Roots....

[Wolfrin Fenris]

This is a Freeform role-play open to Wolfrin and Annia.

Wolfrin cupped a handful of dirt, pulling it away. Another handful followed, and another, until a small hole had been formed. In went the small sapling, and Wolfrin softly pushed the dirt in around the roots patting it down and smoothing it out. Straightening, he looked down at the sapling oak, barely 10 inches tall. One day, he knew, this sapling would dwarf him, would dwarf even those tress around it. Its roots were strong, and with the proper nourishment, it would thrive.

Perhaps I too, should set down roots, that I might thrive?

Shaking his head, he turned to retrieve the small water flask he had. Seizing it, he turned back to the sapling and began to pour water above its roots, wanting to truly be a part of the growth of something so wonderful. His mind however was not at peace. It is not my way. How could I ever hope to make a home in a place like this? I know nothing of this land, even now, and I have a duty to fulfill. I have no right to rest. I will not fail my father or Wolfgar!

Sighing, he finished emptying the flask around the base of the fledgling oak. He set off towards the small stream near where he made camp this night to refill his flask when he was aware of his friend approaching. "Well Buddy, how went the hunt?" He looked at the wolf, his animal companion he had taken to calling 'Buddy' ever since he had found him. His conversations with Buddy were always a little one sided, but he knew that he would never have a companion, animal or otherwise, that he could trust as much as Buddy.

Buddy looked up, golden eyes meeting silver, and Wolfrin knew the feelings were mutual. However, almost immediately Wolfrin noticed that Buddy carried no rabbit, not squirrel, nor any dinner for the night. Curious, Wolfrin met his friends gaze once more, and that's when he felt it. Something, some message, some hint in the wolfs bearing, some instinct was telling him something was out of the ordinary. Why else would he return without food?

Wolfrin nodded to Buddy, and the wolf wheeled around, trotting off into the trees. Wolfrin followed close behind anxious to see where Buddy would lead him.

[Throndir]

A bead of sweat formed as it rolled down Annia's forehead, the glistening light of the moon reflecting on the moisture that damped her skin. The forests would have been peaceful with the sound of the rustling leaves and branches with the night sky looming over head, if not the constant clanging of steel on steel.

Annia lunged her sword downwards, just in time to deflect another one of the mindless skeleton's vicious and constant attacking. Unlike Annia who had already gone through a few encounters with the undead creatures, the skeletons never tire. The fight had gone on much longer than she had expected, and already Annia was beginning to feel the weight of her armor and weapon. But still she continued to parry each of the skeleton's clumsy attacks. She had seen many openings from the creature, and each time she had taken them. But there was only so much damage a sword could do to bone. She had already dispatched a couple of the undead, but this last one proved to be a bit more resilient than the others.

"Papa always said milk gives you strong bones, I take it you drank a lot of it in life mister skeleton." Annia told the skeleton, half in jest, knowing full well that the creature was an unthinking being. The skeleton rattled as in in reply, as its scimitar lead the way forward. It was then that Annia caught another opening, as she slid he sword at just the right angle to slip the scimitar harmlessly to the side, while at the same time using the momentum to bring the full weight of her greatsword down atop the skeleton's skull.

Finally the last one crumbled, joining the other two piles of bones nearby. Annia breathed in deeply as she gripped the handle of the sword tight. She still had a mission to accomplish, and as she wiped the sweat of her brow again, she dearly wished she had some of her companions in the guild hall with her. She was tired, and each fight with the skeletons seem to take longer and longer.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

As Wolfrin delved deeper into the forest, following Buddy, he began to hear the sounds of battle, the cacophony of steel on steel ringing and echoing throughout this part of the forest. All around this area the creatures were silent, not a bird call could be heard, no squirrels chittered and wrestled amidst the trees.

Suddenly the noise stopped. Wolfrin strained his ears, hoping to catch the sound again, or give some clue to the direction to continue. Buddy slowed to a stop and began sniffing the area, searching for a trail to follow. Despite all efforts Wolfrin could hear nothing that would lead them towards the previous commotion. The forest around them lay almost deathly silent, and Wolfrin began to feel as if something unnatural was suppressing the forest.

Wolfrin shook his head to clear if of the possibilities running through his imagination. He would simply need to learn more before jumping to any conclusions. To that end, rather then his ears, he followed Buddy's example, turning to his sense of sight in an attempt to find a trail. Buddy had been scanning the ground and the undergrowth, so Wolfrin instead looked to the tree's and low hanging branches. Slowly turning circles, Wolfrin examined the area, looking for any type of disturbance or clue.

