Welcome to Arkanshire, a land of heroes and untold power. It is a peaceful land, with on King and Queen who rule from the capital city. No wars, no enemies, a true land of peace and happiness. That is for a time. Every hundred years, the "Nightmare" awakens, opening a portal to the land of the gods. Those who are very brave, or very foolish, can enter these lands. A one way trip, those who enter try to earn the ultimate prize. You see, once the "Nightmare" awakens, the gods are now able to be killed, and any god that is killed, needs to be replaced. When you enter this land, called Arkanshire Dream, you enter in a life or death game. Will you become a new god? Or will your bones be added to the throne of the gods?

How many times have the town's people heard that warning? Over and over, year after year, always warning them. Once the Nightmare had awaken, allowing those who are brave, or foolish, to enter. One such man was a golem named Fozzie. He was getting old, his armor now covered in moss and vines. He didn't mind, he was free from war, and able to roam the lands. All so that he could try and learn about his old life. He was old, hearing of the Dream Opening at least five times. He heard what other could do there, and even heard of some becoming new gods. With that power, he could find out about his old life. He knew this would be his final adventure. He would either become a god, or finally earn his rest.

He entered one of the portals around Arkanshire. His portal sent him to the top of a cold mountain, chilling even him. The wind let out a howling noise as it, causing him to look around, in fear of being hunted down by unseen beast. He looked around his area one last time, seeing nothing but snow. "Very well then." He muttered to himself, and started walking in random direction, praying he was ready for whatever came his way.

Kaja blinked. A cold shiver ran up her body, both from the onslaught of heavy drops on her back, and the grime slipping into the front of her shirt and the side of her face. She blinked through the curtain of rain, a tempest relentlessly assaulting the treetops that surrounded her. With a groan, she pushed herself up, the heels of her hands sinking into the wet dirt underneath her.

Questions swirled in her mind. Where was she? How did she get there? How would she get back home?

She nodded to herself as soon as she could stand on her own two feet. A quick body check informed her that, yes, her clothes were ruined by the mud and rain, but it was nothing a quick dip in some body of water couldn't fix. The crossbow strapped to her right hand was still functional, the use of stainless steel proving to be one of Kaja's better decisions, and the bolt quiver on her waist held around thirty bolts, five of which were the special bolts from her father. Her sword...

Her head whipped around in search of the gladius she had brought to Arkanshire from the land of the Valkyries and found it sitting against a tree and seemingly pointing in the direction of a cave with something illuminating its inside. Her free hand raised to cover her eyes from the rain as she looked around for another option. She could head further into the forest, but the heavy rainfall made it difficult for her to wander around. Her mind made up, she grabbed the sword and strapped it onto her waist, and headed for the cave.

Maybe out of the rain, she could begin answering some of the questions assaulting her mind.

Asra, the boy of secrets it would seem. His things were packed, and tonight was one of the last times he could spend with his troupe. From his wooden trailer-wagon, he could hear them outside, laughing around the fire. It stung, to leave them high and dry like this, but what was he to do? To be a part of the troupe his entire life, never to wonder what it would have been like, had he only swam against the tide his life had tried to drown him in? No, he didn't think he could live with himself like this. Whether it was the musky smell of the applewood outside that now burned in fiery competition to the stars, or his own weakness, tears could only reach the brim of his eyes in that familiar sting. His pack was filled with a couple changes of clothes, and a loaf of bread. He wouldn't tell the others that he was about to leave. It would be an ordeal that might change his mind, or sway his resolve. He left a note beneath his crystal orb prop he used for the sake of gimmickry, and had cleaned up his room for whoever they might house next as a part of their act. Within the note, he also enclosed his next client's reading, a pre-precognition, if you will.

