The Whispering Depths of Fauna Mine

Duration: 3-4 hours
Players: 2 (each controlling 2 characters)
Setting: The abandoned Fauna Copper Mine, deep in the Scandinavian wilderness
Tone: Gothic horror with survival elements and moral complexity
Themes: Family bonds, cult worship, symbiosis between human and supernatural

The adventure should evoke the color palette of The Last of Us: muted high oranges contrasting with deep dark greens, creating an atmosphere of decay and unnatural growth.

The Fauna Copper Mine was once a profitable operation until a series of mysterious incidents forced its closure. Some ten years ago, a mining crew led by the Lindholm brothers discovered rich ore veins in the deepest sections. However, they also encountered something else—a strange, bioluminescent fungus that seemed to respond to human presence.

Erik's brother, Magnus Lindholm, was the first to notice that while other miners developed severe skin irritations and respiratory problems from exposure to the fungus and its gaseous emissions, he remained unaffected. Over time, the fungus began growing on his skin, creating a symbiotic relationship that granted him immunity to the mine's toxic environment.

As Magnus's transformation progressed, surviving miners began to worship him as a chosen vessel. They formed a cult around him, believing he was blessed by ancient powers within the earth. The cult operated in secret chambers throughout the mine until internal conflicts and fear drove most members away, leaving Magnus alone in the depths.

Archetype: Haunted Guide
Age: 45
Appearance: Weather-beaten face, graying beard, always carries an ornate brass lantern

Background: Former miner who lost his brother Magnus in what he believed was a cave-in. Has spent years researching the mine's history, driven by guilt and a need for closure.

Personality: Protective, knowledgeable, harbors deep guilt. Becomes increasingly agitated as the group ventures deeper.

Secret: Knows his brother is still alive but hasn't told anyone. The “cave-in” was actually Magnus choosing to remain in the depths with the fungus.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 3, Precision 2, Logic 4, Empathy 3
• Skills: Learning 3, Observation 4, Survival 3, Crafting 2
• Special: His lantern never goes out and provides comfort (+1 to Empathy checks when lit)

Archetype: Scholar of the Occult
Age: 35
Background: University researcher specializing in folklore and supernatural phenomena

Motivation: Drawn to the mine by reports of unusual biological phenomena that might have supernatural origins.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 2, Precision 3, Logic 4, Empathy 3
• Skills: Learning 4, Observation 3, Lore 4, Medicine 2
• Talent: Sixth Sense - Can detect supernatural presence
• Equipment: Research journals, sampling equipment, protective charms

Relationships: Has corresponded with Erik about local folklore

Archetype: Industrial Engineer
Age: 40
Background: Mining engineer hired to assess the structural integrity and machinery

Motivation: Professionally interested in the old mining equipment and ventilation systems.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 4, Precision 3, Logic 3, Empathy 2
• Skills: Crafting 4, Technology 3, Observation 2, Athletics 3
• Talent: Steady Hands - Advantage on precision-based tasks
• Equipment: Engineering tools, structural assessment gear, mining maps

Relationships: Recommended by the mining company that hired the expedition

Archetype: Wilderness Survivalist
Age: 42
Background: Local hunter and tracker familiar with the mountain region

Motivation: Hired as a guide and protector for the expedition.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 4, Precision 4, Logic 2, Empathy 2
• Skills: Survival 4, Athletics 3, Ranged Combat 3, Observation 3
• Talent: Tracker - Can follow trails and detect danger
• Equipment: Hunting rifle, survival gear, rope and climbing equipment

Relationships: Knows the local legends about the mine

Archetype: Folk Healer
Age: 50
Background: Local wise woman and herbalist with knowledge of traditional remedies

Motivation: Concerned about the spiritual implications of the mine's corruption.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 2, Precision 2, Logic 3, Empathy 5
• Skills: Medicine 4, Lore 3, Empathy 4, Observation 2
• Talent: Healing Touch - Can treat both physical and mental trauma
• Equipment: Herbal remedies, holy symbols, protective wards

Relationships: Has treated miners who escaped the mine years ago

Mood: Foreboding anticipation
Duration: 20-30 minutes

Description: The overgrown entrance stands like a mouth in the mountainside. Rusted rail tracks disappear into darkness. Ancient warning signs in Swedish and Norwegian mark the entrance. The forest around is unnaturally quiet.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Observation Check (Difficulty 2): Notice fresh disturbances in the undergrowth
• Lore Check (Difficulty 3): Recognize protective symbols carved into the entrance frame
• Empathy Check (Difficulty 2): Sense the overwhelming sadness emanating from the place