Just as he was about to give up he spotted something. It was minute, and he was sure he had passed over the area twice already and missed it both times. He looked to a low hanging branch over a rabbit trail, noticing several leaves bent the wrong direction, and one small twig snapped. Approaching the area, he also noticed a slight scrape along the trunk of a tree further down the trail, the bark peeled away. Gathering that someone had been traveling along this small rabbit trail, Wolfrin motioned to Buddy.

The waist high wolf approached, sniffing the ground. Almost immediately he began growling, a deep and intimidating sound. Before Wolfrin could begin to wonder what could set his companion off in such a way, for Buddy was a fairly even tempered friend, Buddy bolted down the trail. Wolfrin broke in to a run behind him, and though he ran as fast as he could, he could hardly keep his friend within his sight.

Suddenly Wolfrin noticed Buddy had come to a stop, and he did likewise skidding to a stop just past his friend. They had entered a small clearing, perhaps only 20 yards in diameter. Dotting the clearing were piles of what appeared to be human bones, Swords and axes still grasped by bony hands. Then his eyes noticed the woman standing only a short distance across the clearing, staring back at him in turn. She was human, he noticed, and tall for a human female, though fit and still slender. She wore armor with metallic golden hued plates that overlapped each other, covered only slightly by a cape draping her shoulders, and a scabbard strapped to her left side. She was holding a great sword, enormous for her frame.

Hazel eyes locked with Wolfrin's own silver orbs and something tugged at the back of his mind. However, not having time to follow it, he demanded of the woman, "What are you doing here?!"

[Throndir]

The sudden arrival of the wolf had Annia on edge. She didn't know what the wolf's intentions were, but already she began to fear that perhaps this was yet another undead, after all, the undead didn't limit themselves to just human-like forms. But the sudden arrival of a man wearing only a wolf's head and skin for clothing had given her a slight pause. She put the two together however, and only then did she sigh in relief that the wolf was not an undead, but perhaps more akin to some sort of companion that those who often lived in the woods kept.

The paladin still did not quite lower her guard however, she had been fooled too many times in her chase to freely accept the stranger for who he appeared to be. After all, anything could appear to be anything else considering who she was up against. She kept her eye on the stranger as she sheathed her greatsword back.

"Hold. I come as a friend, I'm chasing a necromancer who fled towards this area." She said, as she began to move her hand towards the gashes she had on both her arms. She mouthed some words quietly, and a moment later her hand began to glow soothing white glow, as it spread towards her extremities. The adrenaline of the fight fading away, Annia had again begun to feel the depth of her wounds. She knew it'd take a bit longer to heal, and better to ensure she was more prepared for the next trap that would surely have been prepared for her. She considered the stranger before her, at least while she tended to her wounds, it wouldn't hurt to question the man.

"Time is precious, you wouldn't have happened to sense anything? These woods are vast, it may be sign of good fortune for you to find me, you may very well point me in the right direction." The knight kept her guard up, looking at both the wolf and the stranger as she continued to heal her wounds.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

"Hold. I come as a friend, I'm chasing a necromancer who fled towards this area." The woman said as she raised her hand toward one long gash on an arm. Suddenly her hand began to flow softly and the glow spread from there. Instantly upon seeing the glow Wolfrin re-evaluated the woman.

He was not over alarmed by the display of power, clearly healing magic by the soft white light and the effect it was having on her wounds, but he did ease Wolf's Fang slightly from its scabbard, readying it to draw and strike if necessary. While healing magic was not overly worrying, few where the clerics, Or perhaps a paladin he mentally corrected himself, who wandered the forest with only healing magic.

"Time is precious, you wouldn't have happened to sense anything? These woods are vast, it may be sign of good fortune for you to find me, you may very well point me in the right direction." she continued.

She was on edge, he could tell, and that eased his mind slightly. Any devious character caught in this sort of situation would probably try to pretend as if there was no tension in the air, in order to lower their opponents guard. "I have indeed sensed something.....Unnatural. However how can I know it was not you I sensed? How did you receive those gashes?" He questioned.

