A Gargoyle Shrine

As they wandered deeper into the cave, they stumbled upon a shaft to their left that gently sloped downwards. But the shaft had a very foul smell to it. Both women decided to leave it alone, fearing there could be something down there bigger than what they could handle. Where there was a foul smell, there was definitely trouble.

They continued down the main shaft which opened upon a rather large chamber. It was too dark to see how large an expanse they were in, so Yvette took her light spell up a few notches. What they saw astounded them. All around them gold trinkets, coins and jewels glittered in the mage light. At the far end was a shrine with an altar before it that held three chests. On ither side of the shrine was an exit.

Meghan couldn't help but walk over to the first pile of coins, trinkets and jewels she saw.

"No!" Yvette quickly shouted. "I have a bad feeling about the treasure that's lying around exposed. We should check out the shrine instead."

Meghan quickly backed away from the pile that was before her. She knew Yvette's intuition was usually nothing to trifle with. "I hope your instincts are right. I know they're usually trustworthy, but there's plenty of loot all over the place to make us richer than we could ever dream of."

"While that appears to be true, they may be cursed, or guarded by some unseen **** or presence that you might trigger by touching it. No one in their right mind just leaves treasure like this laying around in plain sight without some kind of a trap or guardian."

Meghan looked at the shrine and the three chests. "That leads us to another dilemma. What f two of the chests are traps? Which one do we open?"

"Maybe the shrine or the altar will give us some clues."

Meghan sighed. "I hope so. Lead the way!"

The two made their way around the altar first, examining it thoroughly. There were strange glyphs all over it, but nothing either of them could decipher. Next, they checked out the shrine. It was almost like a gazebo with its six columns. In the middle of it was one of the most hideous looking winged creatures the girls had ever seen. But they did find something of value they could read at the feet of the ugly statue. It was an inscription written in common speech. "Bow before me, and the way will be opened to you. Refuse, and suffer eternal **** and damnation."

Meghan looked at Yvette. "Well, what do you want to do now? Should we bow before it, or just take our chances?"

Yvette looked back at the altar, then at the shrine. She really didn't like either option.