Throughout all of Dun-I, places exist that test the boundaries of logic of for most of its inhabitants.
You wander through the town of Sunshire and find your way into the local pub. Inside, you find several men and women, all with large, brown goblets in front of them with a foamy ale inside. They guzzle down their drinks and shout for more, to which the bartenders oblige. For a small amount of coin, one can have quite a good time in this establishment.
You make your way over to a table in the corner of the room. To your right, several men are discussing local affairs at an incredible volume. To your left, several women flirt with a couple men in the hopes of providing a service to them. It’s none of your business; everyone needs to put food on their table. You motion for the bartender and, without a word, he brings drinks for you and the rest of your allies. You toss him a few gold coins and he nods at you with a wink and a smile. You’ve overpaid for your drink, but that’s commonplace. The bartender will keep an eye on you and your goblets for the rest of the evening.
You lean back in your chair and survey the rest of the establishment. Several other ladies of the night approach various tables in the search of work while other townsfolk mingle with one another. You and your allies keep to yourselves and converse amongst each other instead of interweaving yourself with the others. The local politics of any city or town do not interest you in the slightest. Your travels have taken you across Dun-I and have made you quite powerful. Getting involved in the affairs of the locals is beneath you.
While speaking with your allies, a woman walks up to you. She is scantily clad in black that wraps tightly around her skin, especially around her thighs and torso. She gazes into your eyes and winks before pulling up a chair and sitting beside you. “Well, hello there,” she says with a smile. You sigh lightly before turning to see her. Her teeth are stark white surrounded by a red stain on her lips. Her skin is pale and powdered while her hair is jet-black.
The woman in black leans forward and smirks. “I can tell by the looks on your collective faces that you are under the impression that I am here to solicit you. Let me be frank, that is not what I’m after, nor why I am here,” she informs politely. “I am here on behalf of a few others, a small organization if you will. We have seen all of you do some rather remarkable things, things that would make the Gods of old envious.”
She pauses for a moment while maintaining her position at the table. “I would really like to offer all of you a chance to explore parts of Dun-I that are still connected to the old world,” she continues. “I’d like to offer you the opportunity to wander into places where the powers of the old Gods still thrive.”
“I’m offering you the chance to work with my organization as we uncover the hidden gems and lost mysteries of Dun-I. It will be difficult and daunting, but the rewards will be vast.” She sits up in her chair and smiles at you. “So, what say you?”
You take a moment but the allure of treasure and riches is too strong to let go. You push yourself away from the table and give the bartender a subtle nod before following the lady out of the pub. The patrons of the establishment look at you and turn away, not thinking much of a people leaving with a woman clad as she is.
You step out of the pub and into the dusty streets of Sunshire. The chill of the night air sends a chill down your spine as the woman walks over to a wooden barrel and reaches behind it. She pulls out a large, black tunic that covers her entire torso, though her legs are still exposed to the elements. She stands up and walks over into the road and holds up her hand. From afar, a carriage being pulled by four white horses comes forth. Two lanterns light up as it comes toward you to alert you while the woman standing in the street reaches into her tunic and pulls out a pair of glasses. You are slightly taken aback by change in appearance, though you try not to let it show. She turns and stares at you as the carriage pulls up behind her. “Don’t be too alarmed,” she says as she ties her hair up behind her head in a neat bun. “If I go into any establishments looking as I do now, people will notice.” She states as she turns around and opens up the door to the carriage. She releases the handle to the door and turns around once more. “No one ever notices or remembers a whore.”
Without anymore banter, you follow the woman into the carriage and close the door behind you. Once sealed and in your seat, the carriage takes off at a moderate pace. “Don’t get too comfortable. We won’t be in here very long,” she states sternly. “I’m sure you all have a great deal of questions and we will get to them in due time. My name is Murevescent, and I am one of the three members of the Society of Archaeologists. We are a group of academics who study Dun-I and her history. We explore her ruins and excavate the remains. We find the treasures that are buried beneath the surface and hidden from plain sight. We are, a quite gifted group, if I do say so myself.”
