[Terenis] Foreboding Forest

[ScorpionJinx]

Itascia was really starting to not like this place. Seeing too many strange an unfamiliar plants. Keeping careful not to brush into any of these strange plants. Soon come across the very tree that Aurakh encountered. The fruit it bore smelled inticing. But that was somethine eerie about it.

Itascia turned and looked to the others she traveled with. "I know not this plant. So many of them are not ones I know." Sounding a bit worried. "Dont eat anything from these plants. They are most likely..unsafe." A rule she had learned long ago...if you cant identify it...dont eat it or touch it.

Pausing she pulled a long sleeved tunic out of her pack and slipped it on, then pulled her pack back on. Now the only exposed skin was her face and part of her neck. better to be safe than sorry. She took a sip of water. Studying the tree alittle more closely. Noting the red tinge of the fruit. Something was definately eerie about the plant. It smelled so tempting.

Itascia moved away from the tree. It was good to see that Aurakh was leaving them signs. Hopefully the trip would remain a somewhat peaceful walk through the woods.

[Ancient Gamer]

Aurakh had ran silently for half a day. The others weren't far behind, perhaps 15 minutes at the most; Aurakh had scouted the entire area in front of and at the flanks of the party. He was breathing fast, not making noise, but using controlled breathing techniques as his father had taught him.

There it is again

Aurakh paused to study the strange grass that had begun to replace the ordinary grass on the forest floor. It was curious; still green, but with a tinge of faint amber or crimson along the edges.

No. Not grass. It is a creeper-like plant which covers the ground. Oh, forest spirits, how the Shaman would have loved to see this.

The canopy had started to thicken slightly, causing it to darken a bit. Still, it was cheerful enough. Aurakh wiped his brow and sat down on another milestone marker.

Time to make counsel with my fellow travellers. I should ask that small woman abou...

Suddenly Aurakh sprang into a crouch. "Spirits!" he cursed under his breath. As he crouched down, he notched an arrow, aiming at the movement he had noticed in a corner of his left eye.

There. Behind the bushes. Fur... Light grey fur. It is gone. Wolf? Worg? Could be anything within this forest. I'd better stay alert

Aurakh quietly circled around the bushes, tried to get a better line of sight. But the creature was gone or at least it had disappeared from sight.

---------

When the party caught up with Aurakh, he was crouching in front of some bushes. He was swearing softly in a language unknown to them, but the tone of his voice was clear enough. His hands delicately parted every small branch of the bush, searching for something. He was frustrated. Very frustrated. As they closed in on him he turned around. Droplets of sweat clinged to his beard and hair, together with small sticks and leaves. In a calm, but slightly upset, voice he explains to the party what he has seen.

"...but I don't know what it was. There was a patch of fur, half or two thirds man height, and that was all. Could have been a wolf, but there are no tracks. None whatsoever." Aurakh sighed with frustration.

Aurakh looked up at the forest canopy. Wiping the sweat of his forehead he said "Dusk is approaching. We had better find a campsite soon."

[Maggot]

Klanu felt every pore of his body break out into a cold sweat. ''Gods help us,they know we are here'',he croaked in a voice that had gone thin with barely repressed terror. Before he knew it, his hand begun to tremble so violently that he was forced to drop the reins of his horse.

 Hysteria was on the verge of consuming him,a cool little voice in his head seemed to be warning. But he was beyond caring. ''Oh,father of the gods,how can we fight against these fell things that leave no tracks?!''

[EchoMirage]

"They ... hate the work of man, Klanu. They cannot comprehend it,and it is foreign to them. Thus, it is what scares and maims them most." I looked at Klanu's elaborate tattoos. "You could actually smash them with your face, and let me tell you, they might be scared of you as well."

"So,if we make camp, a circle of warding reinforced with several items of civilization... jewelry and the like, metal, nothing natural like leather, could keep us safe, or at least give us a warning if they dare to enter, as they hiss in disgust..."

"And fire..." it seemed as if little sparks had flared up in my eyes.. "Nothing impure can withstand a purifying blaze..."

[Scrasamax]

"Now, I have to say that I have had some experience with this sort of thing." Greyson said. "We were stalking a band of orcs along the Deepening Coomb, the old forest on the border of Buckland. Some of the men went weird, raving about seeing things in the trees. Our guide, a local sentinel had us make a ring of steel to ward away the monsters of the forest." Greyson said as he took his bow from Amie's saddle. It was an unimpressive, but servicable hickory bow.

