Cearbhail:

So, I think I'll start posting character bios in the ending. You know, so you can know the people saving this realm.

Oh... and enjoy. =^^=

[Kara Kulenov]

"How much longer is this going to take?" Erwin Dristole squirmed on his table, restlessly trying to position himself in a way that made him feel comfortable.

Ivor looked over to my dad, giving Erwin a shrug. "Well, Dad? How much longer do we have to penetrate his gaping wound?"

Dad groaned a response. "Phrasing!" Dad pulled his finger out of Erwin's open wound, resting his hand on Erwin's side, hovering it over the wound. "This is delicate work… and I don't exactly have Odin's Blessing anymore. Healing takes time when I'm operating on Paladin Cleric 3.5 instead of 5.0."

"I feel like we just broke the rules." Erwin stated.

"Shut up." Megumin said, leaning on her staff. "Just let the old man do his stuff to you, cover you with white healing goo… and then slump your way over to the armory so we can get you decked out in an elvish breastplate that exposing your sick abs, and a butt plate that highlights your round taut butt."

"I feel like I've just been objectified." Erwin stated. "And… Phrasing!"

"Says the elf that thought exposing his majestic dick would lead to a prison escape." Dad stated, and with him saying that… I had so many questions.

"It worked, didn't it?" Erwin chuckled.

So many questions. So many questions I have to ask now.

"Now, hold him still." Dad pulled out a stick of wood. He placed it in Erwin's mouth. "Bite down. This will only take a minute." Dad pulled up a rod that sported a glowing tip.

…

[Several minutes later]

"And here we are!" I gleefully stated, waving the adventurers into the armory. "Sorry for the detour." I smirked over to Erwin. "You took that like a champ."

Erwin only sighed. "Cooking marshmallows with a burning rod should not tastes that good. Oh, and your father's Healing Touch spell felt nice."

"Yeah, he's a gentle healer." Megumin stated. "Oh, by the way. I'm Megumin. I'm the reason you were hospitalized."

"Wait, what?" Erwin looked back at the girl. That's when he noticed… she's Shouen. I could see he was settling his eyes on the scales under her sharp eyes. She had draconic blood running through her veins. Her olive skin tone and her black glossy hair were giveaways to her Shouen heritage. Not to mention the small scales that formed around her eyes and hands. "You're… Shouen?" Yup, just like I thought. Erwin was beginning to question why we had a Shouen in our fort. They were enemies of both Damara and Illuska.

Megumin nodded. "Yup. Also a Sorcerer… of course, that's to be expected if I'm from Shou, right?" She gave Erwin a knowing look. "You're… Shouen too? Right?" She motioned to the same scales Erwin had formed under his eyes. Honestly, I hadn't even looked that hard at him. I missed that he had scales formed under his eyes. His irises were normal though, no draconic like Megumin's.

Erwin shook his head. "I'm part dragon… yeah. But I'm not from Shou."

"Oh!" Megumin shot up. "I forgot. You're from that elven forest, right?"

Erwin nodded. "Yes. It's called Farvaan. Wait… how did you get me hospitalized?"

"Anyway." I clapped my hands, getting their attention back on me. "This is the armory. You've been allowed to raid it… appropriately. No picking up weapons to just sell them. Just take what you plan on using, get some basic gear. The fort had a treasury, and so… we're rewarding you for your assistance with 500 gold pieces per person. All together that's 1,500. And we're not being stingy… there were only 2,000 gold coins here… and we need to begin fortifying this fort. Once Illuska learns of what happened here… well… I'm expecting some kind of attack."

"Especially from Stormwind." Ivor stated, budging between Erwin and Megumin. "This was the local fort the Illuskan Paladins stationed their soldiers. Paladin Spencer was the Paladin in charge of the offensive on this southern side of the Illuska/Southern Shou border. With him out of the picture… the troops on that border wall will begin noticing a lack of replacements, supplies… that sort of stuff. And so… I'm heading to Stormwind to take stock of the situation there. The local Lord has his own force, where the soldiers stationed here resupply at, and spend leave time there. I'm going to see if we need to worry about a secondary attack from Stormwind. I'll be back soon."

