Note, anyone who wishes to can join in on this one. Most of this “adventure” will unfold inside of the Graceful Bark inn. If no one joins in the next 48-72 hours I’ll probably finish this out solo.



Hushed voices whisper the tale of an aspiring necromancer who travelled to Scara Brae in search of a staff that reportedly conjured the dead. This staff was affixed with a jet-black gemstone which repressed all hope near it. The gem would suck in light to a vortex at its center giving it an unnaturally dark appearance even on the brightest of summer days. The young necromancer hid the staff in a tomb within an abandoned mine shaft. The rumors seemed to have arisen from Graceful Bark an inn and tavern in Stonevale.


Mine Folly


“Y’know missy, it’s a fool’s errand,” a short overweight man spoke, “I transported the ‘necromancer’ they’s been talking about a few weeks ago and he said he was coming here for a business opportunity. I’ve explored all over Scara Brae and there ain’t no black gemstone staff of death.”

The sea was calm and Lilthis could feel the breeze on her face. Her voyage on the ferrying ship called The Interloper had been mostly uneventful. The ship was spacious enough, especially for its economical cost, and the captain had been most accommodating. Captain Julian had even allowed Lilly to read over some of his maps of the areas surrounding Stonevale and the island of Scara Brae. As the waves chopped against the rough wood of the ship Lilly rolled her eyes and looked away from the map she was studying to reply to the captain.

“This is the ninth time you’ve told me this. Rumors like this are not simply made up, there must be at least some degree of truth behind it.” Lilly looked back down at her map, trying to better assess the area near Stonevale. She smiled and looked back at the captain claiming, “Besides, life isn’t fun if you can’t be a fool from time to time,” she said coyly. Lilly had gotten comfortable enough around the captain to lower her guard a bit.

The captain grimaced at Lilly and rubbed the scruffy hairs on his chin. He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth before closing it and re-thinking his words. He gazed out at the sea and then back to the young dark elf questioningly, “you’re pretty smart for someone who knows so little about the world, huh?”

Lilly’s face turned red as she was unsure if she should be offended or embarrassed. She quickly snapped back, “What is that supposed to mean? I’ve travelled all across Alerar and southern Raiaera! I’m quite well travelled and versed in this world.” Aware he struck a nerve the captain quickly replied back, “I didn’t mean to offend ya. Just sayin that these kinds of rumors start from a young whippersnapper who wants to make a name for himself and get spread like wildfire by bored townsfolk across the far reaches of Althanas.” The captain perked up and stared out at the impending docks. He began to tie the sail of The Interloper’s mast before turning back to the young elf and stating, “we’ll be landing soon, best to gather your stuff and prepare to disembark.”


Lilly departed the ship and said goodbye to the friendly captain. As she was leaving the captain reminded her that she was wasting her time adding, “I run this route twice a week, I’ll be here in a few days when you need to sail back to the mainland.” Lilly frowned and kept walking, trying to ignore Captain Julian’s unwarranted advice. Lilly did not like sailing but she especially did not like when people thought they knew better than she did. She knew a story like the one of this staff was too big to simply be a farce.

As she entered the town of Stonevale Lilly realized that she knew very little of the surrounding area despite studying the captain’s maps. She knew that the rumored mine was southwest of the town but was unsure what dangers could present themselves along the way. In fact, one of the reasons she had chosen this venture was her first one alone was due to it involving an unskilled necromancer going after the staff. Lilly surmised that if he could hunt down the staff by himself it should be a breeze for someone of her talent and intellect.

Among the numerous miners and merchants, she passed in the town square she noticed a lot of rugged individuals gathered in a corner of the square chatting and passing around a bottle of whiskey. She approached the group hurriedly assuming they must be adventurers who had found the staff already.

The group was obviously other rookie explorers looking for an easy haul. Panic beset her as she feared that she was too late to discover and study the artifact for herself. As she grew near she heard one of the adventurer’s state, “Oi, I spent ‘round three hours in tat mine an’ I found nothin’ but a pile o’rocks and sum stupid carvins in da stone!”

One adventuring orc stood out taller than the rest of the group in dulled steel armor with a giant polished double-sided axe strapped to his back. He gruffed out at the group, “waste of time, foolish legend.” Timidly Lilly got closer to the group before speaking up, “Um… excuse me… is the path to the mine dangerous by chance?” An adventuring dwarf in studded leather armor turned around to face Lilly, he looked her up and down before stating, “Elf girl, you’ve come to a bust. This whole thing is a prank. The mine is collapsed in and someone carved some markings into the stone heap that look like the lowest effort excuse of magic I’ve ever seen. Go back to where you came from because this place is a waste of your time.”