"We took our short swords and long knives and made a circle around the campfire. d**ned longest night of my life. All sorts of things hissed around the edge of the light, making noises in the brush, but nothing came close. We fired arrows when they sounded close, but we never found any track, or any blood behind." I've got some knives we can use, after we shoot and dress out something to cook over the fire. Plus, I picked up some salt and some local spices before we left. A good soldier knows he marches on his feet."

He spoke in a calm, confident voice. It might calm some of the less experienced adventurers to see someone not rattled by the prospect of an unseen foe who left no tracks. He resolved not to tell them that the secend band of soldiers were attacked and there were no survivors out of a troop of twenty some odd militiamen. They didnt have a ring of steel, and their fire had been out for some time by morning.

He took a bag, folded military style from one of the saddle packs and gathered several of the odd fruit. When some of the others gave him looks, he smiled.

"Who knows, maybe when we find out what they are, they might be really good to eat. We would be kicking ourselves then, wouldnt we?"

[CaptainPenguin]

Hashang looked sharply at the mercenary.
"We cannot know what will and will not... ajh, tiush eshkalu... Ah, repel is your word, repel the creature which our friend, Aurakh," the word "friend" seemed tinged with suspicion, "claims he has seen. And in this case, have others of our company glimpsed this thing? I believe what I see with my eyes."
He paused for a moment, looking slowly around at the expressions of the group members in his peculiar manner.
"I do not say that Aurakh is not one to trust, nor that he is a liar. I merely state that I cannot trust the judgement or the sight of a man I have known one day and the noon of the second." The Southerner raised his hands and spread his fingers, a gesture of reconciliation and peace.

[EchoMirage]

"True, we cannot know... but those who came before us, and survived, those can. My teachers would not speak falsehood to send me to die, would they?"

Even as I was speaking, I saw them... specks of light, amongst the strange vegetation, little furnaces burning with malice. As if nothing was going on, I turned my back to them, as if wandering lost in thought. Under my coat, I cocked the crossbow, muttering: "A special treat for you..."

I burned with the desire to stand face to face with the skulkers, yet if it was denied me... I would not play their game.

Feigning tripping on a stone, I fell to the ground, turning around and firing. The moment the bolt hissed through the air, the flames blinked and scuttled off to all sides.

"Not so easy with me, devils..." I closed my eyes, yet felt the bolt, for it was familiar. I had slept with it and several others close to my skin, and knew it,  felt it - the air flying by, a myriad of small touches, the heat building up within it, the flutter of its feathers. I became it, and streaked towards the little islands of heat and malevolence ... and let go, just as I felt their presence so close.

An unearthly shriek echoed through the forest.

[Maggot]

Klanu jumped off his horse instantly with a heavy thud,the haft of his massive battle axe clenched in a vice-like,white-knuckled grip. His eyes were shadowed with dread as they rolled frantically in their sockets,searching the brush for the hidden presence that had spooked Corram into firing a bolt at it.

 ''By the gods,what did you see Corram? Tell us what it was!''

[Shadoweagle]

After the adrenaline of Corams attack, silence reigned for several long moments. Finally, Aurakh moved, pacing warily into the brush which Coram had seen movement. The tracker disappeared from view for several seconds before returning with arrow in hand. "A great shot: You skewered the foul beast straight through the neck!" Pierced upon the end of that crossbow bolt was a fair-sized, nut-brown hare. "At least we have food for the night."

Dusk dimmed slowly into night - the encounter with the rabbit had long been exhausted of all jokings, insults and retorts and that same rabbit was now nothing but bones, and warmth in bellies. A small campfire burning in the midst of their make-shift camp attracted many kinds of insects - most if which were known, some which were not. The insects were bearable, however, and preferrable to the knowledge that some unknown beast may be staring at them from the dark. After some time of talking between themselves, Greyson stood from his position at the camp and glanced around the border of their fire-light. "There will be another long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I suggest we all get some sleep. I, for one, do not wish to leave my fate in the hands of a circle of metal, however, so I suggest a one man watch. In which order  did you all like to take watch?"

[Maggot]

''I will '',Klanu answered quickly. ''I doubt I will have a restful sleep tonight,Greyson. This forest has unnerved me too much for that. The next occasion Corram fires an arrow at something,it might well be more than a cute little bunny.''

 With those tense words,he walked to the edge of the camp and assumed a watchful stance,his eyes fixed with nervous concentration on the brush surounding their little encampment. It was visible to the others gathered around the fire,that Klanu was afraid,though battling hard to keep a lid on his apprehension. The frequency with which his hands kept straying to the haft of the axe that hung at his belt,told them everything.

