Avernum Northern Frontier Survey Group

When the Northern Frontier was discovered in 859 IE, the Crown made the decision to send a small group of explorers into the newly discovered area to check it out. They were also charged with making teleportation pylons throughout the frontier. It wasn't until 861 IE that the tunnel was opened up enough to allow travel. A week later and the explorers found themselves inside the first cave (now known as the Drake Pillars). Led by Landsman, they were near the front of the flood of explorers that poured into the Northern Frontier. They traveled through the Northern Frontier along with several other notable people of the Northern Frontier. They helped to clear out the monsters of the caves as they progressed.

The survey group arrived in the Azure Gallery in 865 IE after four years of travelling. They helped the other settlers form a defensive line on a hill in the NE corner (where Highground currently sits) and fight off the giants that were already in the cave. The survey group left when the people of Highground went crazy with greed.

The survey group went west but found that their progress was blocked by a barrier. They made camp at the western wall just north of the tunnel. The next day, five of the surviving eleven members of the group led by Captain Waxman decided to investigate the barrier. They never returned.

Eventually, other settlers started arriving after being denied by those of Highground to settle the caves. These rejects formed a new town built around the survey group's camp and called it Muck.

In 871 IE, a group of Empire soldiers (later known as Prazac Avengers) came to them while they were still stuck in Muck. The soldiers told Landsman that they have been activating the pylons that the survey group built. He told them the group's story of how they got there and how they split up. Prazac Avengers activated the pylon and the survey group made preparations to leave.

It wasn't until Prazac's Avengers went beyond the barrier that it was found out what happened to the other five members of the survey group. It occurs that they had still been making pylons.

Prazac's Avengers found a pylon in a cave west of Thalants and another at the dragon Melanchion's fortress. They found the last pylon and the sole surviving member, Captain Waxman, in the southern part of the cave where Dorikas had built a fort.

Waxman told Prazac's Avengers of the other fives' journey; how they built the pylon near Thalants; how two of their number drowned when their boat capsized; how they met Melanchion and built the pylon at his fort; how the captain and the other two (named Katherine and Samarrr) came to the cave where Dorikas was. They tried to hide but were soon discovered by loyalists. The loyalists tortured them and then threw dice to see which one would live. Waxman won and the loyalists killed Katherine and Samarrr.

Prazac's Avengers activated the pylon and Waxman was finally able to go back home.