[center][h3]The Disregarded Herald[/h3][/center]
“Steady. Steady!” Nimueh said to herself. Climbing into a tree as a squirrel came easy to her. Running like a fox across the forest came easy as well. Generally, whenever Nimueh transformed into another animal she didn’t have that much problems adapting. Most of the time the running was just done on four legs instead of two. Flying was another matter entirely. The senses were so different. She could see so far away! But at the same time she felt how she constantly had to feel the wind go under and over her wings and adjust as needed.

Still, she started to get a hang of it. Or rather, she didn’t crash face first into the ground again. Turning fast and looping through the air would make her head spin though, and gaining altitude felt like she had to move in some esoteric way with the winds. For now she glided over the forest canopy in her owl form. Soon though she left the forest underneath her to find the valley stretch in front of her. From her vantage point in the sky she saw the many blackstones stretching far and wide. There were so many! “Oh by the Lady it’s beautiful.” She said, which came out as the hooting of an owl.

But she came her with a mission. Another mission. Teaching the zenii magic would be… hard now. She’d find a way! She promised after all. But now she had to make sure zenii weren’t going to die because she didn’t tell them about the Beast Queen. Of course, she could try and convince Lonam and some other blackstone group leaders but really, how effective would that be? No, instead she decided to be clever! As a rat or a fox she scurried around the camps learning about what was happening in the valley. It turned out that this Masol guy who was coming after her was gaining a lot of attention. People listened to him!

So now, in her owl form, she was on a mission to find and convince Masol that the Beast Queen was real!

Finding Masol wasn't as difficult as she had first expected. From descriptions of his appearance, she simply looked for the zene with unyielding pectoral muscles and biceps like tree trunks, a handsome face and the respect and admiration of his peers. Maybe with some accounting for the fawning tone with which this information had been conveyed - considering the typical topics he was either a friendly protector of all zenii or a handsome beast of a zene who could shield you from the cold in his arms. With some cursory flying, Nimueh had already located a promising part of the valley. A place where the blackstones no longer seemed to serve as natural group dividers, where zenii wandered back and forth between each and even sat away from them, engaged in tool-making and various labors. At the center of all this was a ringside camp by a blackstone, sticks and tools heaped against it and a small fence built out of sticks and clay. The crowd here was very big, circled around two zenii engaged in some kind of whistling and pitch-shifting duel, dancing around each other and taunting before briefly lunging for their opponent to try and push them off-balance; not off of their feet, but out of tune. One of the men was clearly who she was looking for. The exaggerated descriptions fit no zene better than it ever would him. To top it off, half the crowd was deliriously shouting 'Masol! Masol!' at the top of their lungs. That fact actually made all the other investigation facts a little redundant.

Nimueh had to get closer. She had to talk to Masol who was currently occupying himself with the strangest of activities. She circled out again. With her owl eyes she peaked some yarenes hanging from another blackstone while some other zenii were playing in the nearby river. Well, they wouldn’t miss it for now right? Nimueh dove down and snatched some of the clothes off of the obelisk. With the yarenes in her claws she flew away to a nearby copse, transformed back into her zenii form and tries to put on a yarene. She needed to try out two. The first was obviously made for a zene and would make her indecent. Not that she cared but the zenii, and Masol especially would. The second was too big. The third fitted her well enough. Even with the holes torn in them by her owl claws.

Once properly dressed she made her way towards the shouting group surrounding the whistlers. “Excuse me, sorry, coming through. Sorry, excuse me. Sorry I need to get in front.” Nimueh kept apologizing as she pushed her way through the throng of zenii. Once she reached the edge of the circle she stopped and just watched the ‘battle’ unfold. Compared to being hunted by a wolf it felt silly. Nimueh stood out like a sore thumb though. Because right now, she was the only one not chanting a name.

The battle was something akin to a show match. Now that she watched, she could tell they were not only mock-wrestling, but also singing some kind of highly varied and improvised tune. Wherever the opponent stopped, it was up to the other to first match pitch and rhythm, then build on it. All while being assaulted by another zene's strength. It wasn't the dumbest game she'd seen, but it wasn't that exciting either. 

"Nimueh!"

Someone shouted her name, and the effect was immediate. The song came to an abrupt end, and confusion spread in the ranks. Someone was pointing at her - she recognized him as one of the late joiners of Lonam's blackstone, maybe a day before she left. Others started gesturing and pointing, and someone shoved her from behind to push her further into the ring, even as others tried their best to flee her immediate presence. Masol and his opponent turned to put eyes on her, fingers flexing slowly. She assumed both of them could choke her out in seconds, and Masol carried himself with a confident air of masculine aggression. He was not afraid to stare her in the eyes, even as the other zene took a few steps back.

A thousand thoughts went straight through Nimueh. For a moment after she was pushed she just stood there like a deer that heard something suspicious. She couldn’t run and she sure as hell couldn’t fight someone as big as Masol. At the same time though she heard and saw a bunch of zenii running away. Were they running away from her? There was a general sense of panic growing everywhere around her. This really wasn’t how she wanted this to go. She just wanted to catch Masol alone at some point to have a nice talk. This? This wasn’t it. So she did the only thing she knew she could do.

