Darkshelf Quarry holds more than limestone and granite. Whispered rumors abound that the quarry's dwarf isn't what he pretends
to be, and that he's involved in unscrupulous dealings with foreign threats. Investigation is the only way to learn the truth, but
beware! The quarry is well defended, and danger lurks within its dark tunnels and hidden chambers.

This module contains a challenging scenario, along with maps, notes, and background information for the Dungeon Master. Danger
at Darkshelf Quarry is a complete adventure in itself, but it can also be used as a prequel to the Slave Lords series: A1 (Slave Pits of the Undercity), A2 (Secret of the Slavers Stockade), A3 (Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords), and A4 (In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords).

Dungeon Module A0
Danger at Darkshelf Quarry
By Skip Williams
AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTER LEVELS 1–3

Darkshelf Quarry holds more than limestone and granite. Whispered rumors abound that the quarry?s dwarf overseer isn?t what he
pretends to be, and that he?s involved in unscrupulous dealings with foreign threats. Investigation is the only way to learn the truth, but
beware! The quarry is well defended, and danger lurks within its dark tunnels and hidden chambers.
 

This module contains a challenging scenario, along with maps, notes, and background information for the Dungeon Master. Danger at
Darkshelf Quarry is a complete adventure in itself, but it can also be used as a prequel to the Slave Lords series: A1 (Slave Pits of the
Undercity), A2 (Secret of the Slavers Stockade), A3 (Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords), and A4 (In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords).

Today, the quarry is producing more stone than ever. A small,
dedicated workforce toils in three shifts around the clock. A steady
flow of oxcarts hauls rough blocks of varying size from the quarry
to the docks at Darkshelf. From there, the stone goes to building
sites up and down the coast or into the continental interior via river
barges.

Most of the locals attribute the increased production to the efforts
of Bazili Erak, a flame-haired dwarf with a beard to match. Ba-
zili has received the title to the quarry and environs from the local
overlord in return for a share of the revenues. Until recently, the
overlord has had no cause to complain: revenues from the quarry
have quintupled. Bazili has not only increased production but also
discovered several veins of pure quartz and even a little gold deep
in the quarry (or so he claims).

However, all is not entirely well at the quarry. As the workers
tunneled more deeply, they broke into underground springs that
flooded parts of the quarry and drowned several members of
the crew. Other workers have reported eerie sounds—including
moans, cries, rattling chains, sobs, and rhythmic chanting—com-
ing from some of the disused tunnels.

Human workers drawn mostly from Darkshelf and the surround-
ing country fill two shifts at the quarry. The 3rd shift—working
at night—is rumored to consist of dwarves from Bazili’s clan (see
Bazili Erak, below, for the true story). The human workers never
mix with the dwarves or even see them except as shadowy figures
deep in the tunnels. Only Bazili deals with these “dwarves.”

The quarry isn’t the only place where mysterious trouble has aris-
en. On the waterfront at the village of Darkshelf and on the Pelyra <zoom-in map!>
River nearby, several half-eaten bodies, both human && animal,
have turned up. Carnivorous fish are suspected, even though some
of the victims were found well inland. In truth, several mudtigers
from caverns below the quarry have found their way out and have
begun hunting in the Darkshelf area. (See the mudtiger entry at the
end of the module for details on this monster.)

Perhaps most troubling, pirates && slavers have been active in the
region lately. Sailors, fishers, and farmers have been abducted.
The local overlord seems to have succeeded in turning the sla-
vers back for the time being. Bazili and his unseen dwarves lent a
hand, tracking a slaver gang to its hideout in a midnight raid and
freeing a score of captives. The dwarves also killed several slavers
and captured a few of them alive. These prisoners were dragged
back to Darkshelf, where they were swiftly tried and executed.

