The Witch and the Lich; Medea

Credits; Rea, Krell,

Medea.  They said it had once been a paradise, but the world had turned upon itself and all but the most hardy plants and animals had died.  At the height of the Great Ga-Vok war the Emperor had ordered the entire treasury be moved to the planet that the Ga-Vok, with their fur and their plate armor, would be at the greatest disadvantage attacking.  The deserts of Medea were the most inhospitable place in the early empire, there was no where better to hide it.  And the nobles of Medea had taken the task to heart, setting enchantments over the vaults to keep out the raiders.  Only the Palace was safer, but only by the strength of its guards. 
Over the years the vaults grew, more were built as the treasury was expanded.  And as technology progressed it joined magic as a means of defense.  The Medeans were never many in number but their vigilance was unending, unblinking, and undistracted.  Many called them cowards because they so seldom left their barren world.  But any who faced them would never utter such falsehoods, what few of them survived.  It is said that madness overtook their line long ago, and few heed the words of Medea's lords.  But in the shadow of Death Herself, in the face of the Shades of the lost, and against the bitter Frostbourne horde the Medeans had never waivered, never fled, and never lost.  Even the greatest thieves had returned empty handed, and only the strongest adventurers returned alive.  Even the immortals didn't dare trespass upon the silver-laden halls beneath the burning deserts of Medea.  And yet here they were; plotting theft of Imperial property from a Medean vault. 

"Well, I'm just thinking we wing it."
"What?"
"No way of knowing the traps or guardians; not like they keep records.  So we just need to go prepared and try to not go mad.  Worst case scenario you get poofed back to Holine and get to smack her around a bit before I catch up.  She has your phylactery, right?"
"Yes, she does.  But going into somewhere that secure with no idea of what's waiting?"
"I have an idea, I just don't know specifics.  You'll want every sort of ward, a bag full of books on things you don't have memorized, a lot of rope, and a self repairing ten foot pole.  Nothing out of the ordinary, it's mostly traps with a couple of crazy people at the end." 
"Yeah, the best traps in the universe and crazy people who've never lost a fight."
"Want to know the last time I lost a fight?"
"A week ago when Arcania froze you solid."
"That was a tie, her second got involved."  Rea quickly regained her smile as she looked down at the brown hued orb.  "I wonder what it was like when it was still alive?"
"You've been around longer than the navy; if anyone knew it would be you." 
"Ceanne's even older; she told me that when Medea was first discovered it was a paradise.  She said there were flowers with stalks the size of street lamps, vines that could pull a grown man up onto branches, and little snuffly creatures that would walk right up to you and sit in your hair and purr.  She's even painted some of the things, but it all died because some idiot noble decided to go on a magical creature hunt and killed all the sprites thinking they were animals."
Krell pulled himself away from the image of Rea with a small furry animal running from shoulder to shoulder.  "So we have one man to thank for this whole planet?"
She shrugged and nosed the ship down for a landing.  "Dad said my Granma killed the pimple, so I suppose he got his comeuppance."