“The Shrouded Vale”
Episode 3: Chamber of Echoes
March 20, 2025
Tavi Falconheart tightens his grip on the rope, testing its strength once more. The ancient fibers creak under his weight as he lowers himself into the well, the surface of the forest slowly shrinking above him. The air grows cooler, heavier—thick with age and something else... something watching.
The walls close in. Moss clings to the stone, wet and slick. Carvings line the shaft—some chipped, some worn smooth, others still sharp with symbols that seem to shift when he isn't looking directly at them.
Deeper still, the glow intensifies—a soft green pulse, slow and rhythmic, like the beating of a heart. It emanates from a hollow chamber at the well’s base, where the rope ends just feet above the ground. Tavi drops the last stretch and lands softly, his boots splashing in shallow water.
He stands in a circular chamber. Roots twist through the stone walls like veins. In the center rests a stone basin, cracked but intact, glowing faintly from within. Surrounding it are objects—torn satchels, rusted blades, bones long stripped clean.
Then, a whisper: not from the wind, but from inside his mind.
You are not the first… but you may be the last.
The glow flares. A dark shape stirs within the basin.