The carriage makes a turn down a small alley. Crates and barrels line both sides of the narrow street, though you are only on it for a few feet. The carriage comes to a stop in front of, what appears to be, a large stack of debris piled up for the city to remove. Murevescent steps in front of you and opens the carriage door. She places her feet on the ground and walks up to the debris with you and your party still remaining in the carriage. You look out as she stands in front of the debris and holds out her hands. Her wrists begin to glow a light blue while her hands become a pale white. The debris before you opens up and behind it, an iron door with golden trim appears. “Come on, there’s no sense waiting,” she states casually while motioning for you and your allies to follow her. The door opens up while she remains in the street. You step out of the carriage and toward the door when you turn back to see Murevescent hold up her hand. The carriage in the alley disappears, leaving behind only a trace of the horses’ footsteps.
Murevescent turns back to you and smiles warmly before pushing you gently to the side and walking through the iron door. Inside. you find that the temperature is quite warm and several sconces are lit all along the stone walls. You descend down a small stone staircase and into a large, circular room. In the center, a small fire burns gently while around it, three large desks rest. On each desk, several books, scrolls, and tomes are strewn about. “It took you long enough, Murevescent,” announces a small, older man who is hunched over his desk. “I was expecting you hours ago.”
“I had to have a costume change, Ruduko,” replies Murevescent as she steps onto the flat surface. “Unfortunately, the people of Sunshire are not quite used to seeing the scholarly type.”
Ruduko looks over his desk and at the legs of Murevescent. “So you had to look like….”
“A whore, Ruduko. I had to dress like a whore. Is that what you want me to say?” she asks in a very patronizing tone. “I swear, if you would ever take the opportunity to leave this bastion of knowledge and actually get some fresh air, you would realize that the various cities and towns are all remarkably different.”
“I don’t think there is anything that would make me want to leave here,” quips a frail, feminine voice from the other desk. “Unless I can go straight to the ruins of some ancient place, I have no use for mingling and interacting with those who dwell normally.”
Murevescent scoffs lightly before turning back to you. “Adventurers, may I introduce you to the other two members. The old man behind his desk is named Ruduko. The lady behind the other desk is named Gilsha.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, adventurers,” Gilsha says politely. “I do hope your fate is much better than the last set of adventurers who managed to enter our ranks.”
Your eyes light up upon hearing that as Murevescent steps forward and places her hand on your shoulder. “The last group we had were no where as gifted as these, Gilsha. They were amateurs. I’ve ensured that these are quite more seasoned.”
“You said that about the last, and the ones before that,” states Ruduko. “At some point, you have to stop bringing us disposable heroes.”
Murevescent sighs loudly while the other two speak, though you try your best to tune them out and search for the door. You look up the stairs to find that the door that you entered through has vanished. “These are not disposable, I tell you. These adventurers are seasoned with the knowledge of the Gods already. They are up to the challenge!”
You turn back and look at Murevescent as she preaches to her allies. You are a bit uneasy about what they are about to ask of you. She turns to face you while the other two scholars put their noses back in their books. Murevescent turns to you and shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t mind them, adventurers. I promise, we’ve seen your exploits and while they refuse to admit it, they’re thrilled to have you here.”
“We never said that!” quips Ruduko without looking up from his book.
“Shut it!” screams Murevescent in defiance. “You know damn good and well the two of you saw what these people are capable of and you’re looking forward to seeing what they’re capable of.”
Rudoku and Gilsha both keep their heads down and shrug, refusing to comment further. Murevescent turns back to face you before smiling warmly. “One of us will be in contact once we find somewhere that needs investigating. Don’t worry about staying in or around Sunshire. We have ways of keeping our eyes firmly on you.”
Murevescent places her hand in the air and a light flash comes from on top of the stairs. “That door will take you back to Sunshire. Hopefully your table it still there in the pub and you can get a few more drinks in you this evening.”
You smile warmly before nodding and walking up the stone staircase. You place your hand on the doorknob and pull it open, only to close your eyes and find yourself sitting at the table where she left you. However, in front of you now, are three more rounds of drinks for each of you. The bartender looks up from across the room and nods toward you. Your arrangement from earlier is still good, and he has lived up to his end of it.
However, you look down to see a small scrap of parchment with some black scribbling on it before you. You examine it closely to see a short phrase etched on it. “Welcome to the Society of Archaeologists. “
At the behest of the society, you are asked to venture into the Sunshire Library after sundown to investigate the new arrival of an ancient and powerful magic. Believed to be the work of an old God, the Library has fallen victim to the powerful magic and must be cleansed.