Chapter 1: So it begins.

[alver]

Ingvar tries to open the doors. The hinges should give some clue whether the doors need to be pushed or pulled.

[GreyWolfVT]

Sheamus will go up and assist Ingvar with the doors. Shouldering his way into the door if need be, he will ply his strength and try to help force the doors open if required.

[Rex]

The doors open, some. They stop with about an inch gap between them. They are clearly barred from the other side by a heavy steel bar that is rusted but still strong. Time has clearly weakened the doors and you are sure with a bit of work they can be forced open, but the bar is somehow secured to prevent it from just being flipped out of whatever holds it.

[VonAlric]

"The doors are most likely to keep things from below from coming up. It is foolish to waste time trying to bash these open. Hold my javelin for a moment." Rodbert hands off the javelin, steps up to the doors, and knocks on the doors three times (Casting Knock - 2nd lv spell).

[Rex]

There is a sliding sound as the steel bar slides out of its brackets and opens up. The tunnel has been excavated into a L shaped room. It doesn't appear anyone has been inside in a very long time. A thick layer of dust covers everything.

Note the scale. The room is not very large, ceiling height is 10 foot.

[Rex]

1) The Forge; A rusty forge with foot pumped bellows. The forge contains cinders and ash, the bellows have largely disintegrated. Directly overhead is the chimney.

2) The Anvil; A rust-coated anvil set at a height lower than a human would normally use. The surface of the anvil has a 3 inch deep cleft in which a rust-free broken sword blade , some 24 inches long is embedded.

[Rex]

3, 4 & 5) 50 gallon Oak barrels
3) half full of sand
4) empty, but the interior is covered in salt crystals
5) approximately a quarter full of rusted metal fillings

6) a padlocked metal chest. The lock appears to be so rusted even if you had a key it wouldn't open it.

[Rex]

7) Metal Table; in very poor condition. A host of neatly arranged tools, mostly hammers and chisels are rusted to the tables surface. The tables legs have fallen off and the top now rests on a pile of metal ingots. 15 carbon steel ingots (about 25 lbs each), 16 copper ingots (about 15 lbs each) and 12 ingots of tin (about 10 lbs each). It will take some work to separate the ingots.

8) some wooden structure that long ago fell apart, there may be some small animal bones in the pile, maybe some sort of bird bones.

9) stone tub; carves from a block of limestone. Above the tub is a metal rack with 2 clay gallon jugs full of liquid. The shelf appears very rickety.

10) Coal Cart; a rusty metal cart with a few lumps of coal in the corners.

11) Vertical Shaft; a 30 inch diameter vertical shaft extending up beyond your sight. Metal rungs have been hammered into the stone wall to act as a ladder. The ladder rungs appear rusty but seem stable when pushed/pulled on.

Actions?

[GreyWolfVT]

Sheamus scratches his head "Well alright a smithy in what looks like an old mine. Wonder if this meets back up with the mine we were at."

[VonAlric]

Entering the room, Rodbert can't help but smile but that is temporary. "Hmm... no obvious exit to the outside. This is a processing point though." His eyes see the sword blade in the anvil and widens. "Men, I think that might be something we should take with us once we find the exit. In fact, there are several things that make this journey profitable. Those ingots and possibly whatever is in that chest should net us some silver. We'll need to get the mules over here to help get that stuff out."

Seeing the tub and the metal shelf, he cautions the men. "I've got a feeling that whatever is in those jars would be rather nasty for us. Don't hit that shelf." He looks up the shaft. "Well, that's at least more than 15 foot up. Nice thing is that the narrow shaft will be useful if these rungs get a bit loose on the way up as we should be able to press our backs against one wall and feet against the other to help steady ourselves. I don't think that whatever is up there will head over to the other mine, think it is too far away. I believe this will get us up closer to ground level and allow us out."

"Who is going up first?"

[alver]

Ingvar listens to Rodbert absent mindedly, adding a few "Yes"-s and "Uh uh"-s. He picks up something heavy - a hammer head, maybe the steel bar that held the doors, whatever. He gives the rusted lock on the chest several hard whacks.

[Rex]

The tools are all rust welded to the table. Ingvar finds a heavy bar laying about and one good smash destroys whats left of the lock. The inside of the chest is padded and contains 3 glass 5 gallon jugs, sealed with cork stoppers covered in blue wax. They are full of a yellowish liquid.

You are still missing something. Everyone roll 3d6.

[GreyWolfVT]

random [3d6] = 10

[VonAlric]

[3d6] = 10

Rodbert also looks at the pile of wood beside the limestone tub. "Bones? Did some bird fly in here and die or did something else put that bone there?"

[alver]

Ingvar's look upon opening the chest could be described as "priceless" by the modern man. He dismisses the jugs as worthless without further comment and lets his eyes wander around again.

[3d6] = 10

"Looks like a pen to keep animals," he says in response to Rodbert.

[Rex]

The surface of the anvil has a 3 inch deep cleft in which a rust-free broken sword blade , some 24 inches long is embedded.

[GreyWolfVT]

Sheamus walks to the anvil and attempts to remove the broken sword blade from the cleft.

[Rex]

It is going to take some work to get it free. The edge is the sharpest thing Sheamus has ever seen. It is also perfectly clean, no rust, scratches or dents, just the break where a hilt should be.

[GreyWolfVT]

Sheamus looks around for a sword hilt or something that maybe he can slide on the broken end to push the blade free of the cleft.

[Rex]

No one has found anything like a hilt. You see the bar that Ingvar used to smash the lock off the chest and use it to lever out the blade, in the process the blade nearly cuts through the bar and it doesn't seem to dull the edge any.