Mikotsuhime
Nonbinary Forest Hermit
The land of Earghus is a populous and thriving place. The great cities and mountains to the north are inhabited by a mixed population of humans and vampires, who live in peace with one another. The king is human, and mostly well liked by his subjects. The royal guard are mostly fair, and try to be tough on corruption, so that people feel safe in the capital city. Overall, it is an idyllic place.
In the south, however, there is an aberration. The Kaelzon jungle, which stretches the entire south half of the continent, is a mystery to any and all who come across it. Every now and then, strange beasts come from within its depths, dangerous and wild. Nobody knows what manner of creature they are, but they attack anything that moves, and need to be put down by the royal guard. The rumours go that the beasts live within the jungle, and come out to feed on the few villages that dot its edge. But there is no way to confirm this, because of the one rule that all who live in Earghus know as truth.
Nobody who enters the Kaelzon jungle comes back, ever.
The jungle has strange magic around it, which makes it impossible to skirt the edge and impossible to fly over. The only way to know what lies beyond it is through it. Common, sane people know better than to risk entering, and it's given a wide berth by both humans and vampires alike.
Recently, though, rumours have been spreading. They say that somebody is putting together a party to explore the Kaelzon. Normally, such a thing would be scoffed at, but this mysterious person has deep pockets, and has ordered a large amount of gold delivered to the family of whoever agrees to go on the venture, regardless of its success. Some people are willing to take the risk, to ensure the well being of their families. Some people want to know the truth about the jungle and its secrets. Some people crave the adventure of exploring the dangerous place, and testing their strength against unknown beasts.
Whatever their reasons, the whispers throughout the country were clear; meet in Tanzem village at the tavern on the first of the month if you wish to take up the offer. The Kaelzon edge is just a few scant kilometers from the tavern door, and it looms ever threatening over the village.
***
Talia is nervous.
She shouldn't be, really. She's faced bigger and scarier threats in her life than meeting with a bunch of strangers for the first time. She's been the captain of the royal guard for five years now, and she's faced the beasts of Kaelzon forest up close and personal. This, sitting in a tavern and waiting for people to come in and meet with her, should be easy.
It's not easy.
She'd been spreading the rumours for weeks now, about the amount of gold that she'd drop for assistance in exploring the jungle. She'd been clear about how to identify her in the tavern, and she had left the hood on her cloak down to look friendlier and more open. Her position shouldn't intimidate, because she'd kept it secret, and nobody outside the kingdom's knights even knew that the guard captain was a woman. She had made sure to wear her plainest leather armour, forgoing defense for speed and anonymity. Her halberd was, of course, out of view and tucked in her room upstairs. All in all, she was approachable.
Well, mostly. She knew that the fabric of her cloak was a bit fine, clearly from the capital. The wine-red colour stood out amongst the plain clothes of the other patrons, and the owner of the tavern had given her a funny look when he'd served her her breakfast. She ignored it, though, as she waited for the first travelers to show up and hear her offer.
She's been planning this expedition for over a year now. Ever since Erik...
She refuses to think about it as she bites down on her bread roll.
Luckily, outside of her clothes, she doesn't stand out too badly. Her hair isn't the long style of the ladies n the capital, falling just down past the nape of her neck, and her skin is the golden brown of the natives closer to the jungle border. Her hair is a deep burgundy, and her eyes are brown and plain. The only identifying mark on her is the scar beneath her right eye, a thin gash along her cheek from a sparring accident. Overall, she's happy that the common folk usually only see her in her helmet and full plate, because it means that few folks spare her a second glance now.
She can't imagine what people would say if they knew that this crazy fool's errand was being funded and head by one of the king's own men. Er, women. She wasn't sure how she should classify herself, in that sense.
Not that it mattered much. It was still early, but she had a feeling people should show soon. She wanted to be ready for them when they arrived, in case she needed to do some convincing. Hopefully those who showed up were experienced fighters. The last thing she wanted was to be bogged down in unknown territory.
In the south, however, there is an aberration. The Kaelzon jungle, which stretches the entire south half of the continent, is a mystery to any and all who come across it. Every now and then, strange beasts come from within its depths, dangerous and wild. Nobody knows what manner of creature they are, but they attack anything that moves, and need to be put down by the royal guard. The rumours go that the beasts live within the jungle, and come out to feed on the few villages that dot its edge. But there is no way to confirm this, because of the one rule that all who live in Earghus know as truth.
Nobody who enters the Kaelzon jungle comes back, ever.
The jungle has strange magic around it, which makes it impossible to skirt the edge and impossible to fly over. The only way to know what lies beyond it is through it. Common, sane people know better than to risk entering, and it's given a wide berth by both humans and vampires alike.
Recently, though, rumours have been spreading. They say that somebody is putting together a party to explore the Kaelzon. Normally, such a thing would be scoffed at, but this mysterious person has deep pockets, and has ordered a large amount of gold delivered to the family of whoever agrees to go on the venture, regardless of its success. Some people are willing to take the risk, to ensure the well being of their families. Some people want to know the truth about the jungle and its secrets. Some people crave the adventure of exploring the dangerous place, and testing their strength against unknown beasts.
Whatever their reasons, the whispers throughout the country were clear; meet in Tanzem village at the tavern on the first of the month if you wish to take up the offer. The Kaelzon edge is just a few scant kilometers from the tavern door, and it looms ever threatening over the village.
***
Talia is nervous.
She shouldn't be, really. She's faced bigger and scarier threats in her life than meeting with a bunch of strangers for the first time. She's been the captain of the royal guard for five years now, and she's faced the beasts of Kaelzon forest up close and personal. This, sitting in a tavern and waiting for people to come in and meet with her, should be easy.
It's not easy.
She'd been spreading the rumours for weeks now, about the amount of gold that she'd drop for assistance in exploring the jungle. She'd been clear about how to identify her in the tavern, and she had left the hood on her cloak down to look friendlier and more open. Her position shouldn't intimidate, because she'd kept it secret, and nobody outside the kingdom's knights even knew that the guard captain was a woman. She had made sure to wear her plainest leather armour, forgoing defense for speed and anonymity. Her halberd was, of course, out of view and tucked in her room upstairs. All in all, she was approachable.
Well, mostly. She knew that the fabric of her cloak was a bit fine, clearly from the capital. The wine-red colour stood out amongst the plain clothes of the other patrons, and the owner of the tavern had given her a funny look when he'd served her her breakfast. She ignored it, though, as she waited for the first travelers to show up and hear her offer.
She's been planning this expedition for over a year now. Ever since Erik...
She refuses to think about it as she bites down on her bread roll.
Luckily, outside of her clothes, she doesn't stand out too badly. Her hair isn't the long style of the ladies n the capital, falling just down past the nape of her neck, and her skin is the golden brown of the natives closer to the jungle border. Her hair is a deep burgundy, and her eyes are brown and plain. The only identifying mark on her is the scar beneath her right eye, a thin gash along her cheek from a sparring accident. Overall, she's happy that the common folk usually only see her in her helmet and full plate, because it means that few folks spare her a second glance now.
She can't imagine what people would say if they knew that this crazy fool's errand was being funded and head by one of the king's own men. Er, women. She wasn't sure how she should classify herself, in that sense.
Not that it mattered much. It was still early, but she had a feeling people should show soon. She wanted to be ready for them when they arrived, in case she needed to do some convincing. Hopefully those who showed up were experienced fighters. The last thing she wanted was to be bogged down in unknown territory.