The Collector stood back, swiping his palms one over the other, leaning back to look over his work. He'd done well, he thought.

The sled, with its dozens of humanoid-like legs, was careening through Canis in a mad dash, scattering bones all around it as it went. The Collector really just wanted to watch the hilarity as the Gembound filtered in, found the useful items and knowledge sequestered atop the sled, and inevitably gave chase to try and retrieve their rewards.

For the slow, though--or the lazy, or those who thought themselves clever--ornate chests lay throughout the cave, as well, half-hidden against the walls and in the fortresses. These held their own challenges, but he'd let them figure that out.

A few scrolls hung, dangling on thread, high up from the stalagtites. Those who could fly or, perhaps, jump, could retrieve these easily enough.

Some loose papers, too, flitted here and there--enchanted to flee of their own accord--through the rat-infested warrens and the bone fortresses themselves; these were sure to lead Gembound on a merry chase.

None of it was weapons, or armor; nothing like that, no. But technology had sadly decayed in the years of silent sleep. The caves were derelict, and Algol rather thought it time to change that.

...Now, how to get it started?

The Collector cleared his throat, and pressed his palms together, and shouted: His voice carried throughout the caves.

"FOR ALL THE WISE, AND THE KNOWLEDGE-SEEKERS; FOR ALL THE ADVENTUROUS, AND BRAVE; FOR ALL THE IDIOTS AMONG YOU WHO WOULD ENLIGHTEN YOURSELVES--SEEK YOUR FORTUNE IN THE ROOM OF BONES."

Let the games begin, he thought--and vanished with a grin.

Characters entering Canis may roll to attempt to retrieve Mystery Prizes from the fleeing Sled With Legs, Ornate Chests, Stalagtites, or Enchanted Scrolls. Random rewards will be awarded to those who succeed, although failures may result in unforeseen consequences...

Thus far, most--bar Dip--seemed to be going for the scrolls. The Collector watched curiously--and flicked his wrist as the blacksmith herself went for a chest.

Whatever was in Dip's chest shimmered--visible only briefly--and vanished. In its place she would find a hammered metal kettle with tea in small woven-wool bags. Beside it is a cup of hot tea. It's delicious. Beside this would be a small pouch of seeds: enough to grow tea plants, if she managed.

The scroll retrieved by Aran, snagged as the multi-legged sled made a careening turn (and crashed off a bone fortress) was a strange diagram. It depicted a cow being milked; beneath that was a carefully-detailed drawing, in four frames, explaining a method of churning milk into cream and butter. The cream is then shown being poured into a cup; the butter, onto what looks like a plate of food.

Ischium crashed off the sled himself as it made another turn. In his mouth he'd find he'd snagged a roll of parchment showing how to cut wood, treat lumber, and build crates from the resulting planks.

Sorda would spot, should she choose to snag it, a small pair of wheels atop the sled--complete with an axle.

Garnet-Epsilon would find a rolled-up parchment with diagrams depicting how to make parchment itself, from pulping down, treating, drying and pressing wood.

Volta would find a diagram depicting two metal buckets of water. A hose, made of what looked like hollow vine, has been used for suction to drain water from one to the other. This diagram seems to be explaining the use and function of a siphon.

The Gembound present would spot other items on the sled, and hanging from the stalagmites--cups of something, scraps of leather, a small flickering light, and more. The sled, and hidden chests, still held much to find.

Other Gembound may still join this thread at any time.