[center][h2][color=lime]The Emerald Empire[/color][/h2] [b]The Fractured Riverlands, Nor Fort[/b] [/center] In the north of the empire’s continental holdings was Norfort, a castle of living wood sitting at the joining of two estuaries that split the land, a bastion against the disparate clans that lived on the opposite shore. A little way outside from the castle proper, and surrounded by an area where all the plants had been carefully moved away from, was a long hall made of stone and whalebone. A well worn path connected the fort and the long hall, down which Selzona the Cold, current military leader of the fort, walked hurriedly. She pushed her way past the small set of double doors and enter the hall, the inside of which featured several long tables, on either side of which benches were placed, all carved from stone, making the inside of the hall something between a banquet and mess hall in appearance. Indeed, upon the benches sat varios dryads partaking in smorgasbord of meals prepared from all manner of ingredients, from exotic wild meats to locally grown vegetables. Rather ubiquitous in the meals was a certain dull fruit, its flesh almost gray in complexion and Dryads seemed rather displeased about its presence. Selzona’s expression notably soured at the sight of the fruits as she walked down between the rows of tables, exchanging brief words with some of the diners, as she head towards the far end of the hall. There sat a small freestanding building inside the hall proper, with a no man's land between it and the tables. The only link between the two buildings where a series of columns leading up to the roof. Inside it where the bravest Dryads in the whole settlement. Selzona steeled herself for a moment before the entrance and then went to join them. Inside the small building was fire. Hideous, horrifying, hellish, deadly fire. Also some chefs. Asisting the chefs were about twice the number of apprentices, many of them armed with buckets and hovering near water barrels. To her credit Selzona only froze up for about 3 seconds before closing the door to the kitchen and approaching the head cook, a Dryad called Forsent. Forsent was rough in appearance, grown a berserker his body was a crude facsimile of the human form with a flat, almost featureless face housting two lidless eyes and a gnarled mouth full of stake like fangs. Despite his looks, the man was quite the amicable fellow and also her elected equan, currently leader of the fort’s civilian affairs. Normally those coming to get food would have gone round the side to a hatch, where they could collect food they had ordered telepathically while avoiding seeing to the horror held within the kitchen. Selzona was only in here because she needed to have an actual conversation with Forsent, something the dreamscape made rather slow and at times unhelpfully vague. [color=LightBlue]”I see that we’re running low on palatable food”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“Aye. Vertrestin hasn’t come back from her run to Sen Port yet. We were already running low after that business with those Tarkiman raiders last week. Tell you the truth, we’re growing concerned, she should’ve been back two days ago.”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”ah, so that's what that disconserting feeling in the Dreaming’s been about. Have you sent someone...”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“Yesterday, they’re running late too though”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”That is concerning.”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“Agreed”[/color] Despite the extensive safety precautions Selzona was already growing uncomfortable at being in the room with the flames, and so after a few more words with the chef asking him to let her know when the group investigating the disappeared party returned and left as quickly as her dignity would allow. Once out of the kitchen she joined some of Dryads she had passed on her way here, some of them being subordinates/advisors of hers with which she discussed the disappearance. She was about half way through her meal, steamed trout and a small plate of dull Fruit, which Forsent had attempted to add flavor to using a honey and strawberry jam glazing, that the chef came out of the kitchen approached her. Accompanying him was a middle aged human that she thought she recognised from the deer rider cohort attached to the fort, though the human's tendency to change in appearance as they aged left her a little uncertain of that. [color=LightBlue]”This who you sent to look for Vertrestin?”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“Aye. Tell her what you told me captain.”[/color] What followed was a detailed description of the man’s attempt to locate the Dryad group, which had lead him to follow their rout down the main road to Sen-port, checking in with the locals to see if the group had been sighted, until he had found the last village they had departe for but never arrived at. [color=Khaki]“place was ransacked mam, houses smashed and most of the people were gone. Only ones left hadn’t been in town when the place was attacked”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”A Tarkiman raid then?”[/color] [color=Khaki]“Maybe, but they didn’t take any of the valuables, there weren't no bodies left behind and its too soon since the last one I reckon. Also, the people there and in nearby villages ‘ave been talking about some kind of monster in the woods. Couldn’t get no stright description from em, but something had em scared real fierce.”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”And no sign of Vertrestin and his group.”[/color] [color=Khaki]“No mam, if she’s alive then he’s not on the main road or in the villages. Definitely never made it to the port, I ‘ad someone check while I was asking questions.”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“We should have a party scoured the woods near where they went missing, that's what I think.”[/color] [color=Khaki]“You’ll need more than me and mine to do that sir, particular if them rumors are true.”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”mmm. Thank you captain. You’re dismissed, though I may have use of you later”[/color] After the man saluted and left she turned her attention back to Forsent. [color=LightBlue]”Your man trustworthy?”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“He’s paid well enough to be. But I wouldn't worry too much of the loyalty of the humans rough these parts. This isn’t the Glacial Marshes, they don’t have that Rump of Kingdom’s agents stirring up trouble, and we’re the only thing standing between them and the northern barbarian hordes. They stopped trying to kick us out years ago. I helped make sure of that”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”I’ll take your word for it. hmm. If there's raiders, or a ‘monster’ about, I think this becomes a military concern, don’t you agree?”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“I have no argument there.”[/color] [color=LightBlue]”Good. Then I’ll be taking over the hunt for our missing kin and we won’t need to bother the Mediator. Agreed?”[/color] [color=MistyRose]“Agreed. Good hunting.”[/color] With that, the autumn and spring leaders of the fort parted ways, Selzona to prepare an armed search party, Forsent back to the kitchen to make one more round of meals. In the eyes of the Dryads, both equally noble and dangerous tasks. [hr] An hour later, Selzona’s expedition had been organised. She had called back the sargent and his men, roused a few Ents from their slumber and gathered together any Dryad Soldiers that could be spared from the fort’s gerision. From astride the shoulders of the tallest ent, Selzona the Cold looked down at the group, who while numbering 50 odd individuals represented a force considerably more powerful than that raw headcount would suggest. Satisfied with the force she had assembled, she turned back to the road south and raised her hand, giving the signal to move out, with the Ent mirroring her action. With that, the small force set out down the path that would lead them to their first encounter with a threat far larger than any the fledgling empire had faced before. Greater even that the looming threat on their southern borders, where even now the former rulers of the land schemed with their slave empire neighbor to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.