Firedamp

Hex 22.9. A bustling mining town with a large itinerant population of workers. Originally an independently operated camp located near a mine, Subterranean Pits and Lairs LLC acquired and rebuilt it after a “fortuitous” gas explosion. The little town quickly filled with cabins, stores, smelters, mills, and a whole slew of opportunists looking to make their fortunes.

locations

• Firedamp Loans (p333)
• Boomtown Saloon (p334)
• SPL Field Office (p335)

what's going on

• Subterranean Pits and Lairs LLC is aggressively rebuilding Firedamp after a flammable gas explosion in the mine beneath the town.
• Folks are setting up shops at an explosive rate, but a criminal element is starting to emerge—the Tricky Toe Gang.
• The Tricky Toe Gang is recruiting the kids of Firedamp into the gang as couriers, or what Slick the boggle calls “penny runners,” to run stolen goods to bosses in Fleabag County.
• Jericor, an injured Felmog Outrider, is recuperating from a broken leg in his tent and is looking to hire adventurers.

sights and sounds

1. A group of rowdy, out-of-work miners play rascal rummy in the dirt road.
2. A town drunk stumbles through the streets singing a bard's song.
3. Romo the town crier swears he saw WEORG in town but no one believes him.
4. A dungeoneer recruiter barks at passers by, “opportunity waits for no one!”
5. Soot-covered dungeoneers bump into you and sully your clothes. They offer no apology.
6. A group of boggles lug a massive silver chest through the streets.

rumors

• No one ever found out what caused the gas explosion under Firedamp, but that's because the corporations covered it up!

firedamp loans

Also run by Overseer Gurt Gonnergan, SPL offers loans to enterprising dungeoneers, merchants and families looking to start a business or purchase a home. The only catch is they charge an extremely high interest rate, buried in fine print. Because he's strapped for time and resources, Gonnergan outsourced debt collection to the Tricky Toe Gang namely, Noodletooth Cheddermun and his cronies.

OPIE “NOODLETOOTH” CHEDDERMUN

The local Tricky Toe Gang underboss who runs the gang in Firedamp. Opie's a hard case with a penchant for eating Nork's Noodles and beating up shopkeepers that don't pay their “fair share” to the gang.

• Traits: Loudmouth, bully, laugh sounds like “hur hur!”
• Motivation: Take over the town before SPL does.

SLICK

A slinky boggle GANGSTER with a friendly wit, he's a well known recruiter for the Tricky Toe Gang. Slick is also Opie Cheddermun's enforcer.

• Traits: Overly familiar, deceptively strong, cagey.
• Motivation: Get promoted to the Tricky Toe rank of Twotoe.

quests

THE LOST RUNNERS

Slick sent a group of “penny runners,” new Tricky Toe recruits, down the Great Slog to Crickstop, but apparently they never made it. Penny runners are a penny a dozen, forget them. What Slick needs is the cargo they were carrying: a sack of valuable candy gems intended for Boss Dwog Chumbree in Bogtown (p79).

• A mysterious GHOST terrifies people in Firedamp at the stroke of midnight.
• Two children were kidnapped in Firedamp by a walking bear!
• Jericor the Felmog Outrider is desperate to relay a message to his superior Captain Nemic about an impending danger.

outbound rumors

• Wally Dunkwhiffle at Wally's Waffles and Weorgs used to be a notorious pirate.
• A pack of WEORGS, led by Ulgos the Blackmane, are terrorizing the eastern Used T'Be Forest.
• A collapse in a nearby mine has trapped a group of shrym miners and they're running out of time! To make it worse, the collapse has disturbed an INKPOT SPIDER nest. Loans PCs can take out a loan with SPL; up to 3 pouches of Ancient Coins. But SPL expects double in return within 3 sessions. If they don't get it, they hire BOUNTY HUNTERS to collect. If the Boss doesn't get those rare gems, there will be hell to pay.
• The penny runners, two teens named Pilmo and Peet, were waylaid by Knucklebone BANDITS. Realizing they're a couple of gang orphans with no potential for ransom, the BANDITS plan to use them as feed for their WEORG mounts.
• The BANDITS will fence the gems to the Sootfinger Gang in Thurf (p113) before long.

boomtown saloon

A barebones, drinks-only bar full of weary miners looking to unwind after long days of work. Boomtown Saloon Menu

• Cheap Glog: It'll put hair on your butt. Gain +1 Mettle for 1d4 hours. Copper •.

MAYOR LYDIA SNARLZ

The elected leader of Firedamp is doing her best to help the town bounce back from disaster. Mayor Snarlz is no fan of Subterranean Pits and Lairs LLC and despite their help rebuilding, she wants them out of Firedamp as soon as the town's debts are repaid. She had to give up her office for SPL to move in, so now she works out of the Boomtown Saloon.

• Traits: Go-getter, frazzled, always shuffling papers.
• Motivation: Repair Firedamp and make the town safe again without becoming a peon town for Subterranean Pits and Lairs LLC.

