[center][h3]Natural Adventures[/h3][/center] In front of the first knight stood the unending green and brown stands of the forbidden forest. As if ignoring its grudge with the man so long as he stood just outside it on the dirt lot that marked the beginning of civilization (and Noetal’s garden), a myriad of birdsong and chattering rodents chorused through the unending leaves and underbrush. Truthfully, Farwaen found the scene relaxing if not amazing — even after his dangerous bout with the local fauna. He wasn’t alone, though, with Hafface standing confidently next to him — clearly secure in her machinations. Noetal himself had opted to watch the spectacle on the other side of the lot, behind his home, which didn’t bother Farwaen any. The knight knew that he had reached the first step of his journey, and all he had to do was pray… something he was quite apt at in his own opinion. Flourishing his blade, Farwaen drove the point into the rooted ground and tapped his forehead against the pommel of the crucifix. He closed his eyes in respect. “Hevel, let my voice roam as I call out in prayer to the guardian of this wood. Let her hear my voice and contemplate my words as I beseech her presence this day. Nimueh is her name, and Nimueh I wish to meet. Let it be so.” Slowly but surely the forest started to quiet down. The songs stopped singing and landed on the nearby branches. The smaller critters stopped their chittering. A tension started to glow from the forest. As if everything stopped to see what would happen next. “Who are you?” Asked a voice coming from somewhere deeper into the forest. Neither Farwaen nor Hafface could see the source of the weary voice though. “Tis I!” Farwaen called back. “The First of Knights, Farwaen!” Hafface’s confidence had visibly shrunk, but Farwaen didn’t pay it any mind as he jutted his chin in her direction. “And the First of Squires, Hafface!” The elf scrunched her nose. “What?” The forest remained eerily quiet. As if all animals were collectively holding their breath. In the distance a humanoid body moved like a shade between shadows. It inched just a little closer. Then it vanished again. A moment later the voice from deep within the forest spoke again: “Leave your weapons at the first tree of the forest. You have my promise they won’t be taken. Then enter.” The voice said. Farwaen couldn’t help but bend a small smile at the notion that his weapons could even [i]be[/i] taken. Even so, as noble as the prospect, he spoke out, “I have no qualms in leaving my sword by your tree, but my shield shall remain on my back.” “Then you will not meet me.” The voice returned. The forest became a bit more agitated again. As if the prospect that the shield would enter it made it angry. “I won’t let the forest harm you. That is my promise. But I won’t meet with you if you hold anything that can hurt me. So please, leave it.” The voice did not sound as somber as before. It sounded almost pleading. As if it wanted to meet with Farwaen but could only do so if he didn’t carry the shield. “An old saying from the plains,” the Eidolon answered, “you cannot touch a hand unless you first reach out. I’m reaching out to you and meeting you halfway, won’t you do the same for me? Tis a shell strapped to my back, I in turn promise you no harm.” In an instant all the song birds took flight. As if some great beast was rampaging from the woods. The smallest of the critters fled as well. From the shadows a pair of glowing eyes appeared. And then another. “I have reached out… again… and again… and again.” The voice was angry. “I have been ridiculed and beaten for it. I lost my closest friend because of it. And despite that I have done my best to keep as many of my kind safe in the forest. I have reached out, Farwaen. And none listened. You will leave your shield or you will not meet me.” “A notable amendment to the current predicament, indeed.” Farwaen cradled his chin between thumb and finger. Hafface scowled. “Again… what?” The Knight ignored his unwilling squire and leaned his blade against a tree before unstrapping his shield and holding it in front of him with both hands. “Before I let go, what has you so worried about such an instrument as this?” “It can be held so it can be used to hurt me.” The voice explained. The angry edge had immediately disappeared when Farwaen relented. The glowing eyes vanished in the darkness of the forest as well. “Beyond that it is a mark of civilization. Entering with it would break the Queen’s edict. That would enrage the forest and… It doesn’t matter. Thank