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Game Master Information

The dates used in this adventure are entirely arbitrary and should be replaced by the appropriate dates in your game world. I have merely filled them in to give a temporal reference. The section of the adventure that deals with exploring the cave complex is meant to be run loosely. I have not given a figure on the number of Chinta remaining in the tribe for this reason. You should stock the cave with Chinta according to your style of game mastering and your players desires. If your players like infiltrating a heavily guarded camp then fill it up. If they want a rolling battle put twenty or twenty-five Chinta in the whole camp, that should be more than enough to keep even the roughest swordmaster busy. If they wish to role-play more and communicate to help the Chinta put less in the camp so that things get less muddled and the party feels less threatened and more like communicating. And if things get out of hand and the party gets involved in a roaring fight and begins to lose remember -- the Chinta would rather have more slaves. Corpses don't make anyone happy! Perhaps mounting an escape from within the prison would make for a challenging adventure.

Adventure Background

What does that have to do with this adventure? Well, a struggling scholar from the Great Library of Throal found an obscure reference in an ancient pre-scourge text that implied that the Chinta people might indeed be Name-Givers and that all the tales that told otherwise of them were incorrect. Pulling some strings, he received permission to take a sky ship and crew to the Death's Sea to search for these possible Name- Givers for a period of one month.

His reputation on the line Ternyth, the librarian, was a little hasty in his command of the vessel, and, when on the last day of the expedition there was sighting, he ordered the ship to land. As it turns out his decision was poor and when the Chinta came forth from their cave to see what looked like to them a Theran slaving ship, they attacked. The Cloud Skimmer, badly damaged and the crew weakened, soon crashed. Those in good physical condition left to find help, the rest remained behind and were captured by the Chinta. Not being able to communicate with the Chinta they were not able to convey their intentions and were soon locked up and placed in a cave so that they could mine and make the cave system larger.

One of the survivors has managed to find help (either through an evening encounter or the messenger reaching the library). The party must free the slaves and hopefully learn of the plight of the Chinta people and possibly even teach them that not all Name-Givers are like the Therans. Obviously the Chinta will not be all that easy to convince. And unless something miraculous happens Ternyth's reputation is indeed shot (Which is actually ok because he a little tired of book work anyway).

Introduction

1. if they are further away perhaps it is best to give them a reason to be at the library when the survivor stumbles in
2. or wait until they travel to Throal for this to happen.

Intro 1: The Wandering Survivor

Read the following during watch as the party is camping one night:

The cool night air surrounds you as you look about the sky in wonder. No longer can you make out the brilliant stars usually seen so clearly whilst on the trail. Instead the sky above you seems to pulse with a deep red color. It looks almost evil, an involuntary shudder crawls up your spine until you remind yourself once again that all you are seeing is the light of the Death's sea reflecting off of the clouds above. You feel a sense of awe that the light from a single source can be seen even this far away. Still many miles from the sea there is enough light so that a fire or torch is not necessary for watch.

Suddenly a shout breaks the stillness of the night. Looking about you see a figure walking towards you out of the night, it is a man. He holds his arms up over his head in an obvious gesture of surrender. Looking closer you are able to see that the man is a middle-aged elf. He wears tattered brown robes and carries no visible equipment. He staggers forward again but after a few paces he faints and falls to the ground.

If the party looks at him closer before he is awake read the following:

The elf appears to be well into his middle ages, though it is hard to judge how many years that might be. His beard is ragged and unkempt. You see no markings on his body of any sort other than some small wounds that appear to be merely from a good bit of travel over rough land.

If awakened he will begin to speak at once (Note: He's a little unstable due to his experiences and a head injury sustained in the crash).

"You must help me, help them! They might still be alive! If they are you must go save them. You are the first group of adventurers I've found. I've been wandering for quite a while, quite a long while. I tried to help them you know, I did. But what could I do, one man against giants. I would have perished, but you.....you are adventurers -- worthy of the task, I knew it as soon as I laid my eyes upon you. You will be the ones."

