East Meets West (for Weiss Ritter)

[Ecnalab]

Charrla's mood visibly darkened at the mention of the manhunters. "Oh, the spoilsports. Always sticking their noses in others affairs." Her foot hit the floor with an audible thud. "Still, a troublesome bunch. If they're after you, then best not to tarry too long. Still, at least let Charrla walk you out of the woods," she said, standing. "We'll take you out the back way, and you won't even have to go back through that little village."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

While Aedan would normally have been eager to explore the world of carnal pleasures he'd only been able to dream of that Charrla was offering him, a not so small part of the mage was relieved that the nymph didn't try harder to make him change his mind. The much-abused part hanging between his thighs, to be precise.

"Gladly. And...thank you again," The young man stood with an apologetic smile. "There is one thing before we go, though: I left my horse near the river on the outskirts of the forest. It refused to enter. Would you mind if we try to fetch it first?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Not at all."

Collecting Aedan's horse was a simple affair, and soon the two were making their way through the woods once more. A full day passed before they reached the northern edge of the forest, and Aedan found himself looking out over the vast grassland that stood between him and Caliga. If there was one thing that Antavia had in abundance, it was wide open spaces. Now he just needed to get through about a hundred and fifty miles of it to officially be out of his homeland, and another hundred and fifty through hills and moors before he would likely see any real signs of civilization; beyond the odd farmstead.

As he looked out, and wondered at the vast journey that laid before him, Charrla's voice caught him by surprise. "So, this is where we part. You sure you're prepared for this?" she asked, looking up at him with quizzical eyes.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Aedan surveyed the open grassland with a thoughtful look. He was no military genius, but such terrain seemed to be a double-edged sword for his purposes. It would be nearly impossible to hide from a dedicated search in such lands, but he'd have to be impressively oblivious to be ambushed in them as well. The mage and his mount would be able to make fairly quick pace through these gentle wilds as well...but so would any of his would-be capors, and who would say how much of a head start he still enjoyed after this...diversion with Charrla?

Aedan flinched when the nymph's voice snapped him out of his reverie. He regarded her in silence for a moment and then offered a faint smile. "As ready can be expected. I'm no veteran traveler or woodsman with intimate knowledge of these lands, but I know what the alternative for me is, and I rejected it long before I came here. Besides-"

Aedan looked back to the daunting road ahead. "If there is a swifter learner than I, I never met them during my time in Hastner. You've seen what the magic I've mastered is capable of as well."

The young man gripped the horse's reins a little tighter. He should have been giving the beast a gentle kick to the ribs, but instead he looked to Charlla one last time. "If I ever get the chance to return to Antavia as a free man, would I be welcome in your woods again?"

 

[Ecnalab]

"Do you even need to ask, silly-boy?" In a single blur of motion, Charrla leapt into the air high enough to plant a light kiss on Aedan's lips, before coming down with arm outstretched, to give his horse a firm smack on the backside. At once, his steed was off, charging forward as Charrla waved him goodbye. For a moment, Aedan glanced at his horse and considered stopping the animal, but as he looked back he was surprised to see that Charrla was already gone. As quickly as she had come into his life, the nymph had disappeared again.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Well, there could be more manhu-," Charrla's lips sealed his before he could finish. Aedan was only an instant away from relaxing and sinking back into the kiss when the nymph fell back and his mount rushed forward.

"Gyah...!" He cried out, gripping the reins as if his life depended on it. It took several long moments for the inexperienced horseman to steady himself atop his mount and safely glance back over his shoulder. Charrla was gone already, and he was left with only this beast for companionship.

The young man took a breath, as much to steady his nerves and pounding heart as out of displeasure with that notion. Aedan knew it would have to be this way for the duration of his journey, and there was no way to know for sure what awaited him even after he was safely out of Antavian territory. The thought of living the rest of his life as a scholarly hermit was...unappealing. Still, he was more willing to gamble on that chance than accept the certainty of another gilded cage-Antavian or otherwise.

Aedan tugged lightly on the horse's reins, just enough to ensure his mount moved at swift but measured pace. Again, the great unknown stretched out before him, and again he stood ready to meet it.

