Recovered from a singed ledger sealed in oilcloth beneath a collapsed vent shaft in the Deep Caves of Munqo, this partial account documents a wandering party of semi-legendary figures—commonly referred to as “The Explorers Five.” Long considered by Kaii scholars to be comedic folklore, the consistency of character across multiple unaffiliated sources suggests a historical basis, or at minimum, a persistent cultural archetype. The following reconstruction is pieced together from survivor notations, recovered map fragments, and transcripted tavern lore. Some embellishment is assumed.
Referenced within the text:
Cartuq Ohmer (Golem. Self-appointed leader. Holder of the Ghost Wand. Thoughtful, heavy, loyal.)
Idhas Corlax (Goblin. Veteran delver. Bearer of the Scimitar and Holy Greaves. Trusts no one.)
Lellun Brilke (Octo. Reluctant adventurer. Notebook-keeper and voucher-hoarder. Surprisingly quick in mud.)
Qenoz Spinecrow (Undead. Silent blade. Collector of children’s songs and revenge.
Yaios Vuur (Blue Flames. Bone Wand. Speaker of wind. Practitioner of experimental compassion.)
Earliest surviving passage begins at a roadside camp north of Munqo. While the group’s purpose remains unclear, the account shows a rare moment of quiet—a fire, shared food, idle philosophies. The theme of dwindling Loot first surfaces here, alongside hints of deeper motives. Ashes scattered by Yaios may mark the first recorded use of the Bone Wand in ritual concealment.
Location: North of Munqo
The party had no idea how their quest began, but none of them contested the provenance of their adventure.
It seemed apparent that their unlikely coupling—an Octo from the deep seas who befriended a Golem from the high mountains and an Undead who was travelling with a Goblin would converge at the foot of the volcanic home of a Flames druid—were brought together to take the world (and its Loot) by storm.
Explorers are not ones to question their origins either, all having curious conceptions from before records were kept. There are many speculations about the more magical occupants of the Realms. Scholars of Kaii theorise that Explorers came into existence due to some magical occurrence; perhaps a spell that went wrong (or right) gave life to these new beings and races like Beasts, Naturals, Noctii, and Deeptides all began adorning themselves with Loot they came across.
Or possibly, the Loot itself breathed magics into its surroundings and brought forth new life.
There were some more learned Explorers, but the party had a solitary goal on its plate:
Live. Laugh. Love. Loot.
Yaios Vuur was coaxing the flames of a dying campfire by swishing their Bone Wand in soft, rhythmic motions and whistling. Being of Flames themselves, their whistle harmonised with the lick-crackling of the sputtering blaze.
“I wish you wouldn’t wave that thing around me,” Qenoz Spinecrow said. “It makes my bones itch,” she shivered. “For all we know, that could be my brother.”
“Do you even have a brother?” Lellun Brilken garbled, his tentacles making quick work of the rabbit leg they had cooked for dinner.
“Not that I know of.”
They all laughed.
“I suppose we really don’t know much about each other,” Cartuq Ohmer said wistfully, waving his Ghost Wand in a similar motion to Yaios. Although this produced nothing as exciting or useful as a campfire, the nearby shadows were manipulated into a synchronized sort of dance.
“Better this way,” Idhas Corlax snorted and spat, sitting a few yards away to sharpen her Scimitar. “Believe it or not, y’all are not the first party I’ve explored with.”
“Well, what happened to them?” Cartuq asked, rolling over onto his tummy to face her.
To this, Idhas did not respond and the hearth crackled on to fill the vast silence.
By morning, the fire was out, but their spirit for adventure still burned brightly.
Cartuq straightened his Crown—as the self-proclaimed leader of the troop, he was serious about his reponsibilities. He’d woken up at the crack of dawn to try and remember which way to go, forgoing breakfast in his distraction.
“I say we head East . . . no West.” He indecisively spun between the two options.
Qenoz put her Heavy Gloved hand on his shoulder and gently guided him North; the same direction the party had been headed before they’d decided to rest for the night.
The party started marching, without formation, as if they were on an early morning stroll rather than determined Explorers.
As they left, Yaios waved their wand once more and the bonfire ashes scattered in the wind, removing all traces of their being there.
It was unclear who they were hiding from, and all five were unsure where they were going. They had each come across their Loot separately and now felt thoroughly bonded by the shared goal: to acquire more of it.
Too bad none of them had any inkling on how to do so.
This led to a wandering party of Explorers who were all eager to hop down the rabbit hole of any conspiracy, myth, legend, tall tale, or rumour they came across. They managed to make a living and stay well fed—besides, Explorers don’t need much in the way of mortgages—but they still hadn’t succeeded in attaining any more of their most desired treasure.
“Maybe it’s all gone,” Lellun suggested.
Cartuq stopped marching abruptly, leading to a small pile-up as the rest of the gang walked into his broad back.
“Hey, why’d you stop?” Qenoz picked herself off the floor, rubbing the space where her nose would be.
“Oh, my goodness. What if it is all gone?” Cartuq plopped himself down on the dirt road like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Idhas rolled her eyes.
“Look at that, Lell . . . You got Car all riled up.” Yaios offered Cartuq their Linen Sash to dry his tears.
“I mean, think about it,” he blubbered. “All of us here have as much Loot as we can carry. And there are like, a hundred people out there. What if all the Loot is gone?” He blew his snowy nose in the fabric.
“Well,” Yaios started, crouching down to be eyelevel with Cartuq, “it would mean it’s time to find more reasons to explore besides looking for stuff we can take with us. I mean, look around you. There is beauty in everything we see.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re a druid,” Cartuq quibbled, rubbing his eyes and sniffling. “But I want something valuable,” he muttered.
“What is valuable is our time here, and we can invest it in exploring what this world has to offer us,” Yaios spoke with their heart.
The other party members were quick to jump onboard.
“There could be stuff better than Loot,” Lellun chimed in. “Like . . . hyperloot!”
Qenoz had hopped on a small boulder and was holding her hand over where her heart would be and proclaimed, “I know we started as Loot Explorers, but we have all the Realms to explore.”
She gazed out, seemingly looking far beyond the dirt path which would lead them through the woods. Beyond the creeks and valleys, the rolling hills and towns, and past where the horizon dipped behind mountain peaks like treetops.
“We have the whole world.”