Snowstorm Henk and the Sorrowful Tunnels
Introduction
in Spring 386YE Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti, then Minister of Historical Research, asked Snowstorm Henk was dispatched to investigate the newly uncovered Sorrowful Tunnels in Skarsind. The exploration took longer than expected due to the disappearance of the Imperial Orcs researcher during their initial expedition. Shortly after writing a letter outlining their initial findings, they lead their team into the lower tunnels and were presumed lost for several months. Fortunately Henk eventually returned relatively unscathed, and was able to complete their assignment. What follows is a transcript of their preliminary notes sent by letter to the minister; their story of what happened after their disappearance into the depths; and a summary of practical information they uncovered.
Preliminary Notes
Following the Spring Equinox 386YE the Golden Pyramid Conclave order engaged in an extensive exploration of Skarsind looking for ways to help the new nation grow. A group of prospectors lead by a skilled dowser visited the so-called Sorrowful Tunnels, but were turned away by the unendurable aura of melancholy that saturates them. They were followed, however, by a band of Varushkan miners who reasoned that where there is terrible sorrow and a suffocating aura of sadness there must surely be treasure.
They were proved correct not only once but twice. They found mithril in the tunnels, but more importantly from our point of view they found signs that these passages and galleries had once been home to one of those mysterious creatures known to the Winterfolk as “trolls". Deep runes were carved into the walls, and there were other signs of habitation that gave the impression of being very old indeed.
The Winterfolk say that what is today Skarsind was at one time part of an ancient troll kingdom, and that these tunnels beneath Gildermark might represent an outpost or perhaps a mine (given the presence of mithril). There was apparently some discussion about whether these ruins should be explored or whether the focus should be on excavating the mithril.
I was commissioned personally by the Minister for Historical Research, Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti, to make a study of these tunnels and discover as much as possible about the troll or trolls that once abided there. A supply of precious liao was also provided, and my colleague Marko Siwarsbairn recruited a Winterfolk priest by the name of Tolva to use the liao to provide us with anointings of Wisdom so that we could weather the oppressive aura of melancholy.
Visiting the Mountains
Returning to Skarsind for the first time in a little while made me quite misty eyed, I won't lie. Intellectually I know that this place has been our home for only a handful of years in the great scheme of things but my heart feels differently. Having roots for the first time is a powerful experience, if I might be allowed a moment of personal reflection. We made a point of visiting the Legion's Rookery to pay our respects – my first visit since it was hallowed – and it was a powerful experience. As well as, in a way, a foreshadowing perhaps of things to come.
The trek up into the mountains was tiring, but we were well prepared for the weakness and shortness of breath following our experiences in Sungold Pass. At least this time we were unlikely to be captured by Thule and imprisoned! We'd made adequate preparations and did not rush, letting our bodies acclimatize to the thin air and the cold. Marko insisted that we packed extra warm clothing, and fussed and clucked around us before we set off along the trail up toward the peak. They themselves remained at the “base camp” established by the Varushkans, having their own investigations to be getting along with in the coming months.
The miners from the east had marked the trail with lightstones, and taken a few steps to make the path a little easier which were well received I can tell you. We took advantage of the second camp they'd established outside the entrance to the tunnels. Along with our own band, several warriors had come along to ensure that the agents of the Whisper Gallery would not take the opportunity to try and assassinate us in the wild places above Gildermark. They would not accompany us into the Sorrowful Tunnels themselves. Most stayed behind at the base camp, but a half dozen or so accompanied us to the entrance of the tunnels and resolved to set up additional protections at the second camp.
The Sorrowful Tunnels are old; that much is apparent to anyone who makes the long climb up into the mountains. As near as I can tell they have never been properly explored. There are stories that stretch back to pre-Imperial times of would-be heroes attempting to do so and either returning shattered in body and spirit or, more often, simply disappearing. We discussed extensively how best to make sure our own story does not end in the same way.
The Dolorous Aura
The “dolorous aura” is a very unpleasant thing to experience. I made a point of attempting to weather it unprotected by liao – both so that I could try and judge how debilitating it might prove to be and, if I am honest, to test myself against this darkness.
At first it seemed relatively subtle, a nagging reminder of things lost and paths not taken. Distracting, but endurable. It intensified the further we went from the entrance and at the very moment that I could no longer see the opening the full weight of this spiritual miasma fell on me like an avalanche. I found myself weeping, barely able to summon the will to move from where I sat with my arms wrapped around my knees.
The urgent imprecations of my companions could barely penetrate that intense sense of loss and despair to reach me and I was all but unresponsive. Even the voices of those who had gone before did not reach me, although I remember hearing them calling and cajoling me to get to my feet and flee this place. Many of us find the experience of being underground unsettling, because it reminds our ancestors of the time when we were forced to work in mines and they do not like it. Normally I do not find that to be too difficult to deal with but as I sat there consumed by sorrow I could feel them railing inside my spirit.
If not for my friends, who had sensibly received anointing before we entered the tunnels, I can easily imagine I would be there still weeping until there was no more water left in my body and I was naught but a desiccated husk.
I regained my senses back at the Varushkan camp outside the caves. My friends had all but carried out, and even then it was nearly half an hour before I recovered enough to be aware of where I was. I felt the voices of my ancestors settle and quiet, and then sensibly received the Challenge of Wisdom which served as an adequate shield against the melancholy that saturates the caves and tunnels under Gildermark.
We'd determined that even with the anointing it might be best not to spend too much time in the dark tunnels, and arranged with the guards that if we did not make contact for more than three days they would raise the alarm. We also resolved to ensure that copies of our notes were written up when we returned to the surface, and left with the warriors in case anything unexpected happened.
