She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."<br/><br/><strong>How long ago did the f lame go out?</strong>“It’s been eight<br/>days, but only seven since the f irst explorers braved the<br/>new tunnels Khonnir discovered. Khonnir himself led his<br/>second foray into the caves just a couple of days ago—and<br/>he has yet to return.”<br/><br/><strong>Where’s the entrance to these caves?</strong>“There’s an<br/>underwater passage connecting them to Weeping Pond.<br/>Khonnir noticed a large number of human footprints on<br/>the pond’s banks—he was there the day the f ires went out<br/>testing the water to ensure it hadn’t suddenly grown more<br/>toxic—and he realized that a sizable group of people had<br/>entered the pond but had not emerged.<br/><strong><br/>Who made those tracks?</strong>“We don’t know. Word about<br/>town puts blame on the Technic League, but I think that’s<br/>too convenient and obvious an answer. Khonnir was<br/>hoping to f ind out more by delving deeper into the caves,<br/>but who knows what he found in there... or indeed, if he’s<br/>even still alive?”<br/><br/><strong>What did they f ind?</strong>“The caves are inhabited<br/>by several enormous vermin and other<br/>scavengers, along with some strange<br/>humanoids who had the ability to blend<br/>into the shadows of the cave walls, and a<br/>nest of gremlins. Khonnir believed this<br/>indicated a deeper connection in the caves<br/>to the Darklands, but of more immediate<br/>interest was his discovery of a wall of solid<br/>metal deep in the caves. A wall made of a<br/>skymetal alloy called glaucite. He said it<br/>was like the kind we mine from the hills<br/>and surrounding plains, but formed<br/>into a structure with doors. It was near<br/>one of these doors that Khonnir found<br/>the broken automaton that he brought<br/>back after his f irst expedition.”<br/><strong><br/>What do we know about the metal wall?</strong><br/>“Very little. Khonnir examined it himself,<br/>and conf irmed that it was an alloy of adamantine and iron,<br/>and that one of the doors in the wall was locked tight but<br/>the other was open. He had planned on exploring deeper<br/>beyond that door on his second expedition, but who knows<br/>if he actually made it that far?”<br/><br/><strong>What assistance can you provide us?</strong>“Once you’re on<br/>the job, I’ll give each of you a writ that you can show to any<br/>of the merchants in town for a f lat 20% discount on any<br/>gear you need to purchase—I wish I could offer a greater<br/>discount than that, but that’s the best I can do. Further,<br/>Val, Khonnir’s adopted daughter, has closed down her<br/>father’s tavern, the Foundry, for the time being. She’s told<br/>me that any group that’s going into the caves to look for her<br/>father can use the tavern, free of charge, as a headquarters<br/>and a place to rest between forays. Finally, the entrance<br/>to the caves is f looded. You’ll need to swim a bit to get to<br/>the caves. Joram Kyte has agreed to cast water breathing on<br/>any group to aid in entering the caves—free of charge, of<br/>course. You can f ind him at the temple of Brigh or up at<br/>Crowfeather Palace when you’re ready to go.”