Secrets of the Dwin

## Premise

Secrets of the Dwin is an ongoing campaign set in the land of Dwinmir, primarily in the capital city of Izerath.

## Prologue

It has long been said that secrets within Dwinmir have a lifespan that outmatch that of the oldest elves. Beneath the heavily forested region of Dwinvale, in the expansive caverns of the underdark, hidden from the rest of the world, life for the Dwin elves have remained as it has been. In spite of existing in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by hostile states and factions, the Dwin has maintained stability and a firm grip on their own territory, maintaining their traditional way of life for millenia.

However, in a world of constant change, even a society as conservative and firm as that of the Dwin is faced with the constant pressure of progress. Seeking to reaffirm their position in the world, the Dwin have grown more assertive, seeking to stabilize their front borders against enemies and expand their influence. This in turn promotes desires amongst the most ambitious of Dwin, be they good or bad.

These developments are no more visible than in the great city of Izerath, the capital of Dwinmir. The city, now rekindled by the ambition of a new generation of Dwin who seek to leave their mark on history, is now a conduit of grand plots and sinister scheming. The peace and stability once associated with the Dwin is slowly losing its foundation.

In the midst of these changes, hidden in the dark, are people who seek to maintain balance in Dwin society. These are the Shadow Sentinels, a secretive order whose very existence and nature remains almost mythical to most Dwin. The path of a Shadow Sentinel is lonesome, bound together only by a common desire to protect, not questioning the motives of their own order.

## Story

### The Under City Murders

#### Prologue

Micar'ia, a circle of the spores druid and alchemist of Izerath, would awake in her home in the Upper City, preparing for an ordinary day. Her daily work would be interrupted when she received a coded letter from a fellow member of the Shadow Sentinels, a secretive order which she herself is a member of. The letter urged her to meet in the Cremini Park on the outskirts of the Upper City. Here she would meet Gloom, a frequent collaborator who has handed her assignments in the past. Gloom told Micar'ia that another Shadow Sentinel who went by the alias Shroudfoot had been killed and dumped into Lake Cath after he had been investigating strange murders of slaves in the Lower City. Gloom tasked Micar'ia with picking up the case and look into recent murders that were commited in a similar style. He would task Micar'ia with investigating the following:

* The death of Bigglesby, a deep gnome at Brindin's Foundry in the Gnome Quarters.
* The deaths of the goblins Snuff and Zizka and the orcs Giggak and Krash at the Blackgate Blast Mines.

#### The Blackgate Blast Mines Investigation

The following day, Micar'ia headed to the Blackgate Blast Mines to investigate the murder of the slave miners. Blackgate is known as one of the roughest areas of Izerath, full of slaves, criminals, accidents and health hazards. Micar'ia would have to navigate through a dangerous environment where work safety is viewed as a non-essentiality for its mistreated slaves. Micar'ia encountered an orc mercenary named Gok Teeth Smasher whom she hired to provide protection.

Micar'ia would venture into Mines #45 where the murders occurred. After escaping with her life intact from a mine blast accident which took the life of a pair of goblins, Micar'ia would start interviewing slaves, talking with a goblin named Kluntz, who told that he had been sold by the slave trader Izryn, the same slaver who sold all the victims in a place known as the Meat Market. Kluntz had also seen the killing of Snuff who had been dragged into the air by an invisible force and thrown into a wall. Micar'ia would also talk with the Taskmaster Quendar Jhalion'lyr who reluctantly showed her the crime seen. Little would be discovered here, although a talkative kobold slave told of the body of Snuff having a expression on his face as if he had seen a ghost or had his life force drained. On her way out, Micar'ia would meet Slimy, a malnourished goblin who would not survive further work in the mines. Micar'ia bought Slimy from Quendar, freeing him from the mines and putting him under her ownership.

On the way out, a band of orc gangsters was patrolling the mines. Not wanting to draw their attention, Micar'ia snuck past the orcs, avoiding a potentially uncomfortable encounter.

#### The Meat Market Investigation

Following her visit to Blackgate, Micar'ia would head towards the Meat Market, a dubious market for slave trade in the Under City. Micar'ia would seek out Izryn. She would learn that a further two slaves owned by Izryn had been killed in a similar fashion to the other victims. Izryn told that she did not know of any culprits. However, Micar'ia quickly learned that Izryn's husband Medlith had a particular distaste for her job as a slave trader. Micar'ia would head towards Izryn's home to speak with her husband. Suddenly, a tumultuous event occurred. A merchant who for some peculiar reason was trying to sell a wild Bulette would be eaten by his own monstrosity, which then proceeded to run amok and terrorize the market. Micar'ia and her companions would assist the local guards in killing the beast, although a further two drow guards would face their end in the fight against the beast.

Micar'ia went to Izryn's home and would talk with Medlith, a smith working from home. Medlith quickly revealed his racism against non-drow, believing the town is overrun by lesser races and that drow in the Under City are neglected by the elites. Medlith seemed to be hiding something and Micar'ia would talk with their deep gnome slave Digsby Littlepebble. Digsby revealed that Medlith had been writing strange letters detailing information about Izryn's slaves to a man named Klaazzt. Micar'ia would then return home after a long day of investigating.