Key Elements:

• The Diving Suits: Heavy leather suits with brass fittings provide protection from gas (+3 Armor vs. toxic damage, -1 to Precision-based checks)
• Warning Signs: Written in multiple languages, warning of “the sleeping sickness” and “the calling voices”
• Erik's Reaction: He becomes noticeably tense and checks his lantern repeatedly

Discoveries:

• Recent footprints leading into the mine (not from the mining company)
• A carved symbol matching those described in local folklore about underground spirits
• Erik's subtle recognition of the area

Mood: Claustrophobic mystery
Duration: 30-40 minutes

Description: Ancient wooden support beams creak ominously. The walls glisten with moisture and patches of luminescent moss. Carved symbols become more frequent and elaborate as the group progresses deeper.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Physique Check (Difficulty 2): Navigate safely through unstable sections
• Learning Check (Difficulty 3): Decipher the meaning of carved symbols
• Technology Check (Difficulty 2): Assess the condition of old mining equipment

Key Elements:

• The Symbol Trail: Symbols evolution from protective wards to reverent iconography
• Equipment Remnants: Abandoned mining tools, some arranged in deliberate patterns
• The First Bio-Film: Small patches of the strange, pulsating organic material

Discoveries:

• Cult Remnants: Makeshift prayer beads made from copper wire and unusual stones
• Journal Fragment: A page from a miner's diary describing Magnus's “blessing”
• Gas Pockets: Areas where the toxic fumes are particularly concentrated

Puzzle: Reading the Symbols
Players must make Learning or Lore checks to understand the progression:

• Success (1-2 victories): Symbols show a transformation story
• Success (3+ victories): Realize the symbols depict willing transformation, not death

Mood: Tense otherworldly danger
Duration: 40-50 minutes

Description: A vast chamber where thick, bioluminescent film oozes from floor cracks. The organic material pulses rhythmically like a heartbeat. Strange growths line the walls, and the air shimmers with toxic gases.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Technology Check (Difficulty 3): Analyze the bio-film safely
• Medicine Check (Difficulty 2): Understand the biological implications
• Lore Check (Difficulty 4): Connect this to Vaesen mythology

Key Elements:

• The Living Floor: Bio-film reacts to movement and sound
• Toxic Atmosphere: Regular Physique checks (Difficulty 2) or suffer -1 ongoing penalties
• The Altar Fragment: Remnants of a ceremonial space partially consumed by growth

Environmental Hazards:

• Gas Exposure: Failed Physique checks cause Conditions: Dizzy, Nauseous
• Bio-Film Contact: Direct contact triggers Learning checks to avoid Afraid condition
• Unstable Footing: Failed Precision checks risk falling into bio-film pools

Discoveries:

• Cult Artifacts: Copper ceremonial items partially dissolved by the bio-film
• Personal Effects: Items clearly belonging to Magnus Lindholm
• The Growth Pattern: Bio-film spreads from a specific direction deeper in the mine

Mood: Tense puzzle-solving with mechanical dread
Duration: 45-60 minutes

Description: A chamber filled with massive, rusted ventilation equipment. Pipes and chambers of various sizes create a complex system. Everything is covered in a thin layer of the bio-film, making operation dangerous.

The Resonance Puzzle:
The ventilation system requires tuning a series of pipes to create specific harmonic frequencies.

Vaesen Mechanics: 1. Investigation Phase:

• Observation Check (Difficulty 2): Understand the basic system layout
• Technology Check (Difficulty 3): Identify how to operate the machinery
• Learning Check (Difficulty 4): Discover the harmonic sequence needed

2. Operation Phase:

• Crafting Check (Difficulty 3): Adjust pipe lengths and configurations
• Empathy Check (Difficulty 2): Listen for correct tonal responses
• Collaborative Requirement: All players must succeed at least one check

The Spirit in the Machine:
A minor Vaesen inhabits the ventilation system—the collective spirit of miners who died operating it.