Despite the recent success against the slavers, a cloud of unease
hangs over Darkshelf and the quarry. The citizens know that the sla-
vers might return at any time and seek revenge for their setback. The
other incidents (the noises in the mines, the mysterious dwarves, and
the half-eaten bodies) all seem to bode ill for the AREA.

BAZILI ERAK
The energetic dwarf known as Bazili Erak is really a half-orc . fighter
named Brubgrok who resembles a dwarf closely enough to fool
most people he meets. Brubgrok has genuine skill at mining and
stonework, and he has quite a smooth tongue. He successfully nego-
tiated a deal with Darkshelf’s overlord for control of the quarry and
has been digging a record amount of stone from it. However, his sto-
ry about finding gold in the quarry is a fabrication; Brubgrok made
it up to help explain the income that he is earning from slaving.

The half-orc is part of a growing network of slavers who are tak-
ing captives and funneling them to the despoiled city of Highport
in The Pomarj. Brubgrok acts as a broker, buying slaves from bands
of slavers and hiding them in the depths of the quarry until they can
be shipped to Highport. Slaves are transported through a series of
caverns that connect the quarry’s lowest levels with the Pelyra River.

Brubgrok’s “dwarves” are actually goblins. These skinny human-
oids can’t pass as dwarves, so they try to stay out of sight.

The midnight raid on the slavers’ encampment was a staged affair.
Brubgrok and his slaver allies rounded up a few members of their
organization whose loyalties seemed questionable and told them
to collect slaves near Darkshelf. Brubgrok and his goblins then
met with the slavers under the pretense of purchasing captives,
but instead they turned on the suspected traitors. The slavers who
were deemed the most dangerous to the organization were killed
outright, and the rest were brought to trial. (The trial itself was le-
gitimate; only the arrest of the culprits was fishy.) The authorities
in Darkshelf were unaware of the ruse, and the betrayed slavers
never figured out what hit them.

THE MISSION
Darkshelf’s overlord, a man named Neistor, is wary of Bazili Erak.
While the PCs are in or near the village, they learn
that Neistor wants to hire adventurers to look into the dealings at
the quarry. If they do not seek out the overlord on their own, even-
tually he sends for the party.

The characters meet with Neistor in his private office in the town
hall. Read the boxed text aloud to the players.
 
 

The village overlord is a stocky, middle-aged man with graying hair and a beard to match. “The results from the quarry seem too good to be true,” he says. “And the raid on the slavers’ camp was a little too quick and clean, if you ask me.” He starts counting on his fingers as he paces back and forth  across the room. “And then there’s the dwarves that work in the  quarry at night but that nobody ever sees. And, of course, the  terrible attacks we’ve had around Darkshelf.” He turns to face you. “Something’s not right at that quarry. Wil you look into it for us?”

If the characters ask whether anyone else has investigated the
quarry, he hesitates before admitting that he did send another
agent.
 
 

“It wasn’t so much the quarry as it was the attacks. I sent a man named Kwon out to find what’s been killing our people and leav ing the bodies looking half chewed-up. He brought me a few reports, but I haven’t seen or heard from him in a while now.” Neistor’s face becomes grim. “Frankly, I’m worried. I’m hoping  that by looking into the quarry, you’ll maybe find Kwon—alive,  I mean.”

If asked, Neistor shares the info that Kwon, a human . monk,
sent back before he disappeared. In his last communication, he re-
ported finding a hidden dock on the river below the quarry. Kwon
indicated that his next MOVE would be to explore the quarry with-
out Bazili Erak’s knowledge.

The report includes the location of the ventilation shaft that leads
down to area 37 in the quarry’s main level. It also reveals the lo-
cation of a hidden dock on the local river (see Darkshelf and Envi-
rons) that leads to area 56 in the caverns below the quarry.

Neistor is worried about his agent, but he does not realize that the
monk is not in immediate need of rescue. Kwon has infiltrated the
quarry, joined a group of slaves, and started exploring the AREA in
secret (see area 53).

