Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #199

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #199 

July 18th, 2023 

• Number: 199 

• Name: Sequential Dive on a Site of Interest: West Rift Ventures of Carasta Part 3: What Lies Buried Was Revealed 

• Location:  Center of the Narrows between the Sleeping Woods and the Furnace 

• Population (approx.): 125 

• Brief: The unearthing of the building in the shaft was followed almost immediately by two other discoveries; the roof of the building was covered in a layer of some sort dense pale green packed powder or crystal, and a humanoid, but not Man, Elf or any known Kin, skeleton was found on the top floor of the structure in the rift. This led to an immediate pivot of the expedition. The Miners turned over their first shaft (S1) to the expedition and the Explorers rigged a lift from the rift’s edge to the upper stories of the revealed building. Samples of the powder and the skeleton were carefully collected and brought to a new tent, separated from base camp and surrounded by a new rampart, for examination. The Miners started two other shafts, hoping to avoid further ruins, and started rigging lines and building an elevator to explore the rift to the bottom. The Travellers contacted the Scholars at Carasta who sent one of their best to the site. 

• Wemwoda "Wem" Wyverndelver, 121, Dwarf woman, is an Archaeologist who now leads the excavation of the ruins. She is short, chubby, and full of life. Wem's black hair is short, almost a military cut. Her amber eyes sparkle when she finds something new at a dig. Wem dresses in billowy pants that have many pockets. She favors tight-fitting blouses that won't impede her work. She refuses to carry weapons, preferring to let others defend her. 

• Wem was ecstatic when the expedition discovered these ruins. The Guilds of the West Rift Concern immediately put her in charge. The dig has been going well except for her second-in-command, Kumec, 100, Dwarf, who thought he should be in control. The two have had many arguments, and unbeknownst to Wem, Kumec has started to sabotage the dig. 

• Wem is married to her work. She adores being an aunt to her two nieces, Odea, 50, and Naddoni, 43. She spends much time visiting her sister, Danebena, 118, the children's mother who lives along the coast of Staplefish Bay. One day, she hopes to contribute a significant find to the Dwarven community. She sincerely hopes that this excavation will provide that opportunity. 

• No further skeletons have been found so far, but explorers and miners are on the lookout. The green encrustation has been spotted in the interior corners and by the broken windows of the portion of the building exposed by formation of the Rift. 

• Geography: The Miners have started two new shafts, S2 and S3, each about 30 yards away from the first shaft parallel with the edge of the rift. The new elevator is being built to the west side of the ruined building in the rift. The new tent for examination of findings has been built about halfway between base camp and the first shaft, surrounded by its own earthen rampart. The expansion of activity has led to a doubling of the number of people on site, with a commensurate expansion in the number of tents and initial construction of more permanent wooden shelters. 

• Next Article: West Rift Ventures Part 4: Loots and Consequences