"Shouldn't we go with you?" Kurohana asked. "That sounds serious."

"I also have a score to settle there." Erwin replied, crossing his arms. "That racist asshole only received my fist. He deserves so much more."

Ivor shook his head. "An elf and a catfolk? That kind of sticks out. I'm going on a recon mission, not some invasion." Ivor nodded to me before heading out. "See you, sis. I'll see what I can do to pick up some contacts."

"Thank you, brother." I looked over to Megumin. "Aren't you going to join him?"

Megumin grabbed her arm, looking away. "A Shouen girl in the offensive fort/town of Stormwind, a town dedicated to the protection of Illuska from Shouen forces? No thanks."

Right… I didn't think about that.

"Want to join us?" I asked Megumin.

"Not really. I'm going to stay here, just in case the worst should happen."

…

[Erwin Dristole]

I entered the armory, taking a look around. There wasn't a lot of stuff; I'm guessing most of it was probably blown up with the rest of the tower. It was that, and mainly the fact that a lot of the stuff was Illuskan and… Templar designs that made me want to retch rather than decide on something to wear.

"Please, by all means. Go through the swords, maces, staffs, daggers… spell books. Whatever you feel like going through. Our soldiers will pick up whatever you decide to leave behind. Most of us have our own gear so… we're already set." Kara walked in behind us.

"So, you have a mission for us, I'm guessing?" I turned my attention to the hide armor. I am a Druid… I don't want to be wrapped around in metal. Hide armor would be nice to wear. And it doesn't have that Illuskan cross embezzled on the front. This must have been a prisoner that was here before me.

Kara nodded. "I mean… I'm going to a place to find some assistance, you know… build our army. You're welcome to tag along. I'm going to Damara."

"That country you just escaped." Kurohana replied. Kurohana was slipping some leather armor over her prisoner robes.

Kara nodded. "Yup. Except, I'm going to the eastern border, the one near Northern Shou. There's a Magi Tower there. Like I said earlier, most Magi Towers are prisons now, except that one. I heard through the grapevine that it's rebelled, and able to keep Templars away. How… I'm not sure. Dad said that there's a dragon roosting nearby, or there was… when he was there anyway." Kara looked over at me. "Do dragons move around a lot?"

I shook my head. "Not really. Once they find a place, they tend to stay there."

Kara smiled. "Then my guess is… that dragon is keeping the mages safe… even if it's not doing it on purpose. So, I'm going to go up, and help evacuate the mages… if they want to leave, that is. I'm basically going on a recon/recruitment mission. If we can enlist the mages into our cause... we can really buff up this army quickly. A bunch of sorcerers and wizards on our team? That's some serious firepower."

So, she was going after one of the Magi Towers? Helping people like me? If they were left there on their own… I'm sure they'd eventually be overrun, and if Damara really is killing mages like Kara said… then… chances are these mages won't be taken peacefully, even if they surrender, they'll be viewed as too dangerous to live. They'll be killed… all of them.

"I guess I have no choice then." I slipped a wrap of light blue leather over my shoulder, letting it drape across my chest and back. Druid armor is pretty simplistic. From there, I threw on shoulder pauldrons, and some gauntlets with crystals embedded on the top. I could feel magick radiating from inside the crystals, helping to boost my magickal abilities. From there, I grabbed a staff, one made from blue wood with a blue crystal connected to the top as a power source. It seemed to work with the other crystals in my armbands. And I grabbed a shortsword, just in case I need some up close personal protection.

I assembled the rest of the druidic armor that I could find, including some hide boots. That should be good enough, I guess. I had some good weapons, good armor. I think I'm ready to go.

I looked over at Kurohana, seeing her wearing a similar chest wrap to my own, only hers was a dark purple, one that went well with her pitch black fur. She had a katana strapped to her side.

"Is… that all you have?" I glanced at her one sword.

Kurohana stuck out her left hand, flicking her wrist up. A hidden blade shot out of her gauntlet. "It would seem they had a Turami assassin here at some point." She retracted the blade. "I have all I need. Rogues like me prefer to travel light, so we can collect a lot."