[Throndir]

"I am a knight of the Golden Dawn and a member of the guild of Galas'nor, I'm as unnatural as you are. Surely instead you've seen these skeletons." She gestured towards the piles of bones at her feet. "Likely they were what you noticed before." She wasn't sure if the stranger was able to see the bones beneath her feet clearly, but she did not want to further desecrate the remains by kicking or moving them forward to let the stranger have a better look. Unfortunate was the original owner of these bones to have become such a creature powered by evil. True, the soul was no longer there, and the remains were nothing more than lifeless husks, yet still, it was not something to easily be candid with.

"Take a look for yourself, their weapons are still nearby so you can confirm my story. The wounds were from these creatures." She felt her wounds start closing, and she was glad that the damage done her body was slowly mending itself through the powers granted to her by Valtean. She knew she would have to leave soon, lest she becomes further behind in her chase.

A thought of forgetting the chase crossed her mind, but it was just not an option. The necromancer had caused a riot in Ternadan, though she wasn't sure how many others were on the trail, but she couldn't let someone who had caused so much damage to escape without bringing the due justice deserved. She was running low on her stamina, not to mention her divine connection with her goddess felt more distant each time she ushered forth her abilities.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

Wolfrin nodded at her words, sensing the truth within them. Her explanation made sense, the evidence was present, but more than that, Wolfrin wanted to believe her.

"Very well. I believe your explanation," he responded. What's more, I will help you catch this necromancer. I do this for two reasons. The first should be obvious, I would not allow such a foul personage to reside within the forest and threaten the creatures within. The second reason I will help you is to show my loyalty", he explained while striding closer to the woman in a non-threatening manor. Stopping 5 feet away from her, and maintaining his disarming attitude, he bent over slightly, removing his left boot.

Straightening, he held the boot up sideways in front of him for her to see. "For I am of the guild as well, though I have had little interaction with other members as of yet. I joined very recently," he explained with a slightly crooked smile. 

[Throndir]

At the presentation of the guild emblem, Annia calmed visibly and sighed long. She had doubted it would have come to any sort of tension, but at the same time, it was welcoming seeing another from their guild. After all, who else can one turn to other than friends? And likewise, the sentiment was extended to the guild, which had become a second home for the knight - or more precisely, her only home, she doubted she would be welcome back in her own city or with her own family. However, even though a friend was near, and even though she was more than exhausted, it was against Annia's pride to show weakness. The only ones who had privy to that were her own roommates back in the guild halls, who had probably already seen all of Annia's faults. But they were closer to family than the rest of the guild, so it was only natural.

"I am glad to meet a companion in a place such as this. I had thought most of our members were occupied with what's going on in the city now..." The wounds on her arms and chest had healed well. Only a slight dull pain ensued, and it wasn't something that was overly distracting. Her hunt had already lasted at least an hour, though, with the constant travelling and surprises that the necromancer threw at her, she had started to lose track of time. She was no ranger, nor was she one suited for something as harsh as the wilderness. If it wasn't for one of her roommates who happened to be a ranger who was comfortable in the wilds, she probably wouldn't have gone as far as she did now. She herself had begun to wonder if perhaps the necromancer was simply toying with her. But she let the thought slide. Her wounds were healed, and a guild member had magically appeared when she needed him the most.

"I have nothing we can use to track the necromancer, but I know he's headed northeast. Hopefully by the end of tonight we can catch up to him." Annia said with a finality to her words. "We must be quick, each of these undead he summons only gives him more time to escape."

[Wolfrin Fenris]

"I would suggest you rest and recover your strength, but I understand the need to deal with this threat with haste. I will help as I can, and in this I believe I may be of use," Wolfrin said. Replacing his boot upon his foot, he cocked his head to the right, to look at Buddy. The wolf had previously been cautious of the woman, but as the tension wore thin and as Wolfrin talked with her, the wolf had turned his attention to the bones on the ground. When Wolfrin located him he was near the closest pile of bones, still near enough to help Wolfrin if need be, and he was sniffing and investigating them.

"Buddy," Wolfrin said to gain his companions attention. The wolf turned slightly from the bone pile to regard him with one eye. Silver eyes locked with the golden one. "We need to find the abomination who did this," Wolfrin said to him, then he pointed to the bones and spoke the command word he had trained Buddy to understand, "Track."

Buddy was on the move before the word ever came, moving down to the next bone pile, sniffing it as he passed slowly, then picking up speed as he moved farther into the forest once more. Wolfrin stood staring at the back of his retreating friend in slight confusion a moment. He had seemed to understand what was required before Wolfrin had even spoken. Wolfrin shook his head, filing the thought away for further consideration when he had more time. As it was, he had nearly lost sight of the wolf already. He began trotting after Buddy, throwing over his shoulder a quick, "We best move, lest we be left behind," for his guild mate.