With that he falls into a fever dream for about 24 hours. If he is given water he will rest peacefully for the entire time, if not he will continue to writhe and blurt out odd phrases occasionally grabbing people who go to check on him, but not consciously. After 24 hours he snaps out it and awakes clear headed and aware -- he does not remember his earlier conversation with the party.

The elf's name is Oueber Lighthand. He is a survivor of the crew of the Cloud Skimmer, one of the few who managed to escape on foot (And incidentally the only one left alive). He has been looking for aid and wandering towards Throal for the past two months. However, he has not made it very far due to the fact that he is completely lost and has less skill in the outdoors than your average signpost.

When he comes to, he will attempt to begin a conversation with the party in earnest. He is very weak and must rest often but he will not sleep or give up until the party either leaves him in the dirt, or agrees to help him. He knows he will not find another party for quite a while out here in the middle of nowhere, and he is quite aware that time is growing short. He will offer payment, glory, reward from the Library of Throal, anything so long as he feels that it will get the party to go look for the rest of the crew. After Oueber left the crash site he remained in the area long enough to see the Chintas capture the remaining crew and carry them away. He is not aware of the fate of the crew and he is far too weak to make another passage into the Death's Sea. With food, water, and a few pointers about the outdoors he feels that he will be able to make it back to Throal. He can give the party a general directions to the area where the ship crashed, but beyond that it is up to the party to find the lost crew.

Intro 2: The Entrance

Read the following if any members of the party visit the Great Library of Throal just before they plan on leaving (you may need to adjust this is the character is a windling):

Just as you are preparing to leave the door to the Library slams open with a crash. Wondering who could possibly be so rude you look up to see two guards supporting a semi- conscious middle aged elf. The guards dump the man on the floor inside the main doors of the library. Looking to the librarian on duty one of the guards speaks.

"This beggar says that someone here can vouch for him is this true?" The librarian's face pales as he slowly nods.

"Very well then, he's your business. But keep him out of the city gutters." With that the guards close the door and leave the elf lolling on the floor.

As soon as the doors slam, the librarian snaps out of his stunned condition. Rushing over to the man he calls for your help as he tries to help the elf to a standing position. Quickly you move to help support the other arm while the librarian begins calling for his page boy to ready a room for the elf.

Bringing the elf to the room you gently set him down on the bed, as you do so he grabs you by the collar pulls his head close opens his eyes and begins to speak.

"You must help me, help them! They might still be alive, if they are you must go save them. I'm here, how did I get back here? I've been wandering for quite a while, quite a long while, no one will help. I tried to help them you know, I did. But what could I do, one man against giants. I would have perished, but you.....you are an adventurer --worthy of the task, I knew it as soon as I laid my eyes upon you. You will be the ones."

With that the elf falls back into a troubled sleep. The librarian looking concerned asks you if you would not mind waiting in the library for a short while. He will have a scribe send for your friends if desired and he will have food brought in.

The elf's name is Oueber Lighthand. He is a survivor of the crew of the Cloud Skimmer, he was one of the few who managed to escape on foot (And incidentally the only one left alive). He has been looking for aid and wandering towards Throal for the past three months. Oueber unfortunately has lost quite a bit of his memory from a head injury sustained in the crash.

In a few hours the librarian returns to the party with a grim look on his face. He has questioned Oueber and found out all he can from the elf. The dwarf explains the situation to the party and asks them for their aid. He explains that he would try to find a more experienced party if he had more time, but enough time has passed already that haste is of the essence. He also explains that he does not wish to search about town attempting to hire other adventurers because it would draw too much attention to the library and he does not want talk until he is fully brought up to date on the current situation. The ship is long overdue as far as the rest of the library is concerned and there is a lot of anxiety, but he doesn't want word of the crash getting back to the investors who sponsored this expedition until they are sure of the fate of the vessel and crew. He promises the sum of 500 silver per person as well as free research at the Library of Throal for a year and a day following their return to Throal.

He also offers to arrange passage on a sky ship to the area of the Death's sea. Though the ship will not be able to sail them to their destination, it will place them within a weeks travel of it.

If the party wishes to speak with Oueber, he will tell them all he knows of the Chinta and their cave including the location as well as he remembers it.

