The platform vibrated softly beneath their feet as they stood before the entrance to the Sunken Temple. The colossal obsidian doorway gleamed in the golden orb summoned by Kainith, its surface etched with intricate patterns that swirled and pulsed with an otherworldly blue light. A sense of anticipation, laced with a prickle of unease, settled over the group.

Lucian stepped forward, his gaze drawn to the arcane symbols adorning the doorway. They were faint, partially obscured by layers of dust and time, yet a flicker of recognition ignited in his memory.

These were the same runes he had encountered in an old dusty book he had read before, forgotten relics of a long-lost civilization.

"Wait," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I think I can read this."

The others gathered around him, their faces etched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. 

“You can read these but not the ones where the cylinder sank?” Kainith questioned.

“Yeah, I didn’t recognize them but these ones specifically were in a book I read once. This group I was a part of in hell The Mask had a library where we stored ancient books we may or may not have stolen. That is where I saw these runes. Hold on, let me try and focus to remember all of these. ”

Lucian traced the symbols with a calloused finger, muttering the forgotten words under his breath. The runes seemed to respond, glowing brighter with each syllable he uttered.

A low, resonant hum filled the air, and with a groan that echoed through the desolate landscape, the massive doorway ground open. It moved with agonizing slowness, revealing a gaping maw that led into the inky darkness of the temple's interior.

A wave of stale air, thick with the scent of dust and forgotten time, washed over them. Rory coughed, waving a hand in front of his face. "Well, that doesn't smell like fresh desert roses," he grumbled.

“Well shit.” Rance said absently. “I’m glad Kainith found you.”

“Thanks but no time for compliments let’s go inside to get this over with. I can’t imagine the inside will be pleasant.” Lucian stated.

Lucian took a deep breath and stepped into the unknown, the others hesitantly following behind. The interior of the temple was a stark contrast to the barren desert outside. The air hung heavy with humidity, and the faint glow emanating from the entrance barely penetrated the oppressive darkness. The floor was slick and uneven, carved from the same obsidian as the exterior walls.

As they ventured deeper, the sound of dripping water echoed through the cavernous halls, amplified by the oppressive silence. The walls were adorned with faded murals depicting nightmarish creatures and scenes of ancient rituals. Each step forward sent a flurry of dust motes dancing in the dim light, revealing intricate tripwires and pressure plates embedded in the floor.

"Looks like someone wasn't too keen on visitors," Rance muttered, his voice a nervous whisper.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Lucian's feet gave way. He yelped in surprise, plummeting into a hidden pit. Dust billowed upwards as he landed with a thud on a soft, moss-covered platform several feet below. Relief washed over him as he realized he'd escaped unharmed.

He looked around to see a precarious rope bridge spanning the gap between the platform and the floor to the left. In a pit below were a series of rusted spikes, their razor-sharp points glinting menacingly in the dim light.

"Nice booby trap," Rory called down, his voice tinged with dark humor. "Looks like someone forgot to leave out the welcome mat."

The rest of the party jumped down the small drop to party back up with Lucian.

“God damn not another rope bridge.” Rance grumbled.

“Well, there's nowhere to go but the other side.” Kainith said with a smile. 

Lucian led the way and scrambled across the rickety rope bridge, his heart pounding in his chest. As he reached the otherside, a hail of darts whizzed past his head, embedding themselves with a soft thunk into the stone wall behind him.

“Hey guys, be careful. There are traps absolutely everywhere. Rance you should be happy there must be some pretty good treasure in here!” Lucian shouted across the gap.

"Seems this place is more than just dusty murals," Kainith said, his voice grim. He plucked his lute from his back, his fingers flying across the strings in a rapid, almost frantic melody. The haunting notes seemed to vibrate through the very walls of the temple, momentarily silencing the clatter of the falling darts and deactivating the surrounding pressure plates.

Lucian drew his sword, its polished surface reflecting the faint blue glow. "Hey thanks for disabling these traps," he said, his voice tight with urgency. "Just  be careful where you step. I'm sure there are many more around us."

As the group of friends ventured deeper, the air itself seemed to thicken with a malevolent presence. Flickering light from the green eternal flames barely penetrated the oppressive darkness, forcing them to rely on the golden orb that followed Lucian. The occasional drip of water echoed through the cavernous halls, a sound that sent shivers down their spines in this oppressive silence. The once-grand murals on the walls were now a grotesque tableau, depicting scenes of sacrifices and rituals dedicated to some forgotten deity.

“Some of the people on these murals have explosive magic.” Rory pointed up to a mural with a man wearing common clothes pointing a stick at someone with explosive balls coming out of it.

“Look at that one…” Rance pointed up.”That one looks like the beams of light that cut the walls of my old employer's house.

The party continued onwards down the winding hallways and they encountered another trap. Rory was leading the group and was distracted by the murals letting his guard down. His boot landed squarely on a pressure plate, and with a sickening thud, a section of the floor beneath him gave way. He plummeted into a hidden pit lined with razor-sharp spikes.

Rance reacted instantly, lunging forward and grabbing Rory's outstretched hand just as his fingers brushed the deadly spikes. The weight of his friend threatened to pull him down as well. With a surge of adrenaline, Rance dug his heels into the crumbling stone and hauled Rory back onto solid ground. Rory, pale and shaken, scrambled to his feet, thanking his lucky stars for Rance’s reflexes.

The incident served as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurked within these hallowed halls.

“How about you let me lead the way now Rory.” Kainith stated.

Rory nodded all too happy to let someone else take the lead after his close brush with death.

 They proceeded with agonizing slowness, Kainith leading the way with his keen eyes scanning the floor for hidden triggers and tripwires. Rance cautiously prodded the walls with the handles of his daggers, searching for secret compartments that might hold concealed traps. Lucian brought up the rear, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his sword.

Their path was a gauntlet of deadly traps. They dodged swinging blades triggered by pressure plates hidden beneath layers of dust. Crumbling staircases, their edges eroded by time, gave way underfoot, sending them scrambling for precarious handholds. Poison darts, launched from ingeniously concealed blowholes in the walls, whizzed past their heads, embedding themselves with a soft thunk into the ancient stone.

“What the hell!” Kainith exclaimed. “This place is the most stereotypical group of traps. If I read this in a book I'd assume it was fiction.” He said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Rance laughed. “I can’t wait to see the looks on peoples faces when you decide to tell this story.”

The party continued onward down a different hallway leading them to a set of oddly well manicured stairs. As they descended the stairs the air grew thick with the stench of burnt flesh and the metallic tang of blood. The group came upon a massive chamber with walls of dripping gore and fountains of mostly congealed blood. There, in the middle of the room on a pedestal, was an obsidian altar.

Rance broke away from the group and slowly walked over to the altar. As he got closer he saw a metallic glint that looked like gold from a distance. Sure enough on top of the altar there was a dagger made of pure gold with sapphires and emeralds encrusted in the hilt and blade. He snuck back to the group and showed off his loot.

“Oh I'm sure that won’t curse us.” Rory said with a small amount of fear in his voice.

“Oh shut up.” Rance retorted. “If it does, who cares. We are about to get a gem that can be used to break curses. We need more money to continue this little adventure if we are going to continue to venture across the world.”