This is the adventuring party each with a partial ownership in the Little Shoppe of Curiosities.  Jaimus owes each of them a debt and respected each of them for the things they brought to him in life:

• Calliope (Jill) - Character Sheet - An archeologist/musicologist/appraiser who worked with Jaimus on the provenance of curiosities.
• Cosma (Griffin) - Character Sheet - A mystic Faun specializing in magics both deep and dark. 
• Katrina (Barbara) - Character Sheet - A Katari gambler with an uncanny knack of winning money from Jaimus.
• Kustos-749 (Calvin) - Character Sheet - A Clank recently liberated from a cursed imprisonment.

Former Members

• Kaiser (Leland) - Character Sheet - A Katari kid next door who helped Jaimus by chopping firewood.

After lifting the curse on Annabelle, she was thankful, but also shared this message of prophecy with The Party:

Three born of the same womb.

Powerful beyond compare.

Alone they are dangerous.

United, deadly they are.

The youngest; swift of thought and devoid or moral, she names herself Akiva.

The medial; a power bought and honor sold, she names herself Uloo.

The eldest, fright and rage are her chosen trade, she names herself Margosa.

Search far and wide for items three that shall empower all of thee; only then shall you stand a chance.

A spirited dance burning bright banishing all but darkest night, this interred within a stone and to harden all alone.

Born of earth strengthened in fire, honed until its edge is dire, blessed by holy persons true, shall vanquish those who live anew.

Made by cloth of magic spawn it blocks out all beneath the sun. It covers what’s real, reveals what’s true, no face no eyes but senses new.

These are the words faithfully, recorded by Cornelia Fausta amanuensis for Professora Fausta.

According to elven scholars, the name was originally "Echoes Field" due to the echoing of the pit, but has changed over time to Ekersfeld. The present, Lady Ekersfeld doesn't believe that, preferring that the mines have been a family venture for hundreds of years.

The village, itself, if mostly built around the outside of the pit, but some have made their homes in the ancient chambers below. Further down are the iron mines, where many of the residents work.

The villagers may know more about the pit than anyone else, but they don't know much. The stairs leading below the mines are closed with a locked gate and no one ventures beyond it.

Still, they do know a few things about what's below.

First, there are bats living down there. Very large ones, which come out at night. For this reason, the villagers tend to stay indoors after dark.

Second, there is-- or at least, was-- somebody living down there. The old folks say their grandparents told them stories about the pit people, who used to come up to trade on occasion. No one alive has seen a pit person, but they were said to be small and strange-looking, but friendly enough. These "pit people" are actually a tribe of goblins, who do still live below.

The villagers don't know anything about the origins of the pit, but they have plenty of theories. Maybe the people were digging something up. Or maybe they just liked the darkness. Or maybe they were demons digging a pit to hell. In any case, the villagers don't believe dwarves built it. Dwarves do build underground cities, but a few dwarves passing through have told them it doesn't look dwarven to them.

The villagers don't know how old the pit is, but they believe it's at least a few thousand years old. They are correct.

A few out-of-towners have gone down into the pit over the years. Most of them didn't return. Those that did weren't down there long and didn't venture very far.

The villagers' shrine is dedicated to the god of mining or smithing.

The villagers don't process the ore they mine. They send it to a nearby mill to be crushed and smelted.