A Curse of Promised Riches

It’s been said that there was a man, a greedy miser of a man so engrossed with his pursuit of wealth that any other aspect about him has long been forgotten. It’s a description often corelated to kings and merchants, but this man was neither. He was a treasure hunter or a grave robber, depending on who you ask.

He discovered his knack for uncovering hidden riches when he uncovered his first vein of gold simply by following his intuition. Amassing a sizeable fortune he sought out more gold in other places his intuition would lead him to. He employed most of the miners who once worked alongside him to now work for him in his treasure hunts.

What drove him may have once been the pure intentions of unearthing lost riches, or maybe even just the thrill that feeds the bravado of a young man’s heart.

His talent for finding hidden treasures all the more sharpened with time and experience. But with every fortune found and every gold piece pocketed, ambitions darkened, passion became obsession, and madness loomed closer.

The fortune-finder grew distant from most social interactions outside his own raid crew. What little exchanges he did have with his crew were limited to short phrases pertaining only to the next location to be scouted.

The odd changes in behavior didn’t go unnoticed by his own men as they would on occasion see him talking to himself in hushed tones. It was no cause for concern. At the time they merely equated the oddity to the typical self-ramblings of a scheming man.

On his last expedition, he led his men through a particularly perilous thicket riddled with deep ravines. His men were no longer strangers to traversing such dangers. They also had the utmost faith in the competence of the man that led them. That faith began to waiver when his oddities opened into more disturbing behavior such as openly speaking to invisible phantoms in urgent tones. They no longer had that same confidence in him. As this grew more frequent and the landscape more dangerous, more and more of his men abandoned the trip refusing to take instructions from someone who took his from whispers heard by no one other than himself.

Two remaining men followed him down the jagged path of one of the ravines.

He spoke more loudly addressing the ‘whispers’ in his head which he was then proclaiming were calling him there, leading him to *“a place that promised riches”* where he can *“forever shower in gold”*.

--

Whatever spoke to him led him deep into one of the ravines and down along a path that turned jagged and almost indiscernible from the rock formations protruding from the ground, walls, and ceiling until a faint glow opened into a giant pool of gold. Molten gold.

The sight was wonderous as it was surprising, so much so that it made the heat bearable for the two men. The two men staggered to a stop still drinking in the golden shine with their eyes. But their momentary wonder turned to concern when the man stepped onwards passing them.

The man’s steps carried him forward, as slow and deliberate as a procession.

Slow unrelenting horror began to settle into the faces of the two men as he took his first step into the pool of molten gold. They saw no signs of pain or even of him stopping. As if caught in a trance their screams went unnoticed. He continued to press forward and into the molten gold, mouth agape, trembling, and eyes wide open, locked in an almost passionate gaze.

The two men stood there frightened and confused as they watched the last of their master’s head sink beneath the surface of the gold. The former miner was gone. The two men ran in fear of what they’ve just witnessed.

--

It wasn’t long before the two men shared their tale and returned with a team of willing bodies who jumped at the prospect of profiting from a pool of molten gold. Only upon arriving, no pool of gold nor any remnants of a body were to be found.

--

Scaffolding Bullets:

Golden skull hidden and embedded in the rocks is found and secretly pocketed by one of the able bodied men.

The man found success in attaining gold. Investments were thriving.

The man began to grow paranoid and eventually mad. Mad enough to bury his gold for safety, burying and killing himself in the process.

Man's riches are dug up and golden skull has found a new owner.

--

Golden skull still contained the madness of the miner turned fortune-finder, whispering words of advice and promises riches to the bearer.

Success with gold at the risk of growing mad.

How has Gualterio stayed with it for so long? Is it just a fairytale?

Gualterio says it’s no different to other gold since they all talk to him.