Rails Through Hell

This is a wiki for Rails Through Hell, a campaign for Iron Kingdoms: Requiem and D&D 5e.

A strike team haunted by their secrets and demons of the past rides an armored train through a devastated land populated with restless dead and nightmarish horrors, in a desperate and possibly suicidal attempt to reach and destroy the source of the devastation.

The Rails

Player Characters

Voglomagorkamun, Gobber Alchemist played by Talisman

Torgul Thunderhand, Ogrun Storm Knight played by Mr Adventurer

Astrid Hammerheart, Hexmaul played by NightGoblyn

Fenwick the Scribe, Dwarven Bard played by Sam I Am

Non Player Characters

General Thorrn Lightningstrike

The white haired and bearded dwarven general volunteered from retirement. He is no stranger to fighting the horrors. Eye patch and a mechanikal leg tell of his past in the surface patrols. He is experienced and shrewd, and technically in charge of the task force. But used to having to lead from the rear because of his injuries, he is known to listen to his officers. And anyone else whose expertise he respects.

A number of veterans from Stonegate Defence Force volunteered along with the General. Most of them are assigned to the train's turrets due to their experience with heavy military weapons.

Member of Parliament from Scorpion’s Oath – Wolf Twicesworn

The dark haired elf with piercing blue eyes is the only member of the Parliament in Exile to offer more than thoughts and prayers for the task force. He volunteered himself, and is accompanied by a large group of Stingers. The military arm of Scorpion's Oath that he himself is a member of.

Wolf is a politician fond of giving rousing speeches, especially to his followers who drink up his every word. He is also known as an excellent swordsman who is not afraid to use his blade. His followers call him a patriot. His detractors call him a fanatic. Even before departure, he has already butted heads with General Lightningstrike about matters of strategy and the chain of command. He has made clear that he thinks that as a member of the surface parliament, he should be in charge.

Rail Guard Captain – Oskar Steamfist

Once, the Rail Guard was a large and respected force patrolling and policing the railway. After the Stonegate closed, what remained of their duties dwindled to maintaining and patrolling the Stonegate Station, along with their numbers.

Few people were surprised when the entire remaining Rail Guard volunteered for the task force. In the time since the closing of Stonegate, the Rail Guard has gained a reputation as a boisterous and unruly lot, and their burly Captain certainly exhibits both of the qualities in abundance. But no one can doubt their eagerness, and they may possess the best information remaining of the rail lines outside.

The Drivers – Emerald and Opal Irongear

The non identical dwarven twin girls - one a redhead and the other blonde - seem young for the task force, but with the railway closed, few people know how to drive a locomotive the size of Black Betty, who leaves even the largest of those used in the mines to her shadow. And the twins are two of them. Coming from a long and proud line of railway workers, they literally grew up learning to drive the giant locomotive. And they have made clear that Black Betty is theirs and if she goes, they go.

The Engineer – Erdil Irongear

Emerald and Opal are not coming alone. They are accompanied by their grandfather Erdil. The gray haired dwarf is the very image of a grumpy old man, but he says he could maintain the train in his sleep, and could be right. He is also another person with skills to pilot Black Betty, should something happen to one of the twins.

Archivist Cleo Nightingale

Another person who looks not only too young but also unlikely to survive, the short, petite, brunette human woman looks like a particularly stiff breeze could carry her away. But she is not along for her combat skills. The Archivists were a group of scholars among the refugees who had fled with what knowledge they could carry with them, and also collected and recorded stories from the initial refugees. They have kept this knowledge, and possess an impressive library about the world outside, and of encounters with the horrors. Bringing all that knowledge along would be a difficult task though - if not for Cleo. The granddaughter of the Head Archivist, she has been fascinated with the world outside since early age and has read most of the writings Archivists have about the subject. And she has a nearly infallible memory.

If only the walking, talking library's curiousness would not be likely to get her in trouble, for she seems determined to learn as much as she can and bring back more current information.

