The Eastern Forest [POST HERE FIRST]

The forest was quiet today. The trees rustled quietly as the breeze passed through them, and the sound of the nearby stream flowing were the only sounds. Crouched next to one of these trees, Marius Alistair, Captain of the Rangers of Denaria, watched silently as a deer walked across the path in front of him. His cloak, shaded in dark green and brown, helped him blend in with the environment better than a solid green or brown one could. As the deer lowered its head to graze on the grass at its feat, Marius slowly raised his bow up, drawing back the arrow silently. In a split second, he released the shot, and the deer jerked in place, before collapsing to the ground, an arrow through its eye and head.

Standing up, Marius pulled down his hood, revealing a heavily bearded and scarred face. Bringing his hands up to his mouth, he gave a sharp whistle into the air, and a few moments later, three young lads came running into the area. "Get that back to the camp, quickly." The boys quickly nodded at the Rangers words, before hefting the deer between the three of them, and setting off back the way they had come. Setting out after them, Marius briefly glanced back where he had been crouched, and the area around it, before turning and jogging after the kids. 

After nearly half an hour of travel, Marius and the three boys came to a small clearing. Coming to a halt, Marius raised his hand briefly, feeling eyes on him. Whistling once more, he gave three short chirps, before pausing, and repeating the sound. Moments later, three figures, wearing the same cloaks as Marius, emerged from the shadows of the trees, bows held loosely at their side. Nodding to his men, Marius gestured for the boys to continue on, while he hung back. Once the boys were out of ear shot, he walked towards the leader of the small group.

"Any more reports on the city nearby?" Shaking his head, the other Ranger quickly responded. "We have seen a lot of activity, the few excursions we have made in that direction can only be at night. We know its a big city." Sighing, Marius nodded to the Ranger Veteran, before walking through the clearing, leaving the others to return to their watch.

Emerging from the trees, Marius let a brief smile play across his face as he saw the camp. Wooden walls surrounded the entire exterior, only a few feet high, but enough to keep the wind out. Around that wall, numerous spikes were thrust into the ground, discouraging any local animals from coming too close to the camp. Passing through the only gap in the wall, Marius entered the center of the camp. Hundreds of people were scattered around, with numerous tents set up in neat orderly rows. Men, women, and children were going about their every day tasks, wearing the brown clothes all Denarians wore these days. Scattered among the crowds, Marius spotted a few cloaks belonging to the Rangers, but they were rare. Walking through the crowds, Marius nodded his head to the few people who called out to him, as his way towards the center of the camp. There, he entered a tent, the same as the rest, where he quickly placed down his bow, before falling to his knees, and laying down on the pallet he had laid out. He fell asleep quickly after that.

"You are telling me you saw giant flying birds...with people riding them?" Marius sat outside his small tent, rubbing his temples as the lookouts told him what they had seen. It was definitely a first for the Denarian survivors. They had seen sand giants, creatures made of pure gold, even a living mountain at one point, but flying birds that appeared to be some form of mixed beast, large enough to carry fully armored warriors? That was a first for certain.

"Double the Ranger guard details. Those riders are likely from the nearby city, and now that they know where we are, they will likely be back. I want to know the moment they set foot in this forest." Nodding, the two Rangers quickly set off at a jog through the camp, heading to relay their Captains orders. Once they were gone, Marius set back to cleaning and repairing his bow. He had a feeling he would be needing it at its best soon.

"Wait until they move further into the clearing, then allow yourself to be seen moving to cover. Get them to take notice." Marius spoke quietly to the other Ranger crouched next to the tree with him, who quickly nodded and moved soundlessly around the forest floor. Scouts had spotted the two individuals entering the forest a short time ago, and word had been sent to the camp quickly. The pair now had a full squad of Rangers shadowing them, following them and slowly tightening a circle around them.

