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2026-02-27 S1 Marshrise Mining Operation

NPCS Established

Summary

The party was summoned to Marshrise Keep by Archmage Leywin, recently saved from the prior conflict and still recovering. Captain Haedson Davenport escorted them through the keep, past the infirmary where soldiers from the recent battle lay wounded, many bearing injuries consistent with chaotic stampedes rather than organized warfare. Reports confirmed that creatures of the swamp had begun swarming and fleeing eastward in unnatural numbers, as though displaced by something deeper within the region.

Leywin received them seated upright but visibly weakened, no longer wearing her military regalia. She expressed sincere gratitude for their prior actions but stated she could not provide gold at this time. Instead, she offered magical items or future considerations and was willing to hear specific requests. Garad requested political favor within Kavas, which she granted without hesitation. Alaric requested the transfer of a +1 enchantment from one blade to another already enchanted weapon. Leywin corrected his flawed understanding of arcane transference, briefly explaining that enchantments are structured lattices of intent rather than transferable energy, before agreeing to perform the hour-long process. During their discussion, she realized she had not yet asked about the swamp disturbance, and the party informed her of their findings.

Rook’s dagger became a subject of attention. Leywin offered two magical items in exchange for the opportunity to examine and identify it. After hesitation, Rook agreed. Following her assessment, she informed them the dagger was corrupted but declined to elaborate on what that entailed.

While waiting for Alaric’s blade to settle into its new arcane structure, Haedson returned with a warning. Military orders were imminent, and if the party lingered too long, he would be obligated to restrict access to the mine, preventing them from fulfilling their contract. With that pressure established, the party geared up and departed for the mountainside.

Before entering the mine, a dwarf mining worker approached them and asked that they recover any evidence of his friend’s fate. The friend was presumed dead after fleeing deeper into the tunnels during the grimlock incursion. The dwarf did not ask for vengeance, only proof, promising a reward for whatever could be brought back.

Inside the mine, the party moved with discipline. They practiced silent communication, relit sconces as they advanced, and set sound-based alarm traps on side passages they chose not to explore. Rook scouted ahead in stealth and encountered a grimlock, allowing the party to maneuver and draw three together before initiating combat. The narrow mining corridors favored Alaric’s defensive positioning, enabling him to block and pin enemies effectively. Two grimlocks were dispatched quickly before reinforcements arrived in the form of a Revilock and five additional grimlocks. The party split their focus between containing the funneling melee attackers and addressing the psychic threat posed by the Revilock. Despite the confined terrain and mental pressure, they succeeded in eliminating all hostiles.

Afterward, they carefully retraced their path, checking traps and watching their footing. As they advanced further, Alaric felt a shift before the others did. Crossing into a large chamber produced a sensation akin to stepping beneath a blanket of cold water, dulling his senses and compressing his awareness of space. The chamber spanned roughly sixty feet in diameter. Bodies were strewn throughout, approximately a dozen in total, bearing five distinct banners: Aloria, Tonstu, Taethryn, Teraxa, and one unknown. These were banners dating back to the Silent Era. The corpses were in varying states of decomposition, from skeletal remains to partially preserved bodies. There were no visible wounds and no signs of struggle or combat. Starvation appeared to be the most plausible cause of death.

On the right side of the chamber sat crates and containers, undisturbed and aged. At the center stood a small pedestal supporting a perfectly geometric oblate spheroid. It appeared naturally formed yet impossibly precise, rotating at a pace so slow it required patient observation to confirm movement. On the far side of the chamber, a narrow passage led to a vertical shaft descending straight downward. The bottom could not be seen. When a rock was dropped into the darkness, it struck multiple surfaces after a second or two, echoing as it descended beyond sight.

Session end state: the party stands within the Silent Chamber, faced with relics of a forgotten era, an impossible object at its center, and a shaft leading deeper into the unknown.