On the last day of autumn, Arthur was sitting in his warm cozy den, looking at the sun setting behind the horizon. Smell of Grog root tea filled the air, crackling of fire echoes off the empty walls. Arthur grabs his pipe and tobacco to enjoy the night cast a shadow on the sight. He reminisces on the old days of Thana village.
A sudden shattering of glass echoed through Arthur's cozy den, followed by a strange stumble that sent objects crashing to the floor. He sprang to his feet, startled by the commotion, and hurried to the adjacent room. There, sprawled on the ground, lay an exhausted and injured figure, covered in tattered and blood-stained clothes. The stranger's labored breathing and gasps for air revealed the extent of their pain.
Wasting no time, Arthur rushed to the traveler's side, his mind recalling previous encounters with lost pig-elk infants that had mistaken his window for their home. However, what he found this time was not a harmless creature but a wounded and disheveled human. With compassion, he gently helped the impolite traveler onto the nearest bed, wanting to assist them in their time of need.
As he tended to the stranger's wounds, Arthur couldn't help but wonder about the events that had led this person to his doorstep. His mind was filled with questions and curiosity, yet he understood the importance of helping the traveler recover first before seeking answers. With a swift hand, he tore strips from spare cloth and used them to bind the wounds, hoping to alleviate at least some of the pain.
In the dim light of the room, a peculiar smell wafted through the air, emanating from a mysterious liquid that had spilled onto the carpet during the stranger's arrival. It was an odor Arthur couldn't quite place, and its presence only added to the air of mystery surrounding the traveler. Despite his reservations, Arthur remained committed to his role as a caretaker, putting aside his questions for the moment.
As the night wore on, the traveler remained in a deep and restless sleep, showing no signs of waking. Arthur trying to fathom what could have caused such exhaustion in this unknown person. His mind buzzed with possibilities, conjuring tales of daring escapes, dangerous encounters, and distant lands.
Throughout the night, Arthur kept a watchful eye on the injured stranger, his thoughts oscillating between concern and intrigue. The crackling of the fireplace provided the only sound in the room, creating a comforting ambiance as the night stretched on. Little did Arthur know that this chance encounter would set in motion a series of events that would entangle their fates in a web of ancient secrets and unforeseen adventures.
In the morning the Traveler is still in a deep sleep, “As if he hadn’t slept for 4 moons,” remarks Arthur while grabbing his cane. Since the traveler needed care, he took a course toward the maiden Jiny of the woods. Maiden Jiny and Arthur were close friends, Jiny often helped Arthur get better when he’d returned from battles. She lived in a beautiful shack in the woods on the outskirts of Thana, moss covering the ground, tall slim trees reaching the height of the sky.
Although Arthur did not like the forest, “always gives me an uneasy feeling” murmured to himself as he tried to shake a beetle-ant off his shoe. The last time Arthur had seen Jiny was 2 weeks prior, Jiny had been away in the Naltor capital aiding the duke with his health. Prior to that Jiny had been away for 5 years, Arthur often had to go and keep order in Jiny’s garden, since those plants don’t grow themselves.
After an hour of traversing the marshlands, Arthur finally can see Jiny’s home from afar. “Who might you be?”, asks a Raven after landing on Arthur’s shoulder.
“I am Sir Arthur of Thana the once prestigious general for Naltor, and you I suppose are Jiny’s Raven, am I correct?” replies Arthur with a tone of intrigue in his voice as he hadn’t seen the Raven before.
“Indeed you are correct, my name is Roelia, it is a pleasure to meet you Sir Arthur of Thana. What might you be here for today?”
“Well, I need medicinal herbs for an ill traveler. He was gravely injured, resting on my bed at home currently.”
“I shall let Jiny know of your presence, and wishes,” said Roelia before flying off towards the house. Arthur knocked on the door, and stepped in “Jiny, how are you today?” A shriek could be heard from the garden, Arthur ran there as fast as he could.
“Be quiet!” yelled Jiny, “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“I thought something happened to you,” said Arthur while gasping for air, “I guess your plants just aren't used to your touch after 5 years of your absence.”
