The darkness is the first thing you notice, for it is all you can see. Next you notice the stone. The walls to either side are stone, the floor below you is as well. It’s smooth for the most part; hinting at much use over many years. You are underground you realize. Maybe you always knew.
There is no where to go but forward.
It gets warmer the farther you go, and just when you begin to wonder if you are going to be stuck in the bowels of the earth for all of eternity you round a corner and bright, golden, blinding light washes over you. It was waiting for you - being lost in the dark is not the nightmare here.
You find yourself in a huge, grand room. It could be a ballroom, or a throne room, it certainly looks like it should be in the middle of a palace. The walls are gold - warm, bright, inviting. The floor is gold inlaid with marble tiles, great rich rugs here and there. Along the walls, in nooks and crannies, are murals made in precious metals and gemstones. Tapestries also hang along the walls, but the gold is the dominating theme. It's beautiful. As you look closer you see the walls have an odd shape - you see the nooks are rounded, the pillars in the room aren't perfect - this is a great cavern covered in gold and other riches.
Just as you begin to wonder who might live in such a place, you see her. She sits on a throne of gold, high and regal. You can hear the music of her laughter from across the room. Her skin is dark, a faint golden sheen can be seen when she moves - You know it is not a trick of the light. Her hair is long, so much so that it spills out around the throne upon which she is resting, golden and shimmery with things of blue and purple peeking out underneath. The grand horns on her head, coupled with sheen of her skin, tell you that this human form is a disguise, that whatever she is is something much more. A crown rests between those horns. You have found the queen of this palace.
She rises as you come closer, the onyx beads of her gown creating a faint music as she does so. “Hello,” she says. She is regal, she is poised, and you know at once that she is powerful. She knows all of this, and everything about her - the look in her eye, the way she moves and stands - is meant to convey this to you. She is simply confident that she is the ultimate authority, and this is her kingdom after all.
“Do you know what you're looking for?" She doesn't give you time to respond. "Fortune? Fame? Power? A comfortable life?" She grins and her teeth are too sharp, just a bit too long. "Did you come here to look for it?" She looked thoughtful for moment. "I do have so very many treasures, but none are for the taking of course." Her golden eyes focus on you again, appraising you. "Though I suppose, I do have something I can give you, in return for helping me."
"On of my small friends seems to be missing. He does like to get himself lost. He is a snake. Small, black, and overly adorable." She smiles with a hint of fondness. "There is a treasure room down the hall through that door.," she points to your left. "Take a left at the first corner, then another left, followed by a right. You can't miss it. It happens to be his favorite, and there is a good chance he is there, though others I've sent in have returned empty handed. If you look in there, and I do mean check every corner and cubbyhole within it, I will let you leave this place. If you decide to not help me look, I'll let you try and find your own way out. And I assure you nothing leaves this place without my permission." Another smile. For an instant, so quick you might have imagined it, the woman before you is replaced with a dragon. A great, grand dragon, with every ounce of beauty and power the woman had. She is scales and claws and fur - elegant as she is deadly. You DO blink, and the dragon is gone. Only the woman before you again.
"Again, the treasure room is through that door. Take your time, of course." She smiles and waves. You blink again. She is gone. You are alone in a grand room. It is warm, yet something sends a chill down your spine.
El Dorado:
Your Stygian is in the Palace of El Dorado - a small piece of the Kingdom here, and one Gold's favorite nightmares. Some things your Stygian might find if they explore the palace:
--An endless maze of golden hallways and rooms. Some rooms could be guest rooms - grand beds and plush carpets, burning fires and feasts set out on tables. Other rooms could be huge libraries or perhaps one of the smaller ballrooms.
--There are no windows in this palace, there are no doors leading to an outside. Even if you manage to find the Grand Ballroom again there is no way out.
--Sleep in the beds is not restful. Food from the feasts is tasteless and leaves one still hungry. The fires all burn too hot. The books in the libraries are all written in languages your Stygian cannot read.