 Klanu squeezed the amulet that was draped around his chest on a long leather cord. It was a crudely carved seal bone affair,a little idol of the Mother Godess. Heedless of the watchful eyes of the others,he squeezed it and begun to make a feverant,heartfelt plea to the the one that his little amulet represented. ''Please,Mother of the Gods,see to it that that no harm befalls us this night as I keep watch,I beg of you....''

[Ancient Gamer]

"My eyesight is good, regardless of what the painted southerner might make you believe, so I volunteer for the dog watch." Aurakh spat in front of Hashang's feet; a Yarang sign of sincerity and honesty.

He lay down at the base of a tree, yawning and pulling the woolen blanket over himself. "Wake me up at the zenith of night", Aurakh looked at Klanu and closed his eyes.

Drawing his knife, he clutched it in his hand. He had been in trouble before and had no doubt that they were in hostile territory.

Soon Aurakh fell asleep, his body too exhausted to let the mind ponder the possibilities. And thus he lay and as always, he dreamt about a raven black haired young woman, her clothes drenched in sweat, her mouth open in a silent scream. A scream of sheer terror and, for her, Aurakh was the monster.

No! Tanora! Tanora, do not scream my love...

[EchoMirage]

Sleep came easily over our band, yet it seemed to avoid me. I knew, I knew that hare was more than a bit of venison. Timber refused to eat it, and that was more proof than I needed.

I sat by a rock, letting its cold hardness calm me, and rose then. Strolling around the camp, I watched the shadows, and they seemed to mock me, to hunger and just savour the treat.

A smirk on my lips, I reached into my pouch and produced a few coins. Here and there, I strew them, twenty coppers and one silver Keyre, in the northernmost part of the camp. Shortsword in hand, I stepped up to a tree on the camp's boundaries,and studied its bark, so wrinkled. "You will do..."

I slashed the Cor rune into the tough wood, symbolizing man's courage to face the darkness... and on I went. The next one bore the Shael mark, sign of the sun reborn. Rhun for stregth, and Arod for friendship, and Kir for hope adorned other trees. The circle was complete.

Sipping my evening medicine, I leaned against Rowan, and stared off into the night.

[Shadoweagle]

The night travelled on and people dropped to sleep. The long walk of the day caught up with them. Even Coram, alert and staring into the darkness, managed to slip in and out of it.
Even as nervous as Klanu was, he proved a faithful watch - not that there was much to see.
...

Silence reigned, and Hashang dreamed. Blue skies glided gently above. The feel of wind blowing alongside dry dirt and the beating of the sun. A wagons wheel slowly turning, then the stench of civilisation. A man with a proposition and vast trees standing tall *Who*...
Hashangs eyes shot open in reflex. That final word felt real. Its echo ringed within the tattooed mans ears. That voice felt more like a whisper from a snake than a comment from a human. *Are you...?*

Hashang, now fully awake and convinced that the voice was not spawned of a dream, rose to a seated position and stared ahead - down the path they had yet to travel. Eyes stared back at him. Just inside the ring of light cast by the fire was an animal with light grey fur. Standing at three feet tall, the canine was poised, completely still and staring directly at Hashang. Its pose suggested it was walking across the path, and had stopped and moved its head to study the tattooed man.
The animal appeared to be a domesticated dog, rather than a wolf or coyote, and yet something appeared... wrong, about it.
Those eyes. A soulless, white stare - pupilless and colourless.
Hashang scrambled up to his feet and stumbled back a pace. The creature stared for several seconds longer, before appearing to take dis-interest and continue walking across the path to enter the foilage on the other side, disappearing.

Finally, Hashang took a glance around the camp. It appeared all were sleeping - but there: In the darkness stood Aurakh - The fact that he was the one on watch gave Hashang a general idea of the timing. But still, something appeared wrong to him. Everything was too still and quiet. Surely Aurakh would have heard his stumbling!
Hashangs gaze fell on the fire momentarily, and held that gaze for a long time. The still fire gave off a radiant glow, but that fire WAS still. Suspended in motion, the fire was soundless and not flickering. Hashang blinked in confusion, before checking each of his comrades - each were completely still. Not so much as chests moving for air.
Looking closer at his surroundings, now, Hashang saw that even the insects drawn by the fire were suspended in their places. It were as though all time had stopped - and yet, that dog had moved...

