[center][h1][color=darkgoldenrod]Kthon[/color][/h1][/center]

Their meeting had been a complete coincidence.

Ma'otah's group had come to these caves in search of treasures. A lone wanderer had come to their tribe's camp, bringing with him small pieces of fiery metal, and grim tales of what lay beneath the earth. She and her friends, the young fools that they were, had completely disregarded the man's warning, too enraptured by the foreign material. They'd badgered him without ceasing, asking him more details; where had he been, what had he found, what had happened to his companions?

Soon enough, the weary traveler gave up and told them everything, warning them one last time that the earth did not let go of its secrets easily.

The next day, she gathered the supplies, some tools, some hemp rope, and a few days of rations, made sure to wear her amulet pendant for protection, and led the charge as she and four other companions descended in a nearby cave network.

That was two days ago. They were now only three.

One was lost as he rushed ahead without thinking, and perished when the roof caved-in on him. Another fell as the air turned to poison, and choked the life out of her lungs.

Ma'otah had given up the hopes of finding anything of value. She regretted not listening to the traveler's warnings; now two of her friends were dead. She could only hope to find a way out without further casualties. A hope that seemed to get further and further away with each collapsing tunnel blocking their way back to the surface.

It happened when they'd found themselves out of the narrow cracks and tunnels and into a larger cavern. To her surprise, a dim light shone from the ceiling, rendering her worn torch useless. Her gaze stayed on the ceiling, both observing the delicately glowing crystals weaving through the stone, and looking out for any sign of instability or impending collapse.

Which is how she noticed the stone torso protruding from the wall and... fussing over the crystals?

She signaled to her group with an arm, stopping their advance, and held her breath, trying to not make a sound. She had heard the stories, both from the lone wanderer that had kickstarted this whole expedition and from others. She knew about how the earth seemed to have a mind of its own, had now seen it with her own eyes. She knew the whispers of a being protecting the caverns from would-be plunderers, of a spirit bending stone to its will and thwarting explorers. She'd even heard of a few people who had a friend who knew guy who had sworn he had encountered a being of living stone wandering the surface, before the Cataclysm came and sundered the earth. But above all, she knew that the moral of these stories usually was that attracting the attention of beings greater than yourself was more risk than it was worth.

Her effort at stealth unfortunately was for naught; the sputtering from her torch, or perhaps her simple presence, seemed to alert the being, who turned to face her and her group.

[color=darkgoldenrod]"Ah, mortals. A strange sight, to see your kind so deep. Tell me, what are you doing here?"[/color] The being asked, almost nonchalantly. Ma'otah tried to mumble out an answer, but all she could manage was a weak, terrified squeak. The being seemed to have no patience for stuttering, though. [color=darkgoldenrod]"Speak up, before I tire of your presence,"[/color] it intoned.

[b]"M-m-m-metal! W-we're here looking for metal!"[/b] she managed to say, trembling. [b]"W-we met s-someone who f-f-found some, and... and we wanted to f-find some too..."[/b]

[color=darkgoldenrod]"Ah, thieves then, thinking they can simply take what they want. I have no love for thieves."[/color] It hummed. [color=darkgoldenrod]"I am surprised you are still alive. The caverns usually sort your kind out by themselves..."[/color]

Ma'otah could feel her breathing get even faster in her panic. [b]"W-we meant no offense![/b] She shouted, tears in her eyes. One hand came to clutch her necklace as she argued for her and her friends' lives. [b]"We didn't know, we... We haven't found or taken anything. We learned our lesson, please, we just want to leave..."[/b]

She held her breath again as the stone being stayed silent for a few long moments. She could feel its heavy gaze, and she hoped, nay, prayed that it would spare her and her friends. Then, it finally spoke again.

[color=darkgoldenrod]"You wished for metal, yes? I believe I can fulfill this wish, for a price. A fair trade. I will give you some of my treasures, and you will give me some of yours."[/color] It vaguely gestured to her with its head. [color=darkgoldenrod]"What you wear around your neck. I desire it. What says you? A small price in exchange for the riches of the earth, no?"[/color]

Ma'otah looked down at her necklace, surprised. Everyone in her tribe owned one of those. It was a pendant, bearing a carved bone amulet dyed red and many similarly carved beast teeth. It was precious and important, for the elders claimed it warded off evil, but it was still a surprisingly... mundane request? From the stories about spirits she'd heard, she'd have thought the being would request a human sacrifice, or something like that.

[b]"My... necklace? That's all?"[/b] She asked, skeptical.

[color=darkgoldenrod]"Yes. It is beautiful. I am fond of beautiful things. I will gladly trade some of my own creations for it."[/color]

She shuddered. [i]It[/i]'s creations? Was this being... more powerful than she thought? [b]"Then... for my necklace, you will give us metal... [i]and[/i] safe passage back to the surface."[/b]

She could feel more than see the being's smile. [color=darkgoldenrod]"You're a clever one. Very well, I accept these terms. Leave your offering on the ground, and come near; behind this wall, you shall find a rich copper vein. You can fill your bag with as much as you desire, but no more. The tunnels will lead you back out of my realm."[/color]

[color=darkgoldenrod]"None can steal from a God, and expect to remain unscathed. But I may be open to further exchanges. Should you desire more trades, then call upon Khthon, and bury your offerings so that they reach me; you shall then be spared from the earth's wrath."[/color] With those parting words, the God sank into the stone, the amulet shortly following him, and leaving Ma'otah and her friends alone in the silent cavern.

They soon discovered that the God had spoken the truth, and that just a few inches behind the wall, laid a large vein of the same metal the wanderer had shown them. They quickly got to work, prying and breaking off as much as they could with their crude tools, and finally managed to fill the hide bag they'd carried with them. It wasn't much, not nearly enough to make up for her friends' death, but it was better than nothing. At least it was enough to make something out of it, Ma'otah was pretty sure.

When they went to leave, they found that the narrow passages and collapsed tunnels, which only seemed to drive them deeper, now simply and straightforwardly brought them closer and closer to the surface, until they finally emerged back out the fissure they had first entered. The ash-filled sky and burnt air seemed so much less oppressive, now that they had known the claustrophobic underworld.

Soon they would be back home to their tribe. Soon they would be able to mourn the loss of their friends, share the wealth they had found, and spread the story and message of the One That Lay Beneath.

[hider=Summary]
A small spelunking party of young mortals, led by a young woman called Ma'otah, encounters many difficulty while looking for precious minerals. One member carelessly dies in a cave-in and another asphyxiates after breathing in toxic gases. They eventually find their way to a larger cave, where they meet Khthon as he takes care of the crystal roots. He questions their intentions, and accepts to trade some copper as well as safe passage back to the surface in exchange for Ma'otah's bone necklace. He lets them know that if they wish to make more exchanges and find more metal, that they should call his name and bury their offerings before venturing in his caverns. Ma'otah and her surviving friends get back to their tribe, ready to share their encounter with Khthon and their new wealth.

[u]Conviction spending[/u]

- Let mortals take some copper without any drawbacks, and made sure they could get back to the surface safely (In-domain, Minor, Lucid. 0 conviction.)
[/hider]