Chapter 2: The path to enlightenment is blood

"Who's your master?"

A distant look of elusive reverie dawns on Murt's blood speckled face as she holds the copper coins in hand. Is it fond memories of a halcyon summer, spent in warm and youthful celebration that causes Murt to smile with inward fondness, a rose color bringing delicate beauty to her cheeks? You'd find more luck in asking why the trees bloom so gaily in spring than you would in beseeching an Orphan to part with her secrets, even those that which are her greatest joys.

Murt turns to the others with a bright smile on her face. "Hey guys, awhile ago I punch a guy so hard he SHIT HIMSELF! AN' ALL HE HAD ON 'EM WAS COPPERS LIKE THESE ONES!" Her stuttering, snorting laughter echoes in the chamber of dead men.

Seeing little reaction from the others, she approaches the gathering around the helmet.

"Like, A LOT. He messed his fancy clothes! Haha!! He start crying an' all, an' these lil coins ain't worth ANYTHIN'."

Upon seeing the attention of the group is elsewhere, however, she naturally gets quite angry.

"WHAT? Why you starin' at that stupid helmet?!"

"Mmmmmm...my master is Her Hi...hi...highness Praxima Cristara"

"How did you get separated and where is she now?"

"Murt, I hear ya. And believe me, punchin' someone so hard they shite themselves sounds like a story that I want t' hear in *great* detail, but we got ourselves a mystery here."

Lavender stares at the helmet in confusion until a light goes off and his eyes light up. "Wait... Praxima... Thas the spell-lady what's tryin t' wrestle wit King Titamus fer control over Anthat! She got that wizard tower n' everything! She sent these poor souls down here t' die for some reason... but why? And somethin' 'bout a gate and savin' us from th' gods... What in the blazes did we walk into here, fellas?"

As the helmet answers the questions and speaks of its master it glows bright and speaks clearer. "One was sent on the mission. But Praxima did not come through the gate. One was returning to the gate to retrieve Master but One was attacked by small creatures. One cut down many of the creatures but One ultimately failed its mission. One requests assistance."

"If you agree to assist One then I will lead you to the gate."

"Wait... So you were supposed t' go to this gate and wait for Praxima t' come out, but she never did? What's on th' other side o' this gate? Somethin' powerful I betcha. Then, turning to his comrades, "Guys, if we help out the Wizardess we're sure t' be rollin' in coin! Savin' someone that powerful's gotta come with some mighty fine fringe benefits... What say we get outta this dank stinkhole, rest up, and decide if we wanna save one o' the most powerful people in the world?" Lavender gives a smirk at the grandiose question he just posed.

"Well, I suppose we could help you out," Daniel says, "What do we do?"

The helmet guides you out of the cave. When you leave you see that the miserable goblin is gone. One of the huts seems to have been torn down leaving only splinters and broken planks of wood as evidence of it ever existing.

You are then guided higher up the mountain. Eventually, late in the afternoon, you are led through a small mountain pass. The walls of the pass are not natural. The stone has geometric patterns carved into them. The patterns are tiny and intricate but make no sense. They seem like the amount of work to create them would be impossible to imagine. The deeper into the pass you go the more you mind begins to swim with the patterns. At one point you hear Stearval retch, you look back and it seems as if there are two of him. You blink and then there is only one.

We are near in proximity to the gate. You may feel some discomfort as you draw nearer.

Step by painful step you walk forward.

As you continue down this maze you begin to here the sound of metal clinking. You see before you a small creature made of clay with crystals for eyes. The creature is tapping away at the rocky wall with a hand chisel incising small geometric shapes. It looks up at you all then goes back to work. Further ahead you see an old man in drab brown robes he seems to be talking to 2 more of these strange clay creatures.