Getting There is Half the Fun

Within a mile of the sea, water dropped on the rock sputters and evaporates in moments. Any bare skin touching the rock is burned on contact (step 2 damage/round). A decent night's rest becomes impossible (no wound recovery or recovery tests regained) without some type of comforting (evercool cloak, heat protection, etc.).

Within one half mile of the sea the heat in the air is enough to cause step 4 damage/ hour (no armor protects) and -1 step to all tests. Those wearing light armor (3-15 pounds base weight) take step 5 damage/hour and suffer -2 steps to all tests. Moderate armor (16-50 pounds base weight) take step 6/hour and have a penalty of -3 steps to all tests. Heavy armor (51+ pounds base weight) take step 7/hour and have a penalty of -4 steps to all tests. Any bare skin touching the rock will be burned for step 4/round. Flight becomes impossible unless a strength(10) test is made every ten minutes failure results in a knockdown. Anyone wearing skin protection must make a dexterity(7) if knocked down to avoid skin contact with the rock. Anyone without skin protection, dexterity(14). Additionally care must be taken where you step for some of the black rock is deceiving and is merely a thin crust formed over a river of live magma (don't step in these). There is a 20% chance per hour spent this close to the sea of a party member stepping on thin crust. If this occurs have the player make a dexterity test (5+1 per every 50 pounds of weight) to avoid their foot slipping into the magma. If this occurs all footwear is destroyed instantly. And the limb takes step 30 damage (footwear will help protect versus this source of damage, but the footwear will be almost certainly destroyed) if the foot takes more than 5 wounds it is damaged beyond repair other than magical means and the wounds will not heal until the foot is seen to (1 healing potion applied to the foot for every wound on it). Other wounds will continue to heal as normal, but the foot wounds will render the foot useless, reduce movement by 1/2 and requiring a crutch to walk giving a penalty of -4 steps to all tests requiring use of the damaged foot or leg. This damage cannot kill a character, however, if the amount of damage taken is beyond the characters death rating, then the character will fall into a coma until the damage is recovered (don't fall...the GM should give the party hints to the thin crust seen in places so that they might think to check the ground ahead of them...thin crust can be detected on a perception(6) test).

In general travel along the Death's Sea on foot will be approximately 12 miles/day. If more is attempted then the footwear of the party will suffer, perception(10) at end of day to avoid damage to footwear (to many sharp rocks not noticed and avoided). Good boots can fail twice before being destroyed. For travel without foot protection the GM may damage the party as he or she sees fit.

Travel along the Death's sea should wear on the party; if this is too rough on the party, lessen it a bit. What is desired is that they get the image of the perils of travel in the area, but remember they should still be in good enough condition to function by the time they reach the giants cave. It would be rather inglorious to show up there in such poor condition that a sneeze would knock them all out!

If you would like to challenge the party a little more, or give them a even rougher view of the Death's Sea feel free to throw in some creature encounters, possibly with Fire Eagles, Fire Wraiths, or Viraas (ED Gamemaster pack pg. 59-61).

Finding the Cloud Skimmer

In order to find the wreck of the Cloud Skimmer they will have to travel down towards the edge of the Sea where the vessel crashed. The ship lies only a few hundred yards from the edge of the Sea and the party should be hasty about exploring it.

Read the following to the party upon nearing the wreck of the Cloud Skimmer:

Sweat dripping from your brow you finally pull yourselves up over the lip of a rocky crag. Looking at your surroundings you sigh in frustration. For days you have pulled yourself across miles and miles of this unforgiving terrain with no end in sight. Pulling yourself together you look down the rocky slope trying to pick out a route that might offer an easy descent from this treacherous rise. Seeing none you shrug and begin your descent.

Suddenly a flicker of movement catches your eye. Crouching down on the trail you look ahead to see if you can locate the source of movement. After a few moments you see it again. A brief little flicker of white. Squinting through the waves of heat rising from the rock below you are able to make out what looks like a large pile of jagged rock with some type of fabric hung up on it and flapping in the breeze. No! Not rock...wood! And sail. This can only be the wreck of the Cloud Skimmer.

