A lone, nameless knight walks along an empty brick road. This knight's eyes were pitch black and lifeless. They wore no armor, only a cloak over their shoulders, and a mask to hide their face. Their choice of weapon was a worn sword, with cracks and dents. Despite their attire, they still stood upright and walked along the empty road with a single goal in mind.
The path was narrow, a nice refresher from the endless wastelands beyond, winds so strong, turning back would be impossible for a simple adventurer. It was a stereotypical dark and stormy night, fitting for the quest. The knight suddenly comes to a halt at the end of a hardy cliff. The knight stands there and quietly looks upon the ruined kingdom of Mooncrest. The kingdom in its prime was an outstanding sight, full of fresh fields, rich history, outstanding architecture, and a palace that surpassed any other.
Those days of prime were long over. . .
The knight took in the scenery with reverence and regret, this was the first sight of home they have seen in years. They turned their gaze to the chasm in front of them, A broken stairway that leads to an abyss. They took a deep breath, and jumped.
The knight made a quick descent into the great depths. After a short fall, the ground started to present itself. The ground was made out of rock and the remains of shell and bone. The ground has definitely aged, with cuts, edges, and bruises visibly present. The knight braced for impact and landed with a graceful roll. They were no stranger to such an impact, they were trained for combat from birth. The knight quickly jumped to their feet and continued onward.
The knight feels a small nibbling on their foot, they look down to see a small, beetle-like creature nibbling on their foot. The knight looks at this creature with disdain, kicks the creature to the side, and continues onward. The rising smoke of Nomoke Village's traditional bonfire can be seen in the distance, just over the horizon. The knight started to climb another, less steep, cliff. One foot at a time he made his way up. Multiple pebbles were falling from above, it seems as if another adventurer was also making his way into the kingdom, just ahead.
The Knight inched his way up to the top of the cliff. Catching a glance of the traveler ahead, a fairly tall, nimble fellow. Before the knight could get a good look, the traveler leaped down a small tunnel that leads deeper into the pass. The tunnel looked freshly dug, it was smoother and fresher than the beat-up roads that came before. The Knight ignored the tunnel, it wasn't the way it was going.
The Knight passed an old rune, despite its age it started to emit a white glow as the Knight passed. Out of curiosity, the Knight read what the rune had to say. "Beyond this pass lies Mooncrest, the tamer of man." The boasting title was not unexpected, Mooncrest was known to celebrate itself often, it had a king that thought very highly of himself. The king's confidence was what inevitably led to the kingdom's ruin, a violent plague ravaged the lands and decimated any and all who sought to find a cure, almost like the disease was sentient.
The Knight dwells upon itself, just for one moment, and then it continues, the past is not important anymore.
The Knight continues on Their way. Suddenly, The Knight tripped on some sort of rock, and instantly, hopped up and unsheathed their sword. It looked around, slowly, looking at every detail of the walls and floor.
Zzzzzrt!
The Knight rolled to the side quickly, multiple cross bolts flying pass at wind speed.
Traps, those were new as well.
Continuing on, the Knight found itself at the lowest point of a set of stairs leading into a small cave emitting some natural deep blue glow. The Knight's quaint stroll turned into a jagged run, for at that moment, the Knight stumbled upon Mooncrest's most valuable and precious resource, the lunar rose. Mystical, elusive, and extremely fragile, the Knight scooped the rose up and consumed it, the only edible thing the Knight has eaten for days. Its fresh healing properties rushed through the Knight's veins in seconds, healing all wounds, and diminishing all hunger.
The Knight left the cavern and vaulted to another small ledge and sidestepped around it. A few dangerous bounds later, and the Knight was faced with a gate door that would fit a wyrm inside. The gate was locked, chained, barricaded, all in an attempt to keep out the infection, alas, it was all for nothing.
The Knight, however, was too far into the journey to be stopped by a gate. The Knight drew their sword and started slashing and stabbing at the chains and rocks keeping it shut. Furiously attacking the gate with unbelievable strength. Cracks in the rocks and cuts in the chains, the Knight had no mercy and nothing was going to stop it.
After mere moments of relentless wrath, the Knight finally broke the gate down, the gate fell and crashed onto the ground. Which in turn shook the cave a bit, causing multiple heavy stalactites to tumble towards the floor before inevitably shattering on the ground.
The Knight kicked aside the broken rocks and rushed forward, they can smell it now, the horrible stench of the plague. It was filthy, the smell was equivalent to the insides of a sunworm. It's the kind of smell that would make you hold your breath by impulse.
Creeeeak!..
The ground fell from underneath the Knight's feet, and instantly, the Knight was plunged into a great depth, it seemed to never end. Down... Down... Down... into the pit... and by the looks of things, there was no turning back.