A Vast and Endless Song

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Lumiel

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This is the world of Gazak. spanning four continents and vast oceans. Empires have been born, and they have fallen. Civilizations crumbled, and despots have been deposed. Time has ebbed and flowed, there have been no great eras of peace, no cataclysmic wars for the fate of the world. The modern era is what you would expect, nations rule over territory, and wars come and go. Caravans crisscross the world, and kings vie for power.

One such king, The ruler of Carica, has decided that he will be the king to re-create the glory days of the Carican Empire.

In the north, civil war rages as the three princes of Urre try to decide the next Vicar.

Deep in the south, a man desperately tries to rally his barbarian peoples and form a new nation.

And in the center of the largest continent, a Queen takes her throne, poised to make sure her name goes down in history.

This is where the world begins. It shall be a grand adventure of our own design, starting in one place and going wherever our writings decide. The only constant in this world and role play is this: Adventure.

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The priest's arm twitched, almost raising the staff once again. He resisted, looking over at Darion then back at the creature before him. "The problem is that I'm all too familiar. Bloodthirsty, violent, evil...there's nothing else to them. However, if you need to find this out for yourself, then by all means we will drag him to Aluria. The Shimmer-leaf that's nearby should even glow at his presence; so I suppose it's two fish with one hook." He settled his shoulders, the rod still in hand and ready to be activated the second it was needed. The sun was rising to it's Zenith; and the demon would be his weakest in an hour. "I'll humor you Darion...if only to find the plants I need."
 
"See? There. He can help you find your magic plant. And we'll go Aluria."

Darion felt a heavy relief being lifted from his chest, now he just had to hope that Avarice would comply with this as well. Whatever needed to happen as long as they were both kept in check. Patting Vegetable man on the shoulder as he turned about. "Come on now, let's find your magic plant that does..healing things.." It almost slipped out of his mind that's what the original quest was. To find some shimmering plant. Though, deep in the back of his mind he hoped that there would be more then just a seeking quest. Those were only fun for a little while.
 
Avarice, seeing his chance, lept into the trees. He was to weak to fight. He slipped through the canopy silently. "Damned Holy man, Damed idiot." besides, he had something to do. He fell silently at the door of a hidden little cabin. He quietly slipped inside and took off his weapons. She was asleep already. 3 years ago, he had found a little thief girl trying to pick his pocket. She remained him of how he was like when he was little, so he took her in. She was a mute and couldn't speak, but that only made her better at stealing. He smiled at her sleeping form. Avarice sat down and began to read, demons didn't need sleep.
 
Crion raised the staff, and then let it rest at his side with a huff. "Bah, we're better off. But if I see him again, Darion...I'm not hesitating a second time." He tossed the rod back in his satchel, and turned to motion his hand in a swaying motion across the small clearing of ankle and knee-high shrubs. "Well, without the fairy, the only way to find Shimmer-leaf is to look under these look alikes until you see leaves that sparkle. We find them and I can make up some of these healing balms in Aluria's temple." He bent over and flipped one of the leaves to reveal a dull gray to Darion. "One down, perhaps two thousand to go." He said, moving to another plant in the general direction of the town. It would appear that progress would be slow as they made their way North.
 
Darion blinked in surprised as the demon was no where to be seen now. Where did he go that was so sudden? Hoping that the next time the demon returned it would be a in a better form of fashion. It just left him and Vegetable man now. "Sparkling leaves? Oh that sounds like the fancy things that people acquire on long travels." Though the idea of just idly kicking over stones didn't amuse him for very long. Darion probably would find a way to make it much more exciting.
 
The priest scoffed, bending down to look at the underside of the nearest plant. "Fancy...Not particularly. The nobles won't touch the stuff. They prefer the stronger stuff made by a bishop in some huge city cathedral. Some of us don't have access to such holy places..." He trailed off, jealousy tinting his voice. "Well, get to work. Either turn over leaves or find another fairy."
 
"Do fairies even exist around this part of the woods? How'd you even find the other one?"

Darion wasn't familiar with magical creatures and all this other mumbo jumbo. He only knew few things in life and usually kept it so. Yet, something about the unknown kept him going. It was a strange pull that only enticed him further down the path. Still, in order to venture further down that path he would need to find this shimmer dimmer leaf. Simple I guess. So he began his exciting quest of turning over rocks, and anything that resembled one searching for leaves or hoping a fairy just happened to be fluttering by.

"And while I'm doing this, what are you going to be doing?
 
Crion shook his head, bending to examine another leaf. "They do, there's a town of them...somewhere. They're not friendly, mind. " He said, standing back up, his back beginning to ache. The man's question puzzled him a bit, and he responded in a confused tone. "I'm going to look for the plant, same as you. What else would I be doing?" The priest said it in such a way that he did not believe there to be another answer. He glanced up at the trees, counting the birds darting about. Seven. Too many for fairies to survive much. "It's not looking good for the fairy either. The last one...I bought from an adventurer. It cost me a Gold Crown, but I got it..." He continued to mumble under his breath, something about a waste and how he was going to keep the temple standing this month. "Is there a priest of Gammon in your town, Darion?"
 
