Life in Diamond Lake continues as it always has. This month was just like any of the other ones, however this week's featured treasure hunters happen to be a trio of adventurers from the Free City, who have been speaking openly of their intent to raid the empty Stirgenest Cairn for at least a week, their plan has had time to spread through all corners of Diamond Lake. Another word on the street however, is someone has gotten it in their heads to raid another cairn, each of you has heard it from a friend or an acquaintance that a meeting is set up in an abandoned overseer's office just an hour outside of town for those with reason to want to finally get out of Diamond Lake.
And your reasons have brought you out here this early in the morning, dawn is still an hour away.
The modest dwelling squats upon the crown of a small hill. While the rough stone walls of the first floor look mostly intact the second floor has completely collapsed. A half height wall rings the house but it too is in a state of severe disrepair. Rubble and dense weeds choke the yard except for single path leading up to the office which is made of smooth stone blocks, though it stands in shambles. Thick vines creep up the side and most of the windows are broke. The front door hangs open, barely on its hinges, under a sagging and partially collapsed porch.
Small mounds of debris litter the floor of the building's interior. Loose stones, dead weeds, and grime cover virtually every surface. Paintings must have once adorned the place as indicated by the particular stain patterns marring the walls. The only light comes from a single lantern upon a table in the front room, which illuminates clouds of dust dancing through the stale air.
Erwin was excited. At last he had found something that will change his boring life. Grown up in Diamond Lake and only able to dream of his own adventures Erwin had heard from some drunken people about this chance of meeting for additional raid to another cavern.
All his necessary stuff packed and having arrived early to the site of abandoned overseer's office. Oh god, at last I can get on group with other adventures. Ah, first time out of town. I cant ruin this chance Erwin was thinking feverishly as he did not want to miss this opportunity
Looking around and nervously touching the head of battle-axe as his head kept spinning around to see his possible future teammates please dont screw this, please dont screw this... oh god, I hope I wont embarrass myself
Artemis had agreed to cut a few more pieces of timber so that the smithy could fill an easy order of masterwork arrows....
Afterwards he was ready to move on from Diamond lake, just as he was he heard whispers of the adventurers....
The squat building seemed harmless enough, in a way it brought back memories of the single room log cabin he and his father shared for all those years while he was growing up.
It was hard to think of the cabin ablaze and his father dying within....
Pulling his cloak tight and setting down his pack he moves toward the building hoping that he will be able to leave Diamond Lake far behind.......
He felt the strange coin in his pocket and recalled his father's instructions go to the free city, find the thieves, present the coin, and say the words.....
Gnobby moved, or rather slinked, through the cover and shadows afforded by the predawn to get into a position to observe the surroundings, and the building where the meeting was supposed to take place.
Not a trusting one, Gnobby always got to any suspect meeting early to scout out the approaches and watch everyone approach. Hidden in his blind, he watched the humans approach.
Once again, it appeared Gnobby was involved in another dispute over property. Yes, the miners seemed quite offended when Gnobby had found some of their missing gems. Always looking for a convenient scapegoat, and yes, lockpicks are common tools. You never know when you need to help someone repair a hooded lantern.
Koross walks towards the old overseer's hut, enjoying the fine early morning air.
As he walks, he thinks about his recent visit with the stone merchant in Diamond Lake. Sent by his elders, he had been told merely to knock and present himself. Nothing more, nothing said.
Doing so, he was impressed by the reaction of the merchant to Koross' appearance on his doorstep: an instant pallor and a stammering apology and reassurance that the debt would be paid.
After giving the fearful merchant a respectful bow, Koross , his task finished set out for the hut, having overheard the evening before that something interesting was afoot regarding the nearby cairns.
As a boy, Koross had often heard the older boys talk about delving into the cairns...grand adventures to be had!
Now, released by the Monestery, at least for a time, to find his own way in the world, his childhood interest in the cairns was re-awakened.
Seeing the hut come in sight, Koross slows taking in the area around the dilapidated structure.
Seeing a couple of others have preceeded him, he raises his hand in greeting as he enters the light from the lantern.
"Hail and well met." he says simply.
Artemis had his shield on his back his Shortbow on his hip, plenty of arrows and handaxes and daggers in easy reach.
He surveyed the cabin actually thinking about his preference for the outdoors.
The others arrived a young lad he thought he recognized from Diamond Lake. Likely a passable warrior. Then the man with the polearm, that was never his thing, better to strike first...and not like the young man with strength, but to the vulnerable places.
"Well met indeed, I am Artemis, my father and I were woodcutters by trade. Though I lost him when tragically our house burned down..he didn't make it....so nothing left for me here."
"Anyone know who's coming?"
Bit jumpy and turning towards face, which surprised him before remembering that there was supposed to be people coming, Erwin looked at the direction where the voice came from.
"Hello! Also coming to take part to this supposed meeting?" Erwin spoke as his hands still went on with their stretching and touching his equipment to calm him down
"Not sure about other people. I just arrived a moment ago myself and thought that there would already be people. Did you perhaps arrange this?" Erwin asks curiously
Gnobby waits, he wants to be the last one in.