Read the following only when the party approaches the wreck:

Jagged boards and tattered sails are all that remain of the once proud Cloud Skimmer. Great holes show in the sides of the vessel where rocks have pierced it's sides, and the entire vessel sits rotting into ruin. Scattered about the crash site bits of gnawed bone and shredded scraps of cloth tell all these is to know of the fate of those crewmen who perished in the crash or were too injured to be moved. You only hope that the survivors of the crash did not met the same fate as these brave souls here.

If the party searches the vessel for any hints or clues to the location of the survivors they find only two things. The nameplate of the vessel wedged into a rock about 50 feet from the site of the crash, and beneath it Ternyth's journal. Ternyth hid the journal beneath the nameplate of the vessel before the Chintas arrived and took them prisoner.

Read the following if the characters read the journal, this is the last and most important entry.

Obviously, the possibility of the existence of an unknown race of Name-givers had to be explored and thus I found myself leading a researching expedition into the Death's Sea via airship.

For twenty days we sailed the skies over the shores of the Death's Sea, never finding a hint as to the existence of this fabled race of Name-Givers. Finally our time was up, the ship was needed back in Throal and my expedition set sails for home. We had just passed over an inlet on the north-western edge of the sea when one of the crew let out a hail. He had spotted movement on one of the black-rock sheets on the edge of the sea. With the aid of a spyglass I was able to discern a figure walking along the shore of the sea, seemingly ignorant of the scalding surface over which he strode. As we drew closer for a second pass, I was able to estimate the size of the being as nearly that of an obsidiman, though the figures build was more slender than that of our rocky friends. Finally, I managed to get a glimpse of it's face. I do not know what I expected, but none- the-less I was startled to see a human face. I suppose it is misleading to describe the face as human, for the creatures are certainly not human in nature, but the smooth pink skin and the deeply chiseled face lacking any sort of facial hair or tusks was more human in appearance than any other Name-giver race I know of. It could only be a member of the Chinta people.

Following the figure from our vantage point we eventually located a cave complex in which it appeared that a community of these beings made their homes. Curiosity and excitement, I fear, got the best of me and despite warnings from the crew I ordered the ship to be set down. I could not wait another moment to make contact with these beings I had sought for so long. We landed the ship on a flat rock a few hundred yards from the mouth of their cave.

After the ship had been stabilized, I prepared to take a greeting party with me to go and speak to these Name-givers. We were surprised when a score or more of these massive creatures emerged from their cave wearing only loincloths and wielding great clubs of stout wood tipped with shards of jagged obsidian. Fearing that our intentions might be misunderstood I held forth my hands, palm up in the universal gesture of peace.

Either these beings did not recognize the sign I was giving them or they did not care, for their next action was to break into a dead run toward our party and vessel. Scrambling over the side of the ship we had barely made it onboard before the ship was off the ground and headed for the skies. Still charging they scooped up rocks the size of my head as they ran, and bracing themselves on the jagged ground they hurled their projectiles toward our vessel. Our captain attempted to lift our vessel out of range of their bombardment, but the strange winds sweeping off of the Death's Sea hampered our lift-off and the winds buffeted us about. By the time the ship was raised clear of their range, a good 75 yards I might add, nearly one-third of the crew was injured or dead. The hail of boulders had damaged the ships hull and sails badly and slowly our ship began to fall back to the earth.

As we slowly fell, I could see the Chinta tracking our descent over the uneven ground; apparently they were not content with driving us off, they wished to finish the job. The captain attempted to put as much distance between us as possible, but the crippled ship responded poorly and best he could do was little more than drift with the wind as the ship drew closer to the ground.

Thank the Passions for our skilled captain who managed to land our crippled vessel with only a minimum of damage to it's crew. Nearly all of us sustained some sort of injury in the attack and the crash, but thankfully we did not land in the boiling magma of the sea. Unfortunately as I sit here writing this last entry in my journal my legs are being lashed together and bound to a plank from the ship, for when we crashed I was thrown to the bow and one of the masts fell across my knees as it toppled to the ground. I fear I will not walk again, though I don't know how long I will have to worry about it.

