Deepvein was a dwarven mining settlement of Corathen built around a hole nobody wanted to enter.
The settlement itself remained busy.
Ore carts crossed the central yard. Smithies turned ordinary iron into tools and support braces. Dwarves reinforced roofs, sharpened drills, argued over stone quality, and sold meals to travelers who had followed the mountain road from the nearest city.
The abandoned mine entrance stood behind three locked gates.
Pale blue crystal grew around the stone arch. Thin lines of mana moved through it like light beneath ice. The formation would have been valuable if every attempt to harvest it had not drawn creatures from deeper tunnels.
Max stood outside the gates with Anna and Quin while the mine forewoman explained the problem.
