The night passed uneventfully, and Xavier woke up to the soft sound of birdsong in the forest. He shifted about stiffly not realizing how uncomfortable spending a full night straddling a tree limb could cause him to be. Standing on the limb he stretched before chewing on a small piece of forest sage to help with the aches and pains the night had left him. Soon he was back on the forest floor and heading north once again. From what Aelriva had told him he should find the location sometime today and wanted to do so as early as possible.
Balancing his desire for speed with his continued growth in herbalism he gathered herbs and plants along his path, still amazed at how the skill made the useful ones more visible against the background of forest colors. He had enjoyed the rare times he went out into the Washington mountains back on Earth, but the experience seemed to lack substance compared to what he experienced now. Vibrant life was all around him, from animal sounds in the undergrowth to the diverse flora similar and dissimilar to that which he had known.
Keeping up a steady jog, stopping occasionally to rest or to harvest a fascinating herb or plant he made good time on his trek. However, by the time the sun had reached its zenith in the sky, he had slowed his speed to a more leisurely walk. Heading in the right direction was all well and good but he began to wonder how he would locate a particular location in the nearly eight hundred square miles of his domain. He found himself wishing, not for the first time, for a map. Sure, the villagers who had joined his community from Bramblegate had some maps and such, but they were dated, and most were mural or large panting size, not something he could easily pack for a trip like this. “So much for game mechanics,” he muttered under his breath wishing he had a mini-map in his interface.
He continued along the small game path he had been following for another hour before he started ranging back and forth across it to see if anything stood out deeper in the woods. Scowling he realized he should have asked if Aelriva had more of a hint for what he should look for. He needed to do better than stumble along, he had people depending upon him now and that would only become more so if his settlement continued to grow. After a little while he paused and sat upon a moss-covered boulder. Pulling out some dried meat he idly chewed upon it while he looked at his skills tab. Maybe something there would help him. As he scrolled through his options, his eyes widened slightly at the sheer number of skills he had already uncovered and learned in the handful of weeks he had been on Arath. He immediately dismissed the weapons skills; he may need them when he found the location, but they wouldn’t help him now. He did the same for his gathering and crafting skills. He stopped though when he came to the skill “Keen Eye.” Its description stated, “The ability to identify hidden or valuable items, resources, or opportunities in an environment that others might overlook.” It was only level one, as he had just gotten it when he selected the Scavenger archetype, but it seemed perfect for what he was doing, the problem was he didn’t know how to trigger it as it seemed more like a passive skill than an active one. Sighing he shrugged and closed the interface. He was on his own it seemed. As he took another bite of the dried meat, he idly looked around his surroundings. He cocked his head slightly, his chewing stopping as the trees were… different. Standing up he walked back the way he had come, yes, the trees were different, they were smaller, younger than the others in the area. If he had not sat where he did, he likely never would have noticed, the difference was slight but when looking at them in comparison it was evident. Unexpectedly the new skill chime sounded in his head and his vision was suddenly obscured with a new prompt.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Woodlore level 1. Woodlore represents an intimate connection to forests and woodlands. It encompasses knowledge of the ecosystem, the ability to interact harmoniously with the environment, and skills specific to wooded areas. Woodlore is synergistic with Survival and Tracking skills increasing success rates of both when within forested regions. The forest is alive. The wise learn its language; the foolish become its prey.
Dismissing the prompt, he went back to his study of the trees. They distinctly stood out as younger in his vision now and he wondered how he had so easily missed it before. He began walking, mapping out the area where the trees differed and soon had walked a perimeter of about a two square mile radius. Retracing his steps back to his original path he studied the ground as he walked. On the southeastern edge of the area, he spotted what he was looking for. Mostly covered by forest debris and moss was a broken stone pathway. He was certain this was what Aelriva had been telling him about. The path traced roughly in a north/south direction. He stared to the south down where the path led and realized that it roughly led back towards where his village now stood. It should make it easier to return home, but he wondered why the sprite hadn’t told him about the path in the first place.
