Worldbuilding Prompt #861 - The Shrine of Smintheus

This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - [Worldbuilding Prompt #861 - Shrines]

Enjoy !

(https://peakd.com/hive-191038/@worldbuilder/worldbuilding-prompt-861-shrines)

Image
Imagen de Bank J en Pixabay

Four men landed on the tropical beach at night in a small rowboat. Their ship, the smallest of caravels, lay at anchor a few hundred yards offshore.

"Are you sure we should come here ? Skiorlo is supposed to be haunted." one of the men asked.

"Superstitious, Diango ?" one of the others asked with a mocking laugh. "If Captain Del Araddo says it's safe it is. Even if there isn't, there's treasure to be had, we'll be in and gone before anyone knows it. Ain't that right, Cap ?"

Captain Del Araddo nodded. His feathered cap and rich but dusty coat were the only clues to his rank. Without those items, he'd be as shabby and disreputable-looking as his men.

They hauled the boat onto the beach and followed the Captain inland, shovels and picks on their shoulders, swords at their sides. He was clutching a torn, weathered map, which he was careful to shield from the men's view.

It only took about three hours to get to their destination. It would have been faster, but there were thick copses of palms and even some jungle to cut through. Skiorlo isn't a big island, an almost circular ring around a central lagoon, with the moon-shaped crescent no wider than ten miles at it's broadest.

Finally they broke through the jungle and saw a plateau of man-made ancient stone. Not huge, maybe fifty feet on a side. Worn by centuries of sun, rain and wind, once tight joints between massive slabs now opened to valleys inches wide.

In the centre was a shrine. Tiny by comparison, broken down and weathered. As they approached, they could see it rose in a series of tiers to a height of maybe four feet, grey stone rows of basins, each one surmounted by a carved mouse holding an ear of corn. On the front was an inscription, barely legible but in an ancient script none of them could read.

Turning to Diango, the Captain said "You're the educated one. Read the scroll."

Obediently, Diango pulled a scroll case from his belt and read it aloud. It cast the spell of "Read Languages". Following the inscription with his finger, he told the others what it said.

"Smintheus, protector of the harvest, mouse-god of prophecy, protector of Elas and the Elasians. Dismiss his power at your peril."

The Captain laughed. "Meaningless, an ancient curse that failed to protect a long dead people. Crack open the altar and let's get the gold."

The two other pirates raised their picks and rapidly smashed open the front of the altar. Dust billowed as the stone gave way, and the glint of gold could be seen.

All four men coughed as the dust enveloped them. Diango looked at the captain. "Sir, I don't feel too good..."

Then he collapsed forward, black splotchy pustules erupting on his flesh.

The others looked on in horror, as they too turned grey with rapid illness, their flesh blackening in turn.

Four men landed on Skiorlo.
Four men desecrated a shrine, not knowing it was to a plague god.
Now four bodies lie rotting in the sun.
They'll be gone by the time the next robbers come.

Author's note: Smintheus was a real god, but I stole him for my D&D campaign and modified him a little....