Crisis in the Red Forest (Raiaera)

[Max Dirks]

EVENT THREAD

It is winter in Raiaera and a small village on the edge of the northern forest has sent out a call to all able bodied warriors to help them vend off nightly raids by unknown attackers. The attackers have kidnapped a number of local children and a few of the fairest maidens. The villagers have yet to see who the attackers are, but they have found strange footprints in the snow that head deep into the forest and into the mountains.

Post away, there are no limits!

[MiaKane]

A chilling silence.
A world of violets.
My breath materialized again.
Immaculate.
Inanimate.

Perfect white snow covered the red leaves around her, a foot of snow beneath her feet as she followed the December highroad that followed the Red forest’s western and southern edges. She had been following the road since she left Concordia a few months before. She pulled tighter the woven blanket that she had been given by a group of gypsies the night before when she had joined them for a quick hunt before nightfall. The blue and white strands stood in contrast to her hair even as it turned pale from frost and the occasional snow flurry.

She shivered a little and shook her head slightly.

“Been away from Salvar for far too bloody long…” she said with a wavering sigh.

She had to take a double take as her eyes caught sight of something nailed to a tree just off the road. She walked over too it and gently brushed the fresh snow from its tan surface. She read slowly the paper’s bled writing.

She stepped back and mulled over the words in her head. A warning to travelers to be careful of the forest and of unidentified kidnapers as well as a call to all brave souls to help the lonely village of Last Home. She balanced things over in her mind as she continued down the road.

On one hand, it was for the better part, unneeded danger to place herself in, and on the other, it was to help the less fortunate.

“Well I guess even ninjas wouldn’t be stupid enough to go into that forest, so it would be kinda nice to get away from those random attacks for a little while.” She said to herself as she picked up her pace a little.

It was mid afternoon when she arrived at the village. she immediately noticed the tension around her, the locals had nearly wild eyes filled with fear as they constantly jumped at the slightest sound and constantly looked over their shoulders. Most of the able bodied men were hard at work trying to erect a crude wall around the town out of logs and sharpened sticks.

A family nearly rolled over her with a cart as they headed out of town with what few possessions they could fit on the cart.

She slowly walked to a building built in the middle of the town, a tattered and rotting sign barely told that the place was the local inn and tavern. She walked onto the decking and towards the door, she stopped for a moment as she noticed a number of scratches and cuts in the wood of the doors. Noting them for future needs she opened the door and stepped inside the nearly empty tavern.

A worn looking man that stood behind the bar looked at her with weary eyes as she approached. an elderly man sat next to the fireplace, not moving.
“This is no place to be stranger, best head back out of town before nightfall.” The barkeep said without making eye contact.

“I can tell.” She said with a somber voice, before locking onto his face with her eyes and speaking up,” but I’m here to help.”

The old man chortled and laughed, “Ya hear that, shes ere to help…no common sense in these youngsters today, they all think that they are untouchable and…..” he slowly grew quieter till he was only in audible mumbling.

“I don’t know how much help one person is going to be, but your welcome to stay here for free if you really want to risk staying at all.” The barkeep said as he set a key with a brass number two keychain on the bar in front of her.

[Benjamin Ritter]

Too bad that the Red Forest is in the South.

Good thing you said no limits on Posting!

[Seth_Rahl]

Ifrit didn't mind the cold, but it was the wind that stung. Futily, he tried to wave it away with a clawed hand, but to no avail; like the darkness growing itself, it was untouchable.

Damn it all! He hated winter. He also hated summer, but that was besides the point. The winter was too cold, summer too hot, spring too wet. Now the fall...it was just right.

He remembered that he had always loved the fall in his childhood, and immediately feelings of guilt and lonelyness washed over him. He had left his childhood sweetheart and fiance there, the only other demon that he had known. Every time he thought about her, his body seemed to grow heavy and his heart numb with despair, for he realized he would never see her again.

Ever.

The demon swordsman took a careful look at his sorroundings. He had no idea where he was. He blinked, and thought, I must've strayed from my path while I was distracted... he cursed to himself, and was going to ask a nervous looking person for directions when the old woman, who had been watching him carefully this entire time, suddenly screamed, "MONSTER!! A MONSTER'S ATTACKING ME!!" and ran away.

Dammit! Ifrit cursed, and drew Beowulf as he saw some young warriors burst out of the tavern door and run towards him. What is with people and demons!?

