Yes, Lucille, please warn us before doing something like that. Seems the builders of this place had no intention on people going any further. That or it's a test. Wingate said, slowly lowering the light platform, holes appearing in it so that it passed right through the spikes. Along the sides of the pit were a few runes, likely what produced the sand that filled the pit.

Interesting... So they made the sand last this long, after all these years. The Isz truly were clever in their designs.

"Hey, you think this dagger's some kinda magic projector? Is that somethin' that's possible, activatin' magic runes without touchin' 'em?" Lucy asks Wingate as she stands up from where she had been kneeling on the light barrier. Dusting herself off, she walks over to the entrance of the tunnel, just standing there and looking in.

Ash just stands where she is, looking suspiciously at the runes on the wall, waiting to see if they show any signs of changing. She also glances at the spikes on the ground, in case they decide to try and do anything crazy. "The Isz being clever is not a good thing for us. Of course, what it means is that we're going to have to be more clever than they were."

"And keepin' that in mind, I guess we should keep goin, ey?" Lucy responds. "Yes, but I would still feel more comfortable if Wingate took the lead again." came Ash's reply.

Mmm... I have heard of the Universal Machine studying such a thing. But studies have shown to be poor so far. To think that the Isz were already ahead of us in the studies of magic... Well that comes as no surprise. Just try to be more careful with that dagger in the future. She said with a nod.

But, right you are, Ash. I have studied their ways and their culture extensively. Yet every time, I am surprised by their creations. Soon as the trio began to enter the next room, the pit began to fill back up once again, from the bottom up, sending the skeletons back up to the surface. The entrance from where the group came was now blocked off by sand. Thankfully we still have the dagger so we can go back that way.

The trio would find themselves in a long tunnel. Lit up by runes on the walls, illuminating everything in a yellow light. At the end of the tunnel, was a larger, antechamber.

"Crazy... all this rune stuff, still workin' after all these years. Betcha we're gonna find some stuff that'll be worth a fortune to the UM. Guess that's part of the reason the Boss is puttin' so much effort into this place." Lucy says, staring in amazement at the walls. Ash is in the back, and slows down a bit as the sand starts to re-form, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't try to run out and bury them.

"Hey, you think all of this rune stuff is bein' powered by the dagger? Is it better to keep pumpin' magic into it, or should we see if we can turn it off?" Lucille asks the other two.

"Well, keeping it on could activate some rune-powered traps in this place, but judging from the previous room, I'm willing to bet we're going to have to keep using it if we want to progress further in. And the Isz would not guard an area so thoroughly if there wasn't something worth guarding." offers Ash. "Which means my vote is for keeping it powered, and being more careful"

"Jeez, I get it, I'm sorry for almost killin' us, and I promise to not do that kinda stuff again. I learned my lesson, I'm good now, you don't need to keep pesterin' me." Lucy huffs at the other two women.

It is possible that the dagger is powering all of it. A tomb of a forgotten hero. Why would they go out of their way to hide the end of the tomb so much? Even creating a device that powers runes without any sign of interacting with them? Wingate tapped her chin, Strange... Either we're missing something or the people who did remember this hero have a lot of dedication.

As the two made it into the antechamber, they'd be created by a large door. The antechamber was mostly empty. There, lying at the entrance to the door, was another skeleton, in a sitting position.

"Alright, another skeleton. Everyone, don't go anywhere until we can make sure we don't end up like they did." Ash comes up from behind, putting a hand on each of the women's shoulders.

"I dunno, maybe it just couldn't get past the door, 'an died of dehydration. That diary above did say somethin' about followin' someone in somewhere, but how did this fella get down here in the first place? Multiple daggers?" Lucy offered, scanning the room for danger. Most of her attention was focused on the floor, looking for pressure plates. "But yeah, I see what you're sayin', Winnie. Somethin' fishy 'bout this place."

Ash looks around the antechamber mainly for runes carved into the walls, floor or ceiling, realizing that any moving parts would most likely activate based on the dagger beaming magic to them. Or whatever was happening. She had enough of an idea to know what to look for, and didn't much care beyond that anyways.