Koross enters the hut at the double greeting, leaning his polearm up against the weathered wood of the hut's wall.
Removing his pack , he stands relaxed and answers Erwin, "I did not." then turns his head to address Artemis, "As to whom else is coming? That I do not know. I am call Koross, lately of the Twighlight Monestery. I have been given leave of my duties there, for a time and when I heard talk of this venture...I allowed my curiosity to lead me here. "
"Welcome Thantor Spelloak."
In answer to the questions Artemis shrugs....
"I had finished all business I had. I heard about this meeting place, nothing else is known to me. I expect there will perhaps be others arriving. At the least those who have called us here..."
Artemis grabs his pack and sets it by the door....
"I had hoped this morning or the next to kill either a turkey or perhaps a deer, to enhance our provisions along the way."
Then, with a shrug, the gnome moves from his hiding spot and joins the group.
He moves in quietly, gives everyone a nod and speaks with a quiet voice:
"Gnobnac Fullmeasure, I go by Gnobby. Who is running this show?"
Time begins to tick by and it becomes apparent that no one else is coming. Could this entire thing have just been rumors started by someone that never expected a follow through. Something to make them look impressive infront of their thinking buddies and it the rumor grew as it passed from lip to lip.
There is a part of you disappointed by this realization but maybe one of this group or all of them shared a thought...
You are only a few hours from the Whispering Cairn... one of those local legends. The teens use to use it to dare their friends to stay the night near the opening of the cairn where a siren song would constantly play from lending to its legend and spookiness. That was until a couple years ago when a girl went missing...
Everyone avoided it after that fearing the danger... the local soldiers patrolled for awhile to deter those few brave souls that still risked the cairn... and now it has been forgotten again to be rediscovered in the future to compound its legend.
Seeing as that was the last people to arrive and after a long time it was just them Erwin decided that maybe he should say something "Um, everyone, um, I do not know about you but maybe if you would like to go for Whispering Cairn, maybe we could do it. There is plenty of us and I for once want to use this opportunity" Erwin states in his unsure and young voice
"I mean, I have dreamed of something like this and I do see you all are likeminded people so what you say? It wont hurt us I think. Its not so far away as I know so... someone want to go with me?" having a bit more confidence in his voice at the end Erwin seems eager to have a group to go with
Artemis considers some of the ideas in his mind.
He voices one of them......"Unless there really was someone looking to make this venture and someone else stopped them from coming here, perhaps permanently?"
Gnobby stretches the kinks from many hours waiting, and then adds:
"Yep, we might as well go on our own. It can't hurt to take a peek. We can use this as a base of operations."
Gnobby turns and begins to head outside.
"Besides peachfuzz, is anyone else coming?"
"I will go if all agree and if we have a better plan and sense of how to work as a team."
Pauses briefly...
"I do better defending a flank than I do as a frontman."
"I accept your invitation." Koross says sharing a smile with the others, "Whether our meeting was intentional or merely fate, let us see what awaits us in the Cairn."
"Looks like we are all in and all in agreement."
"Irwin in the front, I guess?"
"Koross and I in the rear, Thantor and Gnobby in the middle."
Retrieves his pack and all his gear and goes along with the others headed towards the whispering cairn.....
It took a few hours to travel to the Whispering Cairn... a difficult search reveals the opening of the ancient cairn.
Natural light dimly illuminates a long hallway extending north into darkness. A faint breeze brings with it sibilant whispers that sound almost like sighing breath. It must be a trick of the wind, but the effect is almost lifelike.
The walls bear horizontal bands of deceptively simple geometric patterns at waist level. In places the bands reveal startling detail, but in others the walls look as though they have been hacked apart with weapons or eroded by the rigors of time. Flakes of ancient paint, brilliant purple and a dull mustard hue, still cling to the walls in places, hinting at what must once have been a riot of color. A thin coat of dust coats the floor.
Just inside the darkened tomb, the hallway branches into shallow alcoves to the east and west. Here the walls bear the most significant damage. Dozens of clumsy etchings mar the beautiful ancient masonry like graffiti on a city wall. A clump of soiled cloth about the size of a halfling rests in the rounded terminus of the western alcove.
Outside, the wind picks up, and a chorus of almost human sounds rises from the darkened hall.
"I guess we are going noisy and strong over quiet and sneaky. I can work from the middle."
Gnobby pulls out a longsword and dagger.
Koross steps into the shadow of the entrace, lightly running a finger along the wall, watching flakes of stucco and paint flutter to the ground.
"Impermenance..." he says softly, before taking a breath and standing still, listening to the noises coming from the tomb, head cocked to one side.
"I have a hooded lantern and some oil, I also have a simple lamp that might work nearly as well unless the wind suddenly gusts."
Artemis is getting his lantern ready.....while he is speaking
Beaming with happiness and desire for adventure Erwin happily takes front place in the group as he walks forward. Amazed by the darkened hall and almost realistic sounds of human from the wind he tries to peer deeper "So, we should get deeper then? a Simple lamp could do wonders I guess. I cant see well in the darkness so it would be most appreciated" Erwin chatters and will gladly accept offered lamp
Artemis lights and hands him the hooded lamp....