"I don't think anything that's bigger then a fairy would be considered a friend to them. They might be worried about people potentially punching them into the ground.."

Which, Darion was plainly guilty of. In fact their first encounter was BECAUSE he punched a fairy into the ground. Not his fault the little bug was flying at a hundred miles per hour. Then again, it was likely because nothing else exciting was happening at the point in time. Ah well, at least there some form of action now and he could focus on. Yet, he still yearned for more.

"You could be kicking back and making me do all the work..But you're not, so I appreciate it, Vegetable-Man."

Nodding over at his new friend. Friend, yeah. He had one now especially after that whole strange ordeal with that demon. Quickly averted thoughts by the mention of a priest. Jeez, did Darion look like the religous type? Maybe he knew simple things..But not everything!

"I'd have no idea..We'd have to head back and really check. I don't often explore that side of town."
 
"If you had one, you'd know it. So I am going to assume not. if that is the case, I may be able to sell some things in Aluria." His own temple was in poor shape, though it was more of a diminutive shrine than a true temple. "My own village is not particularly wealthy. They aren't particularly dedicated to the gods either. Takari is poor and the soil is rocky, they don't feel particularly blessed or favored." His mood shifted from completely annoyed with life in general to a deep melancholy. He bent down to check another plant, then sighed and stood back up. "This is going to take an eternity. Seen any fluttering creatures darting around?"
 
"Uh... Fluttering creatures."

Darion inspected the area around him. All he could see were bushes of dark green that had various coloring on it. Probably not wise to touch those. Behind and around the bushes were tall thick trunks that led to the vast canopies of leaves above them. Barely did any sunlight breach through and light up the forest. He could only imagine this place in the darkest of nights, and it didn't sit well with him. Even if they made some sort of fire, the lurking feeling of something watching them would be most unsettling.

"No..I don't see anything. Probably would be wise if we maybe try a more lit area closer to the exit. Especially if you're bent on selling things in Aluria.
 
He looked up at the canopy, seeing several shafts of sunlight filtering through. Noon, or a little bit after. The forest was still light enough to see, but this deep in the woods, it would quickly begin to fade once the sun began to set. Still, the two would have decent enough time to perform their tedious task. "We should be fine for a few more hours; but yes, I see your point." He said, standing once more and cracking his back. He looked over at some trees in the distance, seeing nothing but mottled green and grey and brown. "Where the hell is that fairy city..." He said, trailing off into thinking. He kept looking around and staring into the trees, unable to see any for the most part. His eyes lit up as he saw some sort of winged insect thing off in the distance. "Darion. Follow me. We may have caught a break." He said, and began rushing off to the North-west.
 
"I guess you're right..Maybe I'm just not fond of traveling in the dark.."

Darion often didn't prepare for the worst when it came to night traveling. More then once did he forget a lantern or even some sort of fire to guide the way. Oh how he remembered those dark nights where even the slightest sound made him paranoid. But he wasn't going to admit this in the slightest! No-No. Not at all! As he followed Vegetable-Man mindlessly into the forest. When his friend's interest was peaked and began to run, Darion rushed with him! Only..Darion was much more impactful.

Once his legs got going, it was near impossible to stop him. Breaking through small trunks and warped bushes in the direction of his running he eagerly wanted to catch whatever the winged insect was. Vegetable-Man would see nothing but a straight path of destruction.
 
Crion saw Darion rushing, crushing the plants beneath him as he did so. He cursed silently, but continued to follow the flash of wings he wanted desperately to find. Only, they seemed to have vanished. Crion slowed, and looked around to see that they had gone deeper into the forest, which was not the best idea. The trees soared into the air, and he realized they had wandered into the ancient part of the woods. The branches were vast enough for entire towns to take shelter beneath them, and the sun came in subdued glimpses. The prizes here would be great, but the dangers..."Darion, stop!" He called, his hand instinctively reaching for the rod in his bag once more.

Crion observed the area around him. The calls of strange creatures echoed in the distance, and birds of all sizes flew across the distant canopy. Small specks of shimmering light drifted through the air, and the sight was truly a beautiful one to behold.

But it put the young priest on edge. He pulled the rod from his satchel, and did his best to calm his nerves. "Can you feel the magic in the air Darion?"
 
Far above, hiding on a branch and surrounded by leaves, Tane was ready to incinerate whatever beast went charging by below, but stopped as he saw that it wasn't a beast, but rather a human. Two humans. One of them obviously a priest of some sort, and the other... he couldn't really tell. Tane decided to keep observing, maybe the two fools below would attract his target; after all, the man in the tavern had offered an entire gold crown for the corpse of a dangerous creature said to roam this area. The man had given him one piece of advice, "Make sure you kill it before it knows you're there." Tane wasn't sure if this creature even existed, but for that price, what was a few days of stalking the woods, maybe he might even be able to catch another fairy and swindle another priest into buying it...
 