If the PCs ask for a reward for exploring the quarry
and rescuing the monk, Neistor makes them an offer.
 

The overlord nods. “Fair enough. Tell you what—you find out  what’s really going on, put a stop to any trouble, and find Kwon,  and I’ll pay you 500 gold pieces from the village coffers.” Neistor puts on a weak smile. “Erak’s also reported that his  dwarves have found a bit of gold deep in the quarry. Don’t know  if I believe him, but if you stumble across any, you can keep it.

As noted previously, the quarry workers found no gold, but the
PCs might interpret Neistor’s statement to mean that
they are justified in keeping whatever treasure they do happen to
find in the quarry.

NOTES FOR THE
DUNGEON MASTER

DANGER AT DARKSHELF QUARRY has been designed for 6
to 8 characters of levels 1 to 3. A party wishing to attempt this
adventure should include several fighters and at least 1 priest,
1 wizard, and 1 thief. A 1st-level party should have 7
or 8 characters, including 1 or 2 elves.

Before running DANGER AT DARKSHELF QUARRY, the DM
should read the adventure thoroughly so as to become familiar
with all the info given about the scenario. Info in
the encounter keys is generally divided into 2 sections. The
boxed text should be read to the players when their characters
enter an encounter AREA unless circumstances prevent the party
from learning the info given. All other text is meant for the
DM only so that he or she can referee the encounter. Players might
discover some or all of this info during the game, but they
will not know it at the START of the encounter.

The PCs can enter the quarry by any method avail-
able to them. The ventilation shaft or caverns are the safest bets for
the heroes, but they can also bluff their way in through the guard-
house (area 1) or the main gallery (area 34).

An open approach places the characters at considerable risk. The
denizens of the quarry are not stupid; they are well aware that the
discovery of their true activities could be disastrous. They do their
utmost to pose as honest merchants while keeping visitors at arm’s
length. They require that armed visitors surrender all weapons be-
fore entering the quarry. See the notes in each area for guidelines
on how the guards there react to visitors.

MONSTER AND NPC STATISTICS
This adventure includes an abbreviated format for monster and
NPC statistics:

AC = Armor Class
MV = Movement rate
HD = Hit Dice
hp = Hit points
#AT = Number of attacks
D = Damage
SA = Special attacks
SD = Special defenses

DARKSHELF AND ENVIRONS
Some player groups might poke around the neighborhood before
tackling the quarry. The coast around Darkshelf rises quickly to a
series of bluffs that are mostly covered in forest. Near the village,
the land lies fairly low, and the countryside has been cleared for
farming. Farther inland, the bluffs and the trees rise. Just west of
the village, the Pelyra River flows into the Sea of Gearnat.

The action in this adventure centers on the quarry, which is locat-
ed in the high bluffs about three miles inland from the village. The
Pelyra River is less than half a mile west of the quarry and connects
to its tunnels through an underground tributary.

The Bluffs and Forest
Although not exactly a wilderness, the wooded uplands are wild and
lonely. The party won’t find anything there except for a few wood-
cutters and possibly a patrol that Brubgrok has sent from the quarry.

Ventilation Shaft
The PCs might decide to enter the quarry through the
ventilation shaft. To find it, they must carefully search the hilltop
above the quarry.
The shaft is about 5 feet wide and has stone-lined sides. It is nearly
hidden in a thicket of saplings and looks like an abandoned well.
Even with Kwon’s report, the characters must search for at least an
hour, peering into the undergrowth and probing the ground, to
locate the shaft.

Once they find the shaft, the characters can easily push through
the undergrowth to access it. The shaft leads down 40 feet to area
37 in the quarry. Characters can tie a rope around one of the
many trees near the shaft and use it to descend quickly. For the
purposes of climbing, the shaft’s stone walls are somewhat rough
and slightly slippery (see page 19 of the DUNGEON MASTERS
GUIDE), which allows climbing characters to travel 6” per round,
with double the normal chances for a fall.

