The Threefold Rest

The circular temple chamber smells of cold ash, old incense, and wet stone. At its center rests a black basalt chest bound in silver and ivory, its three recessed dials glowing with a sickly green light beneath carved symbols of a bone, closed lips, and a falling star. A skull mounted above the lock clicks softly as if counting heartbeats. Whenever the torchlight shifts, pale shapes seem to move behind the walls, and a thin green pulse travels through the silver bands before fading.