The Chinta still hunt us and though most of us are too injured to flee, some have fled into the wasteland with the promise of fetching help. I have no choice but to await the arrival of our hunters. My only hope is that I will be able to make contact with them and establish some type of communication. Though from the howls and grunts I hear coming our way I doubt if communication will ever be possible with these beings. I now close this journal and I shall hide it with the remains of our vessel in the hopes that it will someday be read and this tale will be told. I am prepared to die, but I do not wish to die in vain.

Ternyth,
Scholar and Researcher at the Great Library of Throal

Searching the area around the vessel a successful perception (6) test will reveal the tracks of the Chinta war party. Once found their trail is easy to follow. It weaves about quite a bit and crosses a large variety of terrain, but the route is easy and in about two hours the party should be approaching the cave dwellings of the Chinta people. The party gets their first view of the Chinta encampment from the crest of a ridge that the trail passes over.

Read the following when the party reaches the top of the ridge:

Looking out to the west the trail drops sharply into a large ravine. The dark jagged cliffs of the ravine drop steeply in a "V" to the narrow bottom. The trail you are following passes through the very bottom of the "V" and then passes under what looks to be a large cut taken out of the cliff a few hundred yards ahead to your right. From here it looks as though there are only two routes of travel available to you -- through the ravine or it looks as though it may be possible to scramble up the slope to the cliff top.

The crest of the ridge is located on the trail at the far eastern side of the Chinta Encampment map. From this location it is possible to either descend into the ravine or to climb up and travel along the top of the ravine. The party will get a better view of the Chinta camp from the top of the cliff, but they will have a difficult time at best getting down the 200 yard cliff that separates them from the floor of the camp. The camp itself is about 100 yards above the trail passing through the ravine.

The steep slope along the side of the ravine is very difficult to traverse as it is comprised entirely of skree fallen from the cliff face to the ravine floor. To cross it a dexterity(6) test is needed for every 50 yards traveled. failure results in a rock shifting beneath the feet of those crossing it resulting in step 3 damage (no armor) as well as a loud grating noise that echo's off of the walls in the ravine (50% chance of alerting the Chinta guards).

The Chinta Encampment (Outer)

If the encampment is watched for a period of time greater than a few hours observers will note that very rarely do any of the Chinta come out of the cave for other than watch purposes. Although sometimes one or two will come out with a rough crafted wagon full of stone chippings and dump them down the slope.

The guards, thinking that all Name-Givers are slavers, will attack any who approach the camp. If their assailants come within melee range the Chinta will attack to stun (See Ed pg. 200) as long as none of their number have fallen. Should a Chinta die in battle all the Chinta who are aware of this will immediately aggressively attack the next round, then continue attacking to kill. To attempt to convince the Chinta to do other than attack could be very difficult as the Chinta only speak in a guttural language of grunts known only to them (For information on the Chinta people refer to the creatures section at the end of this adventure.)

Read the following to the players when they get a chance to view the cave opening from the Encampment:

Looking to the north-eastern wall of the encampment you see the entrance to the Chinta camp. Jagged piles of boulders are stacked on both sides of the cave mouth. Closer inspection reveals that the boulders are fresh stone recently removed by some type of work tool. The cave looms wide before you, almost beckoning you to enter.

The Chinta Camp (Inner)

Read the following upon entering the mouth of the cave:

Peering down the wide mouth of the cave you notice that the walls appear to be softly glowing as if there is a light source of some type within the walls. Looking close you see that thin bands of crystal run back and forth within the walls, and that they are glowing softly as a light quartz would. Looking back to the tunnel you note that it is about twelve feet high and eight feet wide. The sides of the tunnel are roughly hewn, obviously of a hastily crafted nature.

The passage runs to the north-west for approximately fifty yards where it passes out of sight behind a wide "S" curve. About 20 yards ahead along the south-east wall a passage is cut into the stone and white mist rolls out across the floor.

Natural Spring

Read the following to the players upon entering this room:

The smell of sulfur nearly overcomes you when you step into the room. Mist hangs heavy in the air and the humidity makes your skin feel as though it is dragging at your bones. Peering through the haze you can just make out a pool of some type on the far side of the room. Dimly you hear the sound of trickling water from across the room.