 

[Ecnalab]

The next few days were monotonous, to say the least. The Antavian countryside stretched out in all directions, a seemingly endless expanse of flat grassland, dotted by the occasional copse of trees. Aedan took the opportunity to forage and hunt what he could on the trip, but by the time the sun set on the fifth day his supplies were running low. Still, he could take some solace from the fact that he could finally see the land ahead of him beginning to rise; signaling that he was near the border of Antavia, and passing into the wild-lands of Caliga.

The next morning, after camp had been broken, Aedan found himself guiding his horse up and over the rolling hills that had replaced the flat terrain he had grown accustomed to. Looking around, he found it hard to believe that the land around him was unclaimed. Rolling, pastoral, hills that, if his map was correct, were not far from a major source of fresh water. Truly, it would be perfect for ranching. A low rumble suddenly shook the soles of his feet.

Aedan then remembered the reason for this land being unclaimed. The indigenous wildlife was said to be of a particularly savage variety. And, if the stories were to be believed, included fell beasts of legend. A second rumble shook Aedan's feet, and as he looked around to find a safe place to hunker down and ride out the quake, he saw it. Cresting the next hill over, was a head unlike any he had seen before. It looked human in basic composition, two eyes, two ears, a nose, and mouth, but the shape was completely off. The ears were long and pointed like those of an elf, but much larger; almost fan-like. The lower jaw was enormous, and slung forward. Worst of all, the nose was huge and jutted forward like a beak from the creatures face. As the monster's shoulders and body came into view, Aedan saw that it was dressed in crude hides, and pelts, and held a club the size of a full-grown pig in one hand. Each of the huge things steps caused the ground to shudder under Aedan's feet, and he guessed that the giant was at least twenty feet tall... No, it was no giant, it was something that he had read about, but prayed that he would never have the misfortune to meet. A troll.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Aedan worked to maintain a measured but reasonably swift pace up and down the wild hills. It wouldn't been much longer before Antavia was well and truly behind him, but the mage had a way's to go yet before he would feel truly out of the reach of the Antavian manhunters or any blades-for-hire eager to cash in the Church's bounty. There was a good chance this journey to Caliga had shaken the bulk of them off his trail, but the path Charrla revealed to him was hardly exclusive knowledge if it was drawn onto a map, and there it would take more than a little bit of wilderness to dissuade his hunters for that kind of gold.

The young man glanced over his horse and his greatly diminished packs. There was also the supply situation preventing his spirits from getting too high. Aedan still didn't think that a few day's worth of extra hunting with a mistress of the forest was worth the risk to Charrla and quite possibly the village, but his less than impressive experience with the wilds felt like it was showing now. Smiting things with magic was a simple matter for him. Tracking, stalking, and foraging non-poisonous food...not so much. He'd probably have to stop in one of the few settlements in Caliga to augment his supplies. The mage wasn't sure if gold carried the same weight on the wild frontier as it did the safe, well-supplied hub of civilization, but he was confident that he carried enough of it to meet his needs regardless.

Those concerning but seemingly solvable problems were swiftly batted into the far reaches of Aedan's mind as the ground began to tremble beneath Aedan's feet. The mage halted with a puzzled frown. Some sort of earthquake...?

And then he saw it.

A colossal head peeking out over a nearby hill. A grotesque parody of man grown to monstrous proportions. One of the near-mythical monsters his parents and the local pastor terrified and delighted he and all the other village children with stories about when they were young. A Malsten-forsaken troll!

Aedan hissed under his breath and jerked his mounts reins, desperately trying to pull the horse down the base of the hill they'd just climbed. His heart pounded and he found himself praying to Malsten or whatever gods were listening that the misshapen titan had failed to see or smell them. It wasn't the best cover, but it was all he and the horse could safely exploit. If the troll missed them, it'd be a simple matter to wait until its thunderous steps faded into the distance before moving on...right?

 

[Ecnalab]

Footfalls that shook the ground closed in on Aedan, and for a moment he thought all was lost as the troll's head crested the hill he was hiding behind. But, as luck would have it, the beast did not seem to be looking down. Working the reins of his horse Aedan was able to keep mostly to the giant's side, and out from underfoot. As one heavy stomp after another took the creature past him, Aedan couldn't help but notice something. Tied to the monster's belt, by the ankles, were the limp lifeless bodies of two men; both wearing the traditional armor and red caps of Antavian man-hunters. Their vacant eyes, and broken bodies, were a gruesome reminder of the fate waiting for those who overestimated their abilities in Caliga.