“Haha, very funny Arthur,” Jiny’s voice mustered with sarcasm.
“Long time no see Jiny, how have you been?”
“Oh, you know, like always fighting with the plants,” Jiny and Arthur continuing to catch up for a bit.
“Before I forget, I came here for some grog root and Hexil extract,” said Arthur, swaying his body towards Jiny’s shop. Jiny mentioned that her supply of Hexil extract is getting low. “There seems to be a shortage in the whole valley,” said Jiny. Arthur didn't know that was the case, he wasn't up to date with the world of alchemy. Lucky for Arthur, Jiny knew everything about the world of alchemy. “Is the extract for your knee?” queried Jiny, while handing Arthur the extract and grog root. “No, it’s actually for a traveler that stumbled into my home last moon,” articulated Arthur, “he seemed to be running from something, spilled some liquid onto my carpet.”
“The carpet that Coros gifted?” surprised Jiny asked, “That’s a rather shame.” Arthur nodded his head with a skimpy frown “It shouldn’t be a big fuss to get it out.”
Arthur headed back home to check on the traveler, “Wonder if the traveler has awoken already,” puzzled to himself, “or is he still out like the night.” Arthur grew more and more curious about whom the traveler might be, what were they doing in the forest of Thana? Was the traveler a messenger that wanted to bring Arthur a message. It couldn’t have been a messenger, he wasn’t wearing the iconic Naltor messenger ribbon, a red eagle on a blue background. Nor were his clothes anywhere near what a messenger should wear. Might he have been a bandit escaping the dangers of night?
The forests aren’t kind to the weary. A few weeks ago, some elders of Thana spread rumors of hearing screams from the deepest parts of the woods. It could have been that he was running from the Souls of the Wicked? Arthur knew that this was a common place for such sightings, even he himself had seen a wicked soul. Three barrels tall, claws the length of a smith’s clobber. Not a sight for sore eyes, damned were those who looked it in the eyes.
Legends and Lights
Alas, home was but a stone’s throw away. Arthur Looked forward to brewing up some warm grog root tea and sitting back on his rocking chair to enjoy the comfort of his home. Yet first he must tend to the wounded traveler in his bed. Had the traveler woken yet? Arthur went to take a glance into his bedroom to see if the traveler was still asleep. “Does he have life in him anymore?” mumbled Arthur with a tinge of concern in his mind, “I best check.” Luckily the traveler still had signs of life in them, so Arthur set to make him wound salve out of Hexil extract.
“A little of Bog mud, and crushed panther berries,” said Arthur to himself while mixing the ingredients, “and the two last ingredients: Essence of Valor and Hexil extract.” So was the salve ready and needed a warm flame to bond the ingredients.
A flame was started and the salve in a cup was put near the fire to set. Arthur grabbed his pipe and sat down to enjoy a quiet moment after a productive day. Arthur opened a book of old folk tales named “Tales from the forest”. Book was filled with all sorts of tales hundreds of years ago, some dating back to even the year 232.
The tale of which all knew was the Souls of the Wicked. They roam deep in the forest of Thana, hovering above the wet marsh. Many legends point to them being the people of an unkind soul, who had entered the forest and never returned. Legends also say that they only hunt the ones whom they are formed from, unkind souls.
Arthurs favorite legend is the legend of Ayotta, a dame as beautiful as the sky on a cold winter’s night. Wearing a long white dress to signify her inner beauty, and hair longer than the tower of Touros. Her presence can be felt any time one is of purity in distress. Arthur had heard of tales of her sightings, but he has yet to meet dame Ayotta.
He sets the book down on his pipe table and goes to pick up the cup of salve, bringing it to the bedside of the traveler. After taking off the quick fix of bandages that he had made last moon, he looks at the wounds closer. “I have never seen such cut marks before,” exclaimed Arthur, “I must know what it is that attacked this weary traveler.” Applying the salve to the wounds, the traveler groaned in pain in his sleep murmuring out the words “No … away you … beast.” Arthur’s intrigue grew with each moment. After the salve had been put on the wounds covering his body, they started to glow a bright red, lighting up the room as if it was on fire. “I have never seen such a sight,” said Arthur jumping up to stand, “I must tell Jiny of this immediately.” Arthur took his trusty Horsetrich steed and loaded the traveler onto its back and set course towards Jiny.
