Hook

The Darling Iron mine is shut down! With the iron mine closed, the blacksmith, Miss Henrietta Jones is unable to get any work done and prices of all goods have skyrocketed. The workers at the iron mine have all gone on strike and the owner of the mine, Robert Darling has threatened to call in scabs. The workers, united under Luke Abernathy, are talking about defending their jobs with violence if need be. Can you stop this powderkeg from exploding?

Twist

Luke Abernathy and Robert Darling are under the control of the Demon of Greed Hekkal. Stop Hekkal before she plunges the town into chaos.

Progression

Jones’ Smithy

Run by Miss Henrietta Jones (Blacksmith deimos woman, Tattoos are my history, Don’t threaten me with a good time) the Smithy is your basic, small town blacksmith operation. She makes and fixes horseshoes, farming equipment, and dabbles in weapons and armor. She is a member of the militia of the town. Her home is attached to the blacksmith shop and she spends more time at the shop than at home. When she isn’t working, she likes to make small figurines.

Ordinarily, everything is priced very reasonably and Henrietta doesn’t mind haggling (Perform +2 for small discounts). However, with the iron mine shut down, her materials have become far more scarce and she’s out of iron to work with. So the price of everything is ridiculous. Should she be asked about this, she complains about the state of affairs and opens up quickly. This isn’t a woman who keeps secrets or holds back. She is firmly on the side of the workers but worries that they may be asking too much.

What she knows

• Iron mine was shut down soon after a collapse, I bet Mr Darling knows more.
• Darling and Luke Abernathy, the spokesperson for the miners, are at each other’s throats.
• I saw Abernathy’s daughter a couple days ago. She said her daddy’s been acting real strange lately. Maybe she knows something?
• I heard that Mr. Darling has been talking to the Sheriff, that could spell some serious trouble.

The Local Jail

The Sheriff’s office is run by Preston Cartier (small town human sheriff, I believe in the law, Protect the innocent). Sheriff Cartier keeps the Jail clean and treats the prisoners well. He is well spoken and seems to be decently educated (he has Know +3). The Sheriff’s desk is covered in papers and folders. He has a board with wanted posters tacked on. His home is closer to the town. Typically, being a small town sheriff means that he knows everybody in town and is often the mediator between all kinds of disputes.

The conflict with the miners has Sheriff Cartier on edge. He wants to do right by the miners but feels that the law is firmly on the side of Mr Darling. The sheriff is used to dealing with drunkards and simple disputes but has realized that this could escalate into violence very quickly. What is worse is that Mr Darling has begun pressuring the sheriff to do something about the strike.

What he knows

• Three miners were lost in a collapse. The miners are mad and blame Mr. Darling for it. You can probably hear more about it if you ask around the Wilted Rose pub. That’s where they tend to go when they need to blow off steam.
• Mr Darling has been threatening to hire some scabs and wants me and mine to protect them. I know that is going to be trouble.
• The miners rallied behind Luke Abernathy. Luke is a good fella, I’ve known him since he was just a boy but he’s been different lately. Kinda cold and hard, you know?
• (Fair (+2) Perform for him to reveal) If I don’t have something for Mr. Darling in 5 days, he’s going to bring in scabs from the next town over. The miners will fight back. It’s going to be chaotic.

The Darling Iron Mine Office

Robert Darling (Elven mine owner, the mine is my life, I must fully excavate the temple) is a short elven man with long blonde hair in a braid and a slim but sturdy build. His office is a mess of maps, papers, and a trio of abacus’. He isn’t originally from the town but has fully integrated into the community. He lives in a small manor just outside of town.

The conflict with Luke Abernathy is personal to him. He feels that Luke has betrayed his faith and is only looking to profit by ruining him. He doesn’t want the workers in danger but is driven by a need to get the workers back to work. He can’t really explain why he needs this so badly and will be at a loss for words to explain why it’s so important.

What is hidden

• (Fair (+2) Know to realize, Great (+4) Perform for him to admit) Robert is sleeping in his office and hasn’t gone home in weeks.
• (have to be able to look in the locked (tinker +2) desk drawer) A paper in his desk drawer shows a path to get to something marked Hekkal.
• (Average Know (+1) to notice) Reports of iron eater spiders are on his desk

What he knows

• The miners are upset about the collapse. That is understandable but if only someone could talk some sense into them, they would go back to work. Their requests are too much. I’m never going to give in to them.
• I’m giving the sheriff 5 days. If something doesn’t change by then, I’m hiring workers who actually want to work from the next town and bringing them in, to reopen the mine. We can’t stay closed like this. We can’t stop, not while we’re close.
• I don’t understand why they’re siding with Abernathy. I had to fire that traitor after he had a fistfight with another miner over food. Ask them about that, they’re at The Wilted Rose.

Robert Darling’s Home

If the player characters check at Robert Darling’s home, they’ll run into Edda Darling (heartbroken human homemaker, Robert Darling is the love of my life, published poet), his wife. She will point them in the direction of the offices. Before they leave, she will express that she “just wants her Robert back.” and “It’s like he’s still in that mine somehow.”

