Bander finishes of a pint of dark ale and nods thoughtfully. "No shortage of orcs to the north and east, of course. The Nethers are filled with all manner of places for 'em to hole up. And they do trouble folks moving along Turnstone Pass...folks goin' to and fro between Ascore, Newfort, and Deadsnows as well."

He orders another pint and then continues, "We're mighty fortunate now for over a year here in Rauvincross. No orc trouble. In times past, our mining tunnels crossed with orc tunnels. Bad times those were. With a bit of help from the svirfneblin that live in the Nethers nearby we collapsed a few tunnels in strategic locations. Seemed to cut off the orcs' easy access to us livin' here in the river valley."

Fargoth doesn't drink, but keeps quiet and listens to the others talking, until the dwarf mentions his distant kin.  "The svirfneblin, they are welcoming of strangers, or have you fostered good relations with them over time?"

While Gwin typically enjoys a late night of food and drink, she will retire early and rest up for whatever the following day brings.

"They're a wary bunch, but we have a good deal in common with 'em, you see. Like many of us here in Rauvincross, the deep gnomes are lookin' for whatever bounty the rocks and tunnels of the Nethers will provide. Of course, they're dead set on findin' them precious gems and don't have much use for the ore we hope to find. But like us, they live in a place and pursue a life that brings 'em into contact with some of the darker things in the mountains. And, so, now and then we do what we can to help one another along," explains Bander to Fargoth. 

After another long drink of ale, he concludes, "That's my long way of saying 'yes'. Yes, we've fostered a good trust with them. And if you think they might be of help with locating orcs, then I'd say you're probably right. Nothing breathes in the Nethers without the deep gnomes knowin' about it."

The stout old dwarf senses that maybe the people of Rauvincross will have a chance to offer a service, albeit a small one, to the five of you. "We can take you to 'em and let 'em know what you've done here if you like. It's the least we can do." 

“That is a very generous offer,” smiles Brevig, “but might a well-drawn map and letter of introduction serve just as well, without our guide then being faced with the necessity of a return journey, unaccompanied, through the wilds?”

Bander considers Brevig's question for a moment. "Such a letter might work. I'll see to it."

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The following day--after Brevig has done his work among the ailing and wounded and Ashento has offered his services to the children--the party bids farewell to the hundreds of new friends they have made. The town elders have given you a letter of introduction that you intend to present to Torim Wickelstone, leader of the nearby deep gnome enclave. You've been instructed to travel northward along the Rauvin for nearly half a day until you reach an unmistakable rock formation known locally as The Wall (a smooth cliff of pale granite that rises vertically for over 100 feet). At that point, you will follow a narrow path along a steep, full-day ascent into the Nether Mountains. At its highest point, the path leads directly into an old mining tunnel. "Follow that tunnel, keeping to the left whenever it forks, and you'll find Torim," Bander explains. 

<> <> <> <> <>

The journey from Rauvincross to the mining tunnel is marked by the endless murmur of the Rauvin, mild autumn weather, and plenty of wildlife. The river valley is filled with songbirds, rabbits, deer, and squirrels, and the mountain climb reveals ravens, hawks, and a herd of mountain goats. As you enter the old tunnel, you say your farewell to the world of fresh air and sunlight, and you ready yourself for the darkness and close spaces that you expect ahead. 

You follow the tunnel for several hundred feet, keeping to the left at the first fork. The tunnel begins to narrow and descend slightly as you travel for another quarter of a mile, at which point you reach a second fork. As advised, you stay to the left. Within a few minutes, however, you encounter a pile of rubble that blocks your way. Moving the debris seems feasible but time-consuming...

NOTE: I've assumed the party has allowed the people of Rauvincross to care for their steeds during this portion of the adventure. 

‘Let’s proceed with care, until we know this is a natural rockfall...’ whispers Patrin. Then, with a healthy degree of paranoia, Patrin brings up his Detect Magic ability, before proceeding to investigate the area...

Patrin finds no indication of anything magical. The obstruction in the tunnel appears to be intentional rather than accidental. From the party's vantage point, the ceiling of the passageway seems to be in tact. 

