(Adventure) Heroes of The Vesper Peaks (Uriel judging)
For a while, this held the distinction of being the longest-running adventure in Living Enworld. Alas, that was also its downfall, as the reason it was so long-running was the slow posting rate. But before it eventually folded, it provided a wealth of information about the lands near the tower of fire.
Let's start with a description of the lands around the city of Ignussus:
Ignussus is a small city located in the deserts surrounding the burning mountains that form a wall around the tower of elemental fire. Located only a few hundred miles from the edge of the world, Ignussus is reputedly one of the most dangerous cities to live in. The town is controlled by a thieves guild called the Curved Blades of Arcton, a group of thugs and murderers that make their business the control of all goods coming in and out of the city. Ignussus itself would never have grown so large without them, however, as they were the original provisioners of water in the township for many years.
The main source of income here in the desert is in the refinement of gem deposits mined in the mountains to the south. The gems are brought into Ignussus once every month, under heavy guard, and more than a quarter of the town is set aside specifically for those craftsman that are in the art of gemcutting, cleaning, and jewelry making. There are many other crafts that are practiced in Ignussus as well, many of them involving the making of weapons for the guild and guards, and making tools for the workers employed in the steaming hot gem mines in the mountains.
Food is imported from the north and west, often by air. Many different sorts of mounts deliver these supplies, most commonly hauled by teams of trained gryphons. This practice is new to the city, provided for by a guild of trained riders in the windy country to the far west. These imports are expensive, though, and the price to live in the desert while mining gems is a steep one. If not for the rich gem mines, things would turn for the worse very quickly.
Water is provided by a few different sources. The first is a well controlled by the Curved Blades of Arcton. Rumors circulate every summer, when the weather is at it's worst, that the water well is drying up. Whether this is true, or if in fact the guild simply chooses to drink more or provide less of the necessary provision, this has brought many new sources into the city. Some sources include the Clerics of (water deity), who provide water to the poor and needy. Their generosity has quickly given them popularity to rival the gods of fire and the desert which have always been known as the chief patrons of the clergy of this region. The third source of water in this region is by import and trade, it is not uncommon for a merchant to attempt to trade "worthless water" during seasons of horrible heat for rich jewels and gems to trade in the cities in the center of the continent.
Religion in Ignussus is primarily the worship of fire, because it is believed that such worship improves ones resiliance in this harsh environment. Many have died from the heat, and the elderly are always treated with incredible compassion before summer comes and often brings a deathly heatstroke. It is because of this that gods with the fire domain are worshipped, as they provide some degree of protection from the heat in their domain. In addition, the swells of burning magma that creep through the mountains where the gems are mined are extrememly dangerous. A supersticious belief has developed that the unfaithful miners are the ones swept away in the molten rock currents that occationally breach the mines.
The Guild that rules Ignussus, while cruel and often greedy, still provides more than enough protection and well trained warriors to keep the city safe. It is because of their persistance and action that the guild has come to power and brought about some degree of wealth in the peasantry. The guild leader, Ramzos Balba currently, is called the Sultan by the guild members because of his wealth and respected position. It is this title that often earns the title of "Desert Snake King" for the man who leads the Curved Blades of Arcton. Outsiders often refer to that name in disrespect, because the man is often seen as a slave driver and monster by people from lands with more liberty and freedoms.
Now, let's have a few facts about Ignussus itself:
- There is a harpsichord in the bar in Ignussus known as the "The Father’s Wish".
- Both stables and onions can be found in Ignussus.
- It is approximately 20 miles from the mines to the gem cleaners and cutters of Ignussus. Gems are transported from the mines to the city twice a week.
- The mines near Ignussus are guarded by a fortress to the south, near the mountains.
- There is an inn known as "Uther’s", in a large building in Ignussus.
Here's a description of Uther's:
The inn you enter is a large building, and the interior looks to be stone even though the exterior to the building is overlayed with heavy clay. Inside you find a very quiet and rather putrid smelling place with only a handful of customers. On the sign above the innkeepers rocking chair it reads, "No Magic, No Pets."