Right, now or never. He opened to the backdoor, and spied the forested part of Arkanshire ahead. He moved quietly, though no one found him, or even looked in his direction. His secret escape, a success. As he maneuvered around particularly dry twigs and small ground toads, he thought he could have given them a signal as he retreated. But he'd told them of his plans, and he might be egotistical enough to hope that it was the reason the only key sober people right now had turned in early. Sephi must have had to, her child and Asra had been as thick as thieves. The young girl had cried about it, Sephi told him, and had gone as far as to saw through his trailer wheels with nothing but a wire string! They'd had to get it repaired and it had set the caravan itself half a day late! He'd bought her a stuffed horse to pacify her, but she'd thrown it at him, and stained it with wine that sat on the table behind him, and yelled, "I don't need this, because you aren't leaving!"

As Asra reminisced, he spied a portal within the quiet wood. Pine needles scattered all around its base, and the odor carried to Asra's nostrils. He looked around, and ducked behind the trunk of a tree, and spied if anyone else planned to use this portal. But he heard and saw no one. He wondered if they might be behind another tree, and saw him approach the portal too. But he doubted it. There was little an occasion that someone ever found out much about him if he never said anything. So, around the trunk, he dashed for the portal. There was no time for resolve, no way to know if this is what he wanted or not. He tugged on his fur jacket hood, and--

Hello, creepy. He charged, only to fall down the steps of what appeared to be a church. Thankfully, he ran too fast to get caught and really hit the steps, but he landed at the base as rough as his speed entailed, and knocked the breath out of him until he regained it, and inhaled desperately. As he rolled back upside, and coughed a few times before he stood up. The weather wasn't at all what he anticipated, and so he dropped the coat immediately, and folded it neatly into his pack. Who'd want to suffocate in that all day? But he looked at where he'd come from, only to find the doors of the church, and then looked to the high and low road, only to see houses, most of them with an array of broken windows, open doors, open windows, open broken windows....you get the idea. It looked as though there had been some desperation to get out of said houses. But what for? It was a quaint town, and obviously had the money to build a church. Something must have chased them out then.

Asra ascended the steps of the church, and giggled to himself. He wondered if all that desperation had been to get within its doors. He also wondered which god they prayed unto. His hand rested on the door, and weighed whether or not to open it. It was only a church, so why'd he feel so afraid? His head rested on its frame, as he tried to bring himself to open it, to no avail. If he searched the town, he was afraid he might find what chased these people out. But he also feared they were inside the church, a place of respite, and would attack any stranger on sight. But, on the other hand, it was after all, a place of respite. He could set up here, though he probably wouldn't want to. To get a head start in the world, he might just want to explore the town.

But his hand, tired of the wait, twisted the handle and pushed inwards, quietly. He was thankful that he hadn't brought a knife, he wanted to look defenseless if possible. He called out, "Hello?"

Tia ruffled her black wings as she soared in and out of the trees in the forest that surrounded the castle of the royal family. The rush of the wind through her feathers made her feel free and light. A day playing as the Queen always tired her out. The formalities and the strict code of etiquette she had to follow while sitting on the throne was cloying.

Her mind was filled with thoughts about the recent events, intermingled with the natural instinct of the raven to look for food. Her beady eyes shifted towards a small movement of the ground. A baby rabbit was emerging from its burrow.

All thoughts of the Queen and the royal court flew out of her head as she swooped down for the kill. But instead of soft flesh, she found herself crashing against the trunk of a fallen tree as she had unknowingly crossed the portal. She squawked and fell down onto damp, muddy swamp floor.

"Ugh," Tia groaned as she sat up in her human form her hand rubbing the side of her face where she had hit the tree. Her black feathers had tranformed itself into a black cloak that wrapped the whole length of her body. She looked around and noted that she was no longer in the forest that she had grown accustomed to.



"Huh... Where am I?" she asked out aloud as she looked back from where she came from. But instead of seeing bright green and orange trees, there was only the vast expanse of swamp. Still able to use the sharp vision of the raven, she could make out what looked like a town way ahead of where she was. To her right, closer to her than the town, was a cemetery.