*Who are you...?* The drawn out words repeated themselves, echoing both within the mans mind, and also localised to his left. Hashang's gaze darted over to where Aurakhs form was hidden in the shadows. This time, however, he saw another form standing in front of the tracker. Standing a good foot taller than the already tall Aurakh was another shadowed figure. Lean and strangely tall for a human, it appeared this new arrival was holding both hands against the trackers still face, peering in his eyes as though attempting to read behind that vacant stare to learn everything about him. In the darkness behind the tree, no discernable features were able to be seen, but the figure moved. It lowered its hand and shifted its gaze towards Hashang. *Who are you...* A hand reached out towards the tattooed man, entering the fires light. Unimaginable pain coursed through Hashangs mind as he felt his mind and soul bieng torn asunder, obliterated from existence.

The turn of the wheel of a wagon. Crunch of dirt beneath heavy boots... "Hashang... Hashang! It is time for your watch."
Hashang awoke slowly, his face pale and sweating. His eyes fell into focus to see Aurakh shaking him gently on the shoulder. "Time for your watch, Hashang."
The man finally awoke fully and glanced fearfully towards the tree which that figure and Aurakh had been beneath. Nothing was there...

[Ancient Gamer]

"Hashang! It is I Aurakh. We are in the forest, remember?" Aurakh studied the bronze hued southerner. He looked completely bewildered. "Here take a sip of water" Aurakh loosened the round pewter flask from his belt and handed it to the exotic looking man.

"The dog watch was uneventful. Whatever was here is long gone" Aurakh smiled, reclaimed his flask, and headed for his sleeping spot. In the firelight he could see Coram's warding circle.

Doesn't protect me from dreams about Tanora, does it?

"Have a nice watch Hashang" Aurakh whispered loud before he laid down on the ground. The night breeze was blowing gently through the forest, rustling the leaves in the canopy. It was so peaceful here, it reminded him of the last night before the Arekterre ambush 15 years ago. Sighing, Aurak looked at the fire, which cast dramatic, dancing shadows against the trunks and foliage of the forest.

[CaptainPenguin]

"Dog watch...," Hashang muttered dazedly.

The dog.
The hand.

Hashang's tongue was dry and seemed swollen. His throat burned, and his forehead felt scarred and pitted, though the searching of his fingers found it smooth but for lines empressed by deep thought.
He rose, jaw set rigidly, as if in denial of the possibility of his vision.
The image of the tall being which had gripped Aurakh seemed already to be hazy and somewhat forgotten in his mind, though he sought to recall...

The hand.

He could recall only the being's hands, cradling the ranger's face almost gently. The long, slender fingers, delicate, almost spidery; the knuckles had barely been visible- the flesh was unseamed and smooth, with little, pearly nails.
But that flesh, that flesh, had been a delicate shade of amethyst purple.

And then, the eyes, those burning eyes of yellow, hostile yellow, like a raging flame, like a threatening lightning.

"It could not be," Hashang said, but his voice was not as firm as it might have been.

He stood watching until day, and never blinked.

[EchoMirage]

The world was blurry, and from the distance, I heard voices... from the past, they seemed to call to me, the villagers from back home, the villagers from later on, when I had travelled by Jared's side. Some of them thankful, some cursing, others pleading for help. In the background, I heard the moaning, hissing, and mumbling of the fiends.

Trying to stay awake, I stood up, staring in Hashang's direction... at first, he walked hence and forth, then he seemed to skip from place to place, blinking...

I fell asleep on the hilt of my sword, thinking how my father could have been.
Why has Jared spoken of him when he thought I could not hear?

[ScorpionJinx]

Itascia slept through most of the night. Even on the hard ground, the pack being used as a pillow. No blanket though, she was warm enough in her jacket. She had chosen to sleep near a tree but away from any bushes or dense foliage. The only sound she made was her soft breathing.

Blissfully unaware of what the others were seeing, wether in the waking life or in the canvas of their dreams. She had not dreamed in a very long time. And if she did, well there was no memory of it. It had been so long since she had remembered anything from her dreams.

But on this night she did dream. Faces in the dark. The pull of the noose. The pleased look on those shadowy faces. It was not a pleasant thing to remember. Ever so often she would twitch just alittle. And then it passed. Back into the blackened void of sleep that she knew.

[Scrasamax]

...Eliza...

Six years, and the flowers still bloom on your grave. Will they bloom so on mine, or will I not have a grave.

Greyson stood next to the cairn of stones, the grey rock half vanished beneath the trailing strands of green leaf and solf purple blossoms.

Where will my cairn be? He wondered. Will I have one, next to you my love?



The grizzled mercenary awoke momentarily at the changing of the watch, but returned quietly to his slumber...

[Maggot]

Klanu had been right. There were no sweet dreams for him tonight. His tortured slumber was haunted by faces from a blood soaked battlefield he left behind seven years ago,with Bryce.