Chief Medic Ingrid Blackbear

Ingrid trained to be a doctor. She also grew up to be the chieftain of Bear Clan. Now in her middle age and her dark hair growing grey, the tall and powerfully built woman has the attitude of one who knows she is the biggest, baddest mommy bear in the clan. Her bedside manner is not exactly comforting, but that matters little when she is carrying your bleeding form from the battlefield over her shoulder.

The Quartermaster, Katbelmogegga aka Kat

The hyperactive female gobber does not seem to ever stay still, or even slow down to walk. She is always dashing around. Then again, with all the dispersed supply cars to look after, that probably makes her perfect for the job. She keeps her hair in a long braid, is always carrying a thermos full of kef - a bitter, stimulating drink made from a type of dark mushroom that is dried and powdered - and is also a fond of silver cigars, that are made from a silver-gray fungus.

Garka Ironbiter

Despite her relatively youthful age, in her twenties, this warrior of the Order of the Vengeful Fist is considered to be one of the best martial artists in Stonegate. Which is why the elders of her order chose her to lead the Ogrun volunteers of the Order for the task force. With her dedication, the training of her martial order, and her Ogrun formidableness, the dark haired Ogrun woman is without a doubt one of the most dangeroud people among the task force.

Jessica Flametongue

Considered a prodigy among the arcanists of the exiles, this young sorceress could manifest battle magics at the age of three. Her order of Firestarters chose her to lead the substantial arcane force of theirs that volunteered for the task force. The platinum blonde human woman has an unusual feature - her irises are bright red.

The Train

Black Betty

Drawn by a massive locomotive, Black Betty, every part of the train is armored with steel plating, and it is defended by turrets armed with gatling guns and cannons. It takes a particularly big and powerful locomotive to pull a train this heavy, but luckily for the task force, the Irongear family had dutifully maintained their heirloom one.

The cars are of various types. Freight cars contain the task force's supplies of weapons, ammunition, rations, medical supplies and additional gear, along with huge stores of coal and water both for the locomotive and the steamjcaks on board. Passenger cars with bunk berths and storage lockers house the members of the task force with their personal or permanently assigned gear. Steamjack cars hold the expedition's steamjacks. More specialized cars include the Command car for strategy sessions, Infirmary car for treating injuries, Dining car for the presumably rare moments of rest and relaxation, and Laboratory car in case there is a need to investigate something the task force comes across. There is also the Cold car with the temperature kept below freezing. So the casualties do not necessarily need to be left behind.

Most of the specialized cars are at the front of the train, close to the locomotive. Otherwise, the order is mixed. This is a precaution to ensure that the task force remains operational even if there is damage to part of the train.

Since the train is expected to travel through darkness, in addition to Black Betty's powerful front light, it has been equipped with powerful electric searchlights. Some are mounted to the turrets, others have an attached periscope and are operated from inside, allowing lookouts to keep an eye on the train's surroundings without exposing themselves to threats.

Campaign Specific Rules

The premise said “a strike team haunted by their secrets and demons of the past” and that is not just fluff. The game will introduce two features. Demons and Secrets.

Demons

Everyone has a Demon. People who are all right do not normally volunteer for potential suicide missions. But a Demon is not a GM tool. It is a player-controlled resource for gaining Inspiration.

A Demon can be anything. A gambling problem, a drinking problem, a tendency to feel sick at the sight of blood. It is something that causes trouble for the character when it manifests. But the characters are able to resist their Demons, so the player chooses when it manifests. When that happens, it causes problems for the character, whether mechanically or in the game situation. in return, the player gains Inspiration for the character.

Secrets

Every character also has a Secret. It can be something minor, like a fear of heights or some other phobia hidden out of embarrassment, that might come out at a dramatic moment. Or it can be something major, like being secretly a surviving scion of House Falcon (Royal line believed dead) a descendant of Scorpion the Mystic, or a member of Blood Clan (scary bogeymen people of legend – but legends are not always true).

Whatever the Secret is, it is something the character would keep secret from strangers. And the strike force is assembled from volunteers, with most people not knowing each other beforehand.