The wounds lighting up the forest path with a red glow as Arthur rode his steed through. He was in shock, there had been no legend that tells of wounds glowing with Hexil extract salve. Arthur was in a rush; no thought passed his peaceful mind. Roelia came to greet “Hello Arthur, back already?” Arthur frantically told Roelia “Tell Jiny, I need her immediately in her workshop. This is an emergency.” Roelia flew off with a speed that made the leaves on the ground fly up. Arthur picked up the Traveler and carried them to the workshop for Jiny to examine.
Jiny came and was astounded, she hadn’t seen such a spectacle before. Unbeknownst to Jiny’s abilities, there was nothing to do than to wait until the traveler awakens from hibernation.
Jiny and Arthur sit down to a bit of Jiny’s favorite, panther berry juice, forests finest. Arthur wasn’t the biggest fan of it, since it tasted like mud and nettle, but he still drank it. They start to converse about the traveler. “Exactly how did he come to you?” asked Jiny. Arthur took a sip of panther berry juice and gulps it down with frustration, “I was a home, enjoying the beautiful light show of the horizon till I heard a noise in the room over.”
“So, he entered through the window?” Jiny queried while adjusting her seating.
“Yes,” said Arthur,” he didn’t udder any words before he fainted.” Arthur added, “While I was applying the salve, he murmured a few faint words, something about a beast.”
“Interesting, beasts in these parts of the woods?” said Jiny with a questioning tone, “I haven’t heard or seen any beasts in these parts of the woods.”
Arthur started coughing heavily, as if his lungs were about to be ripped from his chest. “Are you okay Arthur?” worried Jiny reaching for his hand. Arthur calmed and replied “Yeah, just a pit in my juice, nothing fatal.”
“Oh, well at least you’re fine. We don’t want to lose you now, do we.” joked Jiny. “Ah, my time is almost here, at 97 years, I have seen my fair share for a Luminari.” Said Arthur with a kind of exhaustion in his voice.
“Don’t say that Arthur, you can expect another 20 years more.” Said Jiny while looking at Arthur with sweet eyes. “You made all those years’ possible, Jiny,” said Arthur, “Without you by my side, I wouldn’t have made it past 50.”
“That is true, remember the fields of Vinno?” remarked Jiny.
“Oh, those were the days,” said Arthur with a happy tone, “The sun was shining bright, unfortunate that the field was filled with bodies.” Arthur took out a trinket from his pocket, “I still have the trinket you gave me after the battle, it’s like a trinket of luck to me.”
“That’s sweet Arthur,” said Jiny with joy, “Anyway, we should head to sleep, I don’t think they’ll wake up any time soon.”
“Yeah, yeah…” a silent sorrow could be heard from Arthur’s voice. “I’ll take the stack of hay next to them.”
Jiny yawned, “Alright Arthur, have a nice moon.” Jiny headed back to her bedroom, she took a picture from the nightstand and looked at it. “Oh, how I wish…” said Jiny with a sigh. She fell asleep with the picture in her hand.
Arthur sat down next to the traveler, “Who are you, where did you come from, what have you seen?” He wanted the answers to many questions, the most important was who attacked them and why. What was the mysterious liquid that they spilled on his carpet; it was something he hadn’t seen before. Everything about him was nothing like he had seen before, ears like an elf, but the height of a young luminari. He had the facial patterns of a luminari, but he didn’t have that faint glow to them that the luminari have, could they be a luminari elf? Arthur noticed a necklace on the traveler, a locket, he looked at it and there was a picture of a young woman, maybe it is their mother? Arthur wouldn’t get any answers until the traveler woke up from his long sleep that has lasted many moons.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The Dark
At the crack of dawn, Jiny woke Arthur from his sleep and said, “Arthur I need to go into the forest, will you join me?”
