Snow Copper Mines

The Snow copper mines are a series of large & small mines found tucked away in the Atlas mountain range east of Carthage at the north west side of the Sahara. It is rumoured that it belongs to the Snow Clan, an Elvish clan that has been based in southern Britain for centuries.

Purpose / Function

The mines were copper mines in the Saharan Atlas Mountains on the northern side of the mountain range. Although most of the ores that were brought out were copper in origin, other ores were found as well as different gemstones. Later in time, it was used to store hidden treasures and strange otherworldly items.

Alterations

Most were carved vertically, into the base of some of the mountains in the specific region, with a few carved into them horizontally. Nearly all were created in straight lines, eventually widening out at the main entrances. There are smaller shafts cut along old seams, and a few are almost vertical in nature. A few of these are widened at their ends to place items in.

Architecture

Certain hard stones and hardwoods are used with slight magical spells to hold up the walls & rooves. Some are plugged with heavy stone doors. All have old Elvish & Phoenician scripts.

Defenses

Strewn throughout the mines are wards & glyphs in Elvish & Phoenician that prevents any others from entering and misdirects the person entering into abandoned & dangerous mineshafts. A few will misdirect said persons back out altogether. A thief can always find their way round these so they have been coded to only work for someone descended of either group. Someone of these groups can reset them so their companions can accompany them and be permanently keyed in. There is usually a set of elvish glyphs inside the entrance to do this hidden in plain sight. If destroyed or severely damaged it will not work from then on.

History

The Phoenicians had made it to the south of Britain centuries if not millennia ago, and had contact with Cornish tin miners. At the same time members of the Snow Clan of Elves from Alfheim had made it over to this region, via the Feywild. They swiftly took up different profitable trades including mining due to the locals knowledge of it and the lack of Dwarves. The Phoenicians quickly hired the Elves to help them mine copper and the like in the Saharan Atlas Mountains east of Carthage and struck a deal with them.
The region was known to have had rebels & brigands in it and a ruined temple of Baal was there. Many of them had raided enough to have built up a treasure hoard on their own sitting in the temple as an offering. They themselves were responsible for the damage to the temple, and had started to worship Baal after they raided a lair of a black dragon in the mountains, and made off with a bunch of it's treasure hoard including many strange and dangerous magic items it had invented itself.
At this point the Elves were offered a share of the treasure, and mining rights generally in their favour if at least some of the ores & treasure went to the Crown. The rest the Elves could do with whatever they wanted. The Elves knew that many of the treasure had a nasty reputation and were afraid of sending a portion home in the off chance it was cursed. They soon took up mining with the help of the Phoenicians and when they reopened some mines that had been built there already, they sunk some of the most dangerous parts and other stuff for use later on in some of the abandoned mine shafts. Over time though there did seem to be some type of curse, with theft, lost money, and the loss of the titles to the mines. At this point there is now the rumour of those spread in southern Britain that at least two copies of the title still exists and can be used to claim ownership of the mines again. One is believed to lie somewhere in Corinthia and one in the old city of Byblos in the Levant.
It is also rumoured that any curse can be broken by getting rid of some of the items there, and an offering made at the old ruins of the temple in Baal's name to the black dragon. It's name seems to be translated to Leviathan.

Type

Mine

Parent Location

Saharan Atlas Mountains