[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/7ed60a5b-c81e-4b36-b999-6fbd57fe519a.png[/img][h2][color=olive][u]~Ernald Joyce~[/u][/color][/h2][/center]
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[sub][i]Early Spring of the Year 315 P.F.[/i][/sub]
[sub][url=https://youtu.be/F6_ZuJSWQ4c][i]~The Maw~[/i][/url][/sub]
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Joyce ran his fingers through his hair as he walked, hoping to work out a few of the tangles it had acquired the night before, to little success. Thus he abandoned the task and opted to focus on the road unwinding beneath his feet instead. A good thing too, for the grass surrounding the path slowly began to peter out, shifting from a luscious green to a dusty brown, and ending on a color that was reminiscent coal speckled pitch. Soil, hell land in general wasn't supposed to look like that and he knew it, yet here it sat against all the odds. Just the thought of it was enough to plant a seed of unease deep within his soul, but he did his best to suppress that feeling, scribbling detailed notes on its texture in the pages of his journal to distract himself. Ernald knew he couldn't keep his nose buried in his notes the whole way there, however, and after a while he found himself focusing on the surrounding landscape in all its bleakness once more. There were no trees to be seen, nor songs to be heard, and even the light from the sun seemed muted and dulled.

It was as though life in its entirety had utterly forsaken the lands to the west.

Clutching his journal to his chest ever so slightly, Ernald continued on his way, arriving at the entrance to the Maw just as he'd promised. He was about a minute late by his own reckoning, give or take a few seconds from the walk down, but that was of little concern. As it turned out Theodgar wasn't exactly a stickler for remaining on schedule when it came to this kind of thing, not only because of the risks it posed to his reputation, but the reputation and morale of the town as well. If Ernald had him figured right, the lord of Oldcross would have happily abandoned this venture in its entirety had it not been for his persistence on the matter. Twas a shame the poor man had to be pushed so, truly, but Joyce needed this information to finish his work. If a little bit of discomfort churning within the mind of another was the price that must be paid for such a thing, then pay it he would, and gladly too.

"Hail milord!"

A gruff yet friendly voice called out from just within the entryway, shaking Ernald from his reprieve.

"I trust you were able to rest well?"

Ernald nodded, watching as the lord of Oldcross stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

[color=olive]"I was indeed. I also happened to find breakfast quite enjoyable as well."[/color]

The lightest hint of a smile graced the edges of the scholar's lips.

[color=olive]"I was surprised to tell you the truth. I hadn't thought a small town like this capable of producing such exceptional things."[/color]

"Hah! We may be meager at first glance milord, but don't let appearances fool you. What we lack in finery we more than make up for in spirit!"

Theodgar chuckled, planting his hands on his hips with a sigh.

"Now, shall we begin the tour?"

[color=olive]"Yes,"[/color] Ernald replied, giving the larger man the briefest of nods. [color=olive]"I am very interested in seeing what the Maw looks like from the inside."[/color]

"Aye, that's it lad!"

Theodgar extended his hand, resting it on Joyce's shoulder as he shepherded him along once again.

"Though I have to warn you, it's not as interesting as you might think. Nothing more than a bunch of rock and iron really. Well, when we can find iron that is. A lot of the surface veins have dried up completely, and exploring the tunnels that run deeper into the Maw takes a considerable amount of time."

[color=olive]"I see."[/color]

The two made their way deeper into the mine, the sounds of picks hammering against stone, torches sputtering, and the effort filled grunts of unseen men toiling away in the dark the only constants in their long descent. Joyce took notes on the overall structure and layout of the mine along the way, making sure to stick as close to his guide as humanly possible. Well, for a time anyway. Eventually, despite his promise not to wander off, Ernald quickly found himself exploring a narrow passageway that branched off from the one he'd just been on. Well, exploring wasn't really the right word for it. It was more like blindly shimmying along, using the wall as his guide and support, until he found something of interest. Which, surprisingly enough, he did.

Upon reaching the passageway's end, Joyce found himself stepping out into a massive cavern, the roof and walls of which he wouldn't have even noticed had it not been for the softly glowing fungus that covered them. Even then he still couldn't make out exact details since they were so far away. What he [i]could[/i] see however was downright fascinating. Ahead of him by about ten feet or so lay a large cricular slab, though of what he couldn't say. Not from this distance anyway. Drawing closer to the mysterious formation, he found it to be a slab of solid obsidian, one that had become fused with the surrounding rock. And as if that weren't strange enough, there were symbols strewn upon it, painted with some kind of reddish-brown substance.

[color=olive][i]Exalted above I hope that isn't blood...[/i][/color]

Confused and afraid, yet curious, Ernald pulled out his journal and wrote the symbols down. It took him a bit longer than he'd anticipated however-for they were very intricate as it turned out, and doing this by the dim light of fungus certainly didn't help-and by the time he was packed up and ready to return to the tunnel from which he'd come, a cacophony of voices came echoing into the cavern instead. Immediately Ernald recognized his mistake. Theodgar must have taken note of his absence and thus torn the mine apart in an effort to find him, hence the chorus of shouts and yells that was rapidly approaching. Cursing, the scholar made his way back to the narrow passageway, emerging on the other side just in time to come face to face with his irate guide.

Before he could do so much as speak, Ernald found himself being drug back to the surface by Theodgar. The lord of Oldcross didn't even break his stride as he barked out orders to some of the men nearby, tasking them with ensuring the cavern was secure so that no one would be able to just wander in as Joyce had.

"I told you not to wander off you daft bastard!"

Rage rippled across Theodgar's face like a wave.

"God only knows what could've happened to you down there! Hell, you could have ended up just like Withric or worse!"

[color=olive]"My apologies, but I needed to see-"[/color]

"Save it," Theodgar spat. Inhaling sharply he took a moment to compose himself, continuing only after he had attained a tenuous state of calm. "I had two very simple conditions for you to follow while we were in the Maw, for good reason mind you, and you broke them."

He shook his head in frustration.

"Do you know the kind of reputation this town would get if a young lord such as yourself was injured or, God forbid, killed while under my watch? It sure as hell wouldn't be a good one!"

[color=olive]"If you would allow me a moment to explain, I-"[/color]

Ernald felt himself being shoved foward. Landing in a heap just outside the entrance to the Maw, he turned to stare at Theodgar incredulously.

"Go back to your hut scholar. Get what information you need from the town, but [i]do not[/i] return here."

Turning away in anger and disgust, Theodgar shuffled back into the lightless depths of the mine, leaving Ernald to complete the walk back to Oldcross alone.