Fires blazed above the intersection of Fleet and Harmony Street on Friday, burning several old buildings to the ground. The fire spread to the adjacent block, which sustained heavy damage. Thanks to the efforts of local heroes, no one was injured in the blaze.
The three-hundred-year-old building that caught fire was the old Auxientian Bank, formerly the Treasury of Mutu. Auxientian Police Patrol officers investigating the ruins after the fire discovered an open trapdoor, the edges of which showed the recent gouges of metal tools and instruments, however there were no signs of people inhabiting the space. If the looters set the building ablaze to access the contents of the trapdoor, they may have left disappointed, as the fire seems to have spread too quickly.
Beneath the trapdoor was a wide cavity stuffed with antiquities from the Foundation War period, including statues and clay pots, weapons, and chests full of relics. Only one chest appears to have been removed from the area, but it is not known what might have been inside. Blueprints of the old bank building show no such trapdoors or crawlspaces. If any eagle-eyed citizens notice strange antiquities for sale on the black market, APP will pay a handsome reward for such information as can lead to the arrest of the arsonists.
The block remains quiet in the time since the blaze broke out, with citizens returning to life as usual. However, APP has questioned several citizens reportedly digging in their own basements or on public property around the bank seeking further treasure tunnels. The discovery of the old bank vault has Auxientians crazy with treasure-lust, and youngsters throughout the city can be seen on every corner making maps and tapping at the cobblestones.