@Leoven
The cave easily provide an escape from the heavy rain. The light she could see was coming from a fire, with green colored flames. As she was getting closer to the fire, she could see a man sitting by it. He was in a dark cloak, with a long beard. Next to him was a walking cane, with odd designs created on it. He let out a couch as he noticed her, and let out a soft chuckle. "Ah, seems the rain has scared another to this cave. Please, have a seat. The fire is quiet warm." He said.

@Ado
The church's door let out a loud squeak, but the smell was the first thing to hit him. It was a mixture of decay, and waste. His eyes soon adjusted to the dark, and the sight around him was horrifying. The town's people were the church, as if hiding from someone, or something. But whatever it was, had gotten in first. Most of the corpses were ripped apart, parts of their bodies somewhat eaten. More people, dressed in robes with the church's symbol on them, were hanging from the ceiling. What appeared to be intestines wrapped around their necks, but it was hard to tell if that is what had killed them or not. Last, a fully nude woman was on the alter, her chest ripped open, as of something had burst out of her.

Once he had entered the church, the door behind him slammed shut. Written on the door, over and over, were the words "Run Rabbit Run". Footprints, of some kind, were on the floor, and exiting the church, hopefully meaning whatever had done this was gone.

@Kyrisse
The graveyard looked to be in disrepair, with vines covering many of the gravestones. Bodies were also scattered around, vines and roots growing out of their bodies. Buzzards were flying around the area, but it seemed as if they were terrified to land. Sounds of groaning could be heard, but it is hard to tell which body was making the noise. But soon, a new sound could be heard. The sound of coins in a purse. A squirrel was ontop a nearby stomp, playing with a coin purse. It stopped as it noticed her, but didn't seem worried. It cocked its head to the side, and it pulled a coin outta the purse. It walked over to the edge of the stump nearest to her, placed the coin down, and backed up where the coin purse was, watching her.

As the smell had hit him, so did he hit the floor, and proceeded to dry heave, and then actually heave. Asra lurched back from the sickness, and ran his hands through his hair. He stared at the disaster in front of him. Could he even get up? His knees trembled terribly, and though he didn't cry, he wailed. Even the temperature of the room made him nauseous, a gross heat from the bloated bodies still presented itself around the room. The pews were in disarray, the bodies looked indescribably aghast, stupified by horror.

Asra's wails fell into whimpers, as he closed his eyes and tried to think of anywhere else he could be. The silence in his mind was near non-existent, a chaotic flutter of paper words his mind wrote endlessly. But then, a stillness that fell upon it, as it gradually died down. An act of repression, to seal the memory away, an attempt to obfuscate the image and rest his feeble brain. And when he opened his eyes, he no longer saw danger. He saw a tragedy...though the horror clawed at him, he needed whatever these people had.

He got up, and leaned against the wall, the punch of a second-hand bile rose to his throat. He let loose, but with more calm, and wrapped his arms around his body, the warmth of the dead unmatched to the cold of an empty stomach and retreated adrenaline. He walked, tripped, but caught himself, right above the body of another clergyman. Asra, wary of disease, eyeballed the front of the man, but realized that none of these people would likely have anything, as they'd proven to be unable to stave off the monster that had done this. So, Asra made his way to the altar, and consciously averted his eyes from the woman, and kicked her off the altar. He inspected the area for any other clues, as he felt there were still secrets here he needed to find before he moved on.

The fire was an eerie shade of green that Kaja was sure it was not one made of natural means. It failed to give Kaja the comfort a warm fire after a long soak in freezing rainwater should, and the man warming himself by the fire was no better. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the man's walking cane, unsure if it was something that would become a threat to her. Still, she found that she would rather take her chances inside the cave with the odd man than in the depths of the forest while the rain continued to fall.

She gave him a nod and sat crossed-leg directly across from him. Despite its odd appearance, the fire did warm her skin and work to dry her clothes. She placed her sword on her lap, one hand dancing over its hilt. The crackling of the fire broke through the silence that filled the cave, and Kaja took the momentary serenity as a chance to think of all that had led to that moment.

