Within a small village, in an abandoned manor, there is a golden casket. Stored within the casket of gold are numerous relics – the broken spear which killed an evil dragon, the ashes of a saint and dagger stained with what said is the blood of a god. However, despite the location of the relics being widespread knowledge, no thieves or robbers have made off with it. Even priests do not talk of retriving the casket. What is amiss here?
- The casket of relics have already claimed the live of five person who tried to move it out from the manor. One was slain outright, dropping dead without any reason, just by touching it. Others tried to bring the casket through the front doors and would immediately struck dead. Right now, the casket is interned in a safe place where no such accidents would happen while priests (and robbers) consider how to get it out from the door without the loss of lives. Finding out how the casket ended up in the manor would be a good start – long ago, a pious merchant agree to ship the casket from the lands of the crusades to the church where it is supposed to be housed. However, a servant of the merchant decided to steal the relics and escaped with a relic from the casket. The next day, the others who were supposed to move out the casket find it immovable. It seems that the casket would not be moved till the stolen relic is returned. And what happened to the thief of the relic? Unfortunately, he had removed a “cursed” relic – a pendant which in which the soul of a saint struggled eternally with that of a devil. The thief, wearing the golden pendant, has went mad and flee to a barrow to hide, and eventually become a wight.
- Even since the casket has been in the manor, the village enjoys growth, prosperity and good luck. Believing that the casket is the source of their fortune, they have thought of ways of preventing the casket from being removed. First, deaths were fake — and real deaths were committed. The casket has been safeguarded by the villagers deep within the cellars of the manor, warded against thieves. Priests the villagers would murder in cold-blood or poison them such that they would die of mysterious means. Strangely though, if the casket is really of full of holy relics, why would it bless the villagers who are committing deceit and murder? Could the “casket of holy relics” a cover-up for something that is actually unholy and horrifying.
- The casket does indeed hold power which killed the five men handling it. However, the ‘men’ killed are in fact not any mere mortals, but cultists planning to get their hand on the relics. Perhaps it is divine power who allows the casket to discern between the cultist (worshipers of a dark god of destruction) and the real priests; however, news spread about those five death and even the real priests dare not collect it. However, recently a group of paladins and clerics arrive, saying they have the idea and means to move the casket safely. The adventurers best observe their movement carefully – are they cultists who figured out a way to suppress the divine power? Even if they are true, once the casket’s power of protection is neutralized, while the enemies pounce on them?
One important thing: No one have ever see what is inside the casket before. All information regarding the relics within are based on hearsay and the tales of bards.
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