The Cinder Mines
Location: Quasi-Elemental Ash / Cinder Wells
The Cinder Mines, now there’s an interesting proposition. Deep in the Cinder Wells there’s a patch where the cinders burn particularly bright and hot. Now, I’ve got a fondness for the Ash plane, stark and barren as it is, but even I reckon the Mines are a double-edged sword—fiery on one side, and dead on the other.
First, let’s talk location. These tunnels are so close to the Plane of Fire, you can practically feel your eyebrows singe. If you think the heat in the City of Brass is unbearable, well, the Cinder Mines are like an efreeti sauna. Hotter than a succubus’s smooch, they are.
These everburning shards you can find are like liquid gold, they are—or, more precisely, like fiery diamonds. Stick one in yer pocket when you’re crossin’ the chillier bits of Ash, and you’ll be warmer than a hill giant in a bear-skin rug. But just be wary—take ’em too close to the Negative, and whoosh! They go out like a lantern in a storm. And trust me, in Ash, light and warmth are as vital as water in a desert. They’re not just good for keeping your mits warm neither; in most parts of Ash they can be traded like currency. Finding a lucky hot seam in the mines has made many a basher very rich indeed.
Let’s not sugarcoat the sodding risks though, shall we? These mines are less stable than a Bleaker. One wrong step, and a ton of smolderin’ ash’ll drop on yer brain-box. For the natives, tunnelin’ free is as easy as winkin’. But for an unprepared sod? You might as well scribble yer last will on yer forearm, ’cause you’re in for a short trip to the dead-book.
And as if collapsing tunnels weren’t enough, there’s the wildlife to reckon with as well. Rast and ash mephits, the two main vermin of Ash’s underbelly. They’d as soon nick yer shard as look at you. Now, a rast ain’t much more than a snarlin’ ball of teeth and tentacles, but it’s got an appetite to match a barghest. And the mephits? Sly and crafty, those little winged weasels are. Don’t let their size fool you; they can be nippers.
So, a word to the wise? If you’re plannin’ a sojourn to the Cinder Mines, pack light, prep heavy, and keep yer wits as sharp as a vorpal blade. If you ain’t prepared, those Mines’ll squish you and spit out like yesterday’s warm gruel.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