The Wilted Rose

The Wilted Rose is a pub run by Scott Aphraiz (Olephemi pub owner, Happy customers tip well, A full belly is a satisfied customer). The Wilted rose is a sparsely decorated pub with lots of detail put into little things. The bar, tables, and dishes are always clean and Scott prizes himself on hefty portions of food and not watering down his drinks. He is well known and liked by everyone in town and knows everyone by name.

The situation with the miners concerns him because lately the miners have been coming earlier to the pub and drinking more. They haven’t caused any real trouble but he worries that it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens. He is more concerned with the wellbeing of the miners than his pub but won’t come out and say that (Average (+1) Charm or Good (+2) Perform for him to admit that). He is firmly on the side of the miners but thinks of Mr. Darling as a good friend.

What he knows

• The miners say that Abernathy and Darling saw something in the mine that nobody else did.
• I think that Darling may have pushed the miners to work even though the shaft wasn’t secure yet. Maybe he knows something?
• Luke’s been strange lately, when he was drunk last night he said something about bringing some rock home. I’d ask his daughter.

Asking around the pub

• Yeah, Luke’s been different… like he’s possessed or something. He only wants what is best for us though.
• I remember hearing some weird noises down there, like shrieking
• We lost some tools to iron-eater spiders
• Last we were down there, I heard some kinda ragged breathing echoing in the dark. Creeped me the hell out.

Luke Abernathy’s Cottage

Luke Abernathy is in his room sleeping off a massive hangover. Petra Abernathy (Precocious Human teenager, voracious reader, follower of La Culebra) answers the door and refuses to let the party wake her father. She is willing to answer whatever questions they may have however. She is almost an adult and tries to carry herself like one. She hopes to work in the mines like her father but is torn because she also wants to study Thaumatology in Sarkland. If started on the topic of magic, she will spill volumes of information. Same thing with La Culebra (A powerful snake spirit of knowledge).

She thinks that Mr Darling has gone mad but worries that her father has as well.

What she knows

• Daddy doesn’t sleep anymore. Most nights, he talks to this rock he found in the mine when he thinks that I’m sleeping.
• I think the mine is haunted.
• Daddy says that his people want to work but Darling won’t let them. I’d ask them over at the Wilted Rose.
• Daddy says that Darling has been pushing for less and less safety. I don’t know what he’s rushing them for.
• There is something strange in that mine, I bet anything on it.

The Haunted Mine

Into the mine

The mine is very typical and looks like any other mine. Pushcarts and wheelbarrows carry dirt and stone out of the mine and have been abandoned along the outside. The sheriff doesn’t want anyone going into the mine until the situation is resolved and Mr. Darling has hired Jarrod Longfellow (Lazy human guard) to prevent anyone from going in. Jarrod will immediately go warn the sheriff if he sees anyone snooping around the mine. He will confront the party if he knows that they’re going into the mine but will back down if he knows that they’re armed or under the slightest bit of intimidation.

Encounters

Jarrod Longfellow (lazy human guard)

• Average (+1): Fight
• 1 Stress box

Connections

• Path to the abandoned office
• Path to Whispering in the dark
• Path to Iron-eater spider attack

The Abandoned office

This used to be the office of the foreman, Luke Abernathy. The office is a mess of papers strewn about as it seems to have been vacated in a rush. The office is a simple wood frame around an excavated part of the mine with half-height walls that separate it from the rest of the mine. A pair of lanterns by the door can be used to illuminate the room.

What is hidden

• (Average Know (+1) to find) Note from Luke Abernathy about Corridor A being infested by Iron-eater spiders.
• (Good tinker (+2) to unlock a drawer to find) Luke Abernathy has a journal that he forgot here
  • There is a sketch of some kind of altar
  • There are 5 interesting entries
    • 3 weeks ago
      • “Robert and I have decided to drop a new shaft to make up for the old shaft that has been running dry. It should provide some more life to this old mine.”
    • 2 weeks ago
      • “I had a weird dream last night where I saw some kind of temple that was upside down. I don’t know what I’m supposed to make of it. I feel like there’s something strange about this new mine shaft. I’ll talk to Robert about it.”
    • 1 week ago
      • “There’s something out there, in the dark. It’s waiting for us and I don’t know if I want to go to it or try to get this whole shaft shut down. Maybe I just need to get some sleep.”
    • 3 days ago
      • “Found a strange carved stone while I was walking the shaft today. I couldn’t let it go. I think Darling saw it. He’s going to try to take it from me, I know it.”
      • “There was an accident at corridor B while we were trying to dig a new path. We lost good men there. My men. What is Hekkal?”
    • 2 days ago
      • “Steven took too many servings at the chow line today. He’s going to take so much that I’m not going to be able to eat enough. The food is mine, he needs to understand that. I’m going to prove to him that he needs to respect what is mine. Hekkal told me to do it. Hekkal told me not to sleep until I take what is mine.”

