Beginnings - Toil and Trouble

A mountain of bare stone, but for the occasional small withered pine tree, rose from the most remote section of the forest. With jagged lonely peaks jutting outwardly into the low hanging shroud of gray clouds, the mountain stood erect, a thin veil of mist and smoke swirled, concealing the evil within its granite interior. A vague dirt path, clogged with weeds, cut back and forth, climbing the mountain’s rocky face, around large stone protrusions and along narrow, wind swept ledges, pressed against the soaring vertical cliffs.

The opening to the cave was narrow and hidden in the belly of a rock-choked crease within a clearing along the mountain’s south slope. Through the cave’s entrance, a passage, carved of wind and water, cut into the mountain’s flesh for twenty five feet until opening into an expansive cavern. The room was roughly circular in shape with the ceiling rising in places to sixty feet above the sand strewn floor. Natural vent holes dotted the ceiling, allowing shallow beams of sunlight to cut through and brighten the dark expanse within. The black rock of the cavern walls remained shrouded in shadow. It was chipped and rough but dull with dust.

The floor of the cavern was clear but for loose boulders of varying size and shape, like enormous marbles, scattered throughout. A small, vaguely square alter of mud and small stones rose from its center. The smoothed top of the alter was concave, sloping towards the middle and charred black from the flame and heat of many fires built upon its surface.

Pressed against the far wall, lay piles of matted straw along with two blankets, tattered and stained. The bones of small animals were scattered in little piles in the sand, next to the straw. A woman lay asleep on her side in the makeshift straw bed. She snored softly, her hands clutching and cradling an old leather sack. She wore a long black dress, torn and frayed along the hem. The sleeves had been cut near the shoulder, exposing short withered bony arms with hands and fingers that looked like the talons of a hawk. Her face was pale and sunken into her skull. She had high cheek bones and her nose was long and pointed sharply, curving slightly downward at the tip. Her hair was grey, cut to approximately shoulder length, with subtle white streaks. It was tangled and unkept.

Although the woman slept, one eyelid had not fully closed. Her eye beneath was dull and mottled but for its center which burned a deep amber. The eye twitched and roamed the cavern with each snore as if watching for movement.