Chapter 1: Making Introductions

Alan, as you touch the altar, you don't get the same effect and Claudius, touching a second time doesn't seem to cause the vision to come back. Though as you've all spent some time around the stone, you do have a thought that it may move if you try to slide the altar along the floor.

Alan, you put a slight bit of weight into the push and find that it rolls pretty smoothly on carved stone rollers. It glides back about a meter revealing a small cavity under the altar with a small wooden chest inside. It seems undamaged and undisturbed. No dust clings to its surface, likely due to being covered for so long.

After a few moments you hear a rushing sound, like the wind has picked up outside.

You're able to remove the chest and close the altar without concern.

Once outside the temple in the fresh air, you open the chest with ease Claudius. Inside, there are 48 gold pieces, 54 silver pieces, and 360 copper pieces. As you move the coins about, you spot a heavy iron key. The head of the key has a question mark worked into the design.

Assuming the coins that aren't claimed from the church coffers end up in Milaki's bag (if nowhere else), the group collects their things and sets off into the hills. You remember Radiza leading south into the hills and decided to follow much of the same path. Even though it's new terrain for Esal, he does a fair job guiding you through the hills, avoiding several areas of land that could be very dangerous to cover.

Over the next several hours you hike deeper into the hills until the sun starts to drop beyond the horizon to the west, casting long shadows as it falls. You find a safe place to camp for the evening and set a watch, getting you through the evening without issue. When you wake, a thin sheen of dew covers most surfaces outside your tents and the air has a bit of a nip to it. That said, the sky is clear and the sun bright.

The group sets out from their camp after Esal returns from his short scouting mission, having found nothing of interest. As the group walks along through the pleasant (if windy) day, they have plenty of chances to talk and learn more about each other. Esal does spot a few rabbits during the travel, easily taking them with his bow. As the sun moves past the midday mark, you come across a ruined mineshaft entrance. It appears that the entry caved in years ago, with piles of rock and busted timbers covering the entrance. Milaki spends a few minutes inspecting it to make sure it's not a hidden entrance, but it looks to be exactly what it appears.

During the travels, you pass several little copses of trees. Some of them are very small, only a few dozen trees. Others are larger, taking several minutes to completely circle. You take the time to investigate them as you go, and find that they house several small animals (squirrels, rabbits, the occasional songbird nest) and a variety of herbs and plants.

About three hours later, as you continue to the south, you come across another larger copse of trees but as you start to check it out, you hear strange noises deep in the middle of it. It's a mix of crunching leaves, cracking sticks, and general grunting. You don't see anything from the edge of the treeline.

Would you all like to go investigate the sounds or continue on to the south?