[IC] Aqua Mortis (Session 2)

The guards look at Nekurr, then at each other, then back to the Catfolk. "Uh, you won't get one of us in that tunnel, no way, no how. That's why the miners get paid, right? They're experts at that sort of thing..." Nekurr realizes his distraction tactics are working.

Meanwhile, Hildar and Tronus scour Marseen Olond's ledger. Hildar thumbs through the pages, quickly tallying the listed expenditures in his head as he goes. Nothing jumps out as evidence of graft. There is quite a drop in labor expenses around the time of the mining accident, but that only accords with Olond's switch to using refugees as laborers. Likewise, there's a marked drop in progress through the tunnels—the footage reported excavated per day—after the refugees take over. But that, too, only makes sense; presumably, the refugees would not be as deft as the miners.While his Elf colleague does the math, Tronus tries to spot any oddities in the ledger itself—stains, fingerprints, changes in handwriting, etc. Nothing jumps out. The Dwarf shrugs his shoulders. He begins to turn to tell Nekurr to stop his yammering. But then he notices the door to Olond's inner office, closed tight. A thick layer of dust coats the latch. Maybe Olond hasn't been coming into the office for some time? If so, why not?

"Oh, so you're not coming with us?" Nekurr continues distracting the guards until the other are finished "I mean, we could use some strong men like yourselves in there. How know what sort of equipment those miners left there for us to move"

Hildar finishes pouring through the books and mutters quietly to Tronus "Nothing here that seems out of place. Disappointing really, I was hoping we'd have something a bit more incriminating in here"

To Nekurr's question, the guard shakes his head vigorously. "No, no, no. No way we're going down there with you. Should be pretty straightforward to go down the shaft—they've got those carts in there and all."

Marseen Olond's Catfolk secretary walks with you through the castle corridors and out into the grounds beyond. He takes you to an area just north of where the brawl between the miners and refugees happened; trails of smoke from smoldering tents remind you of just how recently that was. An old guard tower sits at the corner of the staging yard, a large area kept private by a wooden fence at least twenty feet high. A pair of guards sit in the tower keeping watch over the area. A lighted guardhouse sits near the entrance, basically a small booth with a watchman sitting in a chair. A quick word from the two castle guards accompanying you gets him to unlock the gate and let you into the staging yard itself.

The yard holds several large and complex machines, things you might mistake for a catapult if they didn't seem designed to dig. Other devices resemble giant drills, but they seem to be powered by hand cranks. A few sheds stand toward the wall far to your left; one of them has a sign on it that reads, "Warning: Petards." Beside it is another shed with a sign that warns, "KEEP OUT!" Random equipment is strewn about: wagons, carts, wheelbarrows, piles of iron rods wrapped in canvas. Several more guards patrol the area, but, again, your escort gets you through.About a hundred yards straight ahead of the gate stands the mine entrance. Essentially just a dark shaft cut into the barren rock, it seems to go down into pitch darkness. Only a handful of stout wooden beams seem to keep the whole thing from collapsing. Meez smiles. "We have a sophisticated pulley-lift system that brings the tunnel crew up and down. There's a larger lift for freight, and a smaller one for a handful of people at a time." Safety warnings are scrawled everywhere.

Nekurr looks around. All looks normal so far. No magical goats wondering about the mine is a good sign... he hopes. "Wait! you're saying we need to get on that lift thing to go straight down?" he asks worried about the accessible ways out... "Isn't there a ramp or something we can just walk or run?"

Hildar just shrugs as he looks at the shaft entrance "Come now Nekurr, after the other things we've seen recently this hardly seems like something to be put off by" he says to his companion before turning to Meez "How does it function? Are there controls in the lift or is that managed somewhere else?"

The Catfolk shakes his head with a sullen expression. "Yes, I'm afraid the lifts are the only ways in or out. This is just the access hatch. The actual tunnel is much lower down." To Hildar's question, he adds, "They're quite simple, really. Each lift has a lever on this end and another at the bottom. Madame Olond uses the smaller one for personnel, the larger for freight and slag that needs to be removed. I believe she is waiting for you below."

"Well, I guess it could be worse... yes..." Nekurr says looking around for any signs for Fortuna. He still remembers those visions of dragons and the feeling of fear the kids felt. Whatever is down there, you probably want to be able to run, fast.