The Family Jewels

At a glance, it was clear to see why there were no guards protecting the place. The obvious items in the treasury were gone. Well, there was some armor here and there, a couple of weapons, all of it for show and... Let's face it, the stuff was for decoration.

The money was gone, which would hurt the family, but it wasn't like his house couldn't recover from this alone. Well, whatever, if his father was fine, then Tim would be forgiven for what he was about to do. If his father was dead...

No, better not to think about that. Tim passed inside the first room, then through the remnants of a shattered door into the second one. This room, too, showed heavy signs of looting, although there was more of the family's fortune intact here.

Tim took care as he advanced, step by step, yet still there were no signs of a trap. He didn't sense a magical attempt to scry on him, nor did he feel eyes on him. He made his way to the far side of this room as well, climbing up onto a shelf which had, perhaps fortuitously, been emptied of treasures.

Standing on the shelf he was in a little niche, the wall itself made of pretty sturdy looking stone bricks. Time turned to the left, pushed in four stones... then he twisted a 'torch holder' on the wall and pulled this section toward him, then to his left.

Just like that, another hidden room, this one known only to his family. Entering the new opening, he began pulling the outside door shut. He wouldn't be leaving this way. Quickly, he pulled this door toward him, then sidestepped just before it would have otherwise crushed him.

Murmuring under his breath, he summoned a small sphere of light to hover just over his right shoulder. Next, he shot out a small blast of air, clearing the small hall in front of him of cobwebs, entering the room he'd come here to find.

Here lay everything important to his family, the tools they'd used to forge their own kingdom and keep it free for centuries. In other words, the fate of his family's future might well rest in this room. There was no chance that Tim would leave them here with his family's state unknown.

Some of it was just for historical value... The founder's robes and staff, while useful, weren't irreplaceable. However, several rings, a necklace, the family's grimoire, and their own unique scrying orb made their way into his possession.

He wore most of it, stowing the excess in his pack. He made a point of taking his ancestor's robes and staff, there was no reason not to, as well as a small box that the family had never determined the use of.

At last, Tim turned to the final object in the room. This was the true treasure of his family, the one thing that must never be allowed to fall into the hands of his family's enemies. A smooth, blue orb, radiating magical energy.

Picking this up, Tim cancelled all magical effects on himself, knowing he couldn't afford the slightest distraction. He recited the phrase written at the base of the stone and, as he did so, the magical words disappeared from there, becoming instead a permanent memory in his mind.

There was an implosion of inrushing air as Tim and his family's prized jewels and treasures disappeared from the Eastern continent altogether. Meanwhile, on the Western continent, there was a loud explosion of air, making a loud clap as he arrived standing before yet another stone.

The area was dusty and old, there being no sign of habitation in recent memory. The air was stale, small proof that air flow would be a problem long term. The boy approached the second stone, stowing the blue one in his pack and retrieving a red one.

He read the inscription once more and, once more, it was burned forever into his mind. This time, however, there was no change in location... instead, he noticed the lights going out and felt a rather massive inflow of power. He hadn't even considered the fact that he could see but a moment ago, so why...

Ah, there was a crack as a wall opened up. Summoning another orb of light, Tim stowed this gem in his pack as well, excited by events yet terrified by them as well. He hadn't confirmed what had happened to his family either way but... He had enough circumstantial evidence to go with it.

He ascended stairs for quite some distance, the air still stale but slowly getting better. That was something, at least. In the dark below him, he heard the wall close once more. It seemed that there would be no going back now.

After minutes that crawled on into an hour, he reached a side tunnel in a natural cave, overlooking the former Western Capital, Ravarest. Rava, the god of Destruction, sworn enemy of Sariah, goddess of Healing, lost the battle for this city and, eventually, the war against her people.

Most of the old capital lay in ruin, save the former inner city which still housed the Crystal of Rhian. Rhian herself had been a subordinate of Sariah, her most faithful handmaiden whom had been elevated to the Godhead shortly before her death.

The cocky boy made his way toward town, knowing he'd need a few things he'd, frankly, forgotten to pick up when he was running for his life. Water wasn't an issue for most mages but food, well, that would be an issue.

Before any of that, though, the youth needed a place he could be alone for just a little while. It didn't need to be something spectacular, just private, and for that he intended to use an ancient watchtower, something that hadn't been used in years.

Using a little wind magic to ascend, the ladder had long since been removed, he tentatively tested the stone 'flooring' just inside the old tower. There were some issues here and there, but it would be fine for the short time he'd be there.

Collapsing, at last, on the floor, curling into a ball, Tim finally let out a scream of frustration before falling into tears. It might have been coincidence, or it might have been fate, but a bell began to ring at exactly that time, drowning out even his cries.

Shouting could be heard from the city, cries of shock, amazement, and fear. It took him a bit before his mind was ready to process the word being spread from the ancient cathedral, though it didn't mean anything to him when he did understand the words.

"The Crystal! The Crystal of Rhian is orange!"