“Give me 5 more minutes.” murmured Arthur with a soft voice.
“Alright, 5 minutes,” said Jiny, “If you’re not up by then I’m going alone.” Jiny headed to her garden to pick up a few tools. She always had her tools scattered across the garden, never knowing where they were.
Arthur woke up and patted the traveler on his shoulder lightly, “I hope you come to soon.” He walked through the messy workshop to Jiny’s garden where Jiny was looking for her cutters. “Where are you, you wicked cutters,” said Jiny with frustration, “I know you’re here somewhere.” Arthur saw that the cutters were on the table near the entrance, he picked them up and with a chuckle he said, “Looking for these?”
Jiny took them from his hand and put them in her bag made of plant thatching, “Thank you Arthur, you always know where my stuff is.”
“Well, I have a good eye for it,” smirked Arthur, “You would also know where you stuff was if you’d put them back where they belong.”
“I do put them where they belong,” said Jiny with embarrassment, “Just that sometimes I forget where they are.”
“Sure,” said Arthur, “anyway, what do you need from the forest?”
“I’m running low on panther berries for me and Grog root for you,” said Jiny.
“Alright, let’s head out then,” said Arthur with excitement. Arthur and Jiny took a course towards the coast since the juiciest panther berries and grog roots grew there. It is a long walk from Jiny’s home, but a fun one none the less. Arthur patted his Horsetrich a farewell and they were off. The woods were filled with lush flora, beautiful pink marsh daisies, with a few berry bushes mixed in. Songs of birds echoed the forest landscape, creating a calm environment. Sunrays peeking through the thick treetops, covering the land in spots of light.
“You know, you really like panther berries,” said Arthur, “Why don’t you grow them in the garden?”
“It’s not that easy,” Jiny replied, “panther berries require the wilderness to surround them. The breeze of the sea to sway them, the fight with other plants over who will dominate.”
“Does it make a difference if the berries are grown in your garden or on the coast?” asked Arthur.
“Well, yes it does,” replied Jiny, “The berries are the juiciest on the coast, even with my best attempt, the berries wouldn’t be nearly as juicy as natural growth.”
The sound of the waves hitting the shore could be silently heard, and the smell of sea filled the air. Arthur couldn’t wait to see the sea of Naltor. It brings back memories of the war, a time when he was of importance to the Kingdom. Having won many battles in honor of the king.
They finally reach the coast where the panther berries grew in tall bushes as far as the eye could see. With panther berries you must be careful, to get the berries you must reach into the bush, and pry open the cocoon in which the berries grew. Mustn’t damage the cocoon, else the bush would feel threatened and let out its spikes. Arthur wasn’t familiar with the harvesting, so he told Jiny “I’ll go look for some Grog root.”
“Alright, let’s meet back here in a while,” replied Jiny.
Arthur knew already which roots were the best for tea, the ones that had the longest stock, with a voluptuous crown flower decorating the top. The smell was supposed to be sweet and minty. Arthur pulled out the plant and took off some roots and put it back in the soil. The best part was that nearly the same tea could be found in the plant as well. There were a few differences, the drink was cold, and it had more of a bittersweet taste than the regular sweet that would be the tea made of roots. Arthur took out a plant, cut it in half and carried it with him, a nice fresh beverage while he got some more roots.
Arthur was so focused on the Grog plants that he didn’t notice the darkening of the forest. A shadow was cast in front of Arthur, “What, is it nighttime already?” said Arthur, “It can’t be, the sun was high in the sky.” The songs of birds suddenly stopped, and an eerie whistle could be heard. Arthur looks up and sees that the forest had turned pitch black. He panics and runs towards Jiny yelling “JINY! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” frantically running Arthur spills most of his picked grog roots on the marsh floor. Arthur tried to pick up the fallen roots, but the Darkness followed Arthur. Jiny and Arthur meet up, gasping for air he says, “The forest, it’s dark as night, I couldn’t see anything behind the curtain of darkness.”
“What?” confused Jiny asks, “Did you drink too much grog plant juice again?”