Secrets are initially known only by player and GM. If hints get dropped, it may be possible to figure out another character’s Secret, or the player may choose to reveal it. Whether by coming out with it, or agreeing with another player for another character to find it out. No matter how it happens, when someone’s Secret gets revealed, it is a dramatic moment, and the entire group gets an Effort Point!

Effort Points are detailed in Borderlands Survival Guide supplement. In addition to providing an Advantage they can be used for other things too. Such as instant healing, halving suffered damage, getting extra actions or attacks, or ending an ongoing effect. Instead of listing every possible option - if you want to affect an action or a condition to your character's benefit, Effort Point will do it.

Secrets may have non mechanical effects too, depending on what they are.

Also, NPCs have Demons and Secrets too. Their Demons are just something that may cause complications during the game, but Secrets are important. When NPCs Secret gets revealed, something happens, whether plot-wise or mechanically. But that is not going to happen without PC actions. Revealing a NPCs Secret is going to take intense roleplay, social skills, or investigation.

Factions

Scorpion's Oath: The pro tribal rights, anti aristocratic party currently in power in the Parliament In Exile. They also have a military arm. Scorpion's Oath may have turned from freedom fighters to politicians, but they started out as a warrior order, and this bunch is all about tradition. So there are degrees of participation. Just taking the Oath means that you will support the cause to the degree you are capable and willing of, even if you are just a baker providing bread for the cause. The military arm is the Stingers. They are identified by a scorpion tattoo on the back of the left hand. Taking the tattoo indicates willingness to fight and die for the cause. The tattoo was almost a thing of the past before the Dark Devastation, but has gained popularity since.

The Royalists: Once the most powerful party in Parliament, but they have diminished in power since, and even more since the Dark Devastation and the apparent demise of the House of Falcon. They favor a strong central authority, and more power for the Royal house. After the apparent death of the Royal House, most of those who still identify as Royalists come from the original human and elven tribes of The First Falcon King, but although few in number, those who remain are unshakable in their faith and dedication.

The Archivists: A minor power with no representatives in the parliament. The Archivists are a group of scholars and sages dedicated to preserving and collecting knowledge of the past and of the outside. With the focus of life in Stonegate having been on survival, the "bookworms" have never been particularly popular, and what influence they have comes from the fact that they are highly learned people possessing specialized knowledge few others have.

The Order of the Vengeful Fist: During the Dark Devastation, half a dozen Ogrun clans sent their male warriors to assist the Falcon Army in repelling the horrors. None came back. This gave birth to an all new warrior order. The Ogrun women, bereft of their menfolk an worried about an assault on Stonegate, trained to defend their folk. Bereft of weapons training, with all potential trainers gone to fight, they trained themselves to fight without weapons or armor, using only their formidable Ogrun physique. When it became obvious that the horrors could not breach Stonegate's defenses, they continued to train for a different purpose. To one day take the fight to the horrors and avenge the lost menfolk of their clans. It is no surprise that The Order of the Vengeful Fist volunteered for the task force in numbers!

The Firestarters: Survivors of Cruor's arcane traditions, these wizards, warlocks and sorcerers have trained for generations for a single purpose - the retaking of the surface.

Locations

Stonegate: The entrance to the underground realm of the dwarves, also the name of the entire dwarven nation. Currently also housing the refugees from the surface.

Falcon City: The capital of Cruor, where the Dark Devastation started.

The Plain of Bones: The site of one of the greatest battles in history, where Falcon Army and the Alliance of the Oath fought each other.

Highfall Bridge: A bridge for both foot and vehicle traffic and trains, crossing the ravine and turbulent rapids within by a spectacular waterfall the bridge is named after.

Fallmarket A minor trading hub known for its seasonal market. And a site of tragedy, as the last refugee train to attempt passing through was caught by the horrors and overrun.

Setting Background

History

Cruor. A land of life surrounded by lifelessness. A huge area of fertile land and freshwater lakes and rivers. Bordered by a seemingly endless salt desert to the east, by a massive mountain range to the west and south, and to the north by arid tundra that ends in eternally frozen glaciers.

