A/N: This takes place in Meredius, the World of Iron Kingdoms, which is an alternate Campaign Setting for Dungeons and Dragons, where magic and mechanics have been seamlessly integrated together (think Steampunk-esque but souped up with Magic). The main character is a Psion as opposed to a Wizard or Sorcerer. This means that her 'magic' and where it comes from is not traditional and extremely rare and misunderstood by the general population. I have already written many stories about her but this photo immediately conjured a scenario for background to another story I already wrote. Enjoy!
The forests of Meredius are usually beautiful shades of green and brown with reds and oranges scattered among trees and leaves on the giant flowers that grow in this region including the Thornwood Forest. Jaxrian turned her face up to the grey skies and took in the vast emptiness that seemed to surround her, the leaves were gone from all the trees and the flowers and undergrowth were twisted and dying. The trees seemed gnarled and shrinking. It was as if winter had come early but no one was telling the people of the forest and the temperature change was late as well, not that there were many inhabitants to speak of, and Jaxrian certainly didn't find herself here with any regularity ordinarily. Her travels to escape persecution from the Five Fingers' mockery of a court brought her out here and she was pretty sure she had stumbled onto something she was never meant to find but since this forest was the only thing between her and potential escape over the border into Cygnar, she was determined to forge ahead despite the misgivings that hit her. Her meager belongings in her single pack began to become heavier as she trudged through the withering undergrowth and she was pretty sure there was some sort of unnatural fatigue taking over her body. Her resolve to escape doubled as the realization came to her that this journey might end her running before she was ready to quit herself.
She decided to stop for the night just as dusk was beginning to appear. Her body felt tons heavier, but her mind remained sharp and she was resolute. She would stop, make camp, and meditate for several hours, if her body cooperated, to see if she could protect herself or find a faster way out of this odd forest. She fashioned a small tent using her winter cloak and some branches leaning against a large tree, she built a fire just outside, careful not to burn her cloak, should the temperature decide to catch up to the scenery overnight.
Jaxrian began her meditation with some deep breathing and pictured herself inside a warm, glowing inn state room, a place she spent many a night with her parents and family in the carnival troupe. She saw herself sitting on the bed cross-legged and closing her eyes, she watched herself slowly wilt into a prone position, then gradually she noticed a pallor growing on her cheeks and a creeping paleness across her own body then its breathing stopped and the eyes flew open. Jaxrian startled awake from her trance to find that her fire was gone, and the forest was dark, few animal sounds met her ears, distant but present. Her thin tunic was soaked in sweat despite the comfortable temperature surrounding her. Her vision disturbed her and she briefly wondered if stopping at all had been hubristic folly on her part. Well if I am going to wilt to death here I might as well make the most of the time I do have. She resituated herself, and began again but instead of centering herself with happy memories she took herself back to where her journey began. Her father's trick gone wrong, her coma following and the long wagon ride to Ord where her reputation caught up her quite by accident. With all the magic readily embraced throughout Meredius, one would think that such an occurrence would cause barely a ripple in societies' ability to cope with the news but Sorcery/Wizardry requires years of study, words of power and gestures to accompany any spell or show of force and a barely mature and totally unschooled carnival performer with nary a warning or explanation does NOT make for easily forgotten stories. Why was absorbing fire and lifting a railroad timber to save your father's life such a crime, never mind the fact that she did it from 30 yards away with her hands outstretched and screaming "Father!" then promptly collapsing into a nap that lasted nearly a fortnight. Her parents did her best to shield her but it was impossible to keep it from her forever and after a particularly power noble in Five Fingers heard about her, he insisted on witnessing it himself and snatched her from her family. He held her captive until she "proved" herself powerful and she did so, but not without unintentionally maiming one of her guards with a wayward blade to the spine. Her powers were still under-developed and uncontrolled the majority of the time and she NEVER used them publicly before or since the noble kidnapped her for fear of hurting others. She kept her powers to herself and only recently had she started to understand how to best to control them for her own purposes. This though brought her back to her present situation; the noble had of course brought charges of assault, branded her a "witch" and sent the courts after her and her family. Jaxrian had no choice but to leave them behind for their own protection. It was the hardest part of everything that had happened to her, leaving her loving parents and carnival family.