Kara snickered. "Not me." I looked over at Kara. She had two dagger strapped to her sides, and a crossbow slung over her back. "I've been fighting a war for four years. I need the extra weaponry."

"I have a crossbow too!" I looked down at the gnome girl, Lil-Gem. She had that toy crossbow in her hands. I almost wanted to lift her up and squeeze her cheeks, she looked so cute.

"Oh? So, are you going to stay here and protect the base?" I bent down to look her eye-to-eye.

"Nope. I'm coming with you." She replied, all smiles.

Huh… I'm not sure I'm okay with a child joining us. "Can you keep up? We'll be traveling pretty quickly, and you have small legs."

"That's okay. I have my dire wolf, Snowflake!" Lil-Gem blew a whistle in her fingers. A giant wolf, almost as big as me, fur white as snow, marched into the room, sitting down next to Lil-Gem. Lil-Gem reached up, rubbing the wolf's ears. "She's been here, living in this tower with me. We're best friends."

Okay… I'm running out of ways to say 'no'. Oh well, she's probably safer with us than staying here at the ruined fort. I shrugged. "Okay, you can come along with us. Do you… do you have any parents?"

Lil-Gem glanced down. "No. Mommy died, and I never met Daddy. Mr. Spencer brought me here to make me pay off Mommy's debt."

I placed my hand on the girl's head. "If you want… I could adopt you. I could be your dad."

Lil-Gem smiled from ear-to-ear. "That would be great."

Well, that felt heavily forced, but whatever. Moving on.

Kara looked over at us. "Okay, so… I guess we have our weapons and armor. So, let's make our way to Damara."

I followed behind Kara as we exited the armory. We walked through another hallway before coming to a door leading us outside. The bailey, the area inside the fort, was cleared out. You would tell there was a large battle here as there was still blood on the dirt, holes blasted everywhere, but what you didn't see were dead bodies or discarded weapons. A few tables were set up, and a few of the soldiers living here were resting, talking. It is the ninth month, known in Fae as Lungkist, but for the rest of the world: Slumbering Tree. As such, it was pretty warm, especially here in the southern half of Illuska. You could feel the winter breeze slowly creeping its way down from the Frozen Mountains to the north. Which is where we would be heading.

"We're going to need winter protection." I reminded Kara.

Kara nodded. "On the way, there's a village that was founded by gnomes living near Kinohi."

Kinohi, the woodland nation of the Kitsune: protectors of the Elder Gleam Forest. Their forest was like my mine. Intruders can't get inside their forest any more than humans can get inside mine. I think the rodentus and the lizardfolks are the only ones with open borders into their kingdoms. Getting through Kinohi is impossible, but even… to be going to a village right outside of it… is also trouble. Right next to the Elder Gleam Forest is Brightwoods, and don't let the name fool you, there are tales of werewolves living in those woods. And this village, I think I've been there before: Owl's Rest. It's right between both woods.

"So, let me guess." I started rubbing my eyes in exhaustion. "We're about to leave on our journey, and we're going to Owl's Rest?"

Kara nodded. "Yes. Get some supplies and then head out. Owl's Rest won't judge a catfolk or an elf coming into their borders. Since it's located between two haunted woods, and since the road leads to the eastern part of Damara… it's the perfect place for us to get going. However, we won't be using the road to get to Damara… it's protected by that wall, and archers. And the Dwarves are not our allies so… we can't go through one of their tunnels. So, the only option I know if is an abandoned Dwarven Pass, one that goes over the eastern mountain that overlooks the Magi Tower."

"Abandoned?" Kurohana asked. "Are Dwarves different in the north? The Dwarves I know don't abandon their towns."

Kara turned away from us. "Well, let's forget the word abandoned and go with… frost troll infested." Kara shrugged.

"Of course it is." Kurohana sighed.

"And here's the kicker… the pass enters into the Elder Gleam Forest." Kara turned back to face us. "So, we have to get to it by passing through Elder Gleam Forest."

I sighed. "So, to sum up… we're passing through haunted werewolf woods, going into an impossible to enter forest, to get onto an even more impossible to scale pathway up a freezing mountain where frost demons live, all so we can quietly and secretly enter a country that you live in, to pass by a dragon-residing mountain, to come up to a tower of mages that may think we're enemies and possibly kill us, if we're not caught by the Damarans or the dragon first? All in hopes of possibly recruiting the mages to our cause instead of going to Southern Shou?"