Random Encounters
Each hour, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the characters have a ran-
dom encounter. If they do, roll 1d6 and consult the following table
to determine what they encounter.

1-2: Wild animal(s)
3: Ghoul(s)
4-6: Patrol

Wild Animal(s): The party encounters a hunting carnivore or oth-
er aggressive animal. Roll 1d8 to determine the exact creature(s):

1  Wild Boar: AC 7; MV 15”; HD 3+3; hp 14; #AT 1; D
3–12; SA can keep fghting for two to ?ve rounds when
at 0 to –6 hit points, but dies when reduced to –7 hit
points or fewer.

2–3  Black Bear: AC 7; MV 12”; HD 3+3; hp 15; #AT 3;
D 1–3/1–3/1–6; SA claw hit on a roll of 18 or better
results in a hug that deals an extra 2–8 points of dam-
age.

4–6  Wolves (2–5): AC 7; MV 18”; HD 2+2; hp 11 each;
#AT 1; D 2–5.
7  Panther: AC 6; MV 12”; HD 3+2; hp 14; #AT 3; D
1–3/1–3/1–6; SA if both claws hit, can make two extra
attacks with rear claws (D 1–4/1–4). <close to mountain lion>

8  Huge Spider: AC 6; MV 18”; HD 2+2; hp 11; #AT 1;
D 1–6; SA poison bite (+1 bonus to the saving throw),
surprise on a 1–5 on 1d6.

Ghouls (1–2): AC 6; MV 9”; HD 2; hp 9 each; #AT 3; D 1–3/1–
3/1–6; SA paralysis; SD immune to sleep and charm. These crea-
tures roam the countryside, scavenging for food. They are not op-
posed to taking fresh meat.

Patrol: The characters encounter a patrol of 2–5 human fight-
ers mounted on light warhorses or a pair of goblins mounted on
worgs. Goblins are encountered only at night or in forests where
they are shielded from the sun. The patrols are aware of Bazili’s se-
cret slave operation but will not divulge what they know unless they
are charmed into doing so. They do not know Bazili’s true name
or that he’s a half-orc. There is a 25% chance that Brubgrok or
Glyrthiel accompanies a patrol; see areas 18 and area 19 for statistics
on these leaders. These two NPCs ride light warhorses. If Brubgrok
or Glyrthiel is killed in a random encounter, the party cannot en-
counter that character again in the guardhouse or quarry.

HumanFighters (2–5): AC 4 or 5; MV 9”; HD 1; hp 4 each; #AT
1; D 2–8 (broadsword) or 1–6 (shortbow).

Light Warhorses (1 per rider): AC 7; MV 24”; HD 2+2; hp 10
each; #AT 2; D 1–4/1–4.

Goblin Worg-Riders (2): AC 6; MV 6”; HD 1–1; hp 3 each;
#AT 1; D 1–6 (spear), 1–6 (shortsword), or 1–4 (sling); SA split
move and fire when mounted (move up to half, fire, and move up
to half again).

Worgs (2): AC 6; MV 18”; HD 3+3; hp 15 each; #AT 1; D 2–8.

The Village
Adventurers who investigate the village of Darkshelf before tack-
ling the quarry can learn the quarry’s history, as described in the
Adventure Background. With a little effort, the party can interview
locals who work in the quarry; however, these people know very
little. When their shifts begin, they report for work at the main gal-
lery and proceed to one of the active digging sites. Workers can
describe the general layout of the top 2 levels of the quarry, but
none has seen the inside of the guardhouse.

Many quarry workers have also heard the troubling sounds men-
tioned in the Adventure Background, but they cannot say for sure
what those sounds really are. The villagers admit that the sounds
might arise from wind and water in the tunnels, might be echoes
from work in other parts of the quarry, or might just be imagined
by people who have the jitters.