If anyone approaches the pool read the following:

Looking closer at the pool you see that it is indeed a natural spring. Water trickles out from a crack on the far wall filling the pool. The pool appears to be about four feet deep, though currently it is only about half full. From the mineral rings on the sides of the pool you would judge that it has seen better days. Examining the pool yet again you see what looks like glittering crystal scattered across the entire bottom of the pool.

The water in the spring is mineral heavy, but other than that it is safe to drink. A willpower test (5) is needed in order to overcome the natural aversion to drinking anything that reeks of sulfur and other impurities. A failed test will result in vomiting.

The water is very hot. In fact it is just a few degrees shy of boiling. Anyone sticking any part of their body in the pool will take step 10 damage per round exposed to the water. When they are free of the water they will continue to take damage as the scalding water slowly cools. Each subsequent round the victim will take two less steps of damage until the damage reaches zero. If cool water is poured over the scalded appendage the damage will be three less steps per round.

The crystal on the bottom of the pool is quartz grown from the minerals in the water. The crystals are indeed perfect, however they are also grown onto the bottom of the pool and very difficult to remove while the water is still in the pool. There are 500 silvers worth of crystal in the pool; however, removing it may cause damage to some of the crystals if it is not approached in a delicate manner.

Common and Play Area

Read the following when the party first views this area:

Gaping in awe you marvel at the vast cavernous area before you. Running north- west to south-east this chamber must be at least eighty yards in length and twenty yards wide. Large benches line the walls and a few mats of some strange animal pelt lie haphazardly about the room. Piles of small stones are scattered about the floor, many cut into strange rectangular and cubic shapes. There are exits from this room leading in all directions.

The stone blocks are just that, blocks for the children to play with. At this time there are no children in the room, though if the party spends more than ten minutes exploring this room and there has been no known combat yet there is a 20% chance that a young Chinta will come along and see the party in the room. If this occurs the child will run to the nearest group of elders (great hall.) and they will go to investigate.

The pelts are all of poor quality and though they are from rare animals they are so well used that they will be of no particular value to anyone.

Storage Area

The passageway widens here to a width of nearly fifteen yards. Many stone barrels and baskets fill up the space along the northern wall some stacked two or three deep. In a pile to the left of the barrels is a collection of well used mining tools including picks, shovels, and pry bars.

There is not much of value in storage here. Mostly dried foods, fruits and nuts collected by different groups of Chinta when they have gone out exploring. The tools are all in decent condition and may be used by the party if they choose to take them.

Gathering Hall

Read the following when the party enters this room:

This large room measures roughly twenty by thirty yards. A bench rests in an alcove on the north-western wall, while to the north-east a wide opening leads to a vast chamber. To the north and south passages lead from this room while heavy fur curtains block your view to the south-east and south-west. Fur rugs adorn the floor, while padded leather pillows are propped against the walls.

Two Chinta were or may still be resting on the bench along the north-western wall. If there has been an alarm anywhere in the complex they will likely have heard of it and traveled to investigate. If not, they are engaged in some type of conversation apparently bordering on an argument of some type. If a fight breaks out in this room the Chinta in the sleeping chambers and great hall will certainly hear it and rush to engage. If this occurs there are the normal chances for other Chinta to hear the fight and also come to join the battle. Obviously it is in the party's best interest to use stealth while in this complex. Good scouting can mean the difference between life and death.

Sleeping Chambers

Great Hall

Read the following when the party enters this area:

With amazement you gaze upon this cavernous chamber, easily thirty yards wide and nearly twice as long. This massive room dwarfs even the four great stone tables that stand in the room. Carved from the very stone of the cliff itself, these tables stand at least five feet high, though some are taller than others. Scattered across the tops of the tables are the bones of various animals, all picked clean. Beside the bones great stone basins hold sulfur rich drinking water. The rugs around the base of the tables are in shambles. Bits of meat and blood have been ground into the hairs of the rug and flies swarm about these dark oily blotches feeding and laying eggs. A few benches sit haphazardly placed about the room. On the north-western wall a mural carved into the wall depicts a line of Chintas bound in chains being led off toward a massive stone sky ship, much larger than any Barsaivian vessel you've ever seen. The next mural shows the sky ship sailing away while a lone child watches with tears in his eyes. The next and final mural shows a small tribe of Chinta people, mostly women and children trekking off into the wastes of the sea while watching the skies with obvious anxiety.