She had been walking around the streets of the capital, carrying with her a pack of materials that Din had asked her to buy from a nearby metal shop. Talk rose amongst the townsfolk about the Nightmare having awoken and that some of the kingdom's finest soldiers and most foolish of vagabonds had began jumping into one of the many portals that had opened in order to challenge the gods for their titles. Kaja had paid them no mind. Her mother had never been one to pray to the gods and Din was a man of science, not religion. As such, Kaja had never thought much of the gods or the people's fascination with the odd ritual of attempting to kill them. She had too much to worry about; Din had written up a blueprint for a new invention and Kaja could not have been more excited.

She paused in her musings and eyed the mouth of the cave. Rain was still falling hard in the forest outside, and it was only then that Kaja noticed that the woods was not familiar to her. She had taken plenty of walks in the surrounding forests of Arkanshire in search of materials and inspiration, and the area she'd woken up in was not a place she'd been in before.

Could it be-? No. It was a foolish thought. She had been walking around Arkanshire, not anywhere near a portal... Though, now that she'd thought about it, she remembered hearing shouts around her while she was walking, a tad too distracted by thoughts of their new endeavor. She remembered a brilliant light, and then crushing darkness. Then, she'd awoken in the middle of the forest, wet and confused... And lacking the bag of materials she'd been carrying before. She made a mental note to search for it once the rain died down.

"Did I..." she muttered, lips pursing in thought, "Did I accidentally go into a portal?"

She looked up at the man, frowning. "Where are we?" She gripped her sword, eyes narrowing in threat should the man not provide her with an answer.

Tia stood up and brushed herself off, her hand smudging mud on her cloak. She looked down at the smudged mud and wrinkled her nose. She stared at it for a while and then looked up to weigh her options. Going towards the town would take longer than going towards the cemetery. Her shoes were already caked with so much mud just by standing that she was afraid she'd be waist deep in it by the time she get to the town. With that in mind, she trudged towards the graveyard.

And found herself staring at decaying bodies that have apparently melded with nature.

"Ugh," she wrinkled her nose again in disgust, regretting her decision with each step she took. She dared to look at one of the corpses. Whether it had been male or female was no long distinguishable. Yellowish bone can almost be seen through the black, rotting flesh. A thick vine ran through its chest and Tia wondered if the vine was what actually killed it.

She pushed the gruesome images out of her head as she continued on. She stepped carefully around the other bodies that littered the cemetery floor and almost jumped when she heard a groaning sound. She looked towards the direction it came from, her mind already bringing up images of walking corpses. But the dead bodies remained still in their gruesome final resting positions. She breathed out a sigh of relief and then heard a curious sound.

A tinkling sound.

"Coins?" she asked out aloud. She blinked when she saw a squirrel scurry towards her. It placed a coin a few feet away from her and then returned to the stump where he curiously seemed to be guarding the purse he got the coin from. She studied the squirrel for a few minutes before she turned to the object she assumed it left for her.

She took a step forward, bent down and took the coin. It was a bronze coin carved with a dragon and a shield. It was also designed with runic symbols that she could not read. She turned the coin over in her palm. Her eyes were met with an intricate design and more runic symbols.

@Ado

The woman's body was very light, so it was easy to move. Under her was a sliver colored key, and a book. The book was locked, but the key was a perfect fit. Upon opening the book, the pages were blank, for a time. Soon, words started to appear.

"I found this book under the body of a dead woman in a church. Some beast had killed everyone here, but maybe I can find some clues....It's coming back. I didn't notice for awhile, until I heard a thumping and dragging noise. I need to run. I tried to find a hiding place, and luckily the confession booth was still opened. I opened it, and was able to get inside. I left the door open, just abit to help me see. A large beast walked in, dragging an axe behind him(?) as he walked. He seemed surprised at all the dead people, so I guess he didn't do it. But then he got down and started to eat on the bodies. Dear gods the sounds. It was only made worse when I saw on person was still alive, just waking up as the beast started to eat on her. I wanted to help, but I......FUCK! The booth just made a squeak noise. The beast is looking this way. Now he is coming this way. I gotta make a run for it, or do something."