Most of the villagers dislike the person they know as Bazili Erak.
They describe him as humorless, unkind, and oddly proportioned
for a dwarf. He seems to be somewhat hunchbacked, making him
taller than he looks, with peculiarly long arms and eyes as red as
his coarse hair and beard.

The quarry does legitimate business selling stone. Customers do
not linger in Darkshelf for long, but if you wish, the party could
meet a sea captain or builder who has done business with the
quarry in the past. The customer can tell the party that either Bazili
Erak or his assistant, Glyrthiel (a female elf), negotiates the terms
and price for any purchase of stone. The usual price is 300 to 500
gp per ton, depending on the size of the stones and the agreed
date of delivery.

Several Darkshelf villagers have seen bodies from the mudtiger at-
tacks, though no one has seen a mudtiger and lived to tell the tale.
All the bodies have been buried, but if the characters persist, they
can have one exhumed. However, the rotten corpse is too decom-
posed to reveal anything useful. The villagers who saw the bodies
when they were fresh say that the victims were bitten deeply, as
though savaged by sharks or bears.

The Pelyra River
The river wanders in a series of lazy curves before joining the Sea
of Gearnat. Its main channel is 40 to 60 feet wide and about 25
feet deep, with marshy banks. Near Darkshelf, the river snakes
along a series of bluffs. The bottomland along the river has plenty
of false channels and flooded caves. One of these contains the
hidden jetty mentioned in Kwon’s report. If the adventurers search
the river’s south bank for an hour or 2, they can locate the jetty.

For random encounters along the river, use the table for the forest,
but replace the huge spider with a mudtiger that has 4 Hit Dice.

Although the river is only about 1/2 a mile from the quarry as the
raven flies, the underground tributary linking the jetty to the cav-
erns below the quarry twists and turns for more than a mile. To
enter the quarry via the river, the characters must swim that mile
or obtain a boat in Darkshelf. If they use this method of entry, they
emerge in area 56 in the caverns.

ADVENTURE TROUBLESHOOTING
Low-level adventurers could wind up as Brubgrok’s prisoners, par-
ticularly if they fall victim to Glyrthiel’s sleep spell. Fortunately for
the characters, Brubgrok is always looking for new slaves. Cap-
tives are stripped of their gear and tossed into the holding area
(area 53), and their gear is taken to Brubgrok’s room (area 19).
If the characters are taken prisoner in this way, Kwon helps them
break free. The monk steals some gear from the armory (area 10)
and leads the adventurers to area 61 in the caverns, being careful
not to disturb the puffball fungi found there.

APPROACHING THE QUARRY
A twisting path, deeply rutted in the places where the surface is
not stony, climbs the grassy slopes above the village of Darkshelf. <what degree of inclination are the slopes?>
A line of rocky bluffs crowns the slope. Where the turf gives way
to the foot of the bluffs, the path splits. One branch levels out and
runs to the quarry pit; the 2nd branch turns and climbs sharply
toward the guardhouse.

The party is free to leave the path. They must do so if they wish to
enter through the ventilation shaft or the hidden jetty.

Openly Entering
Characters can try to bluff their way into the guardhouse or quar-
ry by announcing their presence (by knocking on the guardhouse
doors, shouting, or something similar). Doing so alerts the closest
set of guards (most likely at areas 17 or 22 in the guardhouse or
area 34 in the quarry), who peek out and demand to know the
party’s business.

Slaving operations at the quarry are kept secret, and any men-
tion of slaves marks the PCs as enemies. The
guards, however, are sharp enough to pretend that all is well. A
guard asks the party to wait at the bridge while he calls his supe-
riors. The guard then alerts the garrison at areas 6 and 17 in the
guardhouse, Glyrthiel at area 18 (or elsewhere in the quarry), <link: Glyrthiel>
and the guards at area 34 in the quarry. Eventually, Glyrthiel
and a few guards appear and conduct the visitors to area 5 in
the guardhouse, where she attacks the group. Because the elf is
often busy supervising or leading patrols, it might take anywhere
from a few minutes to 2 hours or more for her to arrive (see the
notes for area 18).

