Parallel Storylines (Astra): All That Glitters...

Curiosity getting the better of her, Astra plunges her hand into the icy waters of the pool to fish the object out. The small pool is deeper than it looks - about three-quarters of Astra's arm - but she manages to grab the lost item without much difficulty.

She pulls out a leather strap, long enough to be a necklace, that has been threaded through a simple golden ring. The gold and the water droplets running off of it sparkle tantalizingly in the torchlight, but Astra knows better than to trust lost jewelry in dungeons - especially when there isn't a wizard or a cleric nearby to break any lingering curses. (Morrowen, Astra's favourite of the traveling bards that visited her family's palace, loved to regale the court with a tale of an evil power sealed in a simple-looking ring that corrupted the thoughts of those who used it. The story ended with a hero who had the innocence of a child destroying the ring by throwing it into a volcano. Though the tale was one of her favourite stories as a child, Astra has no intentions of risking a reenactment.)

Preferring not to wear the ring just yet, but neither having any pockets to stash it in nor wanting to wear any choking hazards, Astra settles on wrapping the leather cord with the ring around her wrist to keep it as a bracelet. Once the treasure is secured, Astra takes a moment to quench her thirst and wash her wounds clean as best as she can, in that order. The icy water stings in multiple places at first contact before her nerves settle down to a low, numb throbbing.

Feeling somewhat reinvigorated, Astra continues down the tunnel. She doesn't have to go far before she finds another wall brace for a torch, albeit one that has burnt itself completely out. A short distance farther on and she finds another, followed by another. Some are lit, some are out, several have been taken out of their holders and are missing entirely, but there's no doubt that this cavern normally sees much heavier non-dragon traffic than the caves she has spent most of her time in thus far.

Coming down a steep hill and turning another corner, Astra becomes aware of multiple sounds overlapping with each other as they echo down the tunnel. She proceeds with caution, but her luck holds and she doesn't encounter anyone else on her trail. Soon enough, she reaches the end of the tunnel - which opens out to a great underground city. Stalactites and stalagmites, each seemingly the size of a small mountain themselves, are dotted with caves, many of which have flickering lights. Streets wind their way around the great pillars, and the sounds of busy city living fill the air even though Astra is still quite some distance from the city proper.

And there- Astra finally gets a glimpse of the creatures living down here...

1. The city is filled with harpies, the roads seem to be for herding their preferred prey
2. The city is run by dwarves, though from here Astra cannot tell whether they're a friendly faction to her people
3. The city is crawling with goblins, and the stench of garbage is the next thing to strike Astra
4. The city is home to a lizard-like race of humanoids that Astra has never encountered before
5. The city is dominated by a bat-like race, and the 'streets' are actually guano slicks
6. All manner of creatures seem to be getting along peacably with no sign of stereotypical animosities

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