As the group started to disperse Lilly spoke to the dwarf once more, “I think I’d still like to see the mine for myself. Can you tell me if the journey there is dangerous?” The dwarf looked slightly irritated but he took off his leather cap and told the girl, “Look, I knew before I even got to the mine that this was a hoax. There’s a dirt path near the southwest gate that leads directly to the mine. The locals say it used to be a salt mine. Do yourself a favor and head to the Graceful Bark inn, grab a beer and catch the next ship back to the mainland.”

While she did not want to admit it right there, Lilly was beginning to get worried. Had she travelled all this way only to have to catch The Interloper on its return journey to the mainland? She brushed these thoughts aside and reminded herself why she had come all this way. “I am going to enter this mine and find the staff,” she said to herself. However, the dwarf was right about one thing… Lilly wanted to go grab a drink at the inn and rest for awhile after her journey.


Upon entering the inn Lilly immediately could tell there were two main groups of people. The tables and bar seats nearest the door were primarily occupied by other explorers and traders. Further from the entrance sat miners and locals who lived and worked in Stonevale. They were quieter and seemed to be trying to relax from a long day. A lot of them glanced over at Lilly with disapproving gestures.

On the ceiling of the Inn was a giant dark ironcast chandelier with five arms that extended out about three feet from the massive base of the chandelier. The edge of the five chandelier arms had a latch the housed a torch whose flame was already lit. Although it was only sundown Lilly decided that the flames would likely keep the bustling lounge of the Inn well lit throughout the night. This would be a good place to get more information about the staff she was seeking.

Lilly was amazed at the vastly different races she beheld seated throughout the inn. In her entire life she had primarily only been exposed to other Aleran elves occasionally crossing paths with an old elf or human from time to time. In this inn's bar she saw orcs, a group that looked like giant rodents, dwarves, humans, and hardly any elves at all. Lilly almost felt out of place and was a bit nervous by the array of people here. She approached the bar and meekly said, “Hello ma’am, might I have an ale please?"

The bar maid wore a dirty blue and white checkered dress with a tan apron on the front. Her hair was tied back and she wore a bright yellow scarf tied over her head. The human bar maiden grabbed a pint glass before pouring a stream of beer into the glass at an angle, creating a half inch of foam at the top of the glass. She plopped the drink down in front of Lilly before looking the young elf up and down stating, “you aren’t from around here. Did you come following that foolish story?”

Lilly’s face scrunched up with annoyance. It seemed everyone thought the story had no merit behind it but she was unwilling to accept that she had wasted her time coming to this town. She grasp the glass and took a sip of the ale before telling the bar maid, “I make a habit of chasing foolish stories. Do you know anything about the staff everyone is talking about?”

The bar maid let out a chuckle and quickly snapped back, “there is no staff. I met the so-called necromancer and he’s nothing more than a showman. Using cheap parlor tricks to impress the children and going on about some ancient staff that was hidden inside of a salt mine.” The maid wiped her hands on the apron and chuckled again before telling another patron, “be with you in one moment.” She turned her attention back to Lilly and imparted upon her, “that whole story was created by that conman and then propagated by a bunch of folks around this very inn to drum up business. Don’t waste your time on this foolishness.”

Lilly scratched at her right ear before replying, “What makes you think the necromancer wasn’t genuine? What did he look like?” The bar maid quickly replied, “He was a darkie elf, like you. And he wore some cheap robes and talked a big game. I saw him come in here and chat with the owner before he went out and preached about his staff in the town center.” And with that the bar maid began helping other customers.

Lilly took her glass and found a seat at a small empty table. She was beginning to get a bit hungry having only eaten a small piece of dried meat the captain of The Interloper had offered her on board. She closed her eyes and took another drink of her beer ignoring the hunger. Lilly began to question herself knowing from the various stories she was told that the staff almost certainly wasn’t going to be waiting for her in the mine. Unwilling to admit this she hoped that maybe she could convince someone else to accompany her on the journey.

It’d be best to proceed down to the mine during daylight. The night presented too many potential dangers and it may be hard to spot a mine. However, as this was Lilly’s first time exploring a locale without the assistance of her old bodyguard or the caravan of wizards she felt uneasy about her chances against creatures or bandits that could be lurking about. Not to mention whatever terrors could await her within the mine.