--There are no servants to be seen, there are no kitchens and no servants quarters, not that can be found. Sometimes there is a hiss, or the sound of scales on stone, but otherwise your Stygian seems to be alone.
--Any and all gold, items, and treasures found in El Dorado will stay in El Dorado, even if your Stygian tries to steal them. They will simply disappear from your Stygian's possession and return to their rightful place on their own.
THE QUEST:
Gold's animal familiar, a 'small' black snake has gone missing again. If your Stygian helps her search for it, Gold will grant your Stygian swift passage out of the maze that is El Dorado.
QUEST 1: Search the Treasure Room
Your Stygian follows the directions given to them and finds a medium sized treasure room. If they are observant they will notice two things immediately. 1. Everything in it is gold or other precious metals and gems. 2. It is a mess. There are coins, goblets, crowns, mirrors, armour, dressers and trinkets, and hundreds upon hundreds of other things. It's filled to the brim with treasures, and is easily worth a fortune or three.
Task: Draw or write about your Stygian searching in this medium sized treasure room for a small black serpent. What sort of treasures do they find here? Do they find the serpent? Whether they find the serpent or not is up to you! Simply searching is the quest.
You may also opt to depict your Stygian exploring the palace as described above, instead of the treasure room (you will not, however, find the serpent or receive the status reward. It will count for quest completion, though!)
Status Reward - Obtainable only if you depict the treasure room: Once your Stygian begins searching, they will find they are now rather... sparkly. Shiny. Covered in a very fine gold dust. This will last for approximately 1 in character (IC) day, and wear off through normal living or a bath. Again, this is not permanent! The effect may be used in a quest art piece (maximum 2) featuring that Stygian after they have completed this quest.
Quest 2:
Do battle with Leaf, Gold’s Treat companion!
Your Stygian chooses a door and instead of finding a treasure room they find themself in a room that does not look like it belongs in the palace. It’s a huge cavern - gold does still line the walls, though it’s hard to see through the glow of the lava. Actual, searing hot molten stone and metal. As your Stygian turns to leave, as this room is oppressively hot and all but a very small part of the floor is lava - they find the doorway blocked by a Treat. It challenges them to a battle they cannot escape from!
Task:
Part 1: Defeat Leaf, a Treat, in a TCG battle here: BOSS BATTLE: T-106
Part 2: Draw or Write about your Stygian in the lava room! This can be before, during, or after the battle! (You do NOT need to include Leaf in this piece.) How does your Stygian feel about lava rooms? Do they like being very, very warm? Are they enjoying their time in El Dorado?
Reward: Unlock The Grand Treasure Room Quest in El Dorado.
Quest 3:
The Grand Treasure Room
--This quest is only available if your Stygian has DEFEATED Leaf, the Treat from Quest 2 in battle!
Upon defeating the little Treat, they are free to continue. There is now a new door to walk through. Beyond that another dark corridor that empties into another bright golden room.
This room is massive, so huge your Stygian isn't sure if they can see the other side or if the light just doesn't reach that far. There are mountain's of gold here. Ore, coins, shaped jewelry from every age, statues and more. If it could have been cast or formed or made of gold it is here, somewhere. On one pedestal is a golden hand, next to that a golden statue of a lion. Next to that a golden ram, that suspiciously looks like it might be covered in real, golden wool. In the distance... is that a tree? There are wonders like these and so, so many more to be found in this room.
Task: Draw or Write about your Stygian searching the Grand Treasure Room for the little black serpent familiar. What do they find? What do they touch? Do they find the serpent? Do they turn up empty handed?
Status Reward: If you depict your Stygian interacting with the golden human hand found on the pedestal mentioned above: Your Stygian is granted the status effect Midas Touch for 1 in character hour! Anything your Stygian touches will turn to gold! This status will leave your Stygian after 1 hour, and any objects or beings they turned to gold will revert to their normal state after 1 hour as well. Again, this status is not permanent, it will wear off of both your Stygian and whatever they touch after 1 hour, respectively.
The effect may be used in a quest art piece (maximum 2) featuring that Stygian after they have completed this quest.