If the PCs pretend to be interested in buying stone,
they are eventually conducted to area 5 for a conference. Glyrthiel
negotiates the sale, asks questions about how the stone will be
used, and asks the characters to pay at least twice the going price
(1,000 gp per ton). If the adventurers accept that deal, Glyrthiel
knows they are not legitimate buyers. She also knows the charac-
ters are bluffing if they can’t discuss stoneworking knowledgeably.
The elf does NOT agree to start work on any project unless the cus-
tomer pays at least 20% of the total fee in advance. She
does not expect new customers to have the down payment with
them, but she still pushes and tries to get it before they leave the
conference room.

If the party fools Glyrthiel, the elf promises them a delivery date,
offers them a meal, and bids them farewell. The characters can get
a short tour of the quarry if they insist. Glyrthiel gives tours only dur-
ing the daylight hours; she and a guard lead the characters out of
the guardhouse through area 1 and through the quarry pit. After
the pit, Glyrthiel shows them the main gallery (area 34) and 1
of the dig sites (area 39) in the quarry proper. Groups that insist
on seeing more are attacked. Once the tour is over, Glyrthiel leads
the characters back through the pit and sends them on their way.

GUARDHOUSE (GENERAL NOTES)
Brubgrok had the guardhouse built when he took over the quarry.
It ostensibly serves as a residence and protects the quarry and its
workers from bandits and marauding creatures. In truth, the guard-
house’s main purpose is to prevent slaves from escaping. It in-
cludes areas for the slavers and their customers to plan shipments
and bargain for slaves.

The guardhouse has been built against the quarry pit’s south wall,
with its lowest floor at the level of the pit, the main floor even with
the pit’s top, and an upper floor above that.

The lowest level of the guardhouse is carved from the south quarry
pit wall (or finished from natural caverns in the walls). The main
and upper levels are constructed mostly from granite and lime-
stone from the quarry. The stones vary from fist-sized shards to
chunks about the size of a human torso, all irregularly shaped.

Exterior walls and major interior walls are 5 feet thick. Minor inte-
rior walls are about 9 inches thick. Though fitted together well, the
irregular stones make for somewhat rough surfaces that thieves (or
other characters with climbing ability) can scale with the normal
chance for success.

Inside, most of the guardhouse is dark, dank, and stuffy, though
chambers with exterior windows get extra light and air. Oil lamps
set roughly at 15-foot intervals in chambers and passages provide
illumination. The lamps are made of iron and mortared into the
stone. It’s possible to wrench off a lamp with a successful Bend
Bars/Lift Gates roll. However, anyone doing so must roll 1d6. On a
roll of 1–3, the character spills the oil, and if the lamp is lit, the char-
acter is covered in flaming oil and takes 2–12 points of damage, <fire damage heals slower>
plus an additional 1–6 points the next round as the oil burns out.

Floors inside the guardhouse are stone and fairly smooth, allowing
normal movement. Ceilings are about 12 feet high.

Interior doors are made of planks about 3 inches thick, with wrought-
iron fittings. They open easily (no roll required) unless the encounter
key specifies otherwise. Details on the guardhouse’s exterior doors
are included in the encounter keys where they are located.

Windows are mere slits in the walls about 6 inches wide and 5
feet high. They have no glass, but most are covered with flaps of
thin, translucent parchment.

Guardhouse Personnel Roster
The denizens of the guardhouse move around once they realize
they are under attack. The DM might find it handy to cross them
off this list as the party defeats them.

Guards and named NPCs that are captured and interrogated ad-
mit that Bazili Erak is using the quarry as a cover to mask his secret
dealings with slavers. However, only Brubgrok and Glyrthiel know
“Bazili Erak” is an alias as well as the details of the slaving opera-
tion (see Concluding the Adventure, page 25).
 
