"The Pirate Queen and the Heart" (House Item)

Book Text
This book is titled "The Pirate Queen and the Heart". It is the fourth book in the five part series starring the Pirate Queen as the hero.

Having spent many years plying the sea trade lanes, the name of the Pirate Queen Alta was spoken with dread amongst the pirates of Norrath. Scourging the five seas in search of a long lost jungle, Alta would terrorize the ocean to fund her quest. Her search, however, would eventually come to an end.

Having undertaken a years long quest in search of the Rubicite Heart, the Pirate Queen Alta had finally found the long lost island she was in search of. Trekking through the dangerous jungle and seeing a sight straight out of her nightmares, she never once thought to herself she wouldn't make it to the place she was seeking - the Temple of Cazic-Thule.

Gazing upon the gargantuan structure, she felt a wave of fear wash over her. So many years she had searched for this place, and now it stood before her. Having read the journal of the forgotten adventurer who originally found the place, she knew that if she walked in the front door of holy sight, she would be killed instantly. Fortunately, she knew of the safe way in.

Venturing around the edges of the temple, she was on the lookout for a small waterfall that was built into the side of the structure. Making sure none of the lizardman guards spotted her, she walked up to the waterfall and stepped through it. Behind the falls was a small alcove that led nowhere. Looking for the third brick in the shape of an oval, she pushed at it four times. Slowly, a small door opened.

Behind this door was the entrance to a series of winding sewers. Littered all around these tunnels were the rotting corpses of apelike beings. Having read of these things and how they roamed the temple freely, she knew at once that something may not be right. She had not come this far to stop now, however. Thus, the Pirate Queen pressed on.

Navigating through the endless labyrinth with ease, she passed up several chances at climbing the ladders that led to temple complex above. Moving deeper and deeper into the sewers, she found herself at a dead end - just like the journal said. Reaching out, she found the holes in the stones. Reaching inside certain holes in a certain order, she was more relieved than shocked to see one whole wall disappear into nothing.

Putting out her torch, Alta proceeded to walk through this new tunnel. Unlike the sewers, this one wound wind around in circles, leading ever upwards. What seemed like an eternity of walking eventually ended, again at a blank wall. Opening the journal, she searched for the passage describing this part of the temple. Finding it, she looked at the wall and said the word - "Sha-ahir-eeh". After speaking that word, the wall dissolved just as the one below had. Before her was a circular chamber with runes lining the walls. The runes glowed in various different colors, pulsing from one color to the next. But none of this mattered, for in the center of the room was what she had dreamed of for many years - the Rubicite Heart.

Taking tentative steps, she moved only when the runes were green, for this is what the journal had recorded. Unfortunately, this was where the journal ended and she did not know if there were any traps after this. The last entry of the adventurer was of him figuring out the proper color, but nothing more. Taking a deep breath, Alta took one last step and was directly in front of the Rubicite Heart.

Closing her eyes, she reached out to grab the gem. Grasping it, she thought to herself that even though it was the size of an ogre's head, it was surprisingly light. Feeling its cold surface, she gently lifted it and slowly opened her eyes to gaze upon the most precious gem in all of Norrath. Reflected in the hundreds of facets of the gem was the image of a tentacle-faced creature. Looking up, she found the final trap.