The first warrior was inexperienced and easy. Ifrit didn't want to kill them, so instead he blocked the warrior's blade with his own, then spun and backfisted the kid in the head, knocking him immediately unconcious. "I don't want to fight you! All I want is directions!" he bellowed, but to no avail. They charged at him, and immediately his bloodlust began to rise.

"So be it." he whispered, then snarled and leapt into the air.

[Nymph and Dragon]

A number of obscene curse words ran through Twyla's mind as cold wetness from the snow beneath her began to seep into her robe, but she kept her mouth tightly shut, darting unfriendly glances towards the children that lay in the dark around her. Most were sleeping fitfully in tight balls, shivering and crying even as they dreamed. There were two other women, one sleeping, the other staring blankly at her own bare feet, eyes empty above the strip of cloth the kidnappers had used to quiet her hysterical screaming. The nymph looked away. She didn't want to know what was wrong with that one. Sharp winds blew continually over the huddled group, slicing through the insufficient clothing that they had been wearing when the assailants had attacked. And a fire was, of course, too much of a risk for mere prisoners . . .

Twyla shifted in the snow, hoping to pass her movement off as discomfort caused by the rope that bound her wrists tightly behind her back. She looked at the bleak landscape around them, searching for a landmark to gauge their position by. The trees around her all looked identical, their reddish wood the only color in the seemingly lifeless forest. It wasn't snowing, so the attackers' tracks remained visible in the early dawn like trails of maggots in flour. Rotating her head slowly from one side to the other, Twyla counted the men, all constantly on the move, wearing paths into the snow as they walked their patrols.

He could handle six.

The thought came subconsciously, and Twyla almost snorted aloud at the idiocy of it. Even if the Elemental was here, the six that she could see were undoubtedly just precautionary. The attack on the village had been swift and precise, a covert operation that had finished minutes after it was begun. One moment she was walking innocently down the street and the next thing she knew she was being returned to consciousness by the slaps of a masked man who said nothing as he tied her wrists behind her back and pushed her into line behind four human children and two women. She guessed there were probably ten more guards hidden in the forest, twenty along their trail to prevent followers, maybe a dozen more with bows up in the trees. The few she'd actually seen worked like machines, never speaking except to issue terse commands, never showing a moment's laxness as they executed their duties without the slightest bit of the banter and joking that Twyla had come to expect from human soldiers. She'd been their prisoner for two days, and she had yet to see the men heckle the prisoners, either. They certainly weren't fond or gentle, but not one of the chilren sported a single bruise caused by manhandling.

But why children?

Her gaze pulled back distastefully to the scrawny youths that lay around her. They ranged in age from about six to thirteen, if her approximation of human years was any good. One of the women was barely old enough to be called such, her cheeks still round with baby fat and her form barely matured past pubescence. Why would such an efficient army go through all the trouble of raiding a village only to take women and kids? Were they slave traders? Some kind of religious group?

Twyla snapped her eyes shut and tried to make her breathing regular as crunching snow warned her of an approacher. She slowly turned her face into her hood, hoping the man wouldn't be able to see very well in the dim light. The Elemental was still off in its own world, nursing the wounds to its ego that her last tongue-lashing had imparted, no doubt. The thing was a blasted nuisance, but if the guard got caught under her magic now, its absence would prove detrimental to her overall well-being. Even men as disciplined as these would have trouble resisting her Allure.

The nymph exhaled softly in relief as more crunching in the snow told her that he'd turned and walked away. Opening her eyes, she saw the sky lightening above the snow-covered boughs of the trees overhead. Soon it would be daybreak, and after dried meat had been passed out to the prisoners- she never saw the kidnappers eat- they would be herded to their feet and marched on through the forest, on towards their unknown destination and whatever fate awaited them there.

The anticipation's killing me . . .

[DakkonRyck]

Dakkons senses brought him to full consiousness when a variety of noises broke his strangely sound sleep. Sound because this little town was deathly quiet during the day. Whatever had been happening here had everyone afraid, spoked, worried and all that fun stuff. Reguardless he had a fairly coherent idea of what was going on. People where coming into town at night and taking children and women and no one had any idea why. He'd found one of the warnings when he came into town early in the morning.

People here where naturally suspious of the odd stranger but it seems they had bigger worried. He took the time to get a room and get a few hours sleep before he would try and help. Why? A reward maybe?