The troll stomped off, leaving a trail of deep footprints behind him.

[Sorry for the long delay between posts recently. I've been working past a bad case of writers block. Fortunately, I think I'm about over it, and can start getting back on track with my posts.]

 

[Weiss Ritter]

(I was wondering if everything was alright. Fair enough, though! Writer's block is a pretty frustrating thing to be stuck with.)

Aedan's heart thumped with each heavy step the troll took closer to the hill sheltering him. The monstrosity towered over even it. One stray glance was all it would take for the troll to spot him. If there were any other places he could hide, Aedan couldn't see any close enough to reach without his movements betraying his position anyway.

The mage slowly shifted his free hand behind. The first step in literally hurling a spell at the looming monster if it came his way. Such a creature could probably sweep through an entire formation of men or lay waste to a small castle all by itself, but even so Aedan had no intention of going down without a fight. Maybe if he could get it in the eyes while it was still surprised...

The troll just kept walking by. Aedan could scarcely believe his fortune as the behemoth kept its gaze fixed on the horizon until its back was to him. Then he saw why the troll wasn't particularly attentive for new prey. It was all the young man could do to stop himself from gasping at the misshapen, crimson-clad corpses hanging limply from the monster's belt.

By Malsten...

His gut twisted until it felt like it would burst. Empathy, common humanity, imagining such a fate befalling him in turn, even Aedan wasn't quite sure which or what combination of those did it, but for a moment he forgot those men were his enemies.

"C-come on..." Aedan murmured to his mount once the troll was safely away. His heart still pounded and there was a hint of a tremble in the hand grasping its reins. The young man tried to resume his brisk pace along his route. Aedan could not have asked for a more chilling reminder of how dangerous these wild lands were to even a sorcerer of his power, or the dangers his would-be captors were willing to brave.

 

[Ecnalab]

Despite the macabre spectacle he had been privy to, the encounter with the troll did have one silver lining. Following the creatures tracks back the way it had come, Aedan saw a faint trail of smoke rising in the distance. A cursory investigation revealed it to be coming from the remains of a camp; likely that of the hunters that the troll had killed. Though the thought might be unpleasant, the option to scavenge for supplies was there. Otherwise, the hills rolled on, growing more and more forested as they did. It would not be more than a day, or two, before Aedan found himself riding under a verdant canopy.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

It was hard for Aedan to feel elated at the sight of the manhunters' ruined camp, but there was no getting around his need for more provisions. Besides, it wasn't going to do anyone any good to just leave whatever food, water, and useful items the troll hadn't smashed or looted first out to rot. The young man delicately picked through the ruins of the campsite, his bright blue eyes frequently scanning for sign of any other opportunistic predators.

Aedan couldn't help but grin wryly at the forest's entrance. The last time he'd entered one, it led to him slaying a Twisted beast, being introduced to carnal pleasures by one of the most beautiful women in all of creation, and being given a godsend of a map to make his flight from Antavia less eminently perilous. It was going to pretty hard to top Charrla's domain, but at least things went off to a better start this time around all the same. His horse was actually willing to brave these woods!

 

[Ecnalab]

The camp was in complete shambles. The tents were ether tore to pieces or simply smashed, and the half-eaten remains of two horses were strewn everywhere. Fortunately, Aedan managed to find the hunter's supply satchels with little difficulty, and was pleased to find himself replenished of the basics. That just left the woods before him. It only took a few steps into them to realize that these were not like Charrla's woods. The trees, mostly coniferous, grew far enough apart to allow easy traversal, but they were still so densely packed together that they seemed to press in on anyone within them. Claustrophobic, that was the word the scholars would use to describe it.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

The image that awaited him in the manhunters' camp lingered unpleasantly in Aedan's mind. It was enough to make him clutch at his mount's reins protectively long after the grisly scene was behind them both.