Very soon after he could hear the shifting and creaking of her armor as she caught up. It was not loud, but Wolfrin cringed nonetheless, for with the forests creatures being repressed into silence, he was sure it could be heard a goodly distance away. His own vestments made not a whisper, and he was careful to avoid crackling undergrowth and such when possible, as stealth would be needed if they were to catch a foe such as a necromancer. As a general rule, his father Fenris had taught him, when facing a spell casting foe it was better if they didn't know what was coming until it was too late to launch defenses. The necromancer surely knew that he was being followed, else why would he have left the skeletons behind? It would be better for them both if he did not know when they were getting close.

Wolfrin slowed down, then began to walk. His companion, looking at him quizzically, followed suit. Wolfrin spoke up, answering the unspoken question,"We must hurry,  but we must also be cautious. Buddy will continue to follow the trail, and I will continue to follow his trail. If he encounters any more guardians the Necromancer has left behind or the man himself, he is smart enough to wait for us to catch up. He can track much faster than I, and he can do so silently. We will want the guise of surprise on our side when we confront this necromancer."

"Tell me, do you know how dangerous this man is, have you any plans when you catch up with him?"

[Throndir]

"Strong enough to summon a host of the undead. It caused a riot in the city earlier today. I'm not sure of his intentions, or what he had even seeked to accomplish, but surely it's not something good. Our guild's courtyards are already filled up with the wounded, not to mention the literal piles of skeletons and rotting flesh swept up in mounds across the city. I know not how he had managed such a feat, or where he procured so many bodies, but either way he should be stopped. The feat he pulled was a large one, and it's hard to imagine that it was only a single individual that managed it." Annia paused, catching her breath, she had already been marching for almost two hours, and it was an understatement to say that she was already tired. To her credit Annia continued.

"He displayed various abilities when I first chased after him. Illusions especially, some of the undead that I thought were real disappeared the moment I struck them with my sword. To stop him is my goal, tie him up, and drag him back to the city if we need to, let him stand trial and face justice." She wanted to say more, to explain her thoughts, perhaps how her first encounters with the undead were like and just how much damage was caused, but the pause in their marching gave her time to catch her breath, she knew she would need every ounce of her strength. She leaned back on a nearby tree.

"Excuse my manners. We've never introduced, nor do I believe I've met you yet in the guild halls. My name is Annia of the Siadon family in Medina." Annia said shortly after, her tone of voice softening as she pulled off the gloves on her hand and held it out in front of her.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

Wolfrin listened intently as she answered his questions.

"Strong enough to summon a host of the undead. It caused a riot in the city earlier today. I'm not sure of his intentions, or what he had even seeked to accomplish, but surely it's not something good. Our guild's courtyards are already filled up with the wounded, not to mention the literal piles of skeletons and rotting flesh swept up in mounds across the city. I know not how he had managed such a feat, or where he procured so many bodies, but either way he should be stopped. The feat he pulled was a large one, and it's hard to imagine that it was only a single individual that managed it."

A host of undead? Wolfrin thought. How would a necromancer, even a very strong necromancer obtain so many bodies for his use? A Graveyard?

"He displayed various abilities when I first chased after him. Illusions especially, some of the undead that I thought were real disappeared the moment I struck them with my sword. To stop him is my goal, tie him up, and drag him back to the city if we need to, let him stand trial and face justice."

Not just a skilled necromancer then, but one skilled with illusions as well? That does not bode well. A man, or whatever this necromancer was, with the ability to raise hordes of undead, and then the skill to conjure illusions as well....He could appear to control a veritable army.

"Excuse my manners. We've never introduced, nor do I believe I've met you yet in the guild halls. My name is Annia of the Siadon family in Medina."

A guffaw burst from Wolfrin's mouth. Then, realizing that she, Annia he reminded himself, might misinterpret his laughter, he explained. "Forgive my outburst. I've grown accustomed to the forest and the solitude, I suppose my manners are lacking. My name is Wolfrin Fenris, and I come from... A far off land." He grasp Annia's hand, giving it a firm shake.

"If you have need to rest we can make camp till dawn. Its not far off, and you wont get much sleep, but I'm confident Buddy could still follow the trail."

