In the center of a small room, a solitary green flame stood motionless, holding back the weight of the darkness. Delicately perched atop a candle it sat, unwavering and still. The calm, stagnant air was laden with the smell of time, that recognizable result from ages come and gone. The ornate desk and leather backed chair sat in the middle, the only furnishings here. On the desk, a perfectly round crystal ball was nested in a bramble of teeth and claws made of gold and priceless gems. The smooth stone walls, floor and ceiling had an almost fluid appearance, seeming to have been pushed out in all directions. There weren’t any doors or any windows. The cavern was sealed. A large, elegant symbol was deeply engraved on the floor, the markings filled with a fine layer of dust.

Inset into each wall were neat rows of chambers, each one a sanctuary for something special. There were large and small chambers, but each was a perfect fit for what it contained. Everything was well organized and placed with great respect. There were enchanted books here of long forgotten knowledge from the ancients. Most appeared heavy, bound in thick leather and embraced with fancy metalwork. Scrolls, which held sacred enlightenment from the Gods, were set apart, each rolled up and sheathed in a leather case. Some chambers held multiple scroll cases gracefully stacked on top of one another. All manner of mythical weapons and armor lay still in their final resting places. Each being a memorial of immense force, for they were artifacts that alone could start or end entire wars.

No one had been here for many lifetimes.

The creators of this place had done so in secret. They used the room as a repository, keeping safe these wondrous articles of power. It was a cache of history’s most impressive magic objects, fabled treasures of lore and legend. Bards used to write songs about them, but now nobody remembered. Nobody cared. They had all but been forgotten… until today.

Slowly sparkles of light began to coalesce within the runic markings on the floor. They swept through the written channels with a growing glow and the dust melted away. The symbol grew brighter and the entire room was filled with luminescence. In an instant a personage appeared standing on the symbol and the radiance began to fade. The rogue stood there, motionless and scanned the room carefully looking for any device set to ensnare the unwelcome. There was nothing obvious. The rogue crouched down into balance, looking closely at the floor. Nothing. Standing up, a sly grin crept across her lips as she pulled the hood of her cloak down behind her hair. She now stood where only the extraordinary had walked. Sages and sorcerers that were wise and more powerful than anyone could imagine had built this place. They would have not taken lightly the thought of an intruder being here and would have surely prepared for such an event.

She looked around the room, it was larger than she had been told and there wouldn’t be much time. She pulled the amulet from her neck and held it out in front of her. She whispered some arcane words and the amulet began to glow softly. She stretched out and held it close to the small chambers in the wall closest to her. Each object began to glow in return, answering the call of the amulet. All the items magically glowed within the wall and she did not see what she had come for. She decided to try another wall and quickly moved across the room, past the desk.

As she did, the green candle flame flickered from the disturbed air, sending a small pulse of magic down a predetermined path through the wick, down the leg of the desk and into the floor below.

She finished looking without success and moved on to the next wall. She was starting to grow uneasy. This was taking too long. It was supposed to be easier than this she thought. It had to be here somewhere. Her Master had never misled her before and she trusted him with her life. He had said it would be here and so it must. While examining the third wall she heard something, or rather felt it. From deep below the room, the mountains foundation groaned and heaved a breath of life. A small tremor announced itself to the room. A tiny warning of what was to come. Events had now been set in motion and they were irreversible. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew she had to move faster. She looked all over the third wall, panic starting to set in. It wasn’t here either. Doubt began to creep into her mind. This room had been the last known resting place of the talisman she was seeking. What if it was a lie? What if someone had moved it later on to another hiding place? If they did, it could be lost forever. She stopped thinking and her focus narrowed.

She ran to the last wall, trembling as she held out the amulet, the rumbling force was growing beneath her feet. She looked over the wall quickly until she came to a lone object that sat dark in its resting place. She passed the amulet over it again to be sure. It did not glimmer like the others. It remained in darkness. She stared at it and sighed. In that same moment a shockwave plowed through the room throwing her against the wall and onto the floor. Her head impacted the stone and made a hollow sounding smack. She moaned and reached back, feeling the warm flow of blood in her hair. Looking up she saw streams of dust were falling from the ceiling. She didn’t have time to waste. She quickly picked herself up and pulled a piece of ribbon from the folds of her tunic. It was Recall Ribbon, something the elves used to send packages long distances. You simply tied the ribbon around the item you wished to send, and it would teleport to a pre-marked location. She quickly slid the fabric under and around the dark object and tied it in a knot. It vanished instantly leaving the hole empty and vacant. It was gone and she had succeeded.

She glanced over to the symbol on the floor, it was cracked! Her only way out was destroyed. A heavy realization of her coming to an end here caught her off guard. She always knew she would die someday. But now? So Soon? It couldn’t be? She froze up as hopelessness consumed her and she started to cry. She barely had time to close her eyes when the floor exploded into a violent upheaval. She was caught in its wrath. The floor slammed into the ceiling without mercy, crushing her and obliterating everything with it. The force was equal to the weight of the mountain itself. Everything was pressed into dust. In the blink of an eye all of it was gone. It was all destroyed and the young woman was dead. The room simply was no longer there.