“No,” said Arthur with a bit of anger in his voice, “I saw it, the forest was dark, no light in sight. As if the light had been turned off. The songs of the birds stopped, and an eerie whistle was in the black. Look over there, you can see the darkness follow me.”
“We need to go, NOW!” said Jiny with a dominant voice. They start running along the coast hoping to reach far from the grasp of the darkness that was chasing. Arthur looks back and can see the darkness expand towards the coast. “It’s expanding,” said Arthur. “We need to go faster, don’t look back just run,” replied Jiny.
Arthur steps on a beached log and his foot goes through the log’s hollow shell. “I’m stuck!” yells Arthur. The looming Darkness is closing in on Arthur while he tries to pull out his leg from the log. Jiny runs back to help Arthur pull out his leg, the whistles sound louder and louder by the second. Finally, Arthur’s leg is freed. Jiny tells Arthur “There should be a fishing village not far from here, we must get there fast.”
“I can’t run fast,” said Arthur in agony, “It hurts bad.”
“Man up, Arthur,” said Jiny, “You’re a general for god’s sake.”
Seagulls’ gawks could be heard in the distance, “We’re almost there Arthur,” said Jiny. The smell of rotten fish filled the air, so strong you could taste it.
They reach the small, abandoned fishing village on the coast. “We need to get in one of these houses.” Said Jiny with fear in her voice. Arthur kicks open a locked door, and they get inside. Jiny closes all the windows and blocks the door. She takes a long breath of relief, and says, “Now we should be safe.”
“Wh-what was that?” worried Arthur.
Jiny pulls out a book and flips the pages until she lands on the one, she’s looking for, “This,” pointed Jiny onto the book, “The Nocturnal Enigma.”
“Of all my years, I’ve never heard of it” said Arthur with fear in his breath.
“I had only heard folk tales of the Nocturnal Enigma; it serves as the guardian of all living. It’s darkness, a reminder of the need for cooperation and balance in nature. Its eerie whistle being a sign of its unrest with the surrounding area.”
“So, we made it mad?” asked Arthur.
“I know as much as you Arthur,” replied Jiny with sorrow, “Best we can do now is to wait out the Enigma and return home.”
“How long will that take?” inquired Arthur. He stood up to look for any sort of kettle to make some grog root tea.
“I don’t know how long it will take for the Nocturnal Enigma to leave. Hopefully by dawn it will be gone,” said Jiny with hope.
Jiny started rummaging through the abandoned house they were in, walls covered in moss, and fishing lines hung on hooks. Waves of the sea hit the floor from underneath shooting up small streams of water through the cracks in the floor. The room was cold and moist with the smell of fish in the air, Arthur set a fire in the fireplace to make tea and warm up the room for the night. Suddenly a loud thud could be heard from the roof, heavy footsteps thumped on the roof.
The darkness rolled into the room slowly. Jiny noticed that there was a roof window she hadn’t closed earlier. Rushing towards the open window, a claw reaches in from the window as she was closing it, scraping Jiny in the process. The eerie whistle from earlier could be heard all around the fishing house, nothing could be seen from the cracks in the windows. The banging of the doors and windows rang through the room. Then it all stopped, as if it didn’t happen.
“Jiny, are you okay?” Arthur worried about Jiny.
“Yes,” with pain in her voice, “I’m fine, just a minor scratch.” She took a rag from her bag to patch it up. “The scratch stings,” remarked Jiny.
“We need to patch you up tomorrow.” Said Arthur, while handing Jiny Grog root tea.
“I wonder how the traveler is doing,” she pondered, “I hope they’re fine.”
“Well only tomorrow will tell.” Said Arthur, “I’ll make you a bed, so you can rest.”
“Thank you, Arthur, very sweet of you,” thanked Jiny.
The Glimmer of a Thousand Suns
Before the crack of dawn, a scream could be heard from afar. Arthur woke up trying to understand what was going on. More screams echoed from the forest. Was the Nocturnal Enigma still here, Arthur looked through a window crack, the Moonlight cast a celestial road onto the water, crickets chirped in the grass. After such a day, Arthur finally felt at peace. He went back to sleep on the chair in front of the fireplace, grabbing the poke stick at arm for safety.