Connections

• Path back into the mine

Corridor A: Iron-Eater Spider Attack

The path is well traveled here and there are hooks to hang lanterns. The stone wall is well supported by wooden beams. There are cobwebs throughout the tunnel and small cracks that look like something is moving behind them.

Encounters

Iron-eater spider swarm (corrosive spider swarm)

• Good (+3): Swarm
• Average (+1): Dodge
• 9 stress boxes

Connections

• Path back into the mine
• Path to Forgotten temple

Corridor B: Whispering in the dark

This path is narrow and lined with beams that haven’t been put up yet. The beams that are up have hooks to hang lanterns on them. The stone wall is rough and feels like it’s closing in. You begin to hear ragged breathing echoing in the dark. Tools that have been mostly devoured by iron-eater spiders litter the area along with rubble from the collapse. The collapse has opened a small crack where a sickly blue light spills from.

What is hidden

• (Good Know (+2) to find them) The lost miners are alive and trapped behind some rubble
  • (have to get a pickaxe) Some effort with a pickaxe can free them
• (Fair Endure (+1) to open) The small crack can be opened up to reveal the forgotten temple

Encounters

Three ragged and barely surviving miners: Earl Tomlin, Reggie Tomlin, and Will Primm

• They are ecstatic to be saved and will help from the inside if they notice someone trying to dig them out. Their tools are broken due to the spiders though, so they use their hands.

Connections

• Path back into the mine
• (hidden) Path to Forgotten temple

Forgotten Temple

The mine opens up to a huge natural room with extremely high walls in a dome. Water trickles along one part of the wall making that part slick and shiny. Bioluminescent blue fungal moss grows all along the walls casting the whole room in a pale blue pallor. Dominating the room is a building facade carved directly into the rock. Four columns protrude from the rockwall and border a massive doorway on either side. A 15 panel frieze depicts horrifying acts of human sacrifice, murder, and the hoarding of wealth. The figures in the frieze are all twisted into inhuman grimaces that seem to be what a smile would look like if one had never witnessed a real smile. Beyond the doorway is darkness.

Encounters

Iron-eater spider queen (corrosive spider, Fire burns!)

• Superb (+5): Bite
• Good (+3): Shoot
• Fair (+2): Dodge
• 4 stress boxes & mild (+2) consequence slot
• Ensnaring webs – The spider queen shoots her web at a target. If successful, they are grappled and must roll Physique (+3) to overcome.

Iron-eater spider swarm (corrosive spider swarm)

• Good (+3): Swarm
• Average (+1): Dodge
• 9 stress boxes
• Corrode – When grappled with Swarm, pick a piece of metal equipment, make an opposed roll Swarm vs Athletics. If the swarm succeeds with style, that piece of equipment gets the damaged aspect.

Connections

• Path to altar of Hekkal
• (hidden) Path back to iron-eater spider attack
• Path back to Whispering in the dark

Altar of Hekkal

A hiss-like laughter is carried on the wind here. The shadows long and sharpened like spikes all seemly aimed toward the party. After standing here for a short time or speaking while here, a bonfire behind the altar lights itself and erupts with sickly blue flames. The columns inside are hewn from the rock and extend three stories high. The altar sits in the center of a large rotunda.

When the blue flames light, it becomes clear that the circular open area around the altar is ringed by columns and beyond that are mounds of gold, rubies, and other precious metals. They gleam in the light despite having been undisturbed for an untold length of time. The altar says something in a language that you don’t understand for a moment before shifting itself to say “HEKKAL.”

Hekkal (Demon of Greed, Eyes that see everything, Enormous hands for grasping and holding) is an ancient demonic force of greed. As long as the party doesn’t touch the treasure, Hekkal cannot enter the material plane. Until then, Hekkal will try to tempt the party to take some treasure or to fight amongst themselves for the treasure. As soon as the treasure is touched, the flames change into a pale green and Hekkal is summoned.

What is hidden

• As long as the party doesn’t touch the gold, Hekkal cannot materialize
• There is a sword embedded in one of the columns, this blade does double stress to Hekkal.

Encounters

Hekkal (Demon of Greed, This world is mine, Doom of men, Eyes that see everything, Enormous hands for grasping and holding) is made up of three “parts:” A pair of huge floating eyeballs, a pair of enormous hands that strike out from the darkness, and a main body with a mouth in its belly. This is a very large monster and each part has its own stress track and takes its own turn.

• Fantastic (+6): Endure (for grabbing people)
• Superb (+5): Shoot, Fight
• Great (+4): Move, Sneak, Perform
• Good (+3): Resist, Know, Charm
• Eyes: 6 stress boxes & mild (+2)
• Body: 9 stress boxes, mild (+2), & Moderate (+4) consequences
• Hands: 6 stress boxes & mild (+2)
• Weakness – The silver sword stuck to the column does double stress.
• Greedy Hands – Hekkal loves to hold things and get +2 to do so.
• Swallow Whole – Once a target is grappled, Hekkal will attempt to eat them whole. This is a continued grapple but does 2 stress every turn.
• Eye See You – The bonfire goes out and Hekkal can still see. Everyone else is in pitch darkness.

Connections

• Path back to forgotten temple