• Respectful Approach (Empathy Check Difficulty 2): The spirit provides hints through mechanical sounds
• Forceful Approach: The spirit actively resists, increasing all check difficulties by +1
• Hostile Approach: The spirit sabotages efforts, causing system failures

Outcomes:

• Complete Success: Ventilation clears toxic gases from deep areas, revealing new passages
• Partial Success: Some areas cleared, but navigation remains dangerous
• Failure: Gas concentrations increase, forcing alternate routes and time pressure

Mood: Archaeological horror and revelation
Duration: 30-40 minutes

Description: Hidden chambers accessed through cleared ventilation shafts. These spaces show clear signs of long-term habitation and religious activity centered around fungal growth.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Observation Check (Difficulty 2): Piece together the cult's activities
• Lore Check (Difficulty 3): Understand the theological implications
• Empathy Check (Difficulty 4): Feel the residual emotions of the cult members

Key Elements:

• Living Quarters: Makeshift beds and personal effects showing gradual abandonment
• Ritual Spaces: Altars covered in bio-film with offerings of copper and organic material
• The Schism Evidence: Signs of violent conflict between cult factions

Discoveries:

• Magnus's Journal: Describes his growing connection to the fungus and his followers' devotion
• Defector's Notes: Letters from cult members who tried to leave, describing Magnus's increasing alienation from humanity
• The Final Ritual Space: A chamber prepared for some ultimate ceremony that was never completed

Erik's Breaking Point:
This is where Erik reveals he knew Magnus was alive. Players can make Empathy checks to help him process this revelation or Logic checks to understand the full implications.

Mood: Climactic confrontation with moral complexity
Duration: 45-60 minutes

Description: The deepest accessible chamber, where bio-film has completely taken over. The walls pulse with organic life, and at the center, Magnus Lindholm sits in meditation, his body a hybrid of human and fungal growth.

Approaching Magnus:
Players can reach this scene through multiple paths based on their previous choices:

1. Direct Confrontation Route: If they cleared the ventilation completely
2. Stealth Approach: If they partially solved the machinery puzzle
3. Diplomatic Contact: If they showed respect to spirits and understood cult lore

Magnus Lindholm - The Transformed
Current State: Magnus has been symbiotically merged with the mine's Vaesen for years. He's conscious but fundamentally changed.

Vaesen Mechanics:

• Attributes: Physique 5, Precision 2, Logic 4, Empathy 6
• Skills: Lore 5, Empathy 4, Survival 5
• Special Abilities:
  • Fungal Network: Can sense all life within the mine
  • Toxic Immunity: Completely immune to the mine's gases
  • Bio-Film Control: Can manipulate the organic growth

Interaction Options:

1. Diplomatic Approach (Empathy Checks):

• Magnus explains his choice and the symbiosis
• He can be convinced to contain the growth
• Erik gets closure through conversation

2. Aggressive Approach (Combat):

• Magnus defends himself using bio-film
• Destroying him stops the growth but traumatizes Erik
• Combat uses standard Vaesen rules with environmental hazards

3. Scholarly Approach (Learning/Lore Checks):

• Research the symbiosis for future solutions
• Magnus provides information about the Vaesen
• Players leave with knowledge rather than resolution

Erik's Choice:
Regardless of approach, Erik must decide whether to:

• Try to bring his brother back to the surface
• Accept Magnus's choice to remain
• Make the ultimate sacrifice to end the threat

If players successfully negotiate with Magnus and Erik accepts his brother's transformation, the bio-film growth stabilizes but doesn't spread. The mine becomes a contained supernatural site that requires monitoring.

Outcome: The mining company must abandon their plans, but the supernatural threat is contained. Erik finds peace with his brother's choice.

If Magnus is destroyed (through combat or his own choice), the bio-film begins to die, but Erik is left devastated. The mine becomes safe for industrial use, but at great personal cost.

Outcome: The mining operation can proceed, but Erik disappears into the wilderness, unable to cope with the loss.

If players focus on understanding rather than resolving, they leave with crucial knowledge about human-Vaesen symbiosis. Magnus remains, but his influence is understood and can be managed.

Outcome: The characters become experts on this type of supernatural phenomenon, setting up future adventures.

If players partially solve the situation, the mine is sealed and marked as a supernatural hazard. Magnus continues his existence, but isolated from the outside world.

Outcome: A compromise solution that prevents immediate harm but leaves questions unanswered.