Over time, explorers have tried to brave the desert or the ice, or to cross the mountains, but those who returned could only report failure. Some faiths believe that there is nothing beyond the borders.

Long ago, in the barbaric era, Cruor was a land of separate clans and tribes that constantly raided and warred with each other. This was to change with the birth of a man called Falcon, who became the First Falcon King.

Half human and half elf, Falcon rose to lead both tribes whose blood he had. Some historians say it was done by charm and diplomacy, others that it was by violence and assassination. All agree on what happened next. He created an army from both tribes and led it to war. By their numbers and their different yet combined ways of doing battle, Falcon Army subjugated the neighboring tribes. Rather than enslave and pillage as was usually done, Falcon added the tribes to his force.

Some legends claim that Falcon conquered all of Cruor, but that is not quite true. He started it, but unifying the land under one banner was continued by his son and finished by his granddaughter. And the conquest was not always by sword. Seeing the growing power of Falcon, some tribes willingly bent knee and joined him.

But Falcon was the person who made the unification of Cruor possible. His relentless advance ultimately brought unified opposition. The Alliance of the Oath, formed and led by an elven mystic Scorpion. He arrived from the great salt desert. Some legends claim that Scorpion came from beyond the desert, but most historians agree that he was most likely a hermit mage who made his home in the desert. Historians disagree on his motivation. Some believe he reacted to the conquest of the tribe of his birth. Others believe he had mystical or philosophic reasons. What is known is that he was an eloquent speaker who warned that Falcon’s way of the conqueror would bring an end to the way of life of the tribes, and to their ancestral traditions by which they had survived, and that disaster would surely follow if the conqueror was not stopped.

Scorpion gathered a force of the still independent tribes, bolstered by exiles and refugees from the conquered tribes who had refused to join Falcon. The Alliance of the Oath met Falcon Army on a plain that carried a different name then but has since been known as the Plain of Bones. The Alliance took their name from the oath they swore, to fight for the independence and the traditions of their people. The Alliance outnumbered the Falcon Army, but had less cohesion. Tribal warbands against an organized army. The courage of the Alliance warriors faced the discipline of Falcon Army, and neither broke. Dead piled on both sides as the battle raged. Then the two leaders faced each other as Falcon and Scorpion clashed, knowing that only the fall of a leader could decide the battle.

Sagas and legends tell of the duel, and in more modern times, plays and novels as well. Both combatants had great skill at arms and wielded potent magics as well. The fight was epic. But at the end, Scorpion fell and the Alliance of the Oath lost the battle. Falcon ordered a great tomb built at the site of the duel in respect of his opponent.

That battle ultimately decided the fate of Cruor. There was no unified opposition to Falcon at that scale afterwards. Individual tribes continued to resist, assisted by survivors of the Alliance of the Oath who remained true to their oath. In the years to come, other people would swear the oath, and the freedom fighters of Scorpion’s Oath would harass the Falcon Army with guerrilla tactics, sabotage at the rear lines, strikes against the supply lines, and other asymmetric warfare. But they only slowed the inevitable. Eventually, even the last of the independent tribes was conquered.

It was Falcon’s granddaughter, Adea the Falcon Queen, who founded the Parliament. Realizing that the fame of the Royal Line would fade when there would be no further conquests, and that the disparate tribes would begin to chafe under the leadership of a single person not of their people, she created a ruling power that represented all the people and could even veto Royal decrees and decisions. This proved to be a wise choice, although it would eventually cause the Royal House to lose their power to the Parliament. It would be a peaceful transition though. The founding of the parliament slowly brought an end to armed resistance. Even Scorpion’s Oath took their fight to the field of politics, becoming a significant faction within the parliament, and one most opposed to the House of Falcon.

The various faiths of Cruor had been already unified during the time of Falcon. Originally the tribes had their own gods. Understanding that arguments of faith could tear his army and growing nation apart, Falcon made the priests accept his degree that all gods were true and equal, combining the different faiths into what eventually turned into a single polytheistic one.