The forest offered scant comfort. The woods near his village had been a wild extension of his home and Charrla's domain was a literal magical realm of unearthly delights, but this place was just ominous. The trees were packed so closely together...it was enough to make the young man fear more man eating predators like the troll were lurking within every shadow.

The magic flowing through his veins churned while his body tense. Surely he had little to fear? Nothing so large as that troll could sneak up on him here, and it's only take a lightning bolt or two to-

...he couldn't use his lightning in here. Not without risk of starting a supernaturally potent fire.

The forest grew that much more ominous in an instant.

 

[Ecnalab]

The next few days were not pleasant. Shortly after he entered the forest, a fog rolled in, obscuring visibility even more, and leaving everything feeling cold and damp. Furthermore, while the woods around him seemed empty by day, they came alive with sounds at night. More than once, Aedan was woke from slumber by the howl of wolves, or something big moving about in the darkness. By the third day, he had only gotten about ten hours of sleep, and his horse wasn't fairing much better; being unaccustomed to the new terrain. So, it couldn't help but sigh in relief when he spotted the cave opening in the rocky side of a rise in the land. Finally, a defensible place to camp... assuming it was unoccupied.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

By the time Aedan reached the cave, his bright blues were marred by bloodshot veins and most of his movements were shaken and graceless. The forest seemed determined to prove itself the opposite of Charrla's domain in nearly every way. The only mercies it had shown him and his mount so far were that the trees remained far enough apart to make generous trails and that nothing had attacked them despite the nightmarish cacophony keeping him up with one spell or the other at the ready every single night.

Well, that and this cave.

Aedan barely hesitated to begin making his way towards it. Much of the wildlife in these savage lands sounded very dangerous at least. Normally, the young mage probably would have weighed the risk of storming into a beast den just in time for dinner more carefully, but the sleepless nights had taken their toll. If he and his mount didn't get something resembling a decent night's sleep soon, they were more likely to pass out in the middle of this loathsome forest or walk face-first in whatever that giant...thing from the other night was.

A white flame tinged with a black, shadowy aura sputtered unsteadily into Aedan's shaking hand as he crossed the cave's threshold. The lack of sleep weakened his mind as well as his body. It was only natural that his unique spells come out a little rough around the edges.

 

[Ecnalab]

The cave was not very deep, only about fifteen or twenty feet into the earth, Aedan could see the back of it with even his meager light source. Still it was big enough for him and his horse to enter, dry, and above all else, unoccupied. However, one thing did give Aedan pause. At the back of the shelter was the remains of an old campfire, long burned out, but the circle of rocks filled with old ash was still there. Clearly, he was not the first intelligent being to use this cave for shelter.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Aedan's relieved breath caught in his throat at the sight of the old campfire. A frown tugged at his lips as his weary mind struggled to grasp all the implications. Yes, someone had been here before but was that a problem...? They seemed long gone now and he knew at least one party of manhunters were dead. Perhaps one or more of the hunters seeking their fortune in this wild lands had been here? That could be trouble for him the manhunters had the time and lack of greed to hand out his bounty notice to any other hunting parties out here.

It was a concerning possibility, to be sure, but it still didn't seem worth leaving the cave over. If he was to have a confrontation with any of the hard men and women stalking these lands, it would be best do it with something resembling a full night's rest rather than walking into an ambush with a dulled mind and weary body.

Aedan briskly laid out his sleeping mat and lit a new fire in place of the old before laying down to finally get the rest he needed.

 

[Ecnalab]

Aedan would need his rest, for the next day was made especially treacherous when a thick fog settled over the forest. With visibility reduced even more than normal in the dense forest, Aedan had to be on high alert. Now an attack could come from literally any direction, and he would only have a few seconds at most to react. But, every dark cloud has a silver lining. After a few hours of steadily picking his steps, Aedan found the source of the mist that gathered all around him. Stepping out onto a rocky shore, he looked out over the vast, dark body of water that was lake Caliga. The still water gently lapped at the shore, and Aedan knew that whatever else happened, at least he no longer had to worry about getting lost. The only to permanent settlements in Caliga were situated on the northern shore of this lake. All he had to do was follow it.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

It seemed like Malsten or whatever god or pantheon presided over these lands had it out for the poor mage. He'd dared to think that the rest of the journey through the forest could not get much worse as he munched his stock of jerky and vegetables before feeding his mount. The fog waiting outside the cave was all too ready to disabuse him of that notion.

