Saint Baptiste's Den

the area grows humid as you pad through low hanging vines and marshlands, the fur on the back of your neck rising. whispers of long-dead lions fly past your ears, like flies, fleeting. heat swelters for a moment as you pass through two identical trees, each marked with a claw mark. over the right tree mark, the letter 'v' is carved into it, along with a setting sun. on the left tree, there is another claw mark, a letter 'g', next to it a rising sun. there's a split path.

you take the path of the setting sun, soon arriving in a desert area, overlooking a pit with an oasis in it. palm trees dot the edges of the oasis, and great peaks of stone overlook the waters. following the slope down the hill, the sand feels fine beneath your paws, and it shimmers as you get closer to the oasis. now the peaks tower over you, one of them plain, another covered in incense and herbs, and the third and final peak is covered in jewels and precious stones. under each peak is an opening into the ground, light spilling up and out. lions meander in and out of them, convening in a spot around the oasis, talking and laughing. where shall you go first?