The disrepair of the stone made it clear that the path had not seen usage in decades at the very least. The forest had mostly reclaimed the area, and plants grew up between the stones pushing them aside, the only real reason he had noticed them was the deliberate fashion they were laid. He followed the path as it headed north even more curious about what it could be. As he walked along the broken path he started noticing small irregularities. Kneeling he dug his fingers into a small moss-covered mound and pulled up a long metal piece. It took him several minutes before he realized it was an old pickaxe head, the wooden handle had long since rotted away but the metal still retained most of its shape despite the rust and wear. Intrigued Xavier set the piece down and continued up the path. About twenty minutes later he yelled out in surprise and fell backwards as the ground beneath his feet gave way. He only barely managed to catch himself preventing his fall into the sinkhole.
Quest Updated – Whose House 1 – You have discovered a significant place. Continue to explore this location to uncover its importance or details of its past. Doing so will meet the requirements of one of the four places required for this quest.
Xavier dismissed the prompt as he tried to get his heart rate back under control. Nearly plunging into the unknown dark had triggered his fight or flight instinct and keyed his adrenaline push. Focusing on his breathing, he slowly regained his control and faculties. He gingerly moved towards the edge of the abyss and peered into the opening. The light penetrated the shaft, and he could barely hear the sounds of dripping water from within. The drop was significant, he estimated it to be nearly fifty feet to the bottom. As he examined the decent, he noticed the floor was littered with broken ladders and other such debris. He clearly was not the first to find this location, but that only emphasized that this had been previously connected to the settlement in some way previously. He started to walk around the hole searching for a way to climb down. He noted several locations where worked stone had been set into the walls, but the majority of that had fallen away throughout the years or in the collapse that had nearly swallowed him. Unable to find an easier path down into the shaft he finally pulled out a length of rope from his pack. Somewhat happy to be able to shed the weight of it, he had not wanted to fill his satchel when leaving, so he tied it to a tree about a dozen feet away from the collapse. The ground seemed firm in that location, and he judged the tree to be sturdy enough to support his weight as he rappelled into the depths. Once the rope was secured, he tossed the length of it into the hole and began to rappel down the shaft carefully. Stone gave way every so often as he kicked off the wall, the clatter and echo of their fall reverberating in the confined space loudly.
As he got deeper into the shaft, he noticed softly glowing moss clinging to the wall. It was similar to the moss he and Ella had witnessed in the caverns leading to the life ley line chamber and made him realize how much he missed having her solid presence now. Shaking the thoughts away he returned his attention to just making it to the ground safely. It took nearly twenty minutes to safely descend the rope before his feet touched the ground of the shaft. Kicking several broken pieces of ladder out of the way so he could put his feet on seemingly solid ground he let go of the rope and began to look about his new surroundings. More old broken tools littered the ground along with the ladder pieces giving credence that this was once a mining shaft. That thought perked Xavier up as he knew it was only a matter of time before the couple of smiths in the village ran out of raw materials. He would have to bring the dwarf who was skilled in mining back to this location to see if operations could resume once he had explored it to ensure it was safe.
It was only a matter of minutes, though it seemed much longer before he found a crevasse in the back of the pit that led deeper into the underground. The opening was wide enough for one person to fit through at a time though he could see where it had collapsed over time and had been much larger originally. Making a mental note of repairs that surely would need to be done to make the mine operational once more he retrieved a torch from his pack, lighting the oil-soaked cotton before he moved to make his way deeper.
The passageway from the shaft to the next chamber was not overly long but twisted sinuously as it slowly descended further into the bowels of the earth. Soon the claustrophobic closeness of the walls gave way to a damp, expansive cavern. Faintly glowing mushrooms and moss assisted the flickering torch’s glow, their light adding gentle blue and green to the flickering yellow of the torch. The cavern was rampant with the fungus and Xavier’s throat began to tickle by the amount of spores hanging in the air. Remembering the choking clouds from his previous venture through fungi-laden caverns he dug into his pack searching for something to wrap around his mouth and nose. Soon he found one of his other shirts and pulled it mostly on leaving the collar above the bridge of his nose he carefully tied the laces tighter to keep it from falling. He smirked to himself at how ridiculous the image must be and was actually grateful for the moment that he was alone. Raising his torch higher to better light the room he started across the damp floor. Stalactites hung overhead dripping relentlessly to pool in small puddles on the floor that reflected the light in a beautiful prismatic effect thanks to the glow of the mushrooms and moss. The cave had a serene beauty that he had to stop and enjoy partway through. He moved to sit on a large, thick mushroom, hoping it would support his weight. The briefest touch to its cap caused it to rupture suddenly and spew a thick cloud of spores into the air. Xavier tightly closed his eyes, attempting to shield them from the unexpected influx, although he was not swift enough and they burned with the incursion of the microorganisms. The cloth he had covered his face with was the only thing keeping him from inhaling the choking morass. He stumbled away from the offending cloud, eyes clenched shut and watering as they tried to clear the invading specks he could not see where he was going and bounced from mushroom to rock wall and back again until his foot caught on other hardy fungi that sent him crashing to the ground. He lost the grip on his torch, and it bounced across the moss and stone coming to rest with a hiss in one of the small pools of water, the light from its end winking out suddenly as the water quenched the fire.