It was then that Asra started to hear a small sound. It started to grow louder and louder. Thumping noises, followed by a dragging noise, and it was heading right for the church.

@Leoven

The man pulled out a bottle with some drink in it, and took a swig of it. He then held it out towards her, offering it. "My dear, we are in the Dream." He said as he looked at her. "You walked into a portal, one way or another." He said and sat back, placing his back onto the wall of the cave. "I'm guessing you didn't mean to be here, since you are so confused. You could go to a nearby town, but I can't promise that it'll be safe." He said.

"Also, be very careful when roaming at night. Some cannibal bandits have been seen in these woods. Not sure why they have left me alone, but they may have never seen me. If they have, then maybe they decided that an old man isn't worth eating. A pretty girl like you on the other hand...." He reached over and pulled out some simple, frameless, eye glasses. "Here, these should help you." He said.

When she looked at the glasses, and then back at him to say something, the old man was gone.

@Kyrisse

The squirrel went back to playing with the coin bag. As she looked around the graveyard more, she soon found a lake, but it was hard to tell how deep or, more importantly, how dangerous it was.

As she was about to turn back, the sound of a horn could be heard. A small boat came rowing up infront of her, a skeleton pushed a long pole into the water the push the boat forward. It stopped infront of her, as the skeleton walked over to her, and held his hand out. "Safe passage isn't free." He said, his voice raspy, as if not having spoken for awhile. "A coin, and I shall take you across." He said.

Valkyries were known throughout the land for their love of three things: combat, lovers, and mead. Kaja, despite her heritage and upbringing, had found that out of the three, only combat appealed to her. Lovers amongst the rank of the valkyries were lacking - both due to the fact that those her age preferred the company of men and they were terrified of even approaching Skurja's child with untoward intentions - and Kaja found that her tolerance for alcoholic drinks was quite wanting. As such, when the man offered her a bottle to drink, she respectfully declined, not even quite sure if the bottle's contents was alcohol.

The old man had only confirmed her earlier suspicions. The Dream. She spat a curse under her breath. Of all the places she could have found herself in, it had to be the Dream. While not overly familiar with it, she was no stranger to the Dream. She would either meet her end or her ascension in its realm, and she wasn't quite sure which of the two was worse.

Before she could mull over it further, there were talks of cannibals and a pair of glasses were handed to her. She inspected the pair, not finding anything spectacular about them. In fact, they resembled the ones Din wore whenever he worked on a new project. Kaja had worn his before, just out of curiosity, and found her vision blurred. She doubted that the same wouldn't happen with the pair the man had given her as she was certain her eyes hadn't suffered much despite long periods of time spent in the darkness of Din's basement with only a nearby lantern providing light.

"Do you have a map-" She lifted her eyes from the glasses to ask her question and found that her companion had disappeared. "What?" She looked around the entirety of the small cave, but found nowhere the man could have gone except for back out the forest. Absentmindedly, Kaja placed the glasses on her face, letting it sit atop her nose, as she leaned back on the same spot the man had previously occupied. She eyed the fire and the area outside as she thought of her next steps.

She could wait the rain out in the cave, but by her very nature, Kaja needed to move. She could brave the rain and try to make her way to the town the man had mentioned, very likely finding trouble in the form of cannibalistic bandits or whatever unexpected threat the town possessed, but it seemed a better choice to her than simply waiting around the fire. Making up her mind, she fixed her sword upon her person once more, and walked out of the cave. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the rain. Her first order of business was to find her pack, and then search for where the town would be.

---

Sera had never been as fit as in those months leading up to the upcoming nightmare. She had never been unfit physically, but over the years her mind had entered a slump from the monotony of every day life, from a lack of casting magic of any description. And, who knows maybe turning into dumb creatures took some kind of toll on her. She doubted that last part.

The town she lived in had never been more lively either. Sera had in a sense turned the entire place into her own personal training ground. Kids chased her through the streets, chickens became targets for her magic practise - although she didn't tell the farmer that. Pots became target for her quaterstaff. Wait no that was the wind. Definitely the wind.

