The stone walls whirred, the blue circle spun faster; becoming so fast that you couldn't even make out the symbols any longer. Dall felt a smooth wind brushing past him, caused by the speed of the magic circles spinning. It began to phase into the wall, until the blue light was gone, but the whirring could still be heard. The stone that the circle had been on started creaking and eventually melted. The wall opened.
Dall was in shock, still sitting on the ground leaning on his hands; gazing towards the blue lit room that was now shining on his face. What the hell! he exclaimed internally. Dall was sure of it now, he was no longer anywhere comprehendible. No where on earth was there strange magic circles that could melt pure stone--especially just upon contact! Is this an other-worldly situation? Like those damn novels he read when he was in high school. It would explain the moon, and the magic. How did he get here though? It wasn't like anything killed him.
No... Dall remembered the strange phenomenon of transcendence where he floated amongst that blue void that denied all physics. He had been in there for hours. When it began spinning he must've been transferred here.. but what were the flowers? what was the void? what brought him here? what happened?
More questions than answers were flashing through Dall's mind, he no longer felt like anything he had known prior made sense. Though, it wasn't the time to ponder the unknown. Dall slapped himself on the face with his frail hands. He stood up and began studying the room that had been opened. The room was small, sort of like a bedroom in an apartment. It was carved out of the white stone, and was just as dark as the rest of the cave--however unlike the rest of the cave, this room was illuminated by the dark blue glow of a flame lantern on the wall; with a flame that seemingly didn't go out. There was a desk on the wall made of a decrepit wood, on the desk was an open notebook. There was a rotting bookshelf, a torn straw bed, and some other miscellaneous items scattered about. The room was a clutter.
Yet the worst part was the damn dust. When Dall opened the magic door, the wind from the circle must've spun up all the dust in the ancient room, he couldn't stop himself from sneezing.
He gazed. Why was there a room hidden magically in a cave--let alone in a cave that's in the middle of an extremely dense tundra forest? On the wall parallel to the door was an old looking piece of parchment, hung up with a rusty nail that was smashed into the wall. On the paper was a map, a large X was draw on what looked like a massive mound.. the cavern? Yes! It was a map of the forest, and it seems as though the cavern was....
Right in the damn middle.
Dall cussed, he walked all that time only to find out that he walked right to the middle. He sighed and studied the map further, to the north of the cave was a settlement it seemed. It was labeled "Molnor" in strange letters, and was surrounded by the snowy forest on all sides. That was the extent of the map. The rest was surrounded by the forest. Occasional streams of water were mapped out, and large mounds were circled; however the most important part of this was the settlement. Dall wondered if it was still there, as this entire room and map seemed to be quite ancient. However, it was his only glimpse of color in this white hell. He had to try to find it in the morning.
He tore down the map and walked over to the desk. It was old, and made of some type of dark wood. He sat in the chair adjacent to the desk and placed the map scroll off to the side, glancing at the notebook in the center of his view. The page it was open to was in a language completely unfamiliar to Dall, but he understood it:
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17th of Darnua, 3rd Century
"This is my last day. I'm running short on food and animals are scarce in the Triwood Forest. Praise Gala that I've lasted this long. If you found this room, you must be a mage from the main team. Be aware, this place is hell.
Run. Don't stay longer than you need to or you'll meet the same fate as Allegheny, poor old scout. They say that this forest is cursed. Cursed by the ***** "
It was a word Dall couldn't read. Strangely, it was covered by a blurry film that he couldn't move no matter what.
"... and it's residual purity is enough to make one go mad. Get out of here before you suffer the same fate we did. Send word to Maria in Galania, tell her I'm sorry. You won't be able to find my body; as death in this forest disintegrates your bones, but I left some items in the chest by the bed. Give them to Maria. My name was Martin by the way. May Gala's stars show you the way to a safer fate than mine."
...
Gala? It sounds like some deities name in the way it's used. This finally confirmed that Dall isn't on earth anymore, he had studied cultural anthropology in school so he knew every religion on earth. Gala wasn't any earthly god, and Triwood Forest wasn't any place he'd heard of. It must be the snowy forest he's trapped in.
How big is it? What's more concerning is that this forest seems to have some magical effects. Dall already knows magic exists here, this is due to the entry mentioning 'mages', however he has no idea how it works; let alone he'd have no clue on how curses work. Though, it seems like the forest was cursed by 'something' and that it causes people to go insane. Residual Purity? Wouldn't something pure be beneficial to people?
There is too much to this place that is shrouded in mystery. Before Dall opened the rest of journal, he made his way to the chest on the side of the bed and opened it. Inside was a cloak made of some type of animal fur. It was thick and black, with a hood covered by a warm pelt. Red stripes embellished the leather and a engraved insignia coated the inside. To the side of it, a pair of daggers with red handles in black sheathes were shining with the same dim glow as the stalactite. Are the handles made of it? Dall unsheathed on of the daggers, the blade was silver-like and had a blue engraving in it that read "dignity"
"Sorry for Maria, but thanks for the gifts" Dall joked, as he put on the red cloak and attached the sheathes to his back. He walked back over to the desk and flipped to the front of the journal.
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20th of Janitua, 3rd Century
"It's was a long winter. According to King Albert, they discovered a ruined city in the Triwoods. It's name was Molnor..."