Shifting to a seated position he scrubbed roughly at his eyes aiding the natural reaction of his body in clearing his vision after several moments. Still bleary-eyed he cracked his eyelids to peer about the now dimly lit chamber wary of his noise potentially bringing some animal or monster down upon him. Thankfully, the gods had blessed him again it would seem as the room remained largely as he had found it, though the miasma of spores hanging in the air was much thicker than it had been previously. Soon he found the now sodden length of his torch and sighed, it would not be able to be relit in its current state. He tossed the wood aside and dug through his pack for another torch. He only had a couple remaining so he would need to be more careful with them or he risked being trapped in the dark down here as he went deeper.
As he was pulling the new torch free, he noticed a brighter glow in the distance. Moving curiously towards it he soon found a richly glowing hand-sized mushroom nestled amidst a larger patch of cave morels. Grinning at his luck he gathered up the edible mushrooms and placed them in his satchel. Peeking at his inventory showed that the lot of them only took up a single spot within the grid. Once again he marveled at the utility of the space folding bag before he turned his attention back to the glowing mushroom. Carefully he traced his fingertips over the cap of the fungi and his herbalism skill triggered.
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You have discovered: Glowcap Mushroom
Ingredient Class: Common
Item Quality: Raw
Weight: .01 kg
Durability: 5/5
Traits: A small, orange mushroom glows with an inner light providing dim illumination for an hour. You also feel like this could be used as an antidote for poison.
Instinctively he knew to grasp the fungus around its base and gently twist to the right, the whole plant came free in his grip and its soft orange glow remained intact, lighting up his immediate surroundings with its radiance.
Congratulations! You have gained a new rank in a skill – Herbalism level 10. Herbalism is the art of gathering, identifying, and utilizing plants for their various properties, from healing wounds to crafting poisons. Those proficient in herbalism can locate and harvest rare herbs in the wilderness and identify the right plants even under tricky circumstances. Some even say a skilled herbalist can hear the whispers of plants, guiding them to the rarest finds. +20% to herb effect. +20% to harvest quantity.
Increasing rank from Novice to Apprentice has resulted in an additional +1000 Experience. You can now recognize more rare and exquisite plants and additional properties.
That last line was especially exciting, it meant Xavier had other ways to gain experience besides quests and fighting. It also meant that his villagers could gain experience the same way. He was worried that they would have to explore like him if he wanted them to grow. He had visions of a whole village if not more, filled with experienced crafters and gatherers. The tale Ella had told him of the Sylmyrians had only whetted his appetite for bringing that type of glory back to Arath.
Tucking the glowcap into his satchel he observed that it took up another space, but its glow remained. Hoping that it would remain like that until he withdrew it later, he began searching about the cavern for more of them. He found a half dozen more of the glowing mushrooms and spotted a second of the large spore cloud erupting mushrooms, he steered well clear of that one not wanting a repeat experience of that pain.
With all but one of the glowing mushrooms stored away for later use he held the remaining one aloft the same he had with the torch and smiled; its glow was softer so he couldn’t see as far as with a torch, but it still lit a decent sized area. Carefully winding his way through the remaining fungi of the cavern and around the sharp uprights of stalagmites he moved towards the only other opening in the cavern. Another passageway led off the opposite side of the chamber as the one that brought him to it originally. This passageway descended at a much sharper angle but still not enough to make it particularly hazardous to traverse.
