Welcome Travellers, Somewhere at this very moment, someone out there in the world, is about to embark on a journey. The same way you and I are right now. Their journey is not much different from yours, not much from mine. It might be decorated with joy and laughter or shadowed by conflict and grief, just like ours. Regardless of it being similar to our individual journeys or our shared adventure, it is no less important. These journeys we take, these roads we tread, are all important, more than at first sight we might expect. Why? Every journey shapes the Traveller. It changes them and transforms them. So, if you have ears, open them and hear. Your journey is about to begin... [hr] [b]Introduction[/b] Winter was just about to let it's iron grip go and allow Spring to take over the land. Since it was the year of Ice the winter had been exceptionally harsh for Eana which usually was a temperate land. Snow was starting to melt away and the Sun became warmer with each passing day. The Summer would not be as blazing hot but it would still be warm outside. It was at this time the King sent his messengers to all towns, villages, settlements and cities to bring his word to the people of Eana. A royal messenger rode in haste wherever people were, calling attention from everyone within the reach of his voice. From his tone and the way he arrived, in a rush, there was no question that whatever he was about to say was important, urgent even. Once there was silence and he had the attention of all, he took a scroll with a royal coat of arms painted on its backside – a seated lion resting its paw on a shield and a crown over its head like a divine halo. He cleared his throat and began to read... “Hear, all citizens!”, were the words the messenger cried at every square. “King Gonagas, the Lord of this land and the Defender of the people, has sent out a decree to all cities, towns and villages; to all who are now living within the boundaries of the Kingdom. Hear the words of your King!” Then he began to read. “From King Mikill Gonagas to all ready and able who are willing to take up arms in defence of the Realm, '[i]The Kingdom is facing a great threat from the surrounding countries and the lands round about it, which requires immediate action. To protect the freedom of the people and the independence of our beautiful kingdom, I, the King, will send a dispatch of the Royal Guard joined with all the volunteers who are given a rank of a private in the Guard, on a pre-emptive quest to strengthen the position of the Kingdom and our ability to defend it. Report at the gates of Helsset, the City of the King, before the harvest season begins. May the hand of The Guardian be over us all.[/i]'” This was the tidings the messenger came with. You are a person of remarkable skill and talent in your art be it swordsmanship, controlling the supernatural and the elements, stealth, alchemy or any other craft. Regardless of the questions and doubts the strange and unexpected open call aroused, you answered and left for Helsset. Whether it was glory or adventure, title or rank, revenge or revolution. You had your reasons. [b]I. Arrival[/b] You met a group of other volunteers in the previous city you traveled through, Giron - the last at least somewhat politically meaningful settlement on this streak before arriving to Helsset. Since Giron, you have been traveling together as a party. That was three days ago. It is sunny and the day is turning into an afternoon. The sky is nigh void of clouds. You (and your traveling company) have walked tirelessly since sunrise. You had breakfast before packing the camp and lunch on foot while walking. You have a week to be at the gates of Helsset. As you descend from the Giron Plateau through the Rocky Gate, a beautiful and peaceful view opens before you. Protected by a small mountain range in the West and another in the North, a relatively vast green field expands towards the South-East making a gentle slope eastward, towards the Western shore of Lake Guhkki. Far away towards the South there is a waterfall raging down from the mountains into a dense mixed tree forest. It gives birth to a river that streams through the forest and the field in a Northeast direction straight into the lake; first coming out from the forest as a minor rapid, then calming down to a shallow river. A few miles downstream in the distance you see the village of Avveel - a picturesque rural hamlet where you are supposed to stay overnight and restock for the remaining five-day journey to Helsset. The sky is clear and a gentle wind is sweeping over the surrounding fields and farmlands in waves. Far on the other side of Lake Guhkki, mighty rolling hills rise towards the skies, eventually transforming into a majestic mountain range heading South. The road heading South-East towards Avveel is a well-travelled one. There are small rocks, gravel and tightly pressed sand and dry mud, that doesn’t seem to be far behind the surrounding stones in hardness. The narrow passage through the mountains behind you, is of red-shaded gray-brown granite. Your immediate surroundings is a breaking area where the rock dives into the ground and the cool granite gradually is replaced by sand, soil and eventually a grassy field. The farming fields are further down the road and closer to the river. There are some boulders of various shapes and sizes along the North side of the road. It is obvious they have rolled down from the mountainous slopes long ago. A gust of wind rushes by you diving into the mountain pass behind you.