The young mage's body was every bit as tense than it had been the nights before as he made his way through the forest, if not a little more. At least the cacophony made by the animals at night gave him a rough idea of their position. If he wasn't careful here, or suffered from yet another run of bad luck, it would be all too easy for a cunning enough ambush to catch him before he could fire off a single spell.

"Hm?" The sound of water gently brushing against the shoreline earned a curious frown from Aedan before he put the pieces together. A settlement! Just what he needed, provided the place wasn't teeming with bounty hunters.

The mage gave his horse a chance to parch its throat with the lakewater before gently tugging at the reins to direct the beast north.

 

[Ecnalab]

Sadly, Aedan still had several miles between him and his destination. But, now that he had found the water, things could at least progress smoothly; or so he hoped. It wasn't until two days later, that the settlement came into view, or at least the wooden palisade surrounding it did. A twenty foot tall wall of stout timber, from behind which thin pillars of smoke could be seen rising, loomed in the distance as Aedan made his was down the water's edge. He wondered if the people of this land would be as inhospitable as the weather.

That train of thought was cut off however by a sudden rippling in the water, as if something big were moving just below the surface. Aedan turned just in time to see something charging up the shore towards him and his mount. In basic shape it was human, but the resemblance stopped there. Its head was that of some great fish, or serpent, while its ape-like body was covered in scales and barnacles, and ended in a large finned tail. It carried a crude spear, the head made of sharpened stone, which it held low, aiming for Aedan's horse.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

The next two days were somewhat easier on Aedan's mind and supplies. The night was still a terrifying ordeal filled with the calls and footfalls of likely monstrous beasts prowling the forest and his sleep suffered as a result, but his waterskins remained filled to the brim and the lake also ensured that he need not fear losing his way in the fog.

"Hm..." Aedan grunted softly at the imposing wooden structure towering in the distance. He had expected something a little less...grand given the untamed nature of this frontier. Then again, if that troll was any indication, any form of civilization would require nothing less just to exist. The people living inside were bound to be a similarly tough lot. The thought was almost enough to make Aedan reconsider stopping there, but he'd already come this far and the prospect of another peaceful night's rest after restocking his dwindling supplies was too tempting to pass up.

"What the-?!" The mage gasped and twisted to face his assailant. His bright blue eyes widened at the sight of the misshapen creature rushing his mount, but the young man's reflexes didn't fail him. One hand shot forward and the earth between him and the fish-man blackened and warped. An obsidian spike burst out of the ground, threatening to impale the humanoid creature outright if it couldn't adjust its course.

 

[Ecnalab]

The creature was oblivious to the danger beneath it, and died instantly as it was impaled on a flash-formed stalagmite. Unfortunately, Aedan only had a moment to congratulate himself before three more of the monsters burst from the lake, and charged.

[Combat begins in earnest now. Give me some rolls, and let's see what happens.]

 

[Weiss Ritter]

[Ack, sorry! The roll totally slipped my mind.

Attack roll: 3 + 3 + 5 + Precision 4 = 15

Damage roll 5 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 20]

Aedan exhaled a relief breath as his attacker went limp. He was just about to hop off his mount to give the corpse a closer inspection when its three comrades burst from the lake with their own crude weapons raised.

"Malsten's hammer...!" The mage cursed under his breath and raised his hand again. The magma veins swiftly formed along the length of the ebon spike before it and the mishappen creature impaled upon it exploded. A veritable storm of glowing orange lights raced through the air with enough heat and force to easily pierce even the sturdiest armor. It wasn't a precise attack, but the sheer number and lethality of the super-heated stones seemed bound to produce results unless these creatures were exceptionally swift or lucky.