As he continued deeper the passageway started to have additional paths leading off of it, turning it into much more of a maze, many of the tunnels were partially collapsed, blocked with loose dirt and rubble. Groaning as he found himself in yet another dead end, he started to turn to make his way back to what he was assuming was the main passage when a faint shimmer caught his attention. Taking a knee near the back corner of the tunnel he moved the mushroom closer and his smile threatened to split his face. He found a vein of ore. He didn’t know what type it was as he didn’t have any skills in mining or smithing but knew this was a valuable find for his village. Hurriedly he stood up and began looking closer at the walls, retracing his steps to examine the previous tunnels as well. Now knowing what he was looking for he quickly found similar traces in other tunnels. He was in a mine. An honest-to-goodness mine, he soon was able to identify where the stone had been excavated and still retained the marks of metal tools etched into them despite the wear of time. Excited at his find he returned to the main passage once again and continued deeper the maze of tunnels was extensive, but he hoped that meant there would be a lot of resources to exploit. Near the back of another tunnel, he stopped cold. He recognized the telltale evidence of a tunnel collapse, he had seen enough of them now to know what to look for, but under the rubble was what caused his hesitation.
Tattered rags covered the definitive shape of humanoid bones. The collapse had crushed whomever this being was when the tunnel came down. It was pinned beneath a large slab of stone that had crushed its ribs and an arm. Kneeling Xavier set the mushroom beside the skeleton and started to search about the area. There was a lingering faint trail of claw marks on the stone nearby showing the deceased had a desperate attempt to dig free. Off just out of arms reach of the dead being lay a broken and rusted lantern, soft black scorch marks on the stone indicating that when the passage had collapsed the being had dropped it and it broke open spilling its oil about in a small area that caught flame. Probably the last light the deceased had seen before darkness entombed them.
With as much reverence for the dead as possible, Xavier searched the skeleton. Most of what the being had was lost to time, their satchel and clothes rotted and damaged by the collapse and decades at least in the dry tunnel air. However, there were still some items he was able to salvage. Within the pack was an intact tinderbox, a handful of climbing pitons, and a set of flint and steel. Tucking all of them into his satchel he turned his attention to the skeleton itself. He was able to locate a leather bracer still wrapped around the being's exposed arm. The craftsmanship was well made as it still retained its suppleness and bindings even after all this time. Xavier looked to where the other arm lay pinned beneath the stone and could only assume that the partner to the bracer in his hand lay beneath however many hundreds of pounds of stone. Shaking his head he tucked the bracer into his pack, maybe it could be reworked into something else when he returned home.
Surprisingly, buried under more loose rubble instead of the heavy stone, he found a short sword.
You have discovered: Emberstone Shortsword
Item Class: Rare
Item Quality: Masterwork
Weight: 1.5 kg
Durability: 85/100
Damage: 18–24
Damage Type: Slashing or Piercing
Description: A short sword forged from Pyrestone, its blade emanating a faint orange glow with an almost molten sheen. Heat radiates gently from the weapon, making it warm to the touch even in the coldest environments. The hilt is wrapped in heat-resistant leather, ensuring comfort for the wielder during prolonged combat.
Traits: - Radiant Heat: Inflicts additional fire damage on every strike, causing burns and melting weaker materials.
- Ignition Strike: Has a 20% chance to set flammable objects or creatures ablaze on a successful hit.
- Unyielding Flames: Resistant to environmental cold and frost-based magic.
While the other items were a great find considering how long the body must have been here the sword was amazing. Hefting it in one hand he pulled out Vaeltheris in the other and gave some experimental swings with the sword and dagger. The balance was slightly off but he felt certain that he could make it work. Pondering a moment, he triggered Vaeltheris’ ability to change shape and soon he was holding paired short swords. It felt slightly more awkward than the dagger and sword pairing but still not overly so. He put Vaeltheris back in its scabbard and searched about for the one to the short sword. He soon found a battered and worn scabbard half buried by the rubble covering the corpse and carefully removed it from the dead being’s belt. As he did so he found another small worn pouch attached to the belt as well.
