Anna, an experienced sorceress, was confident that the ring she found was an ordinary piece of jewelry. But as she slipped it onto her finger, she realized her mistake. A surge of unexpected power pulsed from the ring, sending a shudder through her body.
The captain of her Orcish bodyguard grunted, "This place is cursed I tell ya." He hadn't stopped grumbling about this tomb since they arrived, and it was making the other orcs nervous. Nervous orcs were dangerous.
"Captain Boregut, you say that about every tomb we break into. They can't all be cursed, or haunted, or some such." She pulled back the sleeve of her robe and raised her lithe hand. "If this place were cursed, would I pick up an unknown ring and put it on?" This should keep her hirelings at ease.
"Erm, no, I suppose not." He was uncertain. "But why is it glowing?"
The ring radiated faintly with the color of fire light. She quickly concealed her hand in her sleeve. "Captain Boregut, I respect your knowledge on the topics of battle, such as when to attack, and such like, but in the matters of magic you remain woefully ignorant."
Boregut narrowed his eyes at the insult. Were it from an orc, it would come to blows, but this small human posed no physical threat. His task was to ensure no harm came to her.
She tried to discreetly remove the ring, but it would not budge. If the orcs saw her struggling, they might renew their talk of curses- she needed to deal with this privately.
"Captain, have your orcs continue opening the caskets. I am going to continue my research in the west chamber. Do not disturb me."
---------------
Her boot steps echoed down the hall as she left the orcs to their work. She entered the west chamber and stood before the stone casket in the center. On top of it were her research materials- books, parchments, and a satchel. The light of a metal lantern cast shifting shadows over the skulls embedded in the walls, making their sockets flicker like blinking eyes.