Where the ship had been for twenty years was a mystery and Captain Rogers said nothing upon being questioned further. It was reported that he'd had an artifact with him when he had been rescued. Again the name, Orlanis Star, had come up.
Captain Rogers had quickly disappeared from the public eye never staying in one place for too long. Reportedly he had lived sparsely and alone for the rest of his life taking his secrets to the grave with him.
I was a treasure hunter pure and simple. I had stumbled across the legend and it had seemed to have some substance to it so I had dug deeper, particularly into Captain Rogers's life and my research had led me here to the place where he had once lived.
My hopes were that if the Orlanis Star really was the navigational device that it was purported to be, then perhaps it could be followed backward to trace the route of the armada and find where it had gone down. The treasure would then be split between me and my crew and we would be as wealthy as kings, at least for a little while anyway.
The device in the trunk while breathtaking was also a letdown, as there appeared to be nothing mechanical about it.
I reached into the trunk and picked up the central crystal piece of the star. It was heavy and if nothing else it would bring a good price as a mysterious novelty that would more than pay for my time spent researching this legend.
I wasn't at all sure what the slightly oxidized metal around the crystal was made of. It wasn't gold. And what I had taken at first to be gems were really crystals. Although not gems the crystals appeared real and nothing like I had ever seen before.
Something caught my eye and I glanced down. There was a folded up paper where the crystal centerpiece had been sitting on the velvet bottom of the trunk.
I set the crystal down and picked up the paper carefully and unfolded its weathered page. Something chilled inside of me as I read the note evidently left by none other than Captain Rogers.
"I tried to burn it in a blacksmith's forge, but it wouldn't melt. I tried to smash the crystals, but they wouldn't crack or shatter. I thought about burying it, but it would only be found again as it was by us. So I left it here in this attic in disguise to rot peacefully in hopes that someday it would be thrown out with the trash and lost forever. Whoever may be reading this note one day be aware for I speak of a danger to men's souls. Do not use the star for it is cursed and has led many to their deaths and hatred is its mark. You've been warned, but I fear it is too late and the temptations grip before you too strong to overcome. You see the treasure before you, but beware the serpent's bite by which causes men to murder and to do evilly one to another. Black or white it does not matter the sin is the same and the curse of those who are dead and shall not rise is oppressive in how it corrupts all flesh to put on the mantle of darkness and join in with the unholy host. Be wise and listen to reason gained from the insight of one who didn't, otherwise may God have mercy upon your soul poor wretch that you will be, if you let the star become a key and forfeit your kind to a monster's appetite that hungers for the everlasting destruction of your soul.