 They crowded around him,moaning and wailing in agony,as the life blood spurted from their ravaged bodies,reaching out to him with hands that had had their fingers and thumbs hacked off.  Gods,it was happening all over again. That doomed raid on Bryce's city state that had gone wrong,so dreadfully wrong. There he stood again,watching helplessly as the brave but foolish warriors of the Karna were slowly dismembered by the superior steel and might of the foes they had made the terrible mistake of understimating.

  And there was Bryce again,rushing towards him with his blade,steel glinting in hs eyes. Klanu found himself unleashing a powerful hacking blow with his axe at his friend. But just like the first time,the rash swordsman evaded all his blows...

 Klanu felt the fine ege of the sword bite deep into his throat,inflicting a mortal wound. No,this wasn't how it was supposed to play out!
 
 He started screaming.

[ScorpionJinx]

Itascia jerked awake at the sudden sound. In a quick fluid motion she had bolted upright from her sleeping on the pack to a crouched down defensive position. Her hands held ready, a curved blade in each. Having been startled awake, her heart thudded loudly in her ribcage. She could hear the heavy drumming in her ears.

The haze of sleep fading quickly, she soon realized that it was Klanu making that sound. Itascia's attention shifted around at the woods, just encase something waited there. One blade returned to it's hiding place as she moved quickly to where Klanu was. Itascia knelt down beside him.

The second knife was sheathed, Knowing that waking him might be dangerous at this moment, but they had to stop the screaming. One hand lightly over his mouth the muffle the sound a bit while the other was placed upon his shoulder, giving him a very light shake. "Klanu, wake up."

Silently she hoped that he would not wake violently. But she was just about prepared for anything to happen in this place.  But whatever nightmare he was having...he needed to wake up from it. "Klanu." She spoke calmly. There was no reason to panic.

[EchoMirage]

I awoke at the screaming, still half dreaming... the tendrils of mist around me were like cut from the darkest dreaming, the hiss of the wind through the leaves seemed to sing dirges, and the pale light was like the spilled blood of dead hopes.

Instinctively, I drew my sword and slashed where I deemed the foe to be... only to hit a tree.

"How fitting." I thought, and turned around.

Rushing to the centre of the camp, I saw Itascia with a worried expression on her face kneeling over Klanu. Kneeling beside them, I laid a hand on his brow. "He's burning..."

Little did I notice the slash I inflicted upon the tree behind me, marring the Cor rune,changing its meaning to that of Yebel, which stood for..

Madness.

[Ancient Gamer]

Aurakh woke up his dagger out and ready. He quickly discovered the source of the screaming and the two bystanders attending him. "Bad dreams..." he muttered before he sat upright, resting against the trunk of the tree.

[Scrasamax]

"And this is the forest's first line of defence. Mind games, trickery and magic." Greyson said, kicking over the coals of last nights fire. The embers flickered crimson and amber. Adding some fresh wood brought the fire back to life, popping and hissing with the fresh fuel. He removed an iron pot from his saddle pack, well used and as battered as his shield.

"Some breakfast would do us some good now." he said as he sliced several pieces of salted pork from a larger piece, dropping each into the pot. "Then we could figure out what to do about the dreams. I didnt sleep worth a d**n, and can feel it too. Waking up screaming every morning is also a negative."

He placed the pot into the fire where the salted pork began to pop and sizzle along with the wood.

[Maggot]

As Ithascia's little hand clamped down swiftly on his mouth,Klanu jerked awake with a swift spasm,his eyes rolling wildly like that of a horse driven mad by sheer terror and dread. Scarcely aware of the hand that Coram rested on his forehead,he begun to jabber incoherantly.

 ''Oh,Mother of the Gods,why Bryce? Why does fate dictate..... Why must be the man I call friend be the one to kill...''

[ScorpionJinx]

"Klanu" Of course her hand was no longer over his mouth, he had jerked away. At least he wasnt screaming anymore. Seeing the look in his eyes. Itascia placed her hands on his face, turning him to look at her. "Shhh. It's alright Klanu. It was just a dream. It's alright. Bryce isnt here. Remember." Trying to calm him.

~Please let him be calmed soon.~ Almost a silent prayer. "Klanu, your in the forest. You were sleeping. You started screaming." Sounding a bit apologetic. She had not meant to startle him thus, but he had been screaming. And such a sound could draw any unseen enemies to them.

She removing one hand from his face, reaching into her pocket she removed a bit of cloth. Touching it to his forehead lightly. Dabbing away the sweat. "Klanu, look at me. It's Itascia and Coram. Please, you have to calm down. Please."