Thorimir trudged up the side of the mountain with his two companions, an elf [Ranger] and a young human [Mage]. The elf was in front, guiding the party, while the mage plodded along behind them. They’d been out here for three days already and Thorimir was tired of frequent rain.

“So what do we know?” the dwarf asked the group

“We’re going over this again?” the mage asked.

“Yes. Ensuring we don’t forget any details is important. And you’ve barely answered the last couple of times I asked, so you get to do the all the answering this time.”

The mage stayed silent.

“Well?” Thorimir prompted

“Fine. No need to get your beard in a twist.” The mage took a moment to gather their thoughts before continuing, “We’re here because two shepherds went missing over a week ago. A boy first, and the father a few days after, after he’d gonna looking for the boy. The boy going missing is tragic, but unfortunately not uncommon in the frontier. The more concerning one is the father going missing. As a former adventure, even one that changed classes, they should be more than able to take care of themselves for a few days in the wilds. Accidents happen, of course, but the man had spouted about there being something in the hills the day night the boy went missing and his two former companions both insist that the missing man’s instincts had kept them from danger more times than they could count during their adventuring day. The elder believed them and sent for us, fearing a dangerous best or monster has made its home nearby,”

“And what have we found so far?”

“Nothing. Only some wild animals known to be in the area.”

“If we’ve only found a bunch of wild animals, then are we trekking up the side a mountain away from where the villagers think the shepherds went missing?”

“Because Lorrim got the impress from a bird that one of them had passed this way. Unfortunately, the blasted rain has wiped out all the tracks.”

“Not all of them, Baxter, not all of them,” The Lorrim called from the front of the party. “You just need to know where to look. I’ll admit, though, the rain is making it much more difficult.”

“So what do we think got the shepherds?” Thorimir asked the group.

“Not a monster,” Lorrim said. “We’d see fewer animals in the area and would have found evidence of a monster marking its territory. I think an accident.”

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“I think it’s a dudgeon,” Baxter said

“Care to explain?” Thorimir asked.

“While I can’t speak from experience, many of the accounts I’ve read about dungeon discoveries often involve unexplained disappearances. Especially if they appear near a settled area. We may have been out here for three days, but if we were to travel here straight from the village, it may have only taken us a bit over half a day. That’s not far at all.”

The group continued in silence until Lorrim stopped them.

“My familiar has spotted a point of interest not too far away. I can’t tell through its eyes what it is, but there are the ruins of several buildings.”

“Anything that looks intact enough to use as a shelter?” Thorimir asked.

“Not that I can see.”

“Hmmm... we’ll take a look, anyway. If one of them has a serviceable cellar, one of the missing people might have taken shelter there.”

It was another hour through the rough terrain for the party to make it to the ruins. Calling them ruins was an understatement. Most of them looked like piles of rotted wood. The only thing that resembled a structure still was the remains of what could have been an old forge. Loose rock litter the mountainside above, and slightly to the side of, the ruins.

“What do you think this place was?” asked Baxter

“A mine.” Thorimir said. “All that loose rock is probably waste rock. But let’s focus on why we’re here. Baxter, do you see anything?”

“Just give me a moment,” the [Mage] said

The man closed his eyes and muttered an incantation under his breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing. Without moving, Baxter surveyed the area for several minutes in silence. The glow fade from his eyes and he shook his head.

“Nothing besides some insects and rodents. If there is a cellar in one of these building, it’s possible the rock is blocking me from seeing anything, but I don’t think they're here.”

“What about you Lorrim?”

“No, but I think I can see the mine’s entrance.”

“Can you send you familiar down to take a look?”

“No. They can neither see in the dark nor fly well in confined spaces.”

“Fantastic. Guess we’re exploring an abandoned mine then.” Thorimir shook his head with a sigh. “we’ll take a break first though. Afterwards, I’ll lead. I have more experience in mine than either of you. Any complaints?”

The other two shook their head.

Half an hour later, they were standing in front of the door to the mine.

“This door is off.” Thorimir said.

“How so?” asked Baxter

“For starters, it’s better to not have one. It makes it easier to ventilate the mine. Mostly it because the door doesn’t match the weathering of the supports.”

“Maybe it was put in after to keep people out?”

“Maybe.”

Thorimir grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. It swung open easily.

“If the door’s been here that long, it shouldn’t have opened that easily,” Lorrim said.

“No. And if it was to keep people out, why wasn’t it locked, barred, or jammed shut?” Thorimir said.

“There is only one way to find out.”

“Agreed.”

Thorimir hefted his shield in front of him and took a step through the door, entering the mine. He stopped for only a moment before retreating. His companions looked at him in confusion.

“I’m glad I didn’t make a bet with Baxter. If I had, I’d at least own you a drink.”

“What do you mean?” The [Mage] asked.

“Your guess was right. This right here is a dungeon.”

“Are you serious? I was just joke about that. There has been a new dungeon in the kingdom for decades.”

“Definitely. I’ve been in too many dungeons to mistake the feeling. But you’re free to check yourself.”

Both Baxter and Lorrim took a step inside the mine and retreated just as quickly as Thorimir had.

“What do we do now?” Lorrim asked.

“We’re not going in side are we? I accepted a job to look for missing shepherds, not explore a new Dungeon.” Baxter said.

“We’re not going inside. We don’t know how old this dungeon is, though I would guess young by the amount of people missing. And I don’t know about you tow, but I would rather not be added to a missing person list. No, we’re returning to the village to inform them that their fellows have likely fallen to a dungeon. Then back to the guild to report it. Given how few Silvers there are in the area, I expect well be back before too long.”