The tables are where the Chinta gather for their meals. It is obvious that they are quite sloppy eaters.

The murals serve to remind the Chinta of why it is that they hate all Name-Givers. They are afraid that their people will one day forget the crimes that have been and are still being done to them, and they have carved these murals so that their people will never forget their anger.

Waste Pits

The Chinta have taken advantage of an old lava pipe that leads down somewhere into the depths of the cliff. The smell doesn't really seem to bother the Chinta, but then again, not much does.

Storage Area

Read the following when the party enters this room:

The thick smell of not quite cured hide assaults your senses as you draw back the curtain enclosing this area. Piles of furs lie scattered across the room. On the far side of the room bundles of reed are tied together in small clumps, probably gathered from an inland journey by a member of the tribe, for you have seen no such plants growing in this area. Aside from these few items, the rest of the room is barren.

If the party searches through the furs there are four espagra hides mixed in with the pile. They are not well cured and worth only half of their base value. (Roughly 25 silvers each).

Mine Storage

Read the following when the party looks into this area:

This "U" shaped cavern is apparently used for the collecting and sorting of minerals. Large buckets of crushed rock sit on the floor next to a large table apparently used for sorting. On the other side of the table are large stone bins that look as though they might be used for collecting and holding the sorted items. Small piles of rubble are scattered about the rest of this area. A second curtain leads out of the room on the other side of the "U".

Should anyone look into the collecting bins read the following:

Looking into the bins you are amazed by the sparkling collection of colors and lights gleaming back up at you. Bins of gemstones glitter brightly in the light given off by ribbons of phosphorescent crystal scattered throughout the piles of crystal.

The light crystals will give off a soft glow as long as they are in the vicinity of elemental earth. Once brought outside of the cave they will begin to fade and soon they will resemble dull weathered quartz. If brought back to civilization however they can be sold for quite a sum of money (as long as the party can prove what they do) since they work quite effectively as detectors for elemental earth. There are twenty crystal ribbons mixed into the bins and they would sell in Bartertown for about 150 silvers each. Getting them there however will be tough as they are very fragile and any fall or knockdown has a 20% chance of breaking any crystals being carried, this is assuming that the crystals are wrapped and padded, if not don't even bother rolling...they break.

Scattered throughout the bins are many types of crystals, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, topaz, and sapphires are among the most common. However, not all crystals are of gem quality. Due to the constantly shifting rock of the region many of the crystals are heavily fractured and of poor color. There are 200 pounds of crystal between all the bins. Sorting through them will take a vast amount of time (on the order of days). If a quick check is made to try to grab only those of value make a perception(8) test (+2 steps for thieves or anyone who has more than a passing interest in gems). The current value of the gems is 15 silvers per pound. On a successful test the sorter is able to throw out the gems of little or no value reducing the weight of the good gems by 10 pounds per point of success beyond 8 and increasing the value per pound of the reaming gems considerably (total gem value should equal 3000 silvers). Every point of success below 8 not only removes 10 pounds of weight per point below, but it also reduces the value of the stones by 1 silver per pound (throwing out the good ones by mistake).

In the very bottom of one of the bins are three nuggets of elemental earth and two shards of living crystal. These can be found on a successful perception test of (6). The nuggets of elemental earth have the same value and properties as coins of elemental earth, and while the shards of living crystal are far to small to be of use in a weapon, any jeweler would be happy to pay up to 100 silver for each of the beautiful shards.

Guard Room

Outside of Slave Pens

The first thing you notice when you enter this chamber are the bars. A passage to the south-west has been barred off with stout iron bars. Clinging to the bars, a worn and beaten looking dwarf looks out into the room. A hopeless look on his face he leans his head against the bars and closes his eyes. In the chamber beyond him, you think you see more figures slumped against the far wall of the prison.