Darion was determined to nab the fairy at all costs. It was likely that he probably destroyed the homes of many little critters and broke a lot of trunks in his way. His mind was dead set on catching what Crion was after. And it even took him a few moments to finally halt his pursuit when he was called out by Vegetable-Man. Positioning his feet to side as he braked himself to a complete stop.

"What? What is it, Vegetable-Guy?"

Then he realized that the area they were in was much different then earlier. The air definitely had the feel of natural magic flowing through. His eyes wandered along the forest to see even the trunks of the trees were different. They had a bit more intricate trunk patterns, and were complimented by the unusual shrubbery. It truly was a beautiful sight, and one he had never seen before.

"..Yeah, it is gorgeous. Wow.."

For first time in his life, Darion wasn't in any rush to move. He took his time taking in every aspect of the ancient woods, trying to process it all into his memory. But surely, there had to be more then just trees, and plants. Maybe there were ancient ruins of some kind that had a protector. . Did they disturb that protector though?
 
The air shifted, and the shrubs rustled with the new breeze. "I do hope your path of destruction left us enough of a trail to follow, Darion. Otherwise we may be camping here for the night." The air was heavy, quite literally, and the presence of something magical could be felt as surely as the heat of the day. Still, there was nothing visible that could be considered out of the ordinary. But it did not take long for any sort of energy Crion felt to suddenly disappear, meaning things had just gotten very, very bad. Anyone who used magic was, for lack of better words, screwed. "Darion, look out!"

The roots shot up just in front of Darion, and continued to burst from the ground around the two in a wide circle, perhaps fifty feet across. They arced and twisted to form an impenetrable wall, a person taller than the two who now stood within. A wispy, dry voice called out to them. "It seems you have ventured far from home, little humans. This region is not yours for the taking." The roots shifted and parted, giving way for a tree in human form to step through, followed faithfully by seven fairies that were shimmering red with anger. "These tell me that the two of you have slain one of my children. Is this correct?" It asked, in a seemingly feminine voice.
 
Something was very wrong, Tane could feel no energy from his surroundings and this creature had appeared out of nowhere. Whatever had appeared, it had an impressive command of magic, possibly a spirit of some kind. The one saving grace was that none of them knew he was above them. As the creature spoke, he realized that the two below were in some serious trouble; they had apparently killed a fairy and kept wandering deeper into the ancient woods. Tane knew little of fairies and these woods, but it appeared that some sort of spirit had decided to punish them, drawing itself into a physical form. If he saved a priest, that was an almost guaranteed blessing, so he decided to act.
Slowly, Tane reached into his sleeve and drew one of the slender throwing daggers from the brace on his arm. Ever so slowly, and making sure light did not flash off the blade while he was holding it, he drew his arm back, and as quick as a snake striking, he threw the knife almost directly down at the creature's head.
 
It was unusual feeling this sort of magic, especially such an extreme amount of it. Before he knew it, the magic unleashed nearby. Luckily he got out of the way just in the nick of time of those roots. Looks like they weren't going anywhere so soon. As he saw the large tree humanoid surrounded by angered fairies, Darion realized something important. That this was indeed the best adventure he was going to be on. The danger that they were in was exhilarating. He wasn't even phased by the reprimanding he was getting either, he just stood there with a big grin on his face.

As he was about to answer the tree-demon, a small glimpse caught his eye as he saw the knife fly right past him and hit the creature. Now, normally Darion was all for diplomacy and good things like that, but he didn't throw the first punch. He certainly wasn't going to stop the flurry of them either! Clutching his hand into a fist as he punched the wall nearby hoping to break through. If that didn't work, he'd wait for Crion's next move, and the stranger's help.

This creature wasn't going to be very happy..
 
[BCOLOR=#000000]The knife flew through the air, and hit its mark. Not only that, the knife slammed into what would appear to be the creature's forehead. It's neck bent backwards, and its knees seemed to give, and it appeared that is was dying. Alas, it was not to be. The creature quickly righted itself, staring off into the distance with nothing but dark holes for eyes, but the one who threw the weapon would feel the creature's gaze. "That was not polite, young master." The creature said, and then raised its hand toward the direction the knife had flown from. Vines burst from each of its fingers, as fast as an arrow sent from a crossbow. The roots continued growing, independent of the monster. As Darion's fists slammed into the wall, it gave just enough to dissipate the impact, but held strong; trapping the two within the ring. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]Crion took the opportunity to search his satchel for something, anything useful. The stranger's lucky first move had distracted the dryad, but a knife would no more kill a dryad than a tree. "Fire...fire...something that makes fire..." He mumbled, pulling assorted trinkets from his bag. Magic wouldn't be an option in this fight, at least not Crion's type of magic. "What I wouldn't give to have a summoner right now...Darion! Fire! We need fire!"[/BCOLOR]
 
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