As the group would reach the door, the crack along the door would glow lightly, a soft blue color, reacting to the dagger but not activating.

Hm... Wingate, said, kneeling down to the skeleton on the floor, searching through his belongings, until she found just what she was looking for; another journal. Taking out the journal, she flipped through the pages. Most of it was the same as last time, cataloguing an adventure across the sea, cataloguing their camping when they made it to shore, until she made it to the last page.

To whoever is reading this, if anyone ever finds this, I have betrayed my crew. Wingate read out loud, slowly as she had to translate from Yiskin. I have pushed my crew to their limits, have set so many people back home, all in the sake of some treasure that might not even exist... Now I am here, at a door that won't even open... The key to activate it is behind a wall of sand. If any of my crew finds me, I'm sorry.

I feel dizzy.

The journal ended there.

"Wow, what a guy. Sounds like he went kinda bonkers at the end there. Did he fall in accidentally? How'd he survive the fall? The deeper we get, the more questions I'm havin'." Lucy shakes her head at the absurdity of it all.

"I think I'd feel better if ya took the dagger, Winnie. As much as this place excites me, you two might be right that maybe I shouldn't be holdin' the key to this whole temple. Here." she offers to Wingate, taking the dagger and flipping it around in her hand, holding the blade and offering the hilt out to the teacher.

Ash raises her eyebrows slightly, indicating an amount of surprise. She didn't say anything, however. She was still keeping her senses open to traps, no matter how safe the room seemed.

He must have gotten lucky and fell between the spikes. She said, examining the corpse. She had the idea of bringing back some of the remains for inspection. She was sure some archeology groups would pay for the skeletons found here. Was it considered desecration if they were centuries old? ...Or he was rather unlucky, since he came to a dead end.

Taking the dagger, Wingate nodded, Let's hope the tomb of this forgotten hero is just beyond this door. She said,pointing the dagger towards the door, hoping that it'll work. But, then, with a short delay and a loud grinding noise, the door began to move apart. Sending dust everywhere. Doors that hadn't moved in millenias, were finally moving.

Lucy stands there, wide eyed, watching the door open. The stuff upstairs had been pretty cool, but something told her this was where the real fun would begin. She felt like a little kid opening the huge box her parents got for her birthday. She rocks forwards onto the tips of her toes, trying to get a good look into the room beyond. "Here we go... here we go!" she says excitedly.

Ash steps up behind the other two women, attention focusing on the room beyond. If that sand trap was just guarding the entrance, she could think of two scenarios. Best case, the Isz didn't think anyone would get past it, and there would be no more traps. Worst case, and the one she is preparing for, the traps would only get worse from here on out. She puts a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Don't let your excitement kill you, Morphling." She knew using Lucy's White Tooth codename would get her attention enough to get the message across.

Sure enough, Lucy looks annoyedly back at the larger woman, then softens her gaze at Ashley's facial expression, a combination of stone-faced seriousness and genuine concern. "Yeah yeah, I know. I won't do anythin' dumb, I promise." comes the reply. "Well Winnie, you wanna lead the way? I realize you're the archeologist here, so point out anythin' I shouldn't touch." Ashley's words seemed to have brought Lucille back down to earth.

Astonishing! Wingate said, her eyes practically shining. To think that such a structure is beneath the soil of Kokotha for all this time, only to be rediscovered just now. Making her way through the door, she noted, How many wears has it been since this door was opened? It probably hasn't been opened since its closing in the Age of Isz.

Activating her magic abilities, several liquid tendrils rose from Wingate's body, feeling and stroking the walls. More delicate than any human's touch, she searched for any traps or runes that could be activated. She had to keep her wits about her. Hm, while I do agree with Ash and her concerns, I don't think there are any ahead, but you can never be too safe. With her light rune glovs, she tossed a light up, brightening up the room. Mostly empty, other than a single table at the back, on it was a old Isz sword, and a skull. From the odd jaw shape and the horns, it the one they were looking for. The Isz never booby trap their burial chambers, but I have been wrong in the past. She said with a chuckle, approaching the skull, Our hero I presume?