Attribute Checks:

• Physique: Surviving toxic environments, navigating unstable terrain
• Precision: Operating delicate machinery, avoiding bio-film hazards
• Logic: Solving puzzles, understanding complex situations
• Empathy: Communicating with spirits, understanding cult motivations

Skills Emphasized:

• Learning: Deciphering symbols, understanding the supernatural
• Observation: Noticing environmental clues, tracking cult remnants
• Technology: Operating mining equipment, understanding machinery
• Survival: Navigating dangerous mine conditions
• Lore: Understanding Vaesen mythology, interpreting supernatural signs
• Empathy: Dealing with traumatized NPCs, communicating with spirits

Environmental Conditions:

• Dizzy: From gas exposure
• Nauseous: From bio-film contact
• Afraid: From supernatural encounters
• Exhausted: From wearing heavy diving suits

Mental Trauma Opportunities:

• Discovering the cult's fate
• Erik's revelation about his brother
• Direct contact with the transformed Magnus
• Moral choices about ending the threat

The Mine's Vaesen:

• Type: Symbiotic entity that bonds with willing hosts
• Power: Biological transformation and environmental control
• Weakness: Requires willing participation to maintain strength
• Motivation: Survival and expansion through partnership

Vaesen Detection:
Characters with supernatural sensitivity can detect:

• The presence of the main entity in deeper areas
• Residual spiritual energy from cult activities
• The emotional resonance of Magnus's transformation

Day 47 in the deep chambers. The growth no longer burns when I touch it. Sara says I'm blessed, that the mountain spirits have chosen me. I don't feel chosen—I feel changed. But when the others cough blood and I breathe freely, perhaps she's right. The voices in the walls speak of partnership, not possession. Perhaps this is evolution, not curse.

Brother Magnus grows stranger each day. The growth covers more of his skin, and his eyes glow with that same green light as the walls. Some of us begin to doubt. Is this blessing or something darker? I've hidden supplies in the upper chambers. If things go wrong, we'll need an escape route. —Nils Eriksson

Preliminary surveys indicate significant copper deposits in sectors 7-12. However, local reports of 'sleeping sickness' and 'corrupted air' require investigation. Recommend sending advance team with protective equipment before full operations commence.

Seventeen witnesses describe Magnus Lindholm as 'becoming one with the mountain.' All accounts agree: he didn't die in the collapse. He chose to stay. I've spent five years denying this, but the evidence is clear. My brother is still down there, and I don't know if he's still human.

• Act I (Scenes 1-2): 60 minutes - Establishment and exploration
• Act II (Scenes 3-5): 90 minutes - Investigation and puzzle-solving
• Act III (Scene 6): 60 minutes - Climax and resolution

• Use environmental descriptions to create claustrophobia
• Have Erik's reactions escalate as the truth becomes clear
• Make the diving suits feel cumbersome and limiting
• Use lighting effects with the bio-film's glow

Each player controls two characters to create a larger expedition feel:

• Assign complementary character pairs to each player
• Encourage players to develop relationships between characters
• Use character separation during dangerous moments for tension
• Allow players to switch active character based on scene requirements

• Combat-focused groups: Emphasize the machinery puzzles and potential Magnus confrontation
• Investigation-focused groups: Add more cult lore and symbol interpretation
• Social-focused groups: Expand Erik's emotional journey and Magnus's motivations
• Horror-focused groups: Emphasize body horror elements of the transformation

The adventure succeeds if:

• Players feel they've made meaningful choices
• Erik's story arc reaches a satisfying conclusion
• The moral complexity of the situation creates discussion
• Players understand the Vaesen world's supernatural ecosystem

• Routine Tasks: Difficulty 1
• Moderate Challenges: Difficulty 2
• Significant Obstacles: Difficulty 3
• Major Challenges: Difficulty 4
• Extreme Difficulties: Difficulty 5

• Gas Exposure: Physique check (Difficulty 2) every 30 minutes without protection
• Bio-Film Contact: Learning check (Difficulty 3) to avoid Afraid condition
• Diving Suit Penalty: -1 to all Precision-based checks
• Low Light: -1 to Observation checks unless using Erik's lantern

• Each scene should take approximately the suggested duration
• Use environmental pressure to maintain pacing
• Allow extra time for character moments and Erik's revelations
• Build to the climactic choice in the final scene