The innkeeper is a tiny little man, human, but small enough to be a thin dwarf. He has a big white mustache and seems to be covered from head to toe in his pajamas. The greyhaired fellow has a cat in his lap, and when he notices the incoming crowd he plucks the cat up in both hands and puts it down on the floor.
"How many of you are there? I've got six rooms, all of them are empty. The rest of the rooms are on permanent free rental by the guild."
Here are some more facts, one about Uther's and the rest about the mines:
- The room rate at Uther’s in Ignussus is 3 silver/night, and breakfast is 5 coppers. The rooms can sleep 2 each.
- The fortress to the south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines has some sort of steam equipment that whistles.
- The fortress to the south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines has a 40’ by 80’ room with four 10’ wide exits and a 2nd floor walkway. The room has been used as both barracks and storehouse.
- The fortress to the south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines has at least two levels above and at least one level below ground.
- The fortress to the south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines has multiple buildings.
- The 40’ by 80’ room in the fortress south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines has a window that faces an inner courtyard.
- There is a passage north from the 40’ by 80’ room in the fortress south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines. The passage leads to, "the caverns".
- The second floor of the 40’ by 80’ room in the fortress south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines is 15’ above the ground. There is a courtyard to the east of that room.
- The stairs leading up to the second level of the 40’ by 80’ room in the fortress south of Ignussus that guards the gem mines are stone and near one of the large 10’ doors.
- There are multiple entrances to the gem mines south of Ignussus. Most are sealed off.
There's a sort of "entrance cavern" to the mines, and here's a description of it:
The red rock that makes up the walls of this cavern are unreasonably jagged. Walking too close, a person could easily be cut on the stone. However, the cavern is at lest 10 feet wide and 10 feet high throughout this enterance. There is very little in the way of supports at this level, the rock appears to have naturally formed this first bit of cavern and stands on it's own.
The first interior room, as Kreepto explains, is an elevator shaft. It can go up or down into the mountain, at intervals of approximately 50 feet per shaft. The elevator travels straight down, but in order to move up into the mountain it travels at a slow incline of approximately 10 degrees.
"Those are the new caves. We never dig up until last year."
The elevator is a rope and pulley operated machine. It appears that the elevator is primarily used for the purpose of conveying large amounts of weight, such as rock being moved out of the mines. The actual incline to move up is easy enough to traverse on foot. The way down is a deep pit, and although a skilled climber may be able to descend, a fall would more than likely be lethal.
After that, there is a second room deeper into the mines. It appears thus:
The ground seems to tremble a bit as you reach the edge of the first edge of the incline. Kreepto speaks up to explain that this is the first upper level, and that this level is safe from the gas. Everyone can see that the supports (some of iron, some of stone, and most of wood) are in good condition.
Everyone: This room is 20 feet by 80 feet (long), stretching forwards from the entrance. There are two (almost empty) lanterns set along the left wall. They each emit 30 feet of light, which is good enough to see most of the room, save the last 5 feet on each end which is only dimly illuminated.
Finally, some more facts about the mines:
- At the end of the second room, the mines south of Ignussus split into three tunnels: One to the left that slopes down slightly to a dirty pool, one to the center, and one that slopes up at a 25 degree angle.
- The tunnel to the right leading up from the second chamber in the mine south of Ignussus is 7.5’ wide by 7.5’ tall.
- The tunnel sloping up from the second chamber in the mine south of Ignussus eventually comes to a section that glows a dim red. There are seven corpses here.
- The tunnel sloping up from the second chamber in the mine south of Ignussus opens up into a room after 240 feet.
- The room that the tunnel sloping up from the second chamber in the mine south of Ignussus continues for 300 feet, then opens up rapidly to a room 100 feet in diameter, with an orange glowing pool at the far end. There is a small tunnel leading down and away from the east side of the room, and the west side of the room is covered by blue and white runes.
- The runes on the west wall of the cavern with the glowing pool in the mines south of Inussus are runes of warding that give off cold and cause frostbite to the touch.