"Frost trolls, not frost demons." Kara reminded me. "Come on… it will be fun!"

"You Damarans have a different idea of what fun is than elves do." I rolled my eyes.

I looked down at Lil-Gem. "Did you get all of that? We're going on a very dangerous mission. Are you sure you want to come along?"

The little gnome nodded her head vigorously. "Werewolves? I want to become friends with them."

Of course she does. She's too naïve. But… she's still better of being with me than here. If the Illuskans invade this base, I'm not sure she'd be okay.

I shrugged, looking over to Kara. "I tried my best. My daughter wants to join us."

Kara shrugged in return. "I'm sure she'll be fine. I was around her age when I went troll hunting with dad." Kara knew Lil-Gem's age? I didn't even know that.

I looked down at Lil-Gem. "Just how old are you?"

"I'm 8 and a half." The gnome girl proudly stated.

I looked back over to Kara. "You killed a troll when you were 8?"

Kara shook her head. "Gods no. I went hunting. I stuck by dad's side. I didn't fight one on my own. I barely knew how to shoot a bow. I was good with a knife though." Kara spun a dagger around her right hand. "Still do." Kara nodded to me. "She'll be fine. Let's get going. The longer we take to get there, the more of a chance we have of finding it a smoldering ruin."

We started making our way to the gateway leading outside the fort, and resting by it was the dragon I called on for assistance. The dragon was massive, but small in comparison to the one I attended the funeral of. Easily half the size, if not even smaller than that.

"Good morning, elder." I called up to the dragon in draconic.

The dragon, resting his head, barely flicked his eyes open, glancing at me. "Greetings, elfkin." The dragon whispered back to me, still in draconic.

"We're about to leave on a mission. Care to join us?"

"No. I'm resting." The dragon replied.

"Are you going to return to your horde?" I asked. I didn't

"No. I'm invested." The dragon mused with a small laugh. He lifted his head up, looking down at me. "Descendant of the union between Aquatinzel and Tirithon calling upon me for assistance? You're fighting humans? And my ears heard much of what you said to the Damaran Paladin. This cause… I feel it is worthy of my time and attention. I shall remain to defend the fort should the worst happen. But if an Arch Paladin happens to come by, I will not stay to die like my kin in Shou."

I understood. Arch Paladins, at this current moment, were the main offensive force tackling dragons in Southern Shou. They could match a young dragon in strength. There were only 5 in Illuska that were known. And I think Spencer was one of them. I've only been wandering in Illuska and Shou for three years. I've seen enough to tell me how elves are treated in Shou and Illuska. They're treated like slaves in both, but to be fair… every human in Shou is a slave. Shou is the dragon kingdom. And they have a hierarchy. Dragons were lords, usually in control of their own town or area. The Supreme Dragon was the Queen or king. They normally fought for that title every 100 years. Up next were Dragonborns of 50% dragon. They were treated like royalty and given full rights to be property owner, which included: slaves, houses, markets. 25% dragonborns were regular citizens. They had rights to work for pay. Anything less than this were slaves. The Shouen Army is mostly slaves and citizens with some Dragonborns looking over them and helping to fight when it was needed. Sometimes an actual dragon will pop in, but it's unlikely. And everyone in Shou that's born of dragons is a sorcerer. It's a magick-based kingdom.

I looked over to Kara. "Is your Shouen friend going to join us?"

Kara shook her head. "I think she wants to stay here in case Ivor comes back. She's Ivor's girlfriend after all." Kara gave me a knowing look, as if she suspected I was flirting with Megumin earlier.

I raised my hand. "I'm not interested in her. Just wanted to know if we were going to have more reinforcements. I mean… werewolves, haunted woods, frost demons."

"trolls." Kara reminded me again. "And we're not passing through Brightwoods. We're taking the road that runs… alongside them. Maybe we fight some bandits or some Templars… but not werewolves. Those are just stories anyway." Kara waved it off. "If they were real, Owl's Rest would be in real danger, and I doubt it's anything other than a lovely town."

