about the room, when he spotted a number of chunks of silver ore.
The party pulled back into the main tunnel, heading back toward the entrance, waiting to see if anything responded to the thunderstone trap. While they waited, Father Sam cast bull’s strength on Adam. "We will certainly need all the strength we can muster," said the cleric.
Nothing responded to the noise of the trap. After waiting long enough, the adventurers blocked the west tunnel, using the carts in the room. They then looked to the east, searching for enemies. But nothing came from either direction.
So the party headed east. The exit opened into a gradually sloping ramp that led downward. After about forty feet, the slope increased to thirty degrees downward, and the party had to take care not to slip and slide downward. Ahead, the adventurers could see a dim blue glow.
Another twenty feet, and the tunnel suddenly narrowed to a width of ten feet, and opened into a huge cavern. The party continued toward the opening, Adam in the lead.
Suddenly, Adam disappeared into a pit that had opened up beneath his feet! The barbarian fell twenty feet, landing with a hard thud and much noise. "Now you’ve done it!" accused Zzyggy. "Clumsy barbarian!" Father Sam took a more constructive approach. He went to the pit, looked down, and cast enlarge on Adam. The enlarged barbarian now reached up and transferred the rest of the party across the pit, then climbed out himself. "Brilliant idea, Father Sam," said Adam, impressed with the cleric’s savvy.
The pit trap now behind them, the party entered into a chamber that extended upward at least a hundred feet, extending far into the mountains. Glowing blue and green lichens crawled over the walls and ceiling of the cavern, and man-sized stalagmites rose up from the floor. Several cables hung down from the edge of a hollow in the western wall of the cavern, about twenty feet above the entrance through which the adventurers passed.
"This used to be the main mine," Father Sam informed Adam. Troy, looking carefully, spotted a large open mine in the chamber. He fixed a rope to a rocky outcrop, then went down the rope into the cavern, with Zzyggy following.
A sudden flurry of cross-bow bolts struck both of the adventurers, mortally wounding Zzyggy!
Quickly, Father Sam cast shield of faith on Adam, then went on full defense. Troy took cover behind a nearby stalagmite. Adam pulled Zzyggy back up the rope and out of the cavern, as crossbow bolts continued to fly, then gave the gnome a healing potion. The gnome was pulled back from the edge of death by the potion. He cast shield on himself before readying to re-enter the cavern.
Graves readied an arrow shot, as Fiora attempted to climb down a cable into the cavern. She came within about five feet of the floor of the cavern. Three crossbow bolts struck the bold woman, and she screamed in pain.
Father Sam spontaneously cast cure light wounds on Zzyggy, restoring him to full health. The gnome immediately climbed down the rope into the cavern. On the floor of the cavern, Troy moved to the north of the stalagmite, attempting to locate the origin of the crossbow bolts.
A noise came from behind a stalagmite about seventy feet from the party, drawing their attention. Graves still held his shot. Fiora dropped the remaining five feet to the floor, then hid behind another stalagmite to the south. She quaffed a potion of cure light wounds.
From about thirty feet above the hollow in the west wall, screeching could be heard. The party looked up toward the sound. A celestial eagle had appeared, summoned by Father Sam. It flew into the cavern, seeking to draw fire and reveal the location of the concealed crossbows. And draw fire it did: a crossbow bolt struck the bird and brought it down. "The eagle has landed," sighed Father Sam.
Taking advantage of the redirection of fire due to the eagle’s presence, Troy ran up to the next stalagmite heading east. Adam climbed town the rope to the cavern floor. Graves still held his fire, while Fiora ran behind the next stalagmite heading west and took a defensive stand, Zzyggy following close behind her.
Another storm of crossbow bolts targeted Adam. All but one missed the barbarian. Father Sam promptly treated him with a cure light wounds spell.
Troy rushed to the next stalagmite from him, greatsword drawn, looking for the source of the noise he had heard. When he looked behind the stalagmite, he saw nothing. Strangely, he still heard something. Then he heard something else–the swoosh of an incoming crossbow bolt. The bolt struck the fighter, doing minor flesh damage.
Running up to the same stalagmite, Adam, now returned to his normal size, joined Troy in assessing the battle. Fiora likewise moved behind a stalagmite, near the south wall of the cavern, then took a defensive stance there.
Graves was still readying a shot when a hail of projectiles sped toward him. One struck the targeteer, and he gasped in pain. He immediately fired his readied shot in the direction from which the crossbow bolts had come, but his shot struck a large rock behind which the enemy were hiding instead.
But now, Zzyggy had a line on the shooters: a band of kobolds. He shot his crossbow at the enemy. Even though it had cover from the rock, one of the kobolds took Zzyggy’s arrow in the throat, and fell dead.
Now that the party knew where to direct their attacks, Father Sam shot his crossbow. The kobolds managed to duck. Troy now charged toward the enemy, shield up, wielding his greatsword one-handed and yelling his war-cry. He ran up to the rocks where the kobolds were taking cover. Adam ran closely behind him.
While Fiora ran up behind another stalagmite, heading toward the kobolds, Graves loosed another arrow. This one struck one of the kobolds for severe damage. Graves looked at his target. The kobold appeared to be the leader of the band!
Suddenly lacking in courage, the kobolds pulled back. Their wounded leader pulled back, then uttered mystic syllables. A summoning spell!
While Father Sam moved farther into the cavern to support the rest of the party, Troy attacked the nearest kobold. He swung a mighty swing. Overconfidently! The kobold ducked beneath the blow.
Behind Adam, a small viper materialized, and bit at the barbarian. Its fangs pricked Adam’s leg, but not deeply enough to poison the barbarian. Adam, ignoring the snake, swung with his full power against another kobold, but like Troy, also missed. Graves, attempting to loose another arrow at the kobolds, fumbled his bow instead!
The kobolds now backed up, dropped their crossbows, and set spears against the onrushing adventurers. But their leader, trying a different approach, laid his spear down and tried to parley with the party. The summoned serpent likewise stood down.
Adam looked skeptically at the kobold leader. "Name yourself!" he demanded.
"I am M’Dok," replied the kobold, speaking draconic in a chittering voice. "I am leader of my tribe! I can tell you where the demon is!"
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