Retrieving the pouch, he opened it carefully, wary of tearing the time worn cloth. Inside he found a small book, opening it revealed it to be a journal of some sort and a small locket with the initials T.H. The locket was delicate and ornate, only being in the pouch with the journal had saved it from further damage. Xavier carefully opened the clasp and within he found an old slightly faded image of a young dwarven male, his smile still visible under the thick covering of his beard and mustache. He gently closed the locket and tucked it into his satchel. His attention turned to the journal and he took a seat near the large stone so the glow of the mushroom gave him greater illumination.
When he first opened the book he couldn’t make out the words written within, the symbols were far to different from anything he had seen to date. However, within just a few moments he had a new prompt.
Congratulations, you have learned a new language. Khazridan – Old Dwarvish.
The words almost seemed to change before his eyes, and he understood them completely. It confirmed that he was indeed holding a journal. The first few pages revealed it belonged to a dwarven lass but never mentioned her name. He scanned through the pages for a few moments realizing that she had come from one of the tribes, Hurnthar or Stonedelvers, in the Ironpeak Mountains. The initials on the locket started to make a little more sense. He flipped to the back of the journal to get the most recent passages. Most of the pages of the book crumbled to dust as he flipped through them causing him to panic slightly, the last page remained intact however containing a single passage. “The crystals here hum with power, more than I’ve seen before. If I can bring back even one shard, it will all be worth it. I’ll return to Dun Karak a legend.” And with that a new prompt appeared in his vision.
You have been offered a quest. “Memories of the Fallen 1.” For time unknown this dwarven explorer has lain crushed in these tunnels. Who was she, and who did she leave behind as she transitioned across the threshold of death. Your only clues are a small locket and journal passage mentioning the dwarven city of Dun Karak. Will you restore her trinket to her descendants? Yes or No? Potential rewards: Unknown.
Not seeing any downsides to accepting Xavier focused on the word yes, his quest log updated with the information. He moved to close the journal, and a small, folded piece of parchment fell out. Picking it up off the floor he unfolded it slowly, worrying that it was in the same condition as the journal. As he moved though he found it was in much better condition, and though the folds creased the parchment there was nearly no deterioration to it. Another prompt filled his vision
You have discovered: Explorer’s Map
Item Class: Epic
Item Quality: Exquisite
Weight: 0.3 kg
Durability: 90/100
Description: A finely crafted map made from enchanted vellum, its edges trimmed with silver filigree. The surface shimmers faintly, displaying an incomplete depiction of the world, with blank spaces waiting to be filled. Upon being soul bound to its owner, the map comes to life, updating with every new location the bearer has seen firsthand. The ink appears as if drawn by an unseen hand, flowing to reflect real-time changes.
Traits: - Soul Bound Cartography: The map binds to its owner upon activation, unlocking its magical properties. It updates with every new location the owner has visited, forming detailed illustrations and labels.
- Real-Time Awareness: Includes information on major landmarks, terrain, and environmental changes.
- Mark of Discovery: Allows the owner to leave magical markers or notes on the map, visible only to them.
- Localized Illumination: The map can display a glowing indicator of the owner’s current location when commanded.
Forget the masterwork weapon this explorer had once carried, this map was beyond anything he had seen outside of Vaeltheris. As he studied the greyscale map a small gem, very similar to the one Ella had provided him with when he bound to the blade, rose up out of the center of the vellum. He picked up the gem and immediately agreed to the prompt asking if he wished to soulbind the map. In amazement he watched as sections of the forest shifted to color, the river winding through the woods changing its path slightly and small tags filled in with names of Rynthavael and Bramblegate. His eyes widened as he realized the map was updating with information on the places he had been. He could trace his own path through the world back to the initial location he awoke in what was now labeled the Southern Peaks. Another prompt asked if he wished to integrate the map with his interface and soon, he had a small semi-translucent map hovering in the upper right corner of his vision. Mentally he zoomed in on the icon that seemed to represent himself on the map and it came to include the tunnels he had traveled through. Better yet, still in the greyscale, it showed a way forward and the start of a stone bridge. He bowed his head for a moment in silent prayer of thanks to the dead dwarf lass before rising to his feet and leaving the tunnel following the new map in his head.