"Obvious wind makes this a better option."
With the lamp provided Erwin looks around the halls, dusts cloating the floor and moving forward slowly, only to stop to see if others would follow him. Grapping his axe to his other hand as he started moving again to see what the cave could offer to them.
Admiring the ancient masonry with graffiti it was like a dream come true for young Erwin as his mind spinned different kinds of stories and adventurous for him to think. Aah, my own adventure at last. Even though there seems to be not much but at least I can live this dream, even if for short while
Gnobby follows behind the leader. It seemed a nice place to explore.
"Young man, let me know if you need any help up front."
Koross peers into the dark of the cave, looking a the height of the ceiling and the width of the passage, as he takes his place in the middle of the group.
The western hall extends perhaps forty feet, ending at a small marble platform raised about six inches off the floor. A strange shattered arcane apparatus rest upon this platform, its curved ovular frame giving the appearance of a noble's dressing mirror. Only a third of this frame remains. An unusual arcane glyph about the size of a man's head has been delicately carved into the baseplate of the support platform.
Up ahead in the distant darkness you see a faint flickering green light.
"Wonder if this thing is worth digging out of here? I heard the collectors paid top dollars for nearly anything old, broken or weird."
"Surely a team of miners could..."
"Could be sunlight coming down through a vein of crystal."
Artemis edges his way up to be right behind Erwin and Koross....
Moving towards the green light and trying to examine Erwin has no idea what he is looking at "Um, anyone has any idea what this might be? It looks strange and I have never heard something like this being found in here caverns"
Koross regards the apparatus, "Others have passed through here...no doubt attempts to move the relic in the past have failed. " he offers to Artemis.
he then moves further in , following Erwin, curious as to the source of the green light...
Artemis puts his free hand on Erwins shoulder....
His hand axe ready in the other, unknown to Erwin Artemis planned to use him to swing around the side of an enemy should they confront one....to set for an axe to the backside....
"Right with you."
Fifteen feet down the east passage a huge pile of collapsed rubble blocks the alcove from top to bottom. It looks like it would take weeks to tunnel through the densely packed debris.
The central hallway opens into a large chamber with wings leading to the east and west. Across the chamber to the north yawns a twenty-foot-wide open arch draped from top to bottom in translucent cobwebs. An eerie green light flickers from beyond the webs, casting strange shadows about this room. The place smells of animal spoor and wet fur.
To the west, three short stairs lead to a wide marble dais, but the far end of the wing is obscured by darkness.
Huge slabs of cracked masonry and irregular piles of scattered debris choke the eastern wing, giving the appearance of complete collapse.
The sibilant, almost human whispers present in the passage become a chorus in this massive chamber, eerily echoing off the walls.
Gnobby moves along and his eyes get big, but he says nothing.
"Can we burn away some of this webbing so we can see better?"
"Um, we could try? Seems like spider doing but in such a scale.. how big must that spider be" as Erwin shudders from the thought and his grip tightens around his axe for a moment
"There is still the another direction to west, which we could see but I guess better to ged rid of these cobwebs." Erwin agrees as he opens the lid and steps more closer to the webbings. Bringing the fire a bit closer to the cobweb to set it on fire and then moving fast backwards .
"Good, best not to expose ourselves to something creeping up behind us from this alcove, before we move on."
Nose wrinkling as he takes in the animal stench, "There's been animals here, perfect prey for spiders, act carefully." he says, his polearm at the ready behind Erwin as he attempts to light the webs alight.
The cobweb seem to go up easily enough as soon as the fire touches it. Erwin has to swing the lantern back quickly the flames leap to life so fast. A light smoke begins to drift overhead as the webbing burns quickly... it as the unintended consequence of drawing three hungry and mangy looking wolves from their den in the collapsed tunnel. Two of them look downright pitiful and hungry while a third larger one looks like he leaves very little for the other two wolves. A straight line of scar tissue bisects its face from forehead to muzzle. The sounds, fire, and smells already having the party on edge manages to allow them to avoid the surprise.
It doesn't stop the wolves from bounding into the midst of the party as they move upon their newly desired prey. The mangy ones seem to be drawn towards Artemis as the larger one pads towards Thantor with hungry eyes and a snarl.
Artemis let's go of Erwin's shoulder, steps back slightly and slides his shield into the ready position....
"Thantor I think this is your area of experience."
Artemis curses his luck, outdoors wolves are easier to avoid when one has an axe and plenty of trees, he recalls slipping away from them many times.
"Fire, they hate fire."
"uhoh... good doggie doggie. What is with these big wolves here anyway" Erwin sweats a little bit as he readies his axe to hit any wolves, who dare to come near
Koross moves fluidly, interposing himself between the large dog and the druid, his polearm whistling through the air, it's sharp point coming to a stop pointing at the wolf's throat.
"They also dislike cold steel..." he comments in a calm voice.
Gnobby keeps his place, holding his two weapons in a loose grip.
He prepares to pounce when he can strike from a favorable position.