"Anyway, we're not going by dragon so, how are we going to get there?" I didn't feel like walking all the way across Illuska. That's a three/four day walk.

"The same way I got here." Kara replied with a grin. "Horses." She pointed over to Lil-Gem. "Except her. I guess she'll be riding on her wolf." Kara pulled out a map. "I'll be night by the time we get to Owl's Nest. So, we rest there, and then in the early mornings head into Elder Gleam Forest. By the time we reach the pass, and scale to the top, it should be mid-afternoon. And once again, it should be near evening by the time we get to the Tower, which is embedded into the mountain the pass is connected to. I'm guessing the Magi Tower used to be an observatory of the dwarves living there. You know… until the frost demons… trolls! Gods, you're starting to get to me."

"And you expect we're just going to walk into Elder Gleam Forest. Last I checked… one doesn't just simply walk into Elder Gleam Forest."

Kara scoffed at my comment. "Oh please. Just like the werewolves, that's just a legend. I'm sure whatever's in Elder Gleam Forest isn't as scary as you're imagining. Remember, the kitsune live there. And I've met them. They're good cryptids."

…

[Sebastian Koorikaze]

The town of Taiyomachi, the capital city of Kinohi, and the most beautiful town I've ever known. A nice quiet village filled with a whopping 23 kitsune. One of the biggest towns in nation of Kinohi. Surrounded by plenty of trees, bushes, animals. It's a natural wonderland. And it's going to stay that way, because I'll die before I let someone waltz into my kingdom and fuck with it.

My name is Sebastian Koorikaze; I'm the son of the Chieftain of Taiyomachi. That makes me the Heir of Kinohi, and therefore, its protector. I'm the strongest in my village, and my father, being the fool he is, wants us to open our borders to any that would do us harm. And here I stand, at the border, watching in the mists as some foolish travelers wander into the woods, escorted by one of the gnomish fools that stray back here from time to time.

"And here we are." The little gnome said, waving his hand around my woods. "The Elder Gleam Forest."

The gnome was traveling with what looked like six Illuskan Templars. Them again? That's the last time I let these fools walk in here. I'm going to punish them for good. And the gnome… that thing has to die.

"Good." One Templar said. "Let's see if we can find that mushroom sample our employer requires for their potion." No one steals from Kinohi.

I laughed as I walked through the mist, fueling my Kitsune Trickery. The mist would double, the mist would confuse, the mist would create realities within the minds of the foolish. And these Templars… they think themselves pure, untouchable. I am proof that…

The Templars screamed out in bloody murder, grabbing their own heads as blood leaked out of their noses, their ears… their eyes. The gnome screamed as his head exploded.

Of course, those were illusions. But the comatose people lying on the forest ground… were essentially lifeless. I nodded to the Treants. "Have fun with your new toys."

The Treants, the living trees, moved towards the comatose intruders. Must we kill them? A Treant's voice wisped through the leaves.

I looked to the Treant. "We let them in once already, and let them leave. They came back. We're done doing this passively. It's time we take action. Before they return with more than I can handle with some small illusions. Time to send a message. A message that any who enter my woods… won't be coming back."

Cearbhail:

Erwin: Half Sun Elf/Half Moon Elf. Light yelllow with grayish undertones. Silver eyes with an inner yellow iris. Age: 39. Height: 6'2''. Worships: Gaia, Hecate, Pan. Classes: Druid, Sorcerer.

Anything from that you'll find out.

Anyway, so, up until this point, Lil-Gem hasn't had much of a role, and that's because she's the daughter of one of the main characters. Most of the characters are the husband, wife, and child of this campaign. The three you've met so far: Erwin, Kurohana, and Lil-Gem, are those players. And so... just as you'd imagine, Erwin and Kurohana will quickly become a thing, because the word patience means nothing to my friends. And of course they wanted to justify an 8 year old playing this campaign, even after I warned them that she would get bored quickly. And she did. Anyway, if something goes wrong later in the story (and it will), it was because Lil-Gem was getting bored and decided to do something, and I allowed it to happen. It happens a lot actually. Anyway, time for the next chapter.