The Dig
An archeological site in the Amorgus Swamp in Loveria, run by House Ditta.
A recent earthquake drained part of the swamp and led to discovery of ruins, consisting of an enormous main building and a number of smaller outbuildings, all circled by a partially destroyed wall, all made of stone.
Tarp roofs have been placed on any still intact buildings and many tents have been erected to create a camp to house diggers/miners, sages and specialists, scribes, and support personnel. There's a kitchen and pantry, dormitories, work tents where finds are cleaned and categorized, a 'lab' (off limits to most people), storage sheds, a simple armory, and valuables storage.
A number of statues of tall, slender beings with almost no ears, long fingers, and deep sunken eyes are dotted around the complex, some of the sages have been referring to them as 'Progs'. The entire thing might have been an ancient temple complex though no one is sure at this time, what is certain is that these buildings date from before the Collapse. The rumor in the camp says that the dungeon and caves beneath the main building go on for miles.
Event
Our friends have been at the location for about a week, getting settled in, getting to grips with their jobs, the normal stuff. They still don't really know each other but have seen each other around. They certainly know of Arosin and his horn, having heard him play. Then, on a fateful day as all four have gone off shift and are leaving the mess tent, things happen.
Semi-translucent, floating orbs about a foot across come out of the complex and attack and kill anyone they see, using a never before seen kind of magic. They fire small purple bolts that result in large spheres of purple energy that turn people to ash. They shoot out tendril-like slivers of silver that pierce and slice those hit by them.
A guard attacks one of the orbs but her sword bounces off of it with force, a look of surprise and bewilderment on her face. A mage’s spell changes into spray of petals as she tries to cast it. Another spellcaster tries to cast a spell on himself and his clothes change into metal, dragging him to the ground.
A woman, a wizard or sage, you think, covered in blood grabs Arosin's arm in a death grip and speaks, coughing blood; “we didn’t know, they are still here, you have to warn…” and then dies mid-sentence. Liddy tries to save one of the workers when she sees an orb coming for the man. She tries to push him into cover but unfortunately fails; a silver sliver shoots out of the orb and slices the man's arm clean off, leaving it in the hands of the aghast halfling.
All four manage to flee to a corner of the camp where they find one other survivor, considering the screams of terror, not many people will be surviving today. The man they find is someone known around camp as "Red". He suggest fleeing while they still can and to try and make their way back to Korint. And this is what they do.