Trio
A young ranger in a quiet wood.
An ancient doorless structure stands in her way.
Rolling hills of grass and grain.
A young mage stands, her hair blowing in the wind, lost in thought.
A glass of beer sits in a small pub, midday in a quiet corner of the city.
A young swordsman drinks and revels in the calm.
A union stands on the precipice.
As the sun sets, the city shivers. Citizens stop for a second to feel the tremor. Deep underground, a bell is chiming. A deep resonate ring, slowly repeating, each time getting louder.
The swordsman looks up from his beer, wondering what the sound is. He stands, leaving a payment on the table, waving to the owner, and leaves the pub. His ears are not great, but still, he feels pulled towards the sound. Downhill, towards the city center, he walks. Fixated on what he believes is the direct source of the noise and vibrations.
When he reaches the center of town, the old town well seems to be the source of the sound. He shifts his leather armor, tightening and readjusting as if he were going into battle. He has three swords on him, and he reaches for the one at his hip as he looks over the edge of the well. It hasn't produced water in the few years he has lived here. As he glances down the hole, nothing glints or moves in the darkness. He stares for a few minutes, sure this is the source of the sound and the vibrations, but he can see no source.
The swordsman feels uneasy, but unsure of what to do. He steps back, and walks to the edge of the square. He takes a seat on a bench, pulls the largest blade from his back, and begins polishing it while staring intently at the well.
Far to the East, deep in the woods, the ranger feels the vibrations. And while she does not hear any ringing, her mind is immediately cleared of what she was doing. This windowless ancient building has lost all of her attention, and instead stares to the West. It is dark, but she feels she must leave now. Her horse waits diligently next to a tree, The ranger mounts the horse, turns it towards the city and heads off quickly.
As dawn rises, she reaches the city gates. She stables her horse, buys a piece of bread, and walks to the city center. There she repeats the same ritual as the swordsman, without knowing of his earlier actions. She then sits at another bench, staring intently at the well, chewing her bread. Nearby the swordsman notices her, but is still focused on the well.
In the fields to the West, the ringing and the vibrations do not bother the mage, but eventually she notices a pulsating magic within the space before the sound. This pulse wakes her from her trance. By noon, after much walking, she is staring at the well from another bench.
Besides these three, no one else notices the shivers or ringing or pulse any more. Now it is just part of the city's hum, ignored by all.
The stars come out, and the mage stands.
She walks to the edge of the well, and begins muttering a spell. A light emerges from her hands and floats above her. This draws the other two back to the well as the ball of light drops into the depths of the hole.
The three stare as the white light descends slowly.
Minutes pass as the light descends. Finally the ranger speaks up. "What did you just cast?"
"It is for detect evil, but conveniently also creates light" the mage smiles in response without looking away from the hole.
The light keeps descending, and shows a floor deep below.
The ranger pulls out some rope, "shall we descend and investigate?"
"Yes, let's do this" the swordsman responds.
The rope is tied, and the trio climbs down into the well.
At the bottom of the well, the party finds a small tunnel, and a dry riverbed. The magician follows her light as it heads one direction down the path, and the other two follow. They walk for a long while, as they do the swordsman starts up a conversation.
"My name is Rankin, do either of you know what this ringing is? It's driving me a little nuts."
- Introduction/Exposition: Three heroes meet at a well.
- Inciting Incident: The mage brings them together to investigate the corrupt magic causing earthquakes and threatening to destroy the city.
- Rising Action: The team investigates old dry caverns, fighting monsters, examining the hurt aquifers and geology. The team finds a fort blocking the water.
- Climax: A raid and fight in the fort
- Falling Action: Discovered plans to steal the water
- Resolution/Denouement: water returns, the aquifers slowly heal