The Deepening

[flippedside]

Recorded by Halil Jancardan III, Advisor and Chancellor to His Majesty, King Reynan of Rhyallia.

Of late, His Majesty has gained a renewed interest in our history. I suppose it has something to do with the joining of the Kingdom of Aran to Rhyallia. It remains Reynan's hope to unite the known world into one great empire. Beyond his personal ambitions, he occasionally confides to me that he fears that the dark beasts of the north will return and lay waste to all we hold dear if we are not a united people. United under his leadership, of course. Not that I begrudge him that--Reynan has proven himself to be an intelligent, thoughtful leader, in spite of his brutality.

So I have returned to the capitol to seek out ancient texts on the seven great powers and the founding of Rhyallia. Of greatest interest to me have been those writings that speak of "the Deepening." We know, of course, that several civilizations rose and fell in these lands before our own modern era, but their writings are largely illegible and incomprehensible.

The Lomen, for example, speak often of hideous beasts of impossible descriptions that lived in holes in the ground. It is difficult to sift through these many myths to find the truth. However, I am coming to believe that the Deepening may not be a myth.

It appears to be a place in the wastelands to the north. Many stories speak of it as the place from which varying monsters appear. I had assumed it to be as much a myth as the Lomen's strange beasts, but Kijlai, the great traveling scholar, records this:

We came to the cave entrance at evening. The way it had been spoken of, I had almost expected something spectacular, but it was nothing more than a hole in the ground. No lights flickered in its depths, and no smoke billowed forth. In all honesty, it was quite a disappointing cave.

When morning arrived, we entered with plenty of torches. The cave itself was natural, following a winding route into the mountain, before at last opening out into a great open space. I never did see all of that huge room, although the pillars near the entrance were elegantly carved.

They took me to the center, where the skull of some massive beast rested on a stone block. I had been told that we could not stay there long, as the "spirits" would become angry. I was happy to oblige them with a return to the outside world after seeing their great "treasure," but on the way out, something caught my eye. It appeared to be a reflection somewhere further back in the room. My guide told me not to go back, but I disregarded his warning. In retrospect, perhaps I should have listened...though I will admit that that has never been one of my strongest skills.

What I found was an ancient door, marked with strange runes. A little further on, I found another. It did not take me long to realize that I was looking at ancient graves. I was quite thrilled with my find, and went to make a rubbing. Strangely, the door I chose was not so well sealed as I had first thought, and opened when touched.

The inside was a narrow tunnel with heavily painted walls that opened into a wide room. A heavy stone sarcophagus lay in the center of the room, and tunnels appeared to branch out in multiple directions. I might have explored further, except for the rank odor of rot that permeated the space.

I moved back into the entrance tunnel, thinking to lessen the scent, just as some beast from the wastelands exploded out of the tunnels at the far end of the room. Shouts and snarls from the main room told me that my guide and his companions were faring no better than I was.

I am pleased to say that we all survived, though some were badly wounded and I have learned a great deal of respect for the all too physical "spirits" of that place. I was unable to return, as the villagers refused to take me back, and messages from home forced me to leave sooner than I would have liked.

Some years later, I was able to return. However, I found the village burnt and abandoned. Our wars had come to the small mountain outpost and destroyed it. I have never been able to return to that mysterious cave and its graves.

Kijlai later records that he believes that place to have been the entrance to "the Deepening." He was quite convinced that a deep power resided there--perhaps even one of the seven. This, then, is what I shall pass on to my king. I will let him make what he will of it.