Josiah had spent most of the last two weeks compiling information, researching forgotten lore and commissioning scouts to track down leads. All had come up empty and fruitless. Archaeology was a frustrating profession, almost maddening in its dead ends and endless clues, tales and fables.
Someone 400 years ago could have chiseled a rumor or lie on a brick and Josiah had no way of telling if it was truth or fiction. So much information yet none of it held any bearing on the temple entrance people had found near Destard two weeks prior.
Josiah was at a dead end, so much so he had been leaning back in his chair teetering and counting the boards that made up the ceiling above his desk. Weeks of fruitless labor and study and he was no closer to gaining access to the temple under the mountain.
About a quarter of an hour prior to lunch Josiah received a visitor, a man dressed in not a stitch of armor but darkly colored silk clothing that made not a sound when he walked.
“One of your scouts hired me, my name is Ende.” The man said.
“I am not one to deal with middlemen, I prefer to go straight to the source, the pay is better. You understand.” Ende continued.
“Pleased to meet you Ende, have you found something of note?” Josiah said as he stood from his chair and approached the man.
“I have filled this notebook with my findings, there have been a great many disturbances over the past couple weeks in several places. Notably here, here and here.” The man said pointing at several places on the map on the wall.
“Disturbances? What kind of disturbances? Not more of those horrible Larvae things?!” Josiah countered.
“Not at all, although I heard those were quite magnificent creatures of some devilish design! These disturbances flow from the deep, from terrible and dark places. Read the notebook, it is all there. I will be expecting payment now. 400,000 gold pieces, have the banker in Buc’s transfer the funds to my account.” Said Ende as he turned and walked towards the door. “I am headed east over the sea towards one of the more horrible disturbances to find what treasures are to be had, should you send anyone behind me, give them the password ‘garmisch’ so I know they came from you.” Ende finished and disappeared out the door.
Josiah sat at his desk and looked over the small notebook page by page, the information was based mostly on hunches and conjecture but it was more than Josiah had before this man came.
If there was to be an expedition to these three locations there were many preparations to be made, arrangements to be settled and plans to be nailed down. Josiah took pen to paper and began the first of many…
***Attention: Lord Havel, Royal Archaeologist, requests any and all parties interested in the temple entrance discovered two weeks prior near Destard to gather at his home just east of the River's Gate Bridge in Britain this Wednesday September 8th, 2010 @ 7pm EST for a multi-pronged expedition into the deep.***
Someone 400 years ago could have chiseled a rumor or lie on a brick and Josiah had no way of telling if it was truth or fiction. So much information yet none of it held any bearing on the temple entrance people had found near Destard two weeks prior.
Josiah was at a dead end, so much so he had been leaning back in his chair teetering and counting the boards that made up the ceiling above his desk. Weeks of fruitless labor and study and he was no closer to gaining access to the temple under the mountain.
About a quarter of an hour prior to lunch Josiah received a visitor, a man dressed in not a stitch of armor but darkly colored silk clothing that made not a sound when he walked.
“One of your scouts hired me, my name is Ende.” The man said.
“I am not one to deal with middlemen, I prefer to go straight to the source, the pay is better. You understand.” Ende continued.
“Pleased to meet you Ende, have you found something of note?” Josiah said as he stood from his chair and approached the man.
“I have filled this notebook with my findings, there have been a great many disturbances over the past couple weeks in several places. Notably here, here and here.” The man said pointing at several places on the map on the wall.
“Disturbances? What kind of disturbances? Not more of those horrible Larvae things?!” Josiah countered.
“Not at all, although I heard those were quite magnificent creatures of some devilish design! These disturbances flow from the deep, from terrible and dark places. Read the notebook, it is all there. I will be expecting payment now. 400,000 gold pieces, have the banker in Buc’s transfer the funds to my account.” Said Ende as he turned and walked towards the door. “I am headed east over the sea towards one of the more horrible disturbances to find what treasures are to be had, should you send anyone behind me, give them the password ‘garmisch’ so I know they came from you.” Ende finished and disappeared out the door.
Josiah sat at his desk and looked over the small notebook page by page, the information was based mostly on hunches and conjecture but it was more than Josiah had before this man came.
If there was to be an expedition to these three locations there were many preparations to be made, arrangements to be settled and plans to be nailed down. Josiah took pen to paper and began the first of many…
***Attention: Lord Havel, Royal Archaeologist, requests any and all parties interested in the temple entrance discovered two weeks prior near Destard to gather at his home just east of the River's Gate Bridge in Britain this Wednesday September 8th, 2010 @ 7pm EST for a multi-pronged expedition into the deep.***