The Runes
Suitably armoured in spirit as well as body, and fortified by a hot meal, we braved the darkness again. The Varushkans had left several lightstones in the first gallery after the entrance, and it was here we encountered the first runes carved into the stone walls. They were large – I measured them against my hand and some of them were at least two hands tall or wide. They were cut deep as well, at least six inches into the stone. We couldn't determine what kind of tool had been used to make them.
Unlike many of the other runes I had examined – those in the old runeforge chamber under Gildenheim or in the tunnels around Lorenzo's Deep Pockets – they were not inlaid with metal. There was something in their emptiness that tugged at my awareness, and brought a wave of misery over me that the shield of Wisdom turned aside thank the paragons.
Leontes insists that all members of the department can sight-read the runes, but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what had been inscribed here. The most common were the Shears (Yoorn, the rune of Ending) and the Fish (Kyrop, the rune of weakness), but also the Scythe (Hirmok, the rune of Dominion) and the Apple Tree (Pallas, the Rune of Wealth). Poor omens, said Tolva – the Winterfolk priest insisted on accompanying us into the earth.
From this first gallery a spiderweb of tunnels extended further into the mountain. These tunnels reminded me very much of those under Lorenzo's Deep Pockets – the height and width of them suggested that they were carved for something larger than human or orc.
We discovered that while most of the tunnels were relatively level some sloped down or upwards, descending or ascending in long shallow steps four-feet wide and around a foot high, again suggesting something larger than any of us. The further we delved beneath the surface the more complex the workings became. We carefully prepared maps, indicating where we had been and where we still had to go, and the scale of the excavations quickly became apparent.
Divinations
As is traditional when exploring strange ruins, we took the time to consult both the Night and Day realms with magic.
First, given the dark environs made it feel fitting, we consulted the Shadowed Glass of Sung. This ritual answers the question “Is there a specific secret, mystery, or enigma associated with this location?“ Our divination received the not-particularly-reassuring response “What does it mean to be alone? What does it mean to choose to be alone, or to have no choice? What does it mean to know that things end? How long can one be alone before you forget you are alone?” Not precisely illuminating, but fit for the place we were exploring I would say.
Much more useful, arguably, was the Clear Lens of the Eternal River. This divination asks the question “What is the historical significance of this place?”. The ritual unfolded around us and provided considerably more context than we were expecting. “This is the domain of the troll (untranslatable) that came here in the time of Chaos to the high places above the kingdom to await the inevitable, to be alone with their thoughts, to be away from their fellows who sought to drag them into chaos. Self-exiled and ostracised they dwelled here while the stars spun across the sky, waiting for the end, mourning for everything that had been lost, and would be lost when they ceased.”
The untranslatable name came as a rush of sensation, and is hard to put into words. A sense of profound silence, water dripping into water, and the scent of pine needles first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We were left with the impression that this was a name, and started referring to it as “Silent Water” for our convenience.
We're reasonably confident following the divination this is an account of the troll lord who once lived in these caves, and most likely carved them themselves (or had their servants do it). It confirmed the supposition around the historical importance of this place, and how vital it is for the Empire that extracting the mithril here be delayed as long as possible.
An Unexpected Guest
A short time after we'd performed our divinations, we were joined by an unexpected visitor. At first we mistook it for some spirit of the tunnels, but it soon became apparent it was anything but. They had the aspect of an orc, but with feathers instead of hair that immediately marked them as something other. They emerged without warning out of the darkness, and introduced themselves in a mellifluent voice as Elionwy, Whose Wings are a Shield – a favoured herald of the Feathered Serpent that Night magicians call “Sung”. She vouchsafed that she had been sent by her mistress specifically to protect us from the attention of the Whisper Gallery but also would stand between us and other dangers of the dark places under Gildenheim. It wasn't clear what one odd orc-like herald could do, but after asking some probing questions we determined that they appeared to be sincere in their offer. Tolva offered them an anointing but they claimed that they didn't need any protection from “the mystery” here – the shield of their wings was sufficient.
(We noted they did not in fact have wings, bso thought at the time that it was just a turn of phrase).
There was a little discussion about whether Sung might want to impede our investigations to preserve the mystery here but in the end we agreed to give them a chance but keep as close an eye on them as possible. Also, they raised the spectre of the Whisper Gallery and its agents, who are known to take a particular pleasure in trying to murder members of the Department. While we found it unlikely that any agents would make it past the guards at the base camp or the second camp, we resolved to keep an eye open just to be safe.
Signs of Habitation
Accompanied by our new companion and guard, we pressed on in our investigations. It was easy to see why the Varushkans believed this place was inhabited. Two levels down from the entrance the tunnels lost their rough appearance and became worked stone. More runes – especially the rune Hirmok – but also carved arches, vaults, and columns. We found stone tables and what must have been work surfaces, as well as several heavy doors made of metal and stone that took all our combined strength to open and revealed only more tunnels and galleries.
We found several rooms and features that made no sense to us. A pentagonal depression six feet deep in a cave with runes of Revelations, Discovery, Thought, Secrets, and Mystery on the walls. We surmised this might have been a meditation chamber of some kind, although why the depression was needed was unclear.
Everything was on a giant scale – there were no signs of anything made for orcs or humans here. Given the weight of the doors, it was unlikely anyone could have moved around here with any particular ease.
After several weeks of exploring what we had started calling the upper tunnels, we decided to try something different and press down as far as we could to see what was at the bottom. With that in mind, we took a few days to prepare and fortify ourselves, ensure our notes were up to date, and began the descent down into the depths.
In the Dark
Concerning Trolls
Conclusion
Further Reading
- Long shadows - 386YE Spring Wind of Fortune (re)introducing the Sorrowful Tunnels
- Skarsind