Salkan Soiree Ep19: Super Short: Return to Lionheart Mine

 Run Date: December 20, 2023

PCs
Zile: Lv1 Ruinguard
Lucy: Lv1 Thief
Helvezia: Lv1 Paladin

Hench
Matt: Lv0 Dunestrider

Super Short: Return to Lionheart Mine

Small group, short session. The players decided to continue exploring the Lionheart mine. They were making plans to hire on some workers and harvest the silver ore they discovered last time. This time, they also found the mine had more within.

While on the road, the party passed a patrol. After some simple pleasantries, they moved toward the cave haven and stayed the night. The following morning, the PCs arrived at the old Lionheart mine and discovered that what little vegetation the area had had become decrepit, dry, and black. They paid it no mind and descended straight into the mine.

Navigating back to their previous area was easy, and it seemed like nothing had moved into the area since their last visit. They promptly found the intersection with the beetle door and decided to explore down a long hall where they discovered a room with an amber obelisk and a wall of gold. They were excited to have found something of potential value. Without tools and workers, however, it would remain where it was.

Helvezia checked the obelisk for anything strange, but found that it was smokey with a center of black. She didn't have the requisite expertise to offer insight so the party decided to let it alone. Back in the hall, the group found a pile of ash that lead into a large chamber. They never entered the chamber, but noticed a pickaxe sticking out of the ground. Alas, it would remain a mystery.

Having explored this section of the mine, the group returned to the intersection and started working east. They discovered another empty chamber before hearing cries from another short tunnel eastward. The group prepared to cut down whatever charged into their light, but the beasts were too smart and pelted them with rocks from the safety of their shadows.

After taking more hits than they'd like, the party rushed the tunnel and discovered a room with four small cheetah-like humanoids; gross spots and fleshy ears with clawed hands. The group cut all but one down. The leader of this small group was a ferocious and tenacious little monster and continued to fight with the party for another several minutes. The PCs won out, but the fallen beast had earned their respect.

The group found nothing of value on the creatures, but discovered another sack of silver ore. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. With that, the group worked their way back out of the mine and started the trek down the mountain. During the last watch, an hour or so before morning, Matt spotted massive batlike monstrosities diving toward the camp. He roused his party and they made a panicked retreat.

The party was still in rocky terrain, allowing a slightly better chance to get out of dodge. Unfortunately, the bat things could fly and easily outpace them. Nonetheless, a solid roll on the die resulted in the party throwing up all manner of fire, ash, and dust to cover their flight. After an hour, the party had managed to duck under the old bridge and into the puddle of purple flowers from their last trip. The creatures continued to cry out in languages the group could understand; taunting and coaxing their prey. No response, and with the sun coming soon, the monsters returned to their hideaway.

The party decided to give up on sleeping the last few hours and head back to Sherbin. They turned over the silver ore, divvied up the meager loot, and called it a day.

Rewards (Totals)

14xp
8.5gp

Afterword

This session was barely and hour and a half. Quick, to the point, and with near zero monster/encounter rolls coming up. The mine was rolled with Appendix A and 90% of the rooms were empty. Why the place was abandoned could have been discovered, but the group decided not to check out the room full of ash. Oh well, maybe some of the miners they hire will wander in there.

Another thing that came up was trying to figure out how much a group could mine and how to actually convert that. I think By This Axe may have something for it, or even the Revised Rulebook. Don't know since I didn't really look hard for it. Nonetheless, it seems that the entire thing would need to be a construction project and the party doesn't exactly have the funding to manage it. Worse yet, the mountains have shown their teeth, making it all the more important to hire on some mercenaries.

All in all, I'm glad the group has a plan. The question is whether or not they grasp the path necessary to reach their goal.