The Forgotten Guard's Chest

The chest opens with a reluctant groan, releasing the stale scent of wool, old paper, and lamp oil. Beneath a folded cloak lie a few carefully preserved belongings, a modest bundle of saved wages, and a quartermaster's ledger. A charcoal map slips from between the pages, its warning about a passage below written in hurried, uneven strokes. Whatever happened to the guard who packed this chest, he expected to come back for it.