As Msaka had expected, his trip up the mountainside was slow and tiring. The long time spent scrambling up steep rocky slopes, punctuated by brief periods of levitation when the cliffs became vertical, was far from restful. He'd quickly ended up deciding to undertake the task barefoot. While less comfortable, it also provided better traction than his sandals did; they seemed inordinately prone to slipping on the rock at the worst possible moments.

As he paused about three quarters of the way to his destination, trying to catch his breath, he reflected that it was a good thing he'd spent so much time in the Shapierian guild learning the finer points of rock climbing. Without that training, he'd very likely have fallen more than once during the more precarious parts of the climb. He cast a glance upwards, scanning the slopes above him. "Not that it couldn't still happen," he thought wearily, suppressing a groan that threatened to slip out as he panted. "It's just as steep the rest of the way, if not more so. At least the sun hasn't risen yet. This climbing would be unbearable in the daytime heat."

He was certain by now that there was some magical presence at his destination above, however. He was still too far to actively probe it, but the feeling of some latent power there nonetheless reached him more clearly as he neared the spot. Grumbling, he resumed his climb, consoling himself with the fact that the side trip had not been pointless; whether what awaited would prove to be for good or ill remained to be seen.

At long last, as the sun prepared to peek above the horizon, he crested the final incline between him and his destination. Before him lay a wide and fairly flat ledge - or what had probably been a flat ledge. The entire area, both the ground and the cliff rising on the other side of it, had been blackened and blasted by some powerful force. The worst damage was in the middle of the ledge, where a deep gouge had been carved out by whatever powerful force had been unleashed. Msaka didn't need to use any of his spells to determine that magic had been unleashed here, or that what he had been sensing all along was the residue of that power.

Aside from the pitted, darkened stone, only a single feature could be seen, and it had almost certainly been added after the conclusion of whatever cataclysm had befallen the place. A large brass plaque had been affixed to one of the cliff's more even areas, held in place by spikes driven through its corners into the rock.

Seeing little else of interest, Msaka approached the plaque, treading carefully in case the ledge surface wasn't as stable as it seemed. Drawing closer, he was able to make out writing on its surface, as well as the seal of the city of Shapier. Now curious, Msaka stepped up to it and began to read, his eyebrows rising as he took in the words.

"T'was upon this site many years ago that the necromancer Corplem did do battle with the evil demon known as Lagg. The battle did seem to stretch on for all eternity as Corplem called many foul curses upon the wicked demon, but to no avail. The horrific Lagg did even foil Corplem's powerful magical cable, which had aided the necromancer in overpowering many foes in the past. When all seemed lost, Corplem in his rage and frustration did finally cast down his enchanted box, the contents of which were incomprehensible to most mortals, onto the ground, dashing it to pieces and thereby banishing the foul Lagg from his presence forever. - The Shapierian Board of Tourism."

Msaka blinked and reread the plaque, certain that there was something more to the words than seemed apparent, but try as he might, he was unable to decipher any hidden meaning. Neither the names nor the artifacts mentioned were familiar to him, but apparently they had been important enough to prompt whoever the Board of Tourism were to set up this memorial.

Msaka turned about once, examining the area again before returning his attention to the plaque and reading it a third time. Finally, he sighed and shook his head, then raised his arms and invoked his spell of Recall. Some things in this world just didn't make any sense.