Chapter Text
It wasn’t uncommon to stumble upon a treasure map when one is a pirate, which is why Etho didn’t see any reason not to set course toward this newly discovered map’s location.
Was the map written in some language he didn’t understand? Perhaps, but treasure equals money, and money equals supplies. Besides that, if Captain Cleo deemed it safe to go after then surely what could go wrong with his excursion. Unfortunately, this was the chore that Etho got stuck with on the Hermit for the week. So here he was, in his little row boat and setting sail to find a bit of loot in order to feed his shipmates for the foreseeable future.
Directions may not have been his strong suit but he’d be damned if he let Grian make fun of him for getting lost. Compass on one knee and map spread across his lap, Etho looks at the small island the Hermit had docked on as he tried to make out any landmarks from the map along the coast. Spotting a vaguely similar pillar to those on the map, he set out along the east side of the island and beached his boat directly in front of his destination.
“Well this seems like a good place to start. You stay here, boat,” Etho spoke to his non-sentient companion as he grabbed his pack of food and torches.
After ensuring that his boat was securely on the shore, Etho approached what appeared to be an entrance into the dense jungle surrounding the heart of the island. Bracing himself, he entered the brush and made sure to keep an eye out for traps of any kind. After about twenty minutes or so of calculated adventuring, and no encounters with traps of any kind, Etho was starting to feel pretty confident in his venture. No traps, no animals, not even mosquitos! This was great, he thought to himself as a structure came into view upon nearing the end of the trail.
The temple, he supposed it could be called, wasn’t too magnificent in image but Etho hoped that no other pirates had looted the place yet as it didn’t seem to be in a bad state of repair. A few vines grew up the walls and stone was cracked here and there, but aside from these blemishes the temple looked brand new. All that gave away the age of the looming structure was the style of building and the forgotten language carved around the entrance way. Etho took this slightly concerning information in stride, and placed the map in his pack in exchange for torches to light the dark corridors ahead.
A sweep of the entrance revealed no traps, which only served to aid the eeriness that was beginning to grow at the back of Etho’s mind. Brushing it off as luck, Etho ventured down the first corridor. It was sparsely decorated on the interior, nothing of too much value that he considered worth grabbing in search of the real treasure he knew lies within. There didn’t seem to be any other direction to go from the main hall other than down a central staircase from which a soft blue light was emanating. It was then that Etho realized that it was maybe a bit too easy to get into the temple and wander around unharmed, any other treasure worth getting usually had one deadly trap or two. Deciding that he had come this far, so he better check it out anyway. He descended the staircase and approached the light source.
The room at the bottom of the stairs was empty save for the far wall where, encased in the stone, rests a blue gem. It was about the size of Etho’s fist and was radiating light so bright that he had to squint a little before inspecting the room further and seeing nothing of interest.
Well a glowing stone isn’t nothing, he concluded and crossed the room to the gem.
He grabbed the gem and pulled it out of the space in the wall. Immediately the glowing ceased as Etho held the gem and examined it, noting the thicker band around the middle and it’s perfectly spherical shape. After placing the gem into his pack, he inspects the wall around where the gem was placed only to find the hole missing. With this realization, Etho decides that he has overstayed his welcome in this strange temple and promptly begins to find his way back to the boat. Knowing that there are no traps about, Etho hightails it back to the shore, not noticing how the forest seems to wilt behind him as he leaves.