 

Daylight Resident	Number
Brubgrok (1-2 in 6)	1
Glyrthiel (1-2 in 6)	1
Goblin	16
Human sergeant	1
Human guard	10
Human slave	28
Nubgrod	1
Snikscab	1
Uzgrod	1
Wartslag	1
Worg	3
Zodznog	1

-

Night Resident	Number
Brubgrok (1-2 in 6)	1
Glyrthiel (1-2 in 6)	1
Goblin	24
Human sergeant	1
Human guard	6
Human slave	28
Nubgrod	1
Snikscab	1
Uzgrod	1
Wartslag	1
Worg	3
Zodznog	1

 

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.
11.	12.	13.	14.	15.	16.	17.	18.	19.	20.
21.	22.	23.	24.	25.	26.	27.	28.	29.	30.
31.	32.	33.	34.	35.	36.	37.	38.	39.	40.
41.	42.	43.	44.	45.	46.	47.	48.	49.	50.

GUARDHOUSE: MAIN LEVEL
Most of the quarry’s business, both legitimate and shady, is con-
ducted here.
 
 

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.
11.	12.	13.	14.	-	-	-	-	-	-

GUARDHOUSE: UPPER LEVEL
The upper level contains a few guardposts and living quarters for
the principal residents. Only the central section has a roof; the rest
of the level is open to the sky.

A crenellated parapet rings the whole level. The crenellations are
about three feet high—just tall enough for the guards up here to
remain out of sight if they hunker down behind them. A creature on
the parapet gains 50% cover (+4 bonus to AC) against
any attack that has to cross the parapet.
 
 

-	-	-	-	15.	16.	17.	18.	19.	20.
21.	22.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

GUARDHOUSE: LOWER LEVEL
The lower level houses most of the animals and many of the goblins
that toil in the quarry. The areas in this level are primarily natural
caverns or spaces hewn from the rock. Unlike in the rest of the
guardhouse, the areas here have no windows or oil lamps (except
where noted in the text). Phosphorescent fungi growing on the
walls and ceiling provide dim light.
 
 

-	-	23.	24.	25.	26.	27.	28.	29.	30.
31.	32.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

QUARRY (GENERAL NOTES)
The quarry’s walls are rough hewn and a trifle damp. For purposes
of climbing, walls are somewhat rough and slightly slippery (see <climbing, WSG>
page 19 of the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE), which allows
climbing characters to travel 6” per round, with double the normal <"?>
chance for a fall. Ceilings are 12 to 18 feet high (larger chambers
are taller). The air throughout the quarry smells musty due to the
dampness.

The guards and goblinoids in the quarry know that Bazili Erak is
using the mining operation to conceal his slave-trading activities,
and they are aware that evil clerics are holed up in the caverns. <Evil Priest, DLA>
However, they don’t know Bazili’s true name or that he’s a half-orc,
they don’t know any of Bazili’s contacts in the slaving operation,
and they don’t know why Bazili is sheltering the clerics or what
their intentions are.

QUARRY: MAIN LEVEL
The tunnels here are a continuation of the quarry pit outside; the
workers simply followed the outcropping of stone from the surface
underneath the hillside.

Luminous fungi on the walls provide dim light throughout the level.
 
 

-

-

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

-

QUARRY: LOWER LEVEL
This level is similar to the main level but is darker, clammier, and
cooler. Luminous fungi grows in patches on the walls. Characters <effective temperature = x>
without infravision can see only 20 feet in the poor light. Several
places have no fungi, as noted in the area descriptions.
 

-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	40.
41.	42.	43.	44.	45.	46.	47.	48.	49.	50.
51.	52.	53.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

QUARRY: CAVERN LEVEL
This level of the quarry consists almost entirely of natural caves and
pools. The slavers do not use the area much except to smuggle
slaves in and out, though Brubgrok’s <evil priest> allies breed mudtigers
in some of the pools.

