VenomKNight

R

The newest Hunter smiles as he reads the missive. "Only took the better part of a century." He chuckles to himself. "Narnsae ito iyl." He then gets to work preparing his hunting gear.

Nalinor Caerme'onn shot up in his bed, the cries of Nature piercing his mind. He'd felt the passing of a fellow druid before, but this was far worse. Sharper, focused. His hands gripped the sides of his head, clutching his hair between his fingers as he let out a scream of pain, anger, and regret. His teacher's last words rang in his ears: "I am going to go dance on the graves of Necromancers. I'll let you know if I need a group to come back and help clean up." The druid rises from his bed, grabbing his warpick, and setting out to Iryalen's training ground with the intent of beating his anger into inanimate objects. His thoughts consumed by the wave of sorrow and the dormant rage now awake and active. The soldier arrived at the training grounds, his teary eyes locking onto the training dummy one of his students had set up months ago. His grip on his weapon tightened to the point of white-knuckling it, arms shaking. "Whatever happens next, know that I am proud of you." Words his teacher said to him many times before, always meaning the world to the Druid, brought further tears to his eyes. As he focused on them, another voice crept into his head. "Wha' 'ave ye done to earn her pride? Wha' has that pride gotten ye?" Nalinor shook his head as he muttered a quiet response to the voice. "She took me in. When nearly everyone else had disappeared, and I was lost, she was there. She helped me realize who I am, who I want to be." "'ave ye already forgotten? Did she take our place?" The words stung Nalinor to his core; any response he had lost in his mind. He began his attacks on the dummy, striking it with the hammer side of his weapon as he practiced his form. The voices in his head screamed for his attention as he desperately tried to ignore them until one unfamiliar voice made itself known. "Weak." The man halted, mid-swing, at the singular word. He shook his head once again, remembering the lesson Nenar taught him about listening to the voices in his mind. He returned to his exercises, this time with more power behind them as the hammer began to splinter the wood. Again, the voice spoke. "Someone got to her. Someone she trusted. Someone she loved. More than you." The attacks began to get angrier, more forceful. Cracks began to form across the wooden dummy as he tried to retain his focus. He knew the voice was right in some respect. Someone had gotten to Nenar's tree and helped their enemies kill her. "Draoi" is the only word that the man said as he came to the conclusion. It had to be draoi; no one else could have gotten to one of the most protected places he'd heard about. "Finally. You realize. But will you do anything about it? You are a coward, Nalinor. You. Are. Weak. But I can help you." The voice grows stronger in the Druid's mind. Hungering for control, for power. Until it nearly encompassed the man's being. Sheltering him from the pain and the sadness. Until all that remained was rage. The attacks continued to get more reckless, swinging the hammer with more and more anger. Nalinor bellowed a horrific, primal cry to the skies as with one final swing, the dummy split in half. The top half fell to the side as wooden splinters scattered across the sands. The voice spoke one more time. "Kill them all. Rend their souls from their gifts. Make them pay for our mother's demise! KILL." A final scream could be heard from Iryalen's training pit as Nalinor raised his hammer above his head and brought it down onto the broken training dummy with all the might he could muster. Again. And again. And again. Until all that remained were chunks of woodchips, splinters, and cracked semblances of a semi-humanoid wooden creation. The druid hunched over the remains of his anger, supporting himself with his warpick as his breath drew heavy. The figure stood straight up after many minutes of heavy breathing. His stare was long and cold as the slightest smirk crept across his face. He looked upon his home as if seeing it for the first time. "To all who took my mother from me, you will not know peace. You will not know the Forest. You will not know life." He completed the vow, then walked into the city, dragging his warpick behind him. All while another voice clawed for control, screaming that this is the opposite of what Nenar wanted. But the voice went unheard, as something new stalked the streets of Iryalen, wearing the face of someone familiar to all who lived there.