No... Mostly curiousity.

Yet Dakkons occupation of the town had already come and pass. They where getting ready to move off. He had found stopping the kidnappers to be... difficult to say the last and so had taken to a different tactic he picked out one or two and took to tracking them back to where ever it was they had been headed and when he came across the area they had all the kiddies and women beded down he took the time to take a small nap himself inside a snow blind. Perhaps foolish but he'd need his energy if he was spotted.

The noise that woke him had stopped before his mind had time to pick out what it was- so her rose from the snow his heavy mantle having served as a rather effective cover- the falling snow as crude camoflauge and as for staying warm... well snow seemed to keep the heat in quite well.

The sun was rising and certainly that would be on the move soon and Dakkon
would be forced to return to tracking them from a safe distance. Until then he moved silently through the winter wonderland trying to count numbers.

How many women.
How many children.
How many kidnappers.

Brushing the snow from his silvered hair given his general nature... he blended in quite well- though the stark glowing blue eyes may have given him away he kept a fair distance for that reason.

So... we follow them to there destination and then what?

Good morning Aleria.

Not answering the question.

I'll decide that when we get there.

If.

It's to early for smart ass comments.

Whatever...

Dakkon sighed, shruged and hunkered down at the base of a tree- pulling out some dryed jerky to chew on. He had plenty of it... so he certainly wouldn't be going hungry on his next look at the group his eyes are eventually drawn to a women- bound and unconious on the ground... she seemed rather out of place compared to the others.

She's not unconious.

And sure enough as one of the men left he saw a subtle movement and the womens eyes open- he kept the googling to a minimum.

Things always seem to get complicated.

(Note: Will be edited for spelling but the content will remain the same. Can't wait to get home...)

[Seth_Rahl]

He was being pressed against the wall. There were simply too many of these simple warriors for him to handle them all - everytime he cut down one, three more sprung up in his place. Cursing silently, he hissed as a blade found its mark and gave him a gash in his side, causing bright-red blood to spill forth from his body. With a roar, he grabbed the tunic of the one who had cut him and spun him around to meet the point of Beowulf, which seemed eager to please. The sword plunged into the man's chest and erupted out of his back, as a fly pinned to the wall would be so. He stared in a deathly glaze at the infuriated demon, who cast the carcass aside in revulsion. "I didn't want to have to do that!" he screamed, but the men just kept on coming.

Damn it, at this point there's no way they're going to listen to reason! He thought to himself, threw himself to the snow-covered ground as an arrow lodged it self in the wall where he stood a second ago. Rolling to his feet, he quickly sheathed Beowulf and jumped off the ground, placing one clawed foot on the wall and then pushing off, so that he did an acrobatic backflip as he drew his knife in mid-air. A brave young soul took a stab at Ifrit with his lance, only to catch nothing but air as the demon dropped to the ground again with an intense expression. He placed one palm against the ground and murmured, "Burst..." then leapt away as the ground erupted in fire and smoke.

The villagers were cofused as they coughed and waved their arms frantically, but as the smoke cleared their worst fears were realized: The demon was gone.

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Ifrit kept running, even though he was sure he had thrown off his pursuers. He couldn't believe he had been attacked like that, just out of the blue. Yeah, sure, he was a demon, and people had a right to naturally be suspicious of him, but this was just out of hand. There must be some other reason than his heritage to why he had been attacked.

Suddenly he sensed something, and took a sharp right turn, right onto a flat rock. He could hear voices, and smelled the sweet scent of burning meat. Must be adventurers...He thought to himself, and clambered over the rock.I should ask them what the hells going on around here.

But as he peered over the edge, he could see he had been wrong. Instead of a group of adventurers, there lay a pack of bandits and other foul men, with captives to boot. They sat there eating mutton and drinking mead, laughing rauciously at one girls struggle's to get out of her bonds. She was simply a girl and was scared out of her wits, with these men leering at her near naked body and their cruel fingers.

Ifrit knew he should've stayed out of it, but simple anger drove him to leap over the edge and land straight into the small fire, scattering the logs everywhere. One of the surprised men yelled something, and soon many more men sorrounded the demon with glaring red eyes and white, flowing hair. They growled at his inhuman appearence, and pulled out knives and short swords. Ifrit, in response, slowly pulled out his giant blade from his back, and held it calmly in one hand, awaiting the first attack.