Sahna turns to face the lake. 'You've heard of the dwarves and their big war, right? Happened thousands of years ago according to Raolin. Well, one group of them built a big city – one of many – here by the mountains, long before this place became a rotting marsh.
The dwarves were at war with each other. Don't know the ins and outs, but what I do know is that one faction, the Illumanti I think, used sappers to tunnel underneath the cities and then use explosives to create vast cave-ins. That's how they sunk the city. All you see now is a big lake, but it's under there. And all its treasures are there too.'
Sahna kicks at the briny salt, which forms a thick white tide along the shore. 'Raolin is looking for something. A crown that once belonged to one of the great Dour kings. He believes it is still down there.' She looks at you, a weight of expectation in her eyes. 'It would be dangerous – very dangerous. But you would be well-rewarded.'
• Agree to help find the crown?
• Ask Sahna another question?
The question option sends us back to the previous hub, so...
'Raolin Storm?' Sahna wrinkles her nose derisively. 'Humph! He's a powerful mage and a rich one. My chapter have been in his employ for several months now, though I never thought this was going to be on the cards. I've lost two good men to that lake already and I'm starting to wonder if this so-called expedition of his is really worth the gold.' She glances over at one of the guards, who is doing his routine march around the camp. 'I can't blame the guys for getting a little testy. It's been no fun stuck here with only marsh flies for company. Unless we see some results soon,' she whistles. 'Oh boy, might even have a mutiny on my hands. Wouldn't that be fun?'
Sahna furrows her brow. 'No, I don't think I can place the name. A prophet, you say? Well, we've had quite a few crazies down here, it has to be said. Mention the words treasure and gold, and you got to expect them. People just want to make a fast penny. But when there's real danger involved,' she smirks. 'That soon sorts the wheat from the chaff.'
And the last one, why not?
'Deaders.' Sahna grins, nodding her head. 'They're what the guards call our volunteers. Treasure seekers, mercenaries, adventurers... call them what you will, but the truth is – so far, hardly any of them have returned from that lake. The few that have, well... perhaps death was the better option. Raving and mad for the most part. There really hasn't been much of a success rate. So far.'
Only the 'ask about volunteers' actually lets you progress, so we technically bother her about that twice to get back to the 'advance quest' dialogue option.
You offer to help find the crown. Sahna lifts her eyebrows, nodding appreciatively. 'So, you like a challenge, huh? Good. Follow me and I'll brief you.'
The warrior leads you into a nearby tent. Inside, a single table dominates the space, covered in numerous maps and charts. Sahna points to one of the larger maps, which looks as though it has undergone numerous corrections and revisions. Between all the markings and crossings-out, you can see a pattern of squares and rectangles, arranged along a grid of lines.
'This is the city,' she explains. 'It took a while for us to get this accurate. Some of the earlier scouts gave us conflicting reports, so I used one of my own men, who I trust.' Her finger travels across the map, stopping at one of the larger squares on the western side. 'The few treasure hunters who did make it back,' she glances up at you, grimacing. 'There wasn't a huge amount to get out of them. They raved about sea monsters and ghosts, and refused to set a foot in the lake ever again. However, Raolin has talents. He used magic to... well, not sure what he did exactly, but it was like he was drawing out their memories – seeing what they saw.' She shudders at the thought. 'Anyway, we've pieced together the reports, sketchy as they are, and we have established where the king's treasure house is. It is here.' She taps the square building with her finger. 'I sent two of my best men in there, hoping to find the crown so we can pack up and leave. But they never came back. Then some mercenaries offered their skills. They looked the business and all, but not seen hide or hair of them since.'
The crunch of dirt and gravel announces a visitor. You both turn to see a dark-haired dark-eyed man with a waxen beard standing at the entrance to the tent. Sahna bows respectfully. 'Master Raolin,' she says. The man glares at you stubbornly, until you follow suit.
'Do we have a fresh volunteer for the lake?' he asks in a greasy-sounding voice. 'I am getting tired of waiting for results.'
Sahna nods quickly. 'Yes. This adventurer has agreed to the mission.'
The mage pulls an unimpressed sneer. 'Hmm, a weak-looking specimen, but then we are getting desperate. OK, fetch the worms.'
Your eyes widen in surprise. Sahna gives you an apologetic look as she hurries out of the tent. Moments later, she returns with two guards flanking her and a big jar held in her hands. Sloshing around in the briny water are two black flat-bodied worms, the size of your hand.
'Hold them down,' orders Sahna. 'Let's make this quick.'
The guards close in quickly on both sides. One backhands you, knocking you to the floor, while the second drags you back to your feet, wrenching one of your arms behind your back. Roughly, you are pushed down on the table, while your head is pulled backwards.
'Oh, I do wish they wouldn't struggle,' says Raolin. 'It just makes it so much more difficult.'
Sahna steps forward and lifts up your chin. There is genuine remorse in her eyes as she fishes out one of the black, wriggling worms. 'I promise, this will be real quick,' she says. 'Now open your mouth.'