The caverns are fairly cool—about 60? F. The water here is even
colder; anyone wading or swimming in the caverns risks exposure
after 5 minutes. The character must make a System Shock roll with
double the usual chance of failure plus an extra 5% chance of failure
for every System Shock roll the character has made in the previous
24 hours. A failed check deals 1 point of damage and saps
1 point of Strength and 1 point of Dexterity. A character who remains
in the water must make a new System Shock roll each round.
Damage from the cold can be healed through the usual means.
Ability score loss can be reversed only through REST. For each day
of complete rest, the chilled character regains 1 lost point from
each reduced ability score.

The caverns are too damp and cold to support the luminous fungi
that lights the quarry’s upper levels. All areas are dark unless noted
otherwise. All boxed read-aloud text assumes that the characters
have infravision or are using some kind of artificial light.

Cavern walls are natural limestone unless otherwise noted. They
are somewhat rough (with many fissures, knobs, and folds) but slippery.
Climbing characters travel at 3” per round, with ten times the
normal chance of a fall. Ceilings in the caverns are roughly twice
as high as a passage or chamber is wide.
 

-	-	-	54.	55.	56.	57.	58.	59.	60.
61.	62.	63.	64.	65.	66.	-	-	-	-

CONCLUDING THE ADVENTURE
Once the PCs defeat Brubgrok and Glyrthiel and
free the slaves in areas 12, 21, 24, and 53 (including Kwon), the
adventure is effectively over. The characters can return to Darkshelf,
report back to Neistor, and claim their reward of 500 gp.

Any surviving humans or humanoids in the complex flee, taking
whatever treasure they can carry. The undead and other monstrous
creatures on the cavern level remain.

If the characters avoid the guardhouse and focus their attention on
the mines, enemies that escape from them might flee to the guardhouse
to alert the forces there. In that event, Brubgrok or Glyrthiel
might lead a force of humans or goblins into the mines to hunt
down the interlopers, leaving at least 1/2of the garrison behind
to watch over the guardhouse.

The characters might need to make several forays into the quarry
and guardhouse to finish exploring the whole complex. If Brubgrok
survives their first attack, he summons reinforcements to fortify his
weakened defenses. If the adventurers prove to be a serious threat,
Brubgrok and Glyrthiel consider abandoning their operation and
fleeing for their lives, but ultimately they decide to stay. They fear
reprisals from others in the slaver network, so they make a stand
instead.

Against the Slave Lords!
Brubgrok's links to the larger slaver network are well protected,
but the party can pick up some threads. Capturing Brubgrok or
Glyrthiel alive and forcing them to talk reveals that they have been
using the quarry as cover while secretly transporting slaves to
Highport, a nearby coastal city that figures prominently in module
A1, SLAVE PITS OF THE UNDERCITY. If the characters do not
wish to interrogate the prisoners themselves, they can take the villains
to Darkshelf and turn them over to Neistor, who obtains the
information.

The <evil priests> are the only other creatures in the quarry who have
a clear idea of how Brubgrok's operation really works. They occasionally
serve as accountants and scribes for the half-orc, and they
can reveal the link to Highport and the connection to the larger
slaver organization.

Even if the characters do not manage to capture the important slavers,
their discoveries at the quarry help to reveal (or at least hint
at) the full extent of the slave network. Officials along the coast of
the Sea of Gearnat become wary, and they begin piecing together
stories from escaped slaves, survivors left for dead after attacks
by bandits or pirates, and merchants and adventurers. Eventually,
all of this information points to the slavers operating in Highport
(module A1), though reaching this conclusion might take
several months.

CREDITS
Designed and Written By: Skip Williams
Development: Christopher Perkins
Editor: Ray Vallese
Art Direction: Jon Schindehette
Cover Art: Brian Snoddy
Art: Kim Feigenbaum, Rich Longmore
Cartography: Mike Schley