An unconfirmed legend tells that the unification of Cruor had one exception. The Blood Clan. Supposedly their faith and cultural practices were so abhorrent that rather than accepting them into his nation, Falcon had the entire clan put to sword, all they had burned to ash, and forbade mentioning them in histories. In bogeyman tales, some of the Blood Clan survived the purge and went into hiding, and if you are bad they may come for you.

And one people were never conquered. The dwarves of Stonegate, living under the eastern mountains beyond a single massive gate that gave them their name. They had rejected Falcon’s diplomatic overtures, and the sound defeat he suffered when he led his army against Stonegate convinced the conqueror to let them be. For their part, the dwarves were content to stay under their mountains.

After Cruor became one nation, ruled by House of Falcon and the Parliament, it had no external enemies and little internal strife. In this environment, arts and sciences started to flourish, and an age of enlightenment began. Villages turned first into towns and then to cities. New techniques and discoveries led to ever further innovations, culminating in the steam engine that gave birth to railroads, and gunpowder that brought firearms. People of various tribes moved from their villages to growing towns and cities as the land became more urban. Yet the countryside was not totally deserted. Some people were dedicated to keeping their tribal culture and traditions alive, and kept living as they always had, hunting and farming.

In politics, the power of the Royal House waned over time until they were largely figureheads, with the true power in the hands of the Parliament.

Trade also flourished once the relationship with Stonegate turned friendlier, with surface products exchanged for minerals and other underground goods. Eventually, a railway was built, connecting Falcon City, the capital, to Stonegate.

All in all Cruor seemed to be experiencing a golden age. And then the Dark Devastation happened.

There was no warning. No signs or portents. No explanation. It happened on the holiest day of the year and the largest celebration. The All Gods’ Day. It started in the capital’s grand cathedral where most of Cruor’s notables had gathered for the service. There were no survivors from the cathedral, and few from the capital in general, but what most accounts say is that all of a sudden, darkness like oily black clouds started flowing out of the doors and windows of the cathedral, spreading over the city and rising to the sky to blot out the sun. And within the darkness were beings of nightmare. And everyone they struck down rose back to their feet, dead, and set upon those still living.

It did not stop in the capital. The darkness and horrors spread rapidly, with people trying desperately to flee. The railroad saved countless lives as trains full of refugees fled the Devastation. But where could they go.

A lot of people decided to seek safety from the only place that had successfully resisted the first Falcon King. They headed for Stonegate as the Falcon Army mustered to repel the horrors. But after generations of peace with no threats, the army had shrunk into a token force that had never seen a real battle. Still they tried, assembling into a natural choke point of the Highfall Bridge. And although they ultimately failed to stop the horrors, they held long enough for countless refugees to reach Stonegate.

Ultimately, the Devastation still reached Stonegate as well. Firing from behind a shield wall, dwarven gunners kept the horrors at bay until the last refugees had got inside. Then they retreated as well, and what had never been done before happened. The Stonegate closed. A massive stone block weighing tens of tons sealed the entrance, leaving the horrors outside.

The sheer amount of refugees stretched the resources of the dwarven republic to the limits. Temporary housing was hastily quarried into abandoned mining tunnels. Food rationing was announced as new farms were set up in underground halls while engineers worked around the clock to build pumps and pipes from an underground lake to the new farms for irrigation. For all the efforts, malnutrition and even starvation was common in the first years.

Years grew into decades, and although the worst problems passed, life continued to be hard. Many refugees were ill suited for life underground, growing sickly without the light of the sun. Temporary housing turned permanent, with an entire family living in a single room and sleeping in small alcoves in the walls. Food rationing became the norm.

Relationships grew tense as well. Although most dwarves were happy to help, a minority resented the strain the refugees put on them. And while most refugees were grateful, a minority among them resented the better living conditions of the dwarves. Order was largely kept, although at a cost of patrols, checkpoints and curfews.