Might be time to lock the post. Quicker than deleting the dissenting posts o7

Late last month, the quiet streets of Iryalen were disturbed by a roving pack of demons. These creatures stormed in, demanding combat or submission. That we followers of the Aspects and the Wild Faith abandon our “False Gods” and accept the “true faith in unshackled darkness.” I thank those that sprang into action alongside myself that night in defending our home, despite the loss of the battle and the corruption of one of our trees. I also thank the Aspects that none were killed and injuries were kept minimal. To the druids of Azuras, I pray you heed my words. These creatures, deranged as they may be, are dangerous. Be wary on the roads. Keep a steady watch on any shrines to the Aspects or Mani that you know of, as they have already defaced Iryalen’s statues of Felixii and Kwakwani. But know this, as it appeared the tables may have begun to shift, they showed brief moments of fear, as noted by Brother Decay. Our numbers and our faith give us strength, do not let them shake you. To the denizens of Iryalen, this attack cannot go unpunished. These creatures will return again, and again. They will attempt to frighten you, capture you, curse you or burn you with their twisted Malflame. But our resolve must be stronger. The time is now for action. We have become stagnant in our peace, and for too long I have attempted to replicate the works of my predecessors. Instead, a new age of the mali’ame calls for new ideas, rooted in tradition. The teachings and ways of the Halerir’elame have done well to lay the groundwork for what is to come, and from its ashes rises the Sil’ahernleh Ame’onn, the Blessed Blades of the Forest. The time has come, brothers and sisters, to root out these aggressors that threaten our way of life. We shall burn away the Darkness threatening this world. The Wilds Know No Honor Nalinor Caerme’onn, Eldiraar of Iryalen, Chieftain of the Seed Caerme’onn, the Moose Druid

The Eldiraar smiles, looking over the valley as he steps alongside the Eliheiuhii. "This will be ayla, lari'onn." He removes his helmet, lightly tracing the Caerme'onn markings upon his face. "A new start, where from the ashes we will rise once more."

Snow’s Maiden, 169 SA: I went to the frozen north of Aevos for my trial of gaining an animal's trust. My last time here, I and a small group of my kin were attacked by a pack of starving wolves, so I knew where to begin after getting this trial. After a few days in the bitter cold, I had been tracking an elk for an hour. Once I had finally hunted the creature down and an arrow struck true, I heard a low growl. I turned to see a grown timberwolf hunting the same elk. I stayed back while he pounced on the now-dead elk and slowly started to approach after he had begun eating. After noticing my presence, he began baring its teeth and barking at me to scare me off. I remained steady, extending my arm out and palm open to show the timberwolf I meant him no harm. I began to circle him, still keeping him an arm’s length away as I began to harvest some meats and pelts from the elk. I had harvested what I could from it, and once the wolf had his full, I followed the timberwolf back to his den at a distance. I made a small offering of excess meat to gain the wolf’s trust and remained nearby for several days. Never interfering with the wolf and what it was doing, nor how it hunted. Merely making myself known each time he returned or joined as he went out to hunt. Toward the end of the month, I returned to Nevaehlen to bask in the warmth of my home and reflect on what this month had taught me. The Amber Cold, 170 SA: Nearly a year later, I finally returned up north. Relying on my makeshift map, I returned to where I had recorded the wolf's den. I set up my camp nearby and waited until he had returned home. Well after sunset, I heard snow crunching as it was being walked upon. I looked up from my sketchbook to see the wolf’s return, accompanied by another timberwolf, dragging a doe back to the den for dinner. They were defensive once they had seen me, once again baring their teeth towards me. Using the same method I’d learned previously, I was able to refamiliarize the male wolf with me and make myself known to his female mate. I repeated the technique I’d used nearly a year ago, camping near the den. I was more active on hunts with both of them this month. Tracking and working together to take prey down, splitting the fair share of spoils from the hunts in terms of meat. Once again, towards the end of the month, I trudged through the tundra back home. Malin’s Welcome, 170 SA: I returned north again this month. Needing a small break from the world, I packed my things and hit the road, curious what I would stumble upon this time in the den. As I began setting my camp up near the den, I was approached by the male timberwolf who seemed to take an active interest in what I was doing. I doubt he understood fully, but the actions and movements seemed to hold his attention. I did my best afterward to demonstrate in a way the wolves could maybe understand that my camp was not too different from their den, but after a while, they lost interest, and I was left feeling, admittedly, a bit ridiculous. Nonetheless, they again welcomed me back. Acknowledging my presence, partaking in spoils of the hunt. However, the winds were not in our favor near the end of this month. Sharp, bitter winds sliced at my skin. I was pelted with snow and frozen rain almost constantly. But with these difficulties came a new development with my wolven companions. In the middle of the night, they entered my tent. It seemed the den and each other could not provide enough warmth. So they decided the best source would be the ‘ame sleeping just outside. I welcomed the warmth that came with two adult timberwolves as I pulled my blankets tighter and tried to get some rest. In the morning, I had a brief respite from the icy storms. I used this time to pack my camp, spend my morning eating with the wolves, and head home before another storm hit.

MC Name: VnmKnight RP Name: Nalinor Caerme'onn Persona ID: 80808