Finally, the Ranger Marius had sent ahead broke into a brief run across a small opening in the tree line in front of the two strangers. After a few moments, the Ranger once again vanished into the forest around him. Marius got up from his post as well, darting across the edge of a clearing to another area of cover. As he came to a halt and slowly walked to a different position. The rest of the Rangers would begin to do similar movements, the two strangers only catching brief glimpses of their cloaks before vanishing once more.

Finally, Marius stepped out from cover, revealing himself fully to the two, his green and brown cloak and hood hiding all of his form, except for a bow he held loosely in his hand, an arrow resting on the string. "Who are you?"

The Sun Marshal whom Alryca Starwell is accompanying is a great big mountain of a man, standing at least seven feet tall, and being rather stoutly proportioned even given his height. It’s unclear how much of him is muscle, but seeing as how he’s wearing a heavy mixture of furs and armor plates and is toting about a solid steel shield almost as large as he is, it must be a rather sizable portion. On his back, he is carrying a warhammer, of the big and blunt variety, the likes of which seems quite capable of smashing a man’s skull wide open. On the front of his armor, off to one side, he wears the badge of a Sun Marshal, which reads his name as Bartholomew, and designates him as a Junior Marshal, though he seems to be lacking the appropriate scarf.



Alryca Starwell would have learned in the space of the last hour that Bartholomew is a very patient man, if not the most articulate. He simply walks and responds to each direct inquiry with a response of three words or less. He doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered by the forest itself, simply walking through or over most obstacles. However, he doesn’t quite seem to be at ease, frequently glancing this way and that, very suspicious of a potential ambush, as ambushes are, as he sees it, the only event that takes place in a forest.

Having been given information about the mission beforehand and possessing a fair sense of direction, Bartholomew seems to know exactly which way to travel through the forest toward the camp, and the path he strikes is about as direct as it can be. As the rangers begin to make themselves visible, Bartholomew has no reaction besides gripping the handle of his shield somewhat more tightly.

As a figure steps out to stand before him, Bartholomew stops where he is, and makes no movement to raise his shield or reach for his hammer.

When he speaks, he speaks just as one might expect him to, with a deep sort of rolling baritone, “I am Bartholomew.”

He says this and this only. It seems as if he does not feel the need to introduce Alryca Starwell or even a reason to glance in her direction, keeping his focus directly on the cloaked man standing before him.

Kaylie, followed by half her guard contingent, Silas, Ambicat Guess, and Hiyama, made her way into the woods, the act of tracking the swarm made far easier by her hawk, who could just make out the fleeing swarm. She had sent her wolf back to the Sun Marshal HQ, no sense in endangering him against a flying target.

"Keep close and stay together. That Swarm isn't the only dangerous thing in these woods, and I am not here to babysit. We find their lair, report its location and then do our best to prevent them from leaving. Understood?"

Even while speaking and carrying a bow, the seasoned woodswoman made no noise, her mottled cloak occasionally blending in and making it difficult to see her.

“Alright-y, just tell me where you need me,” Ambicat replied, one hand resting on the sickle at his belt. Interestingly, while the gnome seemed more than capable of finding his way through the forest, he was not particularly good at keeping quiet, and was probably one of the group’s louder members.

Indeed, a wall of fog stood imposing ahead. The forest seemed to descent rapidly into a permanent cloud. Indistinguishable from the Misty Woods, there may be some manner of hesitation about going in. Perhaps not all of the adventurers who had signed up for the journey would overcome. Regardless of who decided to go forward, something would eventually beckon their attention just as they drew near.

A strange, nasally screech, evoking imagery of perhaps a tremendous bird of monstrous proportions, would suddenly emanate from the mist. Whatever it was must have been large,  though at least fifty feet behind the wall of fog...

Aetherdae slept in a forest cave, he/she had been enjoying the natural beauty. The dragon was awoken by a signal from the master.



"I will, creator." Aetherdae left the cave and spread its beautiful wings to take flight. He/she would soar high above the clouds to try and avoid detection, Aetherdae did not have to see through the clouds to know where to go, only had to follow the sense of where magic is. The Ethereal Dragon was on a flight path toward the Black Tower to see what the source of unstable magic was.