 

[Ecnalab]

Evasion: 3+2+5+2speed=12
Resistance: 5+3+3+fort3=14

When the smoke cleared, all of the fish men were laying on the ground in various states of dismemberment. None seemed to be breathing. As Aedan surveyed the carnage he had wrought, movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. There were now several people gathered on the palisade watching him. Though they were too far away to see clearly, of hear, Aedan could tell that they were talking amongst themselves, and pointing at him.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Aedan's breath came out hard and fast despite the meager amount of strain the spells actually put upon him. Monstrous as they were, the fish mean looked and fought worryingly close to actual...people. His jaw tightened and his muscles tensed as his bright blue eyes swept across the carnage his conjured projectiles had left in their wake.

Motion out of the corner of his vision drew his gaze away from the corpses and towards the palisade. It seemed the display had not gone unnoticed.

The young mage hesitated for a moment. There went any chance of passing himself off as a simple traveler. True, the garrison had perfectly legitimate reason to take an interest in a sorcerer who could dispatch an entire squad of fish-men with a single gesture, but if his fears about the manhunters and his bounty reaching this settlement proved to be more than paranoid speculation...well, it wouldn't be easy or bloodless for anyone involved.

Still, his packs were light and the journey to true safety was a long one yet.

Aedan took a quick breath to steel himself and gently nudged his mount towards the palisade.

 

[Ecnalab]

There were four people waiting on the palisade, above the main gate, when Aedan walked up. Two were younger men, dressed in well wore, but well made, leather armor. They held bows, with arrows at the ready, but thankfully had yet to train them on Aedan. The two others were much more eye-catching. One was a veritable mountain of a man, easily standing a foot taller than the others. He looked to be somewhere in his forties, but his arms were still thick with muscle, and his red hair and beard were long, thick, and flowing. He wore a heavy brown fur cloak, which only made him look even more imposing. The final man looked much older than any of the others. His skin was pale and wrinkled like a prune's, and not a trace of hair could be seen upon his head. He dressed only in a loose green, and brown robe. Despite his frail appearance, Aedan could see something in the old man's eyes. A look of confidence that bordered on narcissism. Aedan suddenly got the feeling that he was looking at a fellow magic wielder.

"Ho, traveler!" called the big man, in a deep, rumbling voice. "That was quite the little 'fish fry' you just put on. What brings you to Mistheim?"

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Aedan wouldn't have felt entirely comfortable were he to find himself alone in a room with either of the two most prominent men atop the palisade, but his wary gaze lingered on the older of them for a moment longer. Most probably would have focused on the red-headed giant if they were as wary of treachery as the young mage was, but something about the bald one set Aedan on edge a little more. His expression reminded him of the less...pleasant of the priests he had come to know during his days in the capital. The ones who were certain that anything and everything they ordered done was backed by the direct will of Malsten himself.

"I came to resupply and, perhaps, rest!" The young man called out, forcing a slight smile. Hopefully it would be enough to conceal his apprehension. "I heard these lands were wild and harsh, but stories don't hold a candle to experience, and it seems I can't solve all the challenges they offer that way..."

He made a quick gesture toward what remained of his attackers and the molten stones scattered across the shore.

 

[Ecnalab]

The elder man leaned in close to mutter something to the bearded man, that Aedan could not hear. When they finished, the big man spoke again. "You are free to enter, traveler, but don't go throwing magic around without good cause while you're here. We've enough trouble without mages setting everything on fire." With that, he barked an order over his shoulder, and the large wooden door in front of Aedan slowly creaked open, as it was pushed out by a pair of men dressed much like the ones on the palisade. They looked Aedan up and down, before motioning him in.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

A frown pulled at Aedan's lips that he wasn't entirely able to suppress. What was the older man whispering about? Some way to harness or exploit his power just as Antavia had done?

"Thank you, I won't abuse your trust and hospitality..." The young man shouted back up with a sigh as he drew up his hood. Some part of him realized he was going to have to stop seeing plots wherever he looked. It would have to wait until he was firmly out of his homeland's shadow, though, and out of the reach of the manhunters and mercenaries enticed by his bounty.

"We're almost there. I'm sure they have a stable for you and a room for me," He murmured to his mount, gently patting the horse's neck. The adrenaline from the fish monsters' sudden attack kept his senses sharp for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before the weariness the last several nights had instilled in him made its presence felt. Hopefully he would have enough time to make accommodations and perhaps get some answers on what those...creatures were before then.