At the crack of dawn, Jiny and Arthur set course back to Jiny’s home in the woods. Arthur was skeptical about the woods, offering to take the main roads instead. “What are you afraid of Arthur,” asked Jiny.
“Everything that is unnatural,” muttered Arthur, “I may be a former Great General, and fear not death, but a beast that I cannot explain the existence of, is a fear I will never get rid of.”
They decided to go through the forest, despite Arthur’s fear of the beast. The forest was dead silent, bird songs weren’t to be heard, no animals galloped on the edge of their sight. You could feel the disarray that the Nocturnal Enigma had brought upon this forest. Once they reached Jiny’s house. Jiny made up Hexil extract salve to put on her wound. Once the salve was curing, Arthur asked “So, what now?”
“We wait,” said Jiny.
“Say, Jiny, where did you get that raven from?” asked Arthur, “I’ve been wondering ever since I met her.”
“Oh, Roelia?” said Jiny, “she found me, I was dealing with my treacherous plants in the garden, when he suddenly appeared and started to talk to me.”
“Where is Roelia now anyway?” he wondered, “Haven’t seen her since I brought the traveler here.”
“She usually just flies around the forest near my home,” said Jiny, “only comes to me when she sees someone near the home.”
Roelia the Raven is a rare species of Naltor raven that has developed the intelligence to understand speech and mimic it. To have such a raven is a luxury, only the richest of Naltor merchants can afford one. Finding one is a different story, and one coming to you is unspoken of.
Jiny took the salve and asked Arthur to apply it on her wound. Arthur kneeled to apply the salve.
“Look at us, roles reversed,” joked Arthur.
“Indeed, unusual.” Said Jiny, “It feels great to be nur…”
Arthur cut off Jiny, “Jiny, you’re glowing, just like the traveler.” Jiny looked at it, and a glow as bright as day glimmered from the wound. The room lit up with a blue light. “Why are you glowing blue if the traveler glowed red?” puzzled Arthur.
“I have no idea Arthur,” said Jiny, “the traveler has a lot to explain when he wakes.”
The glow of red dimmed after a while; the room dimmed of blue color only the flicker of flames in the lanterns lit up the room. Jiny sighed, she looked dazed, Arthur helped her to her room. Arthur put Jiny on her bed; he saw a picture on her bed. The picture was of him and Jiny at the king’s palace, near the tower of Touros on the west side of Naltor. He put it back on her bedside table and left Jiny to rest.
The Awakening
Jiny woke up to the clanking of glass in her workshop, thinking that Arthur was looking for something. When she arrived in the workshop, she saw the traveler had woken up, “Look who has chosen to wake up,” said Jiny.
“Who are you?” asked the traveler while pointing a knife towards Jiny.
“You come to my home and threaten me with my knife?” said Jiny fuming with anger, “How dare you be so ungrateful”. Jiny jumped at the traveler, with no intentions of hugs. Arthur had just woken up to the chatter, and managed to catch Jiny before she attacked the traveler.
“Calm down Jiny,” said Arthur while holding her back, “and you, who are you?”
“I asked it first.” said the traveler, “Both of you, who are you.”
Arthur trying to deescalate the situation said “I’m Sir Arthur of Thana, former great general of Naltor. She is Maiden Jiny of the Forests, very talented alchemist, and botanist.”
“Of Thana? General of Naltor?” said the traveler, “what are you doing in the land of Yin?”
“No, we’re in Naltor valley, in the quaint village of Thana,” said Arthur.
“What, that’s not possible, I was in the outskirts of Fran,” said the traveler.
“Okey, well now you’re in Naltor territory,” exclaimed Arthur, “Do you mind telling us who you are?” Arthur picking up a pint and gesturing that the traveler sit down.
“I am Fergus of Fran, I come from the Yin,” said, Fergus, “I don’t have much time, I have to be on my way.” He struggled to stand up, drops of blood from the healing wounds dripped on the wood floor. Arthur knew he wasn’t going anywhere before he fully recovered.