To the north, a table is set against the wall. On it are hammers, picks, and other mining tools. Still on the north wall but farther to the east a heavy curtain closes off another section of the complex. To the east, two more curtains hang from the ceiling.

If the party makes themselves known to the ragged old dwarf read the following:

Slowly the dwarf pulls his head up from the bars and looks up. Just as he breaks into a hopeful smile his face darkens and his eyes flash to the curtain behind you. Slowly he places his fingers to his lips indicating that you should be quiet and points again at the curtain. "Guards," he whispers.

The slave speaking to the party is Nathan Bellowsmith. A weaponsmith, who took passage on the Cloud Skimmer with hopes of finding a decent source of living crystal, which he hoped to mine. This was not quite what he had in mind, however, and his aspirations have changed quite a bit in the few months he has been here. As far as he is concerned the cursed crystal can stay in the mountain. Steel's better anyway.

Nathan will try to make sure that the guards are taken care of before he spends any length of time talking with the party. He fears that if an escape is attempted they will be caught and killed.

Slave Pens and Mine

Freeing the Slaves

The noise of the shattering bar will be enough to alert any Chinta in rooms 4, 4a, 5 6, and 7. The first alerted Chinta (if there are any) will arrive in 5 rounds with 1 more arriving at the end of every subsequent round until all alerted Chinta have arrived.

The slaves are in poor physical condition and will not attempt to fight unless they are attacked. They will pick up all the weapons they can find or are given however, including their picks and shovels.

Wrapping It Up

When the party reaches Throal they will be greeted with respect and admiration. The library, in it's gratitude, will pay each party member the sum of 500 silvers and they will grant the party free access to the library for the period of a year and a day. The slaves who were rescued thank the party graciously and offer their services freely, giving help whenever the party enters Throal. If you're looking for an NPC opportunity one of the rescued may even offer to travel with the party.

Loose Ends

The Chinta People

Description

In combat the Chinta can throw rocks weighing up to twenty pounds with ease. They use their same attack step and the rocks have a range of 25/50/75 yards doing step 20 damage. In melee combat the Chinta are fierce opponents. Their weapons alone are enough to strike fear into the hearts of most. They wield four foot long clubs, the last six inches of which have been dipped in tar and rolled in crushed obsidian giving the head of the club a thousand glass sharp edges. Often the glass will fall off in a wound as well causing extreme pain and requiring much time to clean properly. The Chinta know of passion Thystonius and they believe that he was once the king of the Chinta people. When they battle they seek only to please him.

With their seclusion during the Scourge the Chinta people lost much -- communication, culture and freedom -- all were taken from them, and in it's place they have gained little but solitude. The only other gift the Chinta people received during the Scourge was one of magic. While they do not wield magic freely it has become an innate part of their existence. During the scourge the Chinta lived in an underground cave surrounded by living crystal and elemental earth. This constant exposure to the magical energies of these elements enhanced the Chinta people and gave them the great strength and endurance that they possess today. Since the Scourge, they have lived in a type of harmony with the Death's Sea. That, and their inherent magical nature has also made the Chinta people resistant to the great temperatures of the Death's Sea. Indeed, the bravest of the Chinta have been known to walk the very edge of the coast of the sea, where even the transition between solid and liquid stone is unclear. The Resist Heat magic of the Chinta is similar to the Endure Cold talent. A successful spell casting test (2) allows the Chinta to make an effect test to resist that amount of heat or flame based damage. The Chinta often engage in tests of endurance to see who can stand on the shores of the sea the longest. Often these tests will go on for hours. Any Name-Giver who can stand with a Chinta on the shores of the Death's Sea earns the entire tribes respect and admiration instantly.

In appearance the Chinta are quite shocking to look at. They stand roughly eight and a half feet tall, broad of shoulder and narrow of features. The Chinta people resemble humans, though their facial features are much more chiseled giving them a fierce look. Hair and eyes are usually black, though on the younger children brownish-blonde hair is common, darkening as the child ages. The Chinta live approximately one hundred years, reaching physical maturity at age fifteen.