People tried to find an explanation for what had happened, and rumors and conspiracy theories spread. Revenge of the Blood Tribe. Royal House making a pact with demons to regain their lost power. Radicals within Scorpion’s Oath making a pact with demons to bring an end to central authority. Vengeance of the Gods for the sin and decadence of the people who had abandoned the old ways. The explorers found something evil buried in the desert or ice and brought it to capital. The Group I Dislike did it for Reasons.

Scorpion’s Oath was swift to claim that Scorpion the Mystic had foreseen the Dark Devastation, saying that it was the disaster he had spoken of, and that the old traditions abandoned in favor of civilization and progress had kept the threat at bay. But they had an obvious political agenda in making that claim. Both the Parliament and House of Falcon were believed to have perished in the Devastation, for none was known to have reached Stonegate, but a new Parliament in Exile was formed, working together with the directly elected dwarven Ministers to bring order and governance to the refugees. And the claims of Scorpion’s Oath, whether there was any truth to them, gained them support and power.

Meanwhile, patrols that went above ground through sally points gave bleak news. Darkness had covered the world above and blotted out the sun, and the horrors were still up there.

A generation lived and died in their underground shelter. The next one grew better adapted to the life, but for them, surface and the sun were like fairy tales.

And then a surface patrol brought astounding news. Beams of sunlight. The cover of darkness was breaking.

Parliament in Exile and the dwarven Ministers started hastily talking. Could the surface be won back. But the horrors and the walking dead were still there, and even if they were pushed back, there was no guarantee that the Dark Devastation would not simply repeat. Besides, darkness still covered most of the land, and within it the monsters had the advantage. A decision was soon made that before sending a large army to the surface, they would need to strike at the source. The grand cathedral in the capital. A strike force needed to be sent there. At the very least to find out the truth about Dark Devastation, and if possible – kill it at the source so it would not happen again.

Yet the surface was still mostly covered by darkness and teeming with threats. The capital was hundreds of miles away from Stonegate. It seemed impossible that any force would be capable of reaching it, much less returning.

Then someone pointed out that the railway was still there. If Stonegate was opened long enough to send a train out, it could ride right to the capital. True, the railway might no longer be intact all the way, but if they sent an armored train that could act as a mobile fortified base, and not just soldiers but workers and engineers to repair any broken bridges and rail sections, a train built for war might accomplish what a conventional force would not.

Life in Stonegate

Dwarven culture is centered on professions. Professionalism and hard work are admirable traits among other people too, but dwarves take things a bit further. Not just individual people work the same profession from cradle to grave, striving to perfect their work. It is common for entire families to share the same profession, and to have done so for generations, the oldest generation passing their knowledge and skills on to the youngest. It is not uncommon for a young dwarf to opt for a different profession than the traditional one, but this generally means apprenticing to a family practicing the profession the young dwarf is interested in. This usually ends up with marrying into that family. This is considered normal social interaction, and it is the root of a saying the surface dwellers sometimes find odd. Change a profession, change the family.

The refugees are a less uniform lot. Before Dark Devastation, there was a divide between the urbanized population living in the cities and embracing the modern advances, and the clan kin living in rural areas, practicing their traditional ways of life. That does not mean either that the clan kin were backwards or barbaric, or that the city folk had completely abandoned their clan traditions. Clans knew about the modern advances, but to what degree they used them varied by clan. And city folk might still wear at least the most important parts of traditional clan garb, or sport tattoos, hairstyles and ornaments common to their origins. It was not so much a cultural divide as a difference between lifestyle choices. But add to that the fact that the nation of Cruor was basically a federation of clans with sometimes very different looks and customs, and the refugees tend to be a highly varied lot.

What Stonegate is like physically varies a bit on where you live. The original areas where the dwarves live are the most spacious. Ceilings are high to facilitate ventilation. The streets are wide, with houses carved on the sides and pipes running close to the ceiling carrying water, air and electricity. Where the streets intersect are spacious plazas, usually with sculptures, fountains, or small parks in them. And although dwarves can see well in the dark, everything is well lit with electric lights.