The day the dream came she was ready, donning her mothers old hat, just one last time. She walked. She didn't know where, that's all she was told. Keep walking until you hit the portal.

And then she did. It made her feel groggy. And then she blacked out.

She awoke in a cell, a dark and downright nasty one at that. She scrambled for a moment, getting to her feet and trying to get her bearings. The cell door was closed. She couldn't be trapped in here. That wouldn't be fair! She pulled on the door. Nothing. She tried again. And then kicked it in frustration; it swung open.

Of course it was a push. The asylum she was in was in tatters, that much was evident. There was a set of stair in the hallway outside of the cell she had landed in. She was just bout to head down them when a noise piqued her interest.

Pad, pad, pad the noise of footsteps. From above her somewhere. Sera took a moment to consider, or at least to pretend to consider before she began to climb that narrow staircase to the next floor. She couldn't help herself when it came to a mystery.

Tia walked over to the lake and looked down at the water. It was inky black and shiny like a mirror. She crouched down onto the lake's bank and took a closer look at the strangely dark water. She blinked when she realized that the water was not water but was actually tar. Thick and dark and sinister looking, she can only hazard a guess on what laid underneath its surface.

She was reaching out to touch the surface when she heard a horn sound. Surprised, she immediately stood up and her eyes fell on the boat that was coming towards her. Wide eyed, she stared at the boatman as he held out a hand to her. "A coin?" she asked and looked down at the circular metal that was still clutched in her hand. She wasn't sure if it meant the coin she had but she figured it best to try. She reached out and dropped the coin into the open palm of the boat man and waited.

@Leoven
The had lighten abit, making travel much easier. She could hear the sounds of things walking nearby, but looking in the woods, she could see deer roaming nearby. The walk towards the town was peaceful.

Upon entering the town, she could see people in their homes, and some people still selling their items. "Hello mam, welcome to our little town." One man said as he was cooking some meat. "Care for a sample? It's free." He said with a large smile towards her.

@Oni_
The sounds of walking were getting closer as Sera walked up the stairs. She heard a soft growling noise, but it ended as a nearby dog noticed her. It let out a whimper as it hid under a desk.

What it was hiding from was quickly made clear, as a undead human was walking around the nearby room. It let out moans, and it turned its head to look towards them, but luckily, the thing didn't have eyes. It sniffed the air as it "looked" for its prey.

@Kyrisse
The man took the coin. "Welcome." He said, and allowed her onto his boat. He pushed off the dock, pulled out some rowers, and started to row across the tar like water, and she could see bodies floating in the water. As she looked at one body, something grabbed it and pulled it underwater.

"They were filled with greed. The tar fish will feast on them. You will be safe in the boat." The man said as he rowed more. "We have some time before we get across the lake, would you care to tell me why you are here?" He asked as he rowed, another body disappearing under the water.

Tia carefully got into the boat. As it moved away from the bank, she looked back towards where the squirrel was. But the stump it had been on was empty and she can no longer hear coins clinking together. She sighed and mouthed a silent thank you to it. And then she turned towards the direction where they were going, her eyes drawn down into the thick black water of the lake. Several pale un-moving bodies floated face down on it. Before she could ask about it, something splashed in the water and pulled the body underneath the surface. She immediately sat down on the boat, scared that she might fall into the water and suffer the same fate as that unlucky person. She looked at the skeleton boatman as he spoke in his raspy, haunting voice.

"Tar fish," she repeated and then peered carefully over the edge of the boat. But the thick black fluid was calm and smooth, disturbed only by a few ripples from the boat as it passed by. But as she continued looking at it, a reptilian looking eye blinked at her and then something slithered just beneath the surface, the edges of its sharp spines cutting through the shiny black surface. Surprised, she leaned back in.

Her heart pumping with fear, she looked at the boatman, bothered by the fact that she could stare at a live skeleton while a fish scared her. If it even was a fish. She shivered at the thought. "Why I'm here... I... had no idea I crossed over. This is the Dream, isn't it?"