You breathe out a curse. One of the guards, you don't see which, punches you in the side of the gut. You cry out in pain – and as you do so, Sahna stuffs her fingers in your mouth, holding it open. With her other hand, she pushes the black squirming worm into your mouth. You try and bite down, gagging – but the thing is already slipping down your throat, moving with such speed that Sahna can barely maintain a grip on it.
You kick and thrash to free yourself, knocking maps from the table. Then a white-hot shooting pain explodes behind your eyes. Your head is released and you slump forward onto the table, spitting and coughing.
'Oh, not the maps,' tuts the mage. 'Help him up, will you?'
You feel yourself being lifted again, your legs dragging uselessly along the ground. Raolin moves to stand in front of you, stroking his beard. 'Now, that was just a precaution,' he explains. 'That is a lamprey worm, native to the rivers of the Terrall jungle. They allow you to breathe underwater – a rather crucial ability for your upcoming task, wouldn't you say?' He gives a smug and self-satisfied smile. 'There is a drawback, however. In twenty-four hours it will bein to react to the digestive juices in your stomach. That is when it will try and eat its way out. Nasty, but there you go.'
Rage swells in you like a mountainous wave. You wrestle and bucj against the guards that are holding you, but there is no longer any strength left in you. The movement leaves you feeling sick and nauseous.
'Let's call this a bond of trust,' smiles Raolin, folding his arms across his flabby chest. 'You bring me the crown and I'll remove your little guest. If you find the crown, but decide to keep it for yourself... Well, then in twenty-four hours you will be in a lot of pain. And I do mean that, most fervently.' The mage gives a greasy-sounding laugh before turning and leaving the tent.
'I'm sorry,' says Sahna, once the mage is out of earshot. 'He made them all swallow one of those things. They're his way of making sure you keep to the bargain. He wants that crown – I mean, really wants in. So, just do your job and then we all go home, OK?'
You nod your head weakly and then black out.
Ugh, this book needed a lot more more attention paid to its fluff. It's really bad narrative if our character who solo'd a dragon a few gear upgrades ago is casually overpowered by a couple of random mooks. Again, this feels like content appropriate to an Act 1 story. It's worse because the overpowering is narratively unnecessary – they could just say 'swallow this worm of water-breathing' and you'd do it voluntarily because it's an underwater mission, and Raolin could still do his post-swallow reveal that it's also a coercive measure to establish that he's a jerk.
The part where where it reads disturbingly like an oral rape scene isn't great either.
When you awake, you find yourself on a pallet bed inside a smaller tent. Sahna is sat by your side, a basin of water and a cloth resting on her knees. 'How do you feel?' she asks tersely.
'Like I just swallowed a lamprey worm,' you scowl, sitting up on your elbows.
'I know,' she says, putting the basin and cloth aside. 'I hope you forgive me. The truth is, without that thing inside you, you would never make it down to the city.'
'Wait a moment.' You slide your legs off the bed, suddenly alarmed. 'How long was I out?'
Sahna grins. 'Don't worry. Only half an hour. You still have plenty of time to make it there and back. Are you ready?'
You nod and agree to get going. The more time wasted, the less time you will have to find the crown and get back before the worm... you wince, not wanting to think about that.
Sahna escorts you to the shoreline. 'The lake is deeper than it looks. We think there might be channels that lead out into the western ocean – it's the only explanation for some of the things reported down there. Big sea monsters' She shivers. 'Good luck. I hope, for all our sakes, that you're the one to finally make it.'
You strap on your pack and then wade out into the chill water. 'Yeah, me too,' you mutter under your breath.
You dive down into the turquoise-blue waters of the lake. With powerful strokes, you are soon passing over the dead city, lying at the bottom of the basin. Most of the ruined buildings are covered in coral and kelp, making them look almost indistinguishable from their surroundings. Others, like wedge-shaped pyramids, still retain their magnificent grandeur, looking other-worldly in the dappled rippling light.
The size of the city is almost overwhelming. As you turn in the water, looking down at the sprawling expanse, you marvel at the scouts and adventurers who have helped map this place for Sahna. Your thoughts also wander to those who didn't make it back – for those who gave their lives for Raolin's cause. The twitch in your stomach reminds you that the next 'deader' could be you.
Regaining your focus, you swim down towards the building that was marked on Sahna's map – the treasure house of the king. On the map it was a small square; one amongst hundreds of other small squares. But here, in reality, it is a huge triangular building, not dissimilar to a shark's fin. Its sloping side is covered in plates of black metal, which shimmer in rainbow hues beneath the ever-shifting light.
You make several circuits of the building, looking for an obvious door or entrance. All you find instead are two irregular holes with scorched blast marks around the edges. You assume that your predecessors used some kind of magic or explosive to blow their way inside. One hole is near the base of the buidling and the other is nearer the top, just below the pointed tip.
• Swim into the hole at the top?
• Swim into the hole at the bottom?