[Throndir]

"A firm hand shake Wolfrin Fenris." Annia said as she pronounced the unique name. "My old masters used to tell me a firm handshake makes a good impression, but more so than that, it shows surety. I am glad to have you here, it may have very well been foolish of me to come out here on my own, but Valtean showed me kindness after all."

At Wolfrin's suggestion of camping, Annia visibly slumped further into the tree. She knew she was tired, but had no realization that she would be this exhausted. Her armor didn't make things any lighter either. But she abhored the idea of leaving it behind - it, along with her sword, are her keepsakes from the Order of the Golden Dawn, and likewise an extension to her belief in her goddess.

The idea of resting was sound, it was already late in the evening, and they had already kept up the chase for a few hours already. Powerful as he was, the necromancer was still mortal, and even he would have had to rest. Still, Annia didn't like the idea of stalling in her pursuit, there was always the chance that the necromancer had some magical means of transportation, getting even further than they.

She sighed as she berated herself for not taking a mount before the chase. But she knew she had been the only one to spot the spellcaster, and when she took to closing the gap between she and the mage, he had simply turned tail, summoning a few skeletons which Annia then had quickly dispatched. She had thought then that she could catch up to the caster. However, the distance between her and the necromancer steadily grew however - the skeletons proving to be just the distraction that the necromancer needed. By the time she had realized the distance had just grown, it would have taken too long to double back towards the city and gather people, she did left behind a note however, and she only hoped that someone would have noticed her missing, or perhaps find the parchment she left stuck on the tree.

"Rest then. I don't like the idea of letting the necromancer gain more distance, but better that than to be completely exhausted if we did catch up to him. We would need all the strength and power we can muster for that particular confrontation."

[Wolfrin Fenris]

"Very well. I will take watch as you slumber. The skeletons this necromancer has left behind seem to be unthinking things, but I have learned not to take chances, and we are still in the middle of a forest," he said. "Buddy will return shortly when we do not catch up. Rest and I will awake you at sun's first light. "

Wolfrin drew Alanas Memoir and knocked an arrow to it, padding out a short distance from Annia as she made preparations to bed down. He began making a circuit around the spot, roughly twenty yards out, his eyes scanning the brush and trees, ears pricked for and sounds that would alert him to danger. He moved slowly, picking his footing carefully, attempting to neutralize and sounds he himself might make, and so, by his third circuit, an roughly an hour had already passed.

He sensed something as he picked his way along, and then, almost as if out of thin air, Buddy was once more at his side. He looked down at his companion and, speaking softly, inquired "Did you run into any danger my friend?" The wolf simply stared back at him and he took his lack of response as a no. "Do you still have the trail?," Wolfrin asked next, and in response Buddy looked to the left. Wolfrin's gaze followed his friends, and he realized the wolf was staring down the path they had been persuing the necromancer in. Reaching down, he scratched behind his friends ears, and patted the wolf on the ribs. "Good my friend. A few more hours and we'll pick up the trail once more. I know your indifferent about this, but I believe it is worth our time." He wasn't sure if his friend understood everything he said, but his words seemed to have an effect on the wolf; Buddy appeared more accepting of the situation. Wolfrin picked up his step, continuing his circuit and waiting for the first lights of dawn.

[Annia Siadon]

Her mucles ached, she knew rest would be needed. She had been in combat as well as keeping up a marching pace for the last few hours and she knew her body wouldn't last too much longer. The knight also knew that her rest can't be too long, even now the necromancer was probably increasing the distance between them. But to Annia, sleeping was easier said than done. She kept having thoughts of the undead, and though she prided herself to be disciplined, when she finally fell into slumber she dreamt of nightmares.

Cold winds blew over her as her heart pounded. There was something chasing her, and though she pushed her legs as fast as they could go, it felt as if she were carrying a huge burden, slowing her feet and progress. She glanced back, noticing that the zombie-like creature was just behind her. She started to panic, but as she turned back around ready to get away from the creature, another one with its mouth open wider than what was humanly possible appeared in front of her.

Annia gasped as she awoke.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

Wolfrin started back, his hand withdrawing from Annia as she gasped. He had been about to shake her awake. He'd noticed her muttering an hour before, but the mutterings were soft and he figured even fitful dreams would provide more rest then waking her. I might have been wrong, he thought to himself.

He was looking in her eyes, and she was looking at him as if he were demonspawn, but as she began to wake he saw the nightmare fade from her eyes. "You're dreams were unpleasant." It was not a question. He offered his arm to help her stand, saying, "Are you fit to travel?"