Dwarves are masters of electricity - including military applications. They have to be, for in their underground home, fireplaces and steam engines common in the surface would compromise ventilation. So everything from lighting and heating to various machinery is powered by electricity. Coal power stations and steam engines that provide the power are away from populated areas, and have vents to get rid of the fumes. This was originally a marvel for the refugees who had still relied on gas lights and stoves.

The bright lighting is not just an aesthetic feature. The caves where Stonegate is has its own ecosystem and its own vermin. The lights prevent bats, blind rats and rock moles, and other critters from nesting in inhabited areas, for what is common to underground critters is that they are very sensitive to light. Even the blind ones feel it on their skin as an uncomfortable sensation, so they keep away from light. As a convenient extra feature, the lights make Stonegate easier for outside visitors to navigate. Such visitors were common even before Dark Devastation, although then it was mostly ogrun. Ogrun lived in the mountains close to Stonegate as friendly neighbors, and many lived in Stonegate as itinerant workers even then. Ogrun are strong, and very loyal to those they choose to serve, and have always been welcome among the dwarves.

Things are less well in the refugee quarters. They were hastily built, as originally speed was of the essence, with people sleeping in tents on the streets. Later on, proper renovations would have required tearing down the original.

Refugee quarters are a bit away from the dwarven quarters, since most were built in closed down mining tunnels, uninhabited caverns, and basically any space that was swiftly available. Ceilings tend to be much lower, and usually the pipes extend along the walls so people do not bump their heads in them. The corridors are much more narrow as well, and the house where people live might be just one large room with sleeping spaces carved on the walls, as originally the priority was to build something that could house as many people as possible, as fast as possible. In one word, the refugee quarters are cramped.

The refugees have the same utilities as the dwarves, though. Ventilation brings fresh air, although in cramped areas it is perhaps not as fresh as in dwarven areas. Electric lights provide illumination and drinking water is available from taps. Deficiencies in the hastily built original infrastructure sometimes cause lights or water to go out, but these problems are usually swiftly fixed.

The cuisine is more varied than the surface dwellers originally assumed. What can be grown without light are usually various kinds of mushrooms and fungi, and there are entire caverns dedicated to cultivating edible varieties. But people who assumed to face a diet of nothing but fungi and mushrooms were surprised.

Some distance from Stonegate is a vast underground lake where Stonegate gets its water from. Pumping stations send it first to the purification station where any impurities are removed, and then the drinkable water is pumped to the populated areas. But in addition to that, the lake provides several varieties of blind fish and eels, shellfish, and lakeweed and other edible plants.

The dwarves are skilled at harvesting the other cave ecosystem as well. Deep-fried bat. Stuffed mole. Rat stew. And more exotic things. There is a mineral eating cave vermin called burrowing maw - the name comes from the miners who hate the things - whose flesh, when prepared for food, tastes different depending on what it has been fed with. If you want to dine in expensive style, order one fed with precious metals.

Fruits and vegetables from the surface, once widely available through trade, have become rare and expensive delicacies. But they are available. They are grown in greenhouses under artificial lights. There are other greenhouses that grow inedible plants too, including a huge vault where trees grow! The cost of maintaining these is sometimes criticized, but to close them might mean that the plants within will go extinct, since no one knows if any have survived on the surface. Besides, these garden caves are popular places for relaxation. Tampering with the plants is strictly forbidden, though.

Recreational consumables have a lot of variety too. The most common is kef - a bitter, stimulating drink made from a type of dark mushroom that is dried and powdered. A bit less common product, because smoking is usually prohibited in public areas, are silver cigars that are made from a silver-gray fungus. Alcohol, most commonly brewed and distilled from mushrooms and fungi, ranges from various beers and ales to strong liquors. Striped mushroom is a mild relaxant that can be eaten either fresh or dried.

Not all recreational products are legal. Preserved Swift Nibbler Adrenal Gland more commonly known as Snag is an extremely strong stimulant - to the point that people have died after taking it. It is strictly banned, along with refined products from mushrooms or fungi with narcotic qualities.