“Greetings to Torin of the Svirfneblin,” booms Brevig, hoping to be heard on the far side of the obstruction. “I bring good tidings and a letter of introduction from The Council of Elders of Rauvencross!”

Brevig's voice reverberates down the length of the passageway. A few minutes pass, but no one responds. 

Gwin rubs her invisible beard for a moment and says, Hmmmmm. This is concerning, to say the least. I'll investigate. Pulling from her cloak what appears to be a small tuft of fur, the cleric clenches it in her fist while rotating it above her head. Invisible eye go far from me, show me, show me, what you see. As she utters these words Gwin releases the tuft of fur which then floats toward the rubble and disappears into a crack.

Gwin needs several minutes to navigate her magical eye through the pile of rocks, but eventually she is able to reach the open area on the other side of the debris. She estimates the blockage is 4 to 5 feet thick. After traveling down the tunnel for 50 feet, the arcane eye reaches a deep chasm. On the opposite side of the chasm--30 to 40 feet away--there is another tunnel opening.

Allowing the eye to travel downward into the chasm, Gwin sees a rather steep, technical descent into a large open space that will likely take several minutes for her to explore with the magical eye. Sending the eye across the chasm and into the opposite tunnel opening, Gwin soon sees another blockage that matches the one where the party currently stands. 

Piecing together the information provided by the magical eye, the five of you are able to conclude that the tunnel floor has collapsed, revealing the underground cavern that lies ahead. The two blockages in the tunnel represent someone's efforts to prevent access to that cavern. 

Gwin communicates to her companions all the eye sees. Well? What do you say? Shall I give it the ol' frazzle dazzle, and Stone Shape an opening for us or should we investigate a little further with my eye?

"Would that work on rubble like this? Or would you only be able to shape a single piece of stone? Also, I'm sure that there's some sort of secret entrance around these parts, though I wouldn't entirely put it past the deep gnomes to just block themselves off completely. Perhaps there's a more obvious tunnel on the inside? Before potentially causing another cave-in, I think you should try and look about for one with your eye."

Brevig says, "Hmmm....rubble 4-5' thick you say? It must be sloping on both sides, or else, I wonder how it stays in place, since rubble tends to settle. Is it 4-5' deep at the very top? If there are 1" thick crevices from this side to the far side, the stones must not be terribly small. At any rate I should be able to remove 20 or 30 large stones from the top, creating a 3' opening, stack the stones as they come down to create a sturdy slope up to the opening. From there, I can kick over the top stones on the other side to create an exit slope on the far side of the wall. With the magical strength granted by my gauntlets of ogre power, I should be able to manage this in 30 minutes, but by all means look for an easier way first."

Patrin shrugs ‘I’m more of an urban fellow, so I can’t really advise on this one.’ he pauses, then starts to back up a good distance, ‘I know enough to keep my distance regardless of who does what though!’ he adds

Fargoth look back up the passage they arrived at this point from, trying to remember how far back the last fork was.  "I you will permit me to do so, I could backtrack and briefly explore the other passageways?  If this way has been shut, then perhaps it should stay that way."

“Fargoth,” says Brevig, “that is a very good idea. Although easy enough to dig through, it will have taken much more work to transport this rubble here and to the far side. Perhaps whatever was blocked off should remain that way for the good of those who live in these tunnels.”

Quote from TheHumbug >>

"Would that work on rubble like this? Or would you only be able to shape a single piece of stone? Also, I'm sure that there's some sort of secret entrance around these parts, though I wouldn't entirely put it past the deep gnomes to just block themselves off completely. Perhaps there's a more obvious tunnel on the inside? Before potentially causing another cave-in, I think you should try and look about for one with your eye."

Excellent notion, Donir. I'll send my eye back down the tunnel and investigate the chasm more thoroughly, hopefully we can find another entrance or see if there's something nefarious afoot.

The elf slings his backpack off his shoulder and retrieves a simple-looking horn from its depths, affixing it to his hip as he talks to the group.  "I will attempt to bear left at any junctions I find beyond our last.  This horn was a gift from the Harpers... silent to all but one person of my choosing."  He looks at Brevig and nods.  "I will blow the horn only in an emergency."

With that, he picks up his backpack and saunters back the way they came.