Nina, heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs, carefully begins to examine the human remains. The bones are scattered, fragmented, yet strangely... organized. Not randomly strewn, but as if deliberately placed, or perhaps... rearranged. She notices that many of the bones bear markings - not natural fractures, but clean cuts, almost surgical in precision. Some smaller bones, likely fingers or toes, are missing entirely.
The crystal's pulsing intensifies as she touches a skull, its surface surprisingly smooth, devoid of any significant damage beyond the precise cuts. The socket where the left eye would have been, is empty, the bone strangely polished, as if something had been meticulously removed. Rex whimpers softly, nudging her hand with his wet nose.
Nina carefully examines the fragments of equipment scattered amidst the bones. She recognizes a broken hilt of a sword, a shattered piece of leather armor, and what appears to be the remains of a quiver, its arrows long decayed into dust. These items bear no unique markings that would definitely identify their owners, but the style suggest they belonged to seasoned adventurers, possibly those from the Adventurer's Guild.
As she shifts a larger bone, a small, intricately carved wooden box, similar to the one she found outside the hollow, emerges from the debris. It's slightly damaged, but intact enough to open. Inside, nestled amongst a bed of dried herbs identical to those she found before, lies a single, perfectly preserved blue feather. It's remarkably soft, almost impossibly light, emits a faint warmth. Rex barks a sharp warning as a faint tremor shakes the ground, the humming from the crystal growing louder, more insistent. The air crackles, charged with unseen energy. The blue feather, nestled within its soft, herbal bed, begins to glow faintly. The Whispering Woods are clearly not done with revealing their secrets. Nina knows she must proceed with caution, the sense of foreboding deepening with each passing moment. The feeling is less of a looming danger, and an impending revelation, something profound and perhaps terrifying. What does the feather mean? What further mysteries await her within this ancient, echoing chamber?