Lucy audibly gasps as the room is lit up. Her eyes widen and sparkle, all attention fixated on the table at the back. She takes an impulsive step, then stops. Remembering Ash's warnings, she turns to look at the large woman, an expression of obvious anticipation on her face. Ash sighs, rolls her eyes, then waves Lucy onwards. Permission given, Lucille speedwalks up to the table, stopping about three feet from it and looking down upon it. Ashley keeps a keen eye on the younger woman as she approaches it, ready to protect the rash Lucy from any traps she might spring.

"Oh my gosh, this is so cool. You seein' what I'm seein', Winnie? This is it, this is the jackpot! A freakin' skull, of some forgotten Isz hero! Ooohh, my whole body's tinglin'." she shivers breifly, not even attempting to hide the excitement in her voice. "And how much you willin' to bet that sword's got some freakin' awesome rune powers? I betcha that thing's got legends of its own." She looks to Wingate, eyes visibly twinkling. "Aight, what do we do first? I'm all yours, just tell me what ta do." Lucy's excited energy is clearly visible as she bounces on the balls of her feet, awaiting orders.

Ash, unsurprisingly, takes a very slow and leisurely stroll towards the table, head scanning back and forth. Walls, floor, ceiling, who knew where danger could come from down here? She hoped that Wingate was right, and the worst they'd have to do from here is figure out how to get back out. Having the inner sanctum unguarded, however, sounded like a strange decision to Ash, so until they were back on the surface, vigilance was going to be maintained

Wingate steadily made her way into the room. Her tendrils should've picked up a trap if there were any but she knew from experience that the burial chambers themselves were never booby trapped.

Mmm~ Wingate reached into her bag and pulled out a small make-up brush. Intended to be used to apply blush or powder to a woman's face, Wingate found it was very good for gently taking off dust off of ancient relics. First off, I want you to be very careful. Don't use any magic on the sword, we don't know what it does, understood? Said, inspecting some runes on the table, brushing away dust from them as she began to slowly translate. I must congratulate both of you. I don't exactly live a life of luxury, but I will have a way to thank the two of you. We are making history here, girls, so a celebration is in order when we get b-

Then, she paused, letting out a audible gasp, stepping away from the Isz text. That can't be right... This has to be a coincidence. She said,tapping her chin. Ash, Lucy, I want you to search the room for more texts. Something is amiss here.

Lucy stills, looking somewhat concerned. "Everythin' allright Winnie? We ain't in trouble, are we?" she walks over behind Wingate, looking at the Isz runes. A very rudimentary knowledge allowed her to make out the vague meaning of about one in ten runes, not nearly enough to give her any sense of meaning. "I mean, yeah, I can go lookin' for more texts, but is there anythin' in specific I should be lookin' for?"

"In addition to that, would you happen to have any more of those brushes? If I am to scour the walls, I do not want to risk damaging any carvings. As useful as they are in combat, my hands are admittedly not accustomed to such delicate work." Ash piped in, raising her hands for emphasis. She seemed less distressed than Lucille, figuring that if anything was immediately troubling, Wingate would have mentioned that first. Plus, she had taken a good enough look around, and nothing seemed obviously dangerous. Whatever it was that surprised Ms. Ipswich was probably something nerdy and historical anyways.

"Uh, yeah, brushes and knowin' what's up would be nice." Lucy concluded, looking curiously at Wingate.

Here. She said, reaching into her purse once more and holding up two more brushes. I never go on expeditions without them. There is something amiss here. We're not in trouble, but listen here. She said, pointing to one of the sentences out of the several on the table. These are mostly his or her life story, from the looks of it they were a heroic nomad who wandered the earth. But then there is this sentence,a fine translation of it reads: A hero who defied the teachings of the cruel Silent King. She said as she looked at the other two, The Silent King... He's one of the founders of the Children of Kodo'Yim. But that can't be right. He would have to be thousands of years old if this is the case. Fiddling with one of her locks of hair, she tried to piece things together, The Isz didn't have a specific word for the gender of a ruler, "king" or "queen" weren't a thing, so a more literal translation is "Silent Ruler." Wingate continued to puzzle over the name, more interested in it than the rest of the text.