“Hi.” She stammered as she gave Masol a small, awkward smile and an even more awkward hand wave.

The awkward gesture seemed to be interpreted as some sign of intense mystery by a few gathered onlookers, as vicious mockery by others. Masol remained resolute, his face stony and unmoving. "You come to us at last. You are lucky the Lady has not returned." He uttered eventually. Not much of a greeting. Two zenii, one of each sex, rustled out from the crowd and flanked him. The zena moved towards Nimueh but Masol stopped her with a raised hand physically blocking her. "Wait, Jem. We'll let her speak."

Nimueh’s heart skipped a beat when Masol invoked the Lady. She nervously looked upwards to the skies. Has she returned from the moon yet? Or was she silently judging her for breaking the one thing rule she gave the zenii? She was quiet for a second, just to see if the Lady would take now of all moments, to descend from the moon. She didn’t. Which was a relief to the young zena.

“Speak?” She squeecked like a squirrel. Her eyes went from looking at the sky to looking around her. There were so many zenii here! It was impossible! But then then again just a few days ago she couldn’t make the grass dance around with her finger tips or jump from tree to tree as a squirrel. So she took a deep breath to muster her courage. “Right so… I’m here about the Beast Queen. She doesn’t like that you bring pots and baskets and such into the forest. So maybe.. you should stop… doing that?” The way she said it, she realized she couldn’t even convince herself. Really, what hope was there that she could convince the others.

The crowd was deathly silent. A mess of eyes burrowed into her from every direction, judging her with fury and disgust apparent in their eyes. Confusion lingered in many, no doubt ill informed about the Beast Queen in the first place. But Masol appeared to know exactly what she was talking about, rubbing his hands together as he took the time to consider her words. When his face twisted into a smile and he looked towards the crowd on his right, Nimueh knew it wouldn’t be that easy. “A common beast doesn’t like us picking berries and sticks with our pots. Perhaps we shall carry them in yarenes, instead?” There was an uneasy ripple of snickers as Masol looked at Nimueh head on, a smug smile plastered on his tense features. “The forest belongs as much to us as the animals. We are given the purpose to thrive by the Lady.”

“The Beast Queen is real!” Nimueh shouted with all her strength. That rage from being mocked over her existence surprised even herself. But she kept going, fueled by something that came from deep inside of her: “And she’s more than just some common beast. She is a goddess and her domain is the forest.” She looked around the group. It wasn’t hard to find the foresters amongst the crowd. Their feet were muddied and they had the most scraps. Nimueh locked eyes with some of them. “You know what I’m talking about. About the whispers upon the wind that make you think there is something behind you.” She shifted eyes to some of the girls in the group. She was one of them not too long ago. “Everyone who entered the woods knows about the rustling of the leaves. As if the trees are talking.” She then turned to lock eyes with Masol. “Anyone who enters the forest knows there is something far greater there than any zenii. Her name is the Beast Queen and she has sent me here to warn you.”

"So the woods are not safe," Masol repeated, stretching his arms out to command the attention of the crowd. The crowd was uneasy and still. If any of the foresters she had seen in the crowd sympathized with her message, they didn't particularly like to show it. "Then your Beast Queen would have us deny our true purpose. The Lady asks us to stand against evil - well, I ask you, all you gathered," his eyes turned to the crowd. Clearly this zene was more interested in popularity than reason. "Is it not evil to demand such obedience from the Lady's chosen? There is enough forest for all. This Queen can share her bounty, no harm done."

Nimueh looked around the group. It was clear that they were all siding with the big, muscular zene. “No… please. Listen.” She stammered. The strength and fire she felt just a moment ago dissipated. “You’re not- you’re not listening. By word or by claw she said. Please, I don’t want it to be by claw.” But the more she pleaded, the quieter she became. Her heart shrunk in her chest. She locked eyes with Masol one more time in a desperate attempt to convince him. “Please, you don’t know what you’re saying.” Because deep in her heart she knew the Beast Queen would see the ‘harm done’ and she would kill a zene to prove her point. “Please I don’t want anyone else to die.”

"That's rich coming from a kinslayer," the zena at Masol's side, Jem, called out to her in open challenge. "You come to spit on our ways - your ways - in service of another ruler. Well, we already have a ruler. Masol is the King of the Valley as much as there is any Queen of the Woods." She explained with venomous tone, and Masol silenced her once more with a lifted hand.

"Now, now. I'm certain we can come to terms," Masol cut in, extending a hand towards Nimueh. "You have communed with this evil. What does she look like? Does she command the animals?"

“She’s- You shouldn’t call her evil.” Nimueh said. The zenii that had previously ran away were now slowly coming back. Adding to the pressure Nimueh felt bearing down on her. Her eyes darted from Masol’s to the zena by his side. She didn’t get it. Her eyes then darted to another zenii in the group. He didn’t get it either. Everywhere around her she saw eyes full of certainty that Masol would protect them. But Masol was not an equal to the Beast Queen. “You’re not a god.” She whispered to herself as she bit her lip.