JERICOR

A Felmog Outrider hard on his luck. Not only did he recently break his leg, he fell deeply in love with the Felmog Countess Feoria while visiting The Stone. She does not share his affections.

• Traits: Lovesick, humorless, restless for adventure.
• Motivation: Win the Countess Feoria's love by achieving a great victory in the name of Felmog.

quests

GHOSTED

The GHOST of Jug Nubber is harassing Firedamp, even scaring a resident into a catatonic state. Lydia Snarlz will reward anyone who drives the GHOST away.

• Jug Nubber was a miner who died in the Firedamp catastrophe. When confronted, he reveals that he yearns for revenge against a fellow miner named Marley Skrood who betrayed him, and suspiciously left the mine right before the explosion.
• Folks in town know that Marley Skrood works at Krogland.
• Marley Skrood was paid off by Vice Punisher Dastina Brenk of SPL to be lax with safety protocol, leading to the mine's destruction.

A TRICKY SITUATION

Mayor Snarlz wants another nuisance out of Firedamp: Noodletooth Cheddarmun. But the crime boss and his goons work for SPL's local overseer, Gurt Gonnergan. If something isn't done soon, the Tricky Toe Gang could take over the town, or worse, get official

• Sasspurrilla: A sweet bubbly drink made from sticky wickle vine water and cattypillar spit. Heal 2 Courage. Copper •.
• Wungalope Milk: A thick, orangey-white milk that goes down real smooth. Gain +1 Vitality for the session. Silver •. support from SPL headquarters. Run Cheddarmun and his goons, or better yet, convince SPL to fire the overseer and the Tricky Toe Gang with him.

THE OUTRIDER'S TASKS

Jericor, the Felmog Outrider, wants your help and is willing to pay for it. Plus, it would be in your best interest to ally with the Felmog Outriders. After all, Felmog will rule the Mucklands one day.

• Before breaking his leg, he was searching the Moldy Cave (p388) for a rare mushroom called mildewdrop that KOBOLDS frequently use to make ensorcelling potions.
• Mildewdrop only grows in the back of the cave (see Area 4 of the Moldy Cave).
• Jericor also needs someone to deliver a report to Captain Nemic who is camped near the Ruins of Ryloch (p368).
• The message reads: "No Eye of Ehk in Ryloch. Must find some secret temple in Used T'Be" (see Temple of the Sarpathi adventure module).

spl field office

Ever since they swooped in to rebuild the town, SPL has assumed more and more control from the people, especially the mayor. Overseer Gonnergan even took over the mayor's office to conduct business, hire dungeoneers and miners, and give out high‑interest loans.

OVERSEER GURT GONNERGAN

Appointed by SPL to oversee the reconstruction and day to day operations of Firedamp. Overseer Gonnergan is hellbent on running Firedamp entirely, but also has his eye on Wally's Waffles and Woergs just up the road. Gurt and Mayor Snarlz are always at each other's throats.

• Traits: Conceited, driven, glad-hander.
• Motivation: Take over Firedamp and turn it into a company town. Maybe even elect himself Overseer-Mayor.

quests

FLAMMABLE FIREDAMP

Overseer Gonnergan needs some capable dungeoneers to solve the persistent flammable gas problems in the local mines. He's been following protocol to the tee, but still the gas readings are at dangerous levels. Figure out a solution before Firedamp goes up in flames again!

• Gonnergan gives the PCs some equipment to share: a handheld gas meter, a pickaxe, and a shovel.
• The mine is a RANDOM MAZE, and lighting a torch or lantern is a recipe for disaster, so the PCs might have to bumble through the dark.
• Random CREEPERS: 1: BLINKING CAVE-INCHERS, 2: STALAG MITES, 3: MUCKLAND BATS, 4: ISHWICKS.
• The gas meter is difficult to read, frequently going haywire. A resourceful PC could Tinker with it to work properly and lead them to the source of the gas.
• A tiny foot-long fissure seems to be emitting the flammable gas at regular, powerful intervals. It almost sounds like…snoring?
• Hidden below the coal mine proper and the fissure is an elderly DRAGON called Gognarax the Bent, deep in slumber. Turns out they were the source of gas the whole time.
• Fighting the old, grumpy Gognarax (L10-C) is likely out of the question, but he agrees to leave if the PCs fetch a SKROKWING egg. That would be a tasty treat!

THE KIDNAPPER

A hulking creature kidnapped a pair of children from town. Needless to say it's a real PR nightmare, so Gonnergan needs it taken care of quickly. Witnesses report the kidnapper was wider than two well-built men, and that it dashed off into the night like a spry bear out toward the Moldy Cave.

• The kidnapper is a misunderstood BLEMMY living in the Moldy Cave (p388).

THE TRAPPED MINERS

A nearby mine collapsed, trapping a group of shrym miners. It's already been a few days so they're running out of air. To make matters worse, the collapse has disturbed an INKPOT SPIDER nest.

• The entrance to the mine is entirely blocked off by rubble, except for an INKPOT SPIDER tunnel, but no one is tough enough to get through four of those spiders (L4-B)!