Jaxrian slowly brought herself to where she currently sat along her journey, literally she was once again looking at herself sitting in her tent with her legs crossed and her eyes closed but this time the night sounds began to creep into her consciousness and she picked out a sound she couldn't place. It was coughing and wheezing with an occasional muffled thud, Jaxrian crouched with her back to her tent and searched the surrounding trees and growth for any clue to the direction of the person in obvious trouble. Slowly, at the edge of her mind's eye's vision range a hunched figure came into view. Jaxrian began running toward the apparition and to her surprise she came upon a young man, though he was certainly older than herself. He was loaded down with packs but was struggling to walk and his coughing caused him to stop and sometimes hit his knees as if he too was being subtly killed by whatever was affecting this forest and Jaxrian too. She could tell he couldn't see her but even through his troubles he seemed wary as if he knew he was being watched. Jaxrian decided to attempt to steer him in her direction, sure that she had to do something or he would die much sooner than she herself would. She was certain that if she played to his paranoia that she could bring him to her so she began intermittently reaching out to the forest around him to make tree branches snap and limbs fall as if something was indeed chasing him, sure enough he began altering his course and headed in her direction. He came up to her tent and slowly circled it, looking for an occupant. Jaxrian slowly brought herself back to her body and just as he stepped in front of the entrance, she opened her eyes and regarded him. "Hello," she said, "sounds like you could use a little help with that cough."
He looked at her confused and clearly his mind was also affected because it took several seconds for him to respond. "What…ah…who…are…you?" He swayed where he stood and collapsed in a heap to the ground. Jaxrian immediately divested him of his packs and got him inside her shelter, she wrapped him in her blanket and some she found among his belongings and left his side to gather limbs and logs to build a larger shelter, one that would allow her to fit more comfortably inside. She was determined to save him using any means at her disposal.
She finished the shelter upgrade and got back inside with him, just as he was returning to consciousness himself, and he startled when he saw her sitting beside him placidly. "I thought you were a dream," he gasped as he took a few deep breaths laboriously, "what is happening to me, are you doing this to me?"
"I am not; it is happening to me too, I assure you. How long have you been in this forest?"
"Uh, half a day, I think. It is hard to remember, as soon as I got to the rotting portion of the forest I started feeling heavier."
"The same for me, I have been travelling here for half-a-day myself. Great, at least I may not die, but now I may have to explain why I am not dying as quick as he is, wonderful. My name is Jaxrian, I am travelling to Cygnar, I made camp here for the night and I heard you having trouble so I decided to help."
"Do you know what is happening to me?"
"Not really, I suspect it is magic of some sort, that is affecting the forest life too but I can't say for certain."
"How come you aren't in as bad a shape as me?"
"I don't know. Not really a lie, it isn't like I know what is happening to me anymore than he does. Perhaps, I haven't been travelling through here as long as I think. This place is a bit tricky on the mind."
"That it is. I am Cyrus Callough of Brendamtown, Cygnar. Pleased to meet you...Jaxrian. What are you doing out here travelling alone? Your manners suggest you come from an upper class family."
"It is kind of you to say that, but my family and I were travelling performers with a carnival. My manners are a result of necessity to being asked to return every season to support ourselves and I am out here to protect them that is all I will say about my situation. You should rest some more, don't worry, you will not perish in your sleep."
"How do you know that? I thought you said you didn't know what was going on…"
"I did say that and it is true, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve to protect you and me, but you must rest if you are going to walk out of here in the morrow. Rest now, Cyrus Callough, or I will be forced to sing you to sleep."
"You wouldn't dare…"Cyrus smiled as he lowered himself back down and snuggled back under the blankets, "do you know ''Ere the Road Leads'?"
"I do." She began singing in dulcet tones and Cyrus was soon lulled to a deep slumber. Jaxrian settled herself on her bedroll and returned to meditating which she often found more restful than sleep these days since her flight. She imagined herself creating a substance of her own energy and building a barrier around their shelter, she turned to look at their makeshift shelter; in the brightness of the moonlight and the lack of tree cover it looked almost morning. As her meditation ended and her mind returned to her body, she felt heartened but oddly exhausted and she lay down and finally closed her eyes in sleep.