“She talks to me but only sometimes. It’s on her terms.” She explained. Maybe answering  his questions would make him see reason. Maybe. “She looks like.. whenever she appears before me it’s as a green animal, like a green fox. I know how that sounds!” She quickly snapped before another zenii could jest about it. “But I can feel that she is a goddess.” She then locked eyes with Masol again. “She commands the animals and the trees and the bushes. She can command everything in the forest.”

To his credit, the zene in which so many appeared to put their faith seemed to actually pause and consider her words. Someone heckled her from the crowd during the lull - another called for her to be banished. When Masol finally spoke again the crowd hushed quickly, helped by enforcers in the masses that grew increasingly apparent to Nimueh. There were plenty of zenii calling the shots present, and they seemed content to let Masol do the talking. "A goddess. Seeing as the Lady has spoken tender tales of all the good gods, there can only be one conclusion to your words. This Beast Queen of yours is unreasonable and evil, as proven by the threats you bear." The zene at his side began to speak, but Masol quickly continued before anyone could speak differently. "We shall consult the Lady herself for aid in this matter! The battle against evil has begun, just as she predicted! No zenii shall need to fear the forest, for a protector shall be in their heart, and by their side!"

There was an uproar of excitement. The crowd took this declaration of zenii supremacy with total adulation. Masol smiled her way, confident and unyielding.

Nimueh, in total contrast, looked utterly defeated. She looked around the crowd. If only they knew what she knew. The Beast Queen was a force beyond what they could fight against. She came here to warn them. To protect them! And she failed that task. Which meant now zenii would die. She didn’t know when or exactly where but it would happen.

With that surrender a breeze blew from the nearby forest. To all zenii it would feel like just a regular breeze. Except for Nimueh. She smelled the faint scent of blood upon the air. A shiver went down her back. She knew what this meant. The Beast Queen would make her wishes clear, by word or by claw. Words have failed, so by claw it would be. She felt herself being called back towards the forest. Perhaps the Beast Queen wished to punish her for her failure.

She looked one more time at Masol with tears already pooling in her eyes. She saw the confidence radiating from him and almost felt sick because of it. He couldn’t help them! But she could. She had the power, both magical and divine, to protect her people. “If you ever need me again, stand at the edge of the forest and shout my name.. And pray that I can hear you.” She said with a meek voice. Suddenly her form shifted and changed. In the blink of an eye she was sporting feathers and shrinking. The crowd gasped and cried out with terrified and awed surprise and confusion. Her yarene started falling to the ground as an owl flew up into the sky and then towards the forest.

Behind her, she heard the powerful bass tones of Masol's reassuring voice amidst the din, cursing her name and her Queen.

[hider=Summary]Nimueh is flying towards Masol’s blackstone hoping to speak with Masol himself. She found him in some sort of a whistling match against another zene. She figures that approaching him as an owl probably won’t work so she steals come yarenes, lands, transforms back and puts it on. In her very clever disguise she pushed through the crowd that gathered around the whistling match. And obviously someone spots her.

She gave everyone a very awkward greeting. Part of the crowd flees, the others push her into the circle. Masol tells them to let Nimueh talk. She preferred to talk with Masol alone but that’s not an option anymore. So she makes a terrible attempt to warn everyone about the Beast Queen. Masol mocks the Beast Queen. To which Nimueh flips out yelling that she’s real with uncharacteristic zeal. She goes on how she’s a goddess and how those who know the forest have felt her presence for sure.

The Foresters of the blackstone don’t say a word. Masol calls the Beast Queen evil if she would truly wish them to no longer enter the forests with baskets or pots. And then claims that there is no harm in sharing the forest's bounty. Nimueh knows better and says she doesn’t want anyone else to die. To which she’s called out as kinslayer herself already. Masol keeps pushing zenii supremacy propaganda to the great dismay of Nimueh who realizes that she was defeated. 

Right at that moment Phelenia’s Edict is triggered in the forests. All zenii safe Nimueh feel it as nothing more but a light breeze. But Nimueh can feel the blood in the air. Defeated, she says that if they yell her name at the edge of the forest she might come before flying away. Though she vows that she will try and protect any kin she finds.[/hider]
[hider=Spirit]
Nimueh Starting Spirit: 7
+ 1 spirit: appears in this post
+ 1 spirit: Nimueh is the focus of this post
+ 1 spirit: medium length post
+ 1 spirit: being in a collab
Nimueh End Spirit: 11
[/hider]
[hider=vigor]
Phelenia starting vigor 5
- 0 (reduced from 1): Curse: Edict of Phelenia: The Forests in the valley of the First Elves will no longer suffer marks of civilization. Any mortals that walk in with such marks, like pots or wicker baskets, will suffer increased aggression from local animals.[/hider]