Fortune Faded
You'd never really been that lucky truth to tell. It wasn't that you were particularly unlucky, it was just the fact that the rub of the green usually went the other way. That all changed six months ago. The last six months have been the most unlucky time you could have possibly imagined. Whatever you tried went wrong. Spells fizzled, swords rebounded into your foot, every roll of the dice came up as a one. So now you have found yourself answering an advert. An advert!
You trudge through the town of K'dar despari writ large on your face. Finally you come to the house, bleak and dark, slightly bigger than most in this dump of a town. You pull on the bell, and a wizened old servant quietly ushers you in. The advert spoke of gold and adventure, and you're up for that. All you have left is the clothes on your back, and the kit in your pack, and the only way to add to that is doing what you do best.
As you are led through quiet halls, across richly carpeted floors, you glance about. The house certainly contains wealth, wealth in abundance, maybe this Casimir, whoever he is, has enough wealth to make this worth your while. You step into a room, even darker than the corridors. In front of you are others, a quick look ascertains that they too are adventures, sell-swords, mercenaries. Scum of the Earth, just like you. You are directed to sit with them, and you do. The room is divided by a line of bright candles, that shine so bright in the darkness, that any attempt to peer past them leaves you with spots before your eyes.
Suddenly a voice sounds from beyond the candles. “You are here because you wish gold, and fortune!” it isn't a question, but a statement. The voice is thick, and heavy, muffled slightly as if coming out from behind some form of mask. “There is a house.” the voice continues, “A grand mansion, a number of leagues north of here, just off the main caravan route. In the house is a vault. In the vault are two treasures, as well as much other wealth.” the voice pauses. “The first treasure is the Eye of Grull, and brilliant blue gem as big as a fist. You will retrieve it and bring it to me. The second treasure is a great magical weapon, that morphs and changes itself, and it's abilities to match the wielder, it is called the Luckbringer. That you may do what you wish with, that and any other treasure you find in the place, is yours to divide among yourselves.” The voice falls silent.
“Why don't you retrieve it yourself?” one of your compatriots calls, somewhat sneeringly.
There is silence behind the candles for a few seconds, then a heavy, laborious sound, of someone moving with great difficulty. Finally after a few heart-stopping moments a figure walks into the light. The sight that afflicts your eyes is hideous, great lumps of scabrous flesh hang off the figure, blood, and bile are crusted over it's bare legs. You think, certainly at one point, it was a human. Now it is just a twisted and torn mess of a being. It's face is covered by a deep cloth mask, with two eye holes cut into it. Whilst you cannot see much of the face, the eyes tell a tortured story all of their own. “I tried to retrieve it myself!” the voice hisses thickly, anger, and torment strong within it, and this is what happened to me. Great wealth awaits those that succeed.” he pauses the mask moving in and out as he breathes laboriously, “IF you fail, you will wish you had died!” He turns once more and walks into the darkness. “Go find the gem, bring it to me, and I will make you richer than you could possibly imagine.”
The old servant walks back into the room, holding a cloth map in one hand. He lays it on the table, and then leaves again, just as quietly. Any other day, any other month, any other year, you would have just walked away. However you have a choice, take the job, or sell your kit, and just be a broken down old adventurer with no home and no friends. You take a deep breath, and walk to the map.
