"And roundabout the players went,
With heads entrench'd in holes.
Contented with their merry part,
But yet to see the whole"
- 'Book of Armello' Chapter 6 Verse 12, declared religious canon by Scholars of the Wyld in 1285
Sana rushed quickly through the campsite as a great bonfire roared, keeping the nearby bears warm in the hastily made war camp. Not bothering to take her time, she searched frantically in any tent she could find, desperate to find the leader of the bear clan who was leading the grand operation needed to resupply the wolf clan for the winter.
The bears had a reputation for generosity, thankfully. At least generally speaking, while the bears were skilled in the arts of war, they did their best to avoid it. The Wolf Clan had graciously accepted the aid from the Bear Clan's lands of plenty where the snow rarely fell, and the Bear Clan received a hefty bonus in the form of untaxed passage through the Wolf Clan's territory. Sending the aid as quickly and efficiently as possible was then an important operation, and one that Brun, the main leader of the operation, was hard at work putting into action as Sana bursted inside, feeling free to put her staff down as if it were her own home.
"Sana, I expected not your visit" Brun quickly said, not bothering to look up from the map where he was marking the hiding spots of bandits.
"I expected not to have to make it, my lord. Something has gone terribly wrong, and you must know about it."
"Is this about the King? Because if it's his decree to shut off aid to the Wolf clan, we're already working on it."
Sana was taken back by the statement. It explained all the convoys at the very least, but she had been so far away from society on her journey from the forest that she missed it. "What… what did the King do?"
"I just told you, he cut off palace aid to the Wolf clan for the winter."
"Wha- why? What did the Wolf Clan do?"
"From what I heard during the meeting of the Court, the Wolf Clan representative had seen the King in his chambers while he was being attended to by doctors."
"And?"
"The King suspected a murder plot, so he had the representative hanged, drawn, and quartered. He's not been of sound mind, it seems, and the court's starting to talk."
Sana froze. Starting to put the massive rot infestation and the King's odd behavior together, she tentatively spoke. "What did the Wolf Clan representative see?"
Brun sighed, standing up from his chair and finally looking at the bear in front of him. "He could speak not before he was executed. I suspect the King wanted not for word of it to spread. However, it was enough to warrant an execution in Augustus' eyes. What is it you wanted to speak of?"
"...There was a rot manifestation. Very large, in the Forest of Meditation. It was enough to destroy the whole forest, and there's tales of a wild bane roaming the land there. I barely managed to escape with my life. I suspect now that it has something to do with the King… it'd explain the odd behavior."
"It'd explain all the bloodletting the King has been treated with too… How long ago was this?"
"One week, my lord."
"The King's temper has been declining for about a month… However, there's been rumors of purple spots on the king's skin for twelve years. I fear he's been fighting a battle with the rot for quite some time. A lion can only resist this plague for so long. Tis indeed a miracle he's lasted this long if it's the rot. In all that time, the disease probably got stronger within him… How it manifested in the forest is beyond me, however. I'm no scholar of the Wyld."
"If the disease has indeed festered for twelve years, it could no doubt manifest its properties throughout the kingdom. Animals of power are taken over by the rot, and it could spread to any land of influence… like the corruption it creates, it can manifest in any part of the king's domain. The force of the Wyld is upset when a leader is tainted. Men of power… they have more of the universe's life giving force than most. The rot sapping that takes not only from the body it infests, but also the universe, since the life giving force belongs to the universe, not to the host."
"Are you suggesting that as the King gets weaker, so too does the Wyld itself?"
"So long as his majesty is alive, yes." Sana paced about the room. The news was disturbing to say the least. She had suspected a dark ritual was the cause of the incident in the forest. But this was much worse. "Once the king succumbs to death, the Wyld shall be restored. But by that point… The rot may have done more damage to the kingdom than is repairable. Our clans might be in shambles, and Banes may well take over the land…"
Brun sat back down in his chair, putting his hand to his chin in careful thought. Shock took over his complexion as he contemplated the meaning of this. "Well… As the bear clan, it is our duty to maintain the balance of Wyld and Rot at all times… What can be done about this, Scholar Sana?"
Sana thought back to her training. "... If he is killed early, his rot will not be enough to destroy the kingdom. But such talk is unethical and treacherous… Spirit Stones can heal rot, but they are hard to come by. And if it manifests in the landscape like this…" She shook her head. "It'd take at least four just to have a chance."
"Four spirit stones is a hefty sum. And I've heard no talk of any spirit stones found in the stone circles in our clan…"
"I can venture out. I can go to the lands of the other clans, I can make haste if I must! You can mobilize the warriors to search as well-"
"-if the King isn't making an effort to search for these already, he shan't want anyone making it for him. Clearly the rot has twisted his mind… he's more concerned about word not getting out. We cannot sponsor any action to heal him, at least officially. Any attempt you make will have to be on your own. We cannot risk the King making strides against the Bear clan, not while the wolf clan requires our help."
"Then I shall take the burden. It can be done, my lord. It will just take travel… and no shortage of luck to go with…"
"Then I shall keep quiet. I've heard rumors of a mercenary camp auctioning off a major haul towards the south. It's outside of our lands, so it is quite a hike. I suspect you'll need gold if you want any chance at scoring the stone" he said, getting out a piece of parchment, scrawling a transaction onto the face of it before stamping it with the seal of the bear clan. "This writ shall provide you with 50 gold. This should be sufficient to win the stone at the bandit auction. As for the rest of the stones… I know not where you must look."
Sana took the note with some hope coming back into her face. "I can find them, my lord. The Wyld shall guide my steps"
"As it guides all of us, Scholar Sana. Be strong, sister."