A mining town is a busy place full of sights and sounds both mundane and exciting. Here can be experienced the harsh reality of a borderland town.

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Sights & Sounds

A pile of abandoned picks, some with their heads snapped off, lies by the road.
Weary miners wheel carts full of unprocessed ore long.
Shouts ring out, as dusty miners brawl in the road.
A shanty town of tents stretches across the field.
Coarse laughter, followed by a sharp crack and squeal of pain, rings through the air.
A rattle of die in a cup is followed by the losers’ groans and winner’s chuckles.
A taskmaster’s whip snaps in the air, and a man’s scream assaults the characters’ ears.
Prostitutes call in sultry voices from nearby doorways and alleys.
Constant hammering and clinking echoes from the direction of the mine.
Smithy bellows steam and hiss as the blacksmith toils to keep mining gear in working order.
Three miners have been stripped and chained to posts, where they’re being savagely whipped.
A row of ten mining helms, marking lives lost in a cave-in, are set out like gravestones.

Businesses

Smittle’s Smelt (blacksmith) is one of the busiest establishments in town. Here, a big-bellied blacksmith oversees half-a-dozen apprentices working at several forges that run at all hours.
Bellyup (tavern) is empty during the day, and full of filthy miners at night, all spending hard-earned coin to wash the dust from their throats.
The Cove (inn) provides neat and tidy, if sparsely furnished, rooms for travellers; most furniture is bolted down to prevent thievery.
Sta’bit (boarding house) provides temporary, lodging for vagrant miners working on more transient teams who just need a place to sleep.
The Ramshackle (shanty town) offers a spot for miners to pitch their tents, for a copper a week. Crime is rampant in the shanty town.
Clank’s Clutter (mining equipment) deals in picks, helms and other essential mining equipment.

Folk of Interest

Joina Atlergull (CN female gnome cleric 3) uses her spells to check for dangerous conditions within a mine before the miners get to work excavating further.
Juphet Ralk (N male dwarf fighter 1) handles the demolitions for the mine. As such, he’s half-deaf in one ear and missing the other entirely.
Aldrt Oisa (LN male halfling thief 2) slips into portions of mining shafts most larger people can’t reach, scouting out deeper portions for possible resources worth reaching.
Tasy Diburald (LN female dwarf fighter 2) loves maps. She loves maps so much, every inch of her skin is covered with tattooed maps from various lands and towns she’s travelled through.
Oldine Emug (LE male dwarf fighter 3) is a heavily scarred town guard who takes his duty seriously and chops anyone off at the knees who tries to bribe him. He takes great delight in manipulating marks into offering him a bribe.
Lega Swagt (LE male half-orc fighter 2) has huge, scarred knuckles and has been working in this town since it was founded. A well-known figure, he is a skilled brawler.

Adventure Hooks

Things have finally come to a head between rival mining gangs, and the characters are wandering the streets when the two groups declare war.
A recent cave-in has trapped dozens of miners. The party hears the screams of the miners’ families and the clamour of frenzied work at the mine head.
The party hears rumours the mining town is a front for a massive smuggling ring. The next day, the person who told them the rumour is found dead—their throat raggedly cut gruesomely from ear to ear.
Bandits struck the town, the day before the characters arrived. The bandits made off with a shipment of valuable ore and gems. The local authorities offer the characters 20% of the shipment if they get it back.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Urban Dressing: Mining Town by Josh Vogt. Urban Dressing: Port Town is available from Raging Swan Press in 5e, Pathfinder First Edition, Pathfinder Second Edition and OSR editions.

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