"The fuckin' Children? Seriously?" Lucy asks, surprised, as she takes the two brushes, tossing one over to Ash. "You're really tellin' me that some runes mention one of the Children? I mean, I guess I knew that the group was that old, but to see one of 'em mentioned down in a place like this... well, it's strange alright." She turns to walk towards one of the walls, still thinking this new development over.

Ashley, who was now using the brush to clean up one of the walls a bit, was surprised as well. If the connection Wingate had made was real, then this wasn't some nerdy history stuff, this actually had to do with the here and now. The Children didn't seem to be doing anything too serious at the moment, but they had made themselves known as serious enemies before. "Well, if you're right, Ms. Ipswich, then at least it seems the Isz were as intelligent as you say. Disliking the Children of Kodo'Yim is something I can appreciate in a culture. Of course, it could be a complete coincidence. "Silent Ruler" isn't the most common thing to call yourself, but it is only two words."

"We gotta find out, one way or 'nother. If this has to do with the Children, then it's more than some dusty 'ol collectors interested in what's goin' on here." Lucy chats as she dusts off one of the walls. The wall she had went to was actually the one behind the table, and her cleaning work had revealed more runes. "Hey, Winnie, is this anythin' interesting?" she asks, looking over to the teacher and motioning to the wall.

No, that is the thing... The runes do not mention the Children. They only mention "the Silent King." As some ruler that our hero opposed. She said, shaking her head. I will have to research further into this when I get back home, this is quite the discovery. She said as she moved over to Lucy's wall, reading the runes. From the looks of it, there were more stuff about his life, but one thing peaked her interest. He wasn't a Caster. She said, pointing to one of the words, This text right here describes him as a "Greyblood" Isz. The Isz word for a non-caster... Interesting.

"Non-caster? Huh, well isn't that somethin'. Kinda ironic, seein' all the runes guardin' their tomb." remarks Lucy, looking at the unfamiliar word Wingate points out. Thinking about it, a slow realisation comes to her. "Hey, that blade there... I'm not too familiar with the stuff, but is there a way to tell if it's got some Voidstone in it? Could explain part of the reason why this fella was such a great hero. Learnin' to use anti-magic woulda made him pretty powerful, especially if he was fightin' the Silent King we think he was. And double hey... that would also give him a good reason to be fightin' in the first place. After all, the Children's whole shtick is tryin' to wipe out non-casters." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "There's definitely enough here that someone's gotta make sure it ain't just coincidence."

Sensing that not much more would be found down here, Ash speaks up. "Well, I would say that we've explored the place as well as we can. If no one has any objections, we should start working on getting back to the surface. When we get back overground, we'll brief with the crew up there, send them in for additional recovery, then the process of sorting and value estimating can begin." She doesn't move herself, waiting for one of the other two to speak up. "But of course, we can talk about that later, once we're out."

You're right... Wingate said, inspecting the sword. The edge had a slight blue tinge to it... Typical of something made of Voidstone. But to test it, Wingate held her right hand to the side and created a small orb of light. Then with her left hand, she gently touched the edge of the blade. In that instant, the orb in her hand began to flicker and soon, faded. Well, seeing as I'm having difficulties using magic when touching it, it's safe to say that it's voidstone. Wingate said, taking her hand away.

Looking to Ash, the teacher smiled I believe we have. The tomb of a non-caster who possibly fought with the Silent King. If this is in fact the same Silent King as the one who leads the Children today, this is the first historical mention of the Children to date. Clasping her hands together, the woman was practically glowing with excitement. We're making history today, girls~

"What did I tell ya Winnie~" Lucy sing-songs to Wingate "Told ya you wouldn't regret it. What was it I said? Oh yeah, "You'll get your fair cut, but I get the feelin' you'd be tempted to help for free." Well, was I right or was I right?" Lucy winks at Wingate, grin stretched across her face.

"Well, if you two are quite ready, let's head back. Leave the sword and skull here, some of our people will take care of getting those out safely. Bring the dagger, however, we'll need it to get back down. Forgetting the dagger below the sands would be the worst possible thing we could do at this point, besides destroying anything." Ash says matter-of-factly, already turning to head back out the door towards the sand trap.