you for leaving it.” “Very well!” Farwaen arched a brow and let go. The shield fell to the ground, shaking it abruptly and scattering the local birds. Farwaen stepped over the shield, the bottom half of it buried in the ground from the immense weight that it landed with. With that done, the Eidolon entered the forest. “Good.” The voice said. It led the zenii and the eidolon into the forest. The trees grew denser around them. Eyes watched them and a few times a singular singing bird heralded their passing. Still they couldn’t see the source of the voice save for a shady outline in the far distance. After a while the roots that broke the surface and the path began to recede. They reached a clearing in the forest. The canopy opened up there, letting in the sun’s radiance. On the edge of the clearing was a small incline made of moss-covered rocks from which a crystal clear creek fell and flowed straight through the clearing. On top of the moss covered rocks sat Nimueh cross legged. “Welcome.” She said, her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were deeply sunken. But still she gave both of them an inviting smile. Without his sword, Farwaen kicked his foot against a branch on the ground, launching it straight into the air. He deftly caught the branch and spun it around before plunging it into the ground. To Hafface’s chagrin, he fell to one knee and pressed his forehead against the ‘hilt’ of the branch. “By Hevel, I accept this woman of the woods’ gift of welcome and offer her my own humble celebrations at our meeting. May this exchange of words and thoughts be constructive and pleasant… amen.” “Are you Nimueh?” Hafface asked with curiosity, stepping past the praying knight.” The woman of the forest watched Farwaen with suspicious eyes as he grabbed the branch. For a moment she flourished her hand a little and for a split second both the zenii and the eidolon would’ve seen a slight green glow. But as Farwaen pushed the branch in the ground and fell to one knee the glow vanished again, as did the woman’s suspicion. “I am.” She said to Hafface with a gentle smile. “I’m actually curious, what do they say about me these days around the blackstones?” “Well…” Hafface started, cautioning another step closer to the mythic elf. “They mostly talk about…” She frowned, a look of shame on her face. “Well, [i]I[/i] at least know that you're considered the servant of the Beast Queen.” “Of a wonderfully mythic woman of the woods! Ho!” Farwaen burst past Hafface, fist shaking with vigor. “And here you are, in the flesh — albeit you seem stained by sadness. Pray tell and regale me with your plight, mournful maiden.” “Mournful maiden?” Nimueh let out a small snicker. “You must be confusing sadness with tiredness. I wasn’t joking when I said I am still keeping my kin as safe as I can in this forest. Day and night.” She said with a genuine smile. “And I doubt they call me wonderful Farwaen.” That was said with a more melancholic and even guilty sounding tone. Her eyes turned towards Hafface again. “You know the one law the Lady gave. It is true. I broke it. I killed.” Now all happiness had drained out of her and was replaced with sorrow. She took a deep breath and then looked at Farwaen again. “The Beast Queen blessed me and gave me the duty to teach my kin how to respect the forest. The Beast Queen also has very simple rules: don’t enter the woods with marks of civilization. The zenii would learn, by word or claw. Those were her exact words. I tried to talk to the zenii… to Masol. Nobody listened so the Beast Queen decided they would learn by claw. I’m prot- trying to protect my kin from the anger of the forest. Like I’m protecting you two now.” “I’ve seen your… civilization,” Farwaen said apprehensively, “tis true it be a sad one with little to note, but it can never grow unless it can reap the forest that it dwells by. Like it or not, the commandment that keeps the people from this wood is the same that will slowly choke the life from them. Let me speak with your lady the Beast Queen, and perhaps I may enlighten her to the damage she wrought and perhaps, mediate on behalf of those who have in turn fouled her mood.” “The village shuns me, too,” Hafface added abruptly. “Maybe not in the same way.” For a second Nimueh looked at Hafface with eyes of pity. Though she soon shifted her gaze back at the boisterous knight. “You’re… not wrong.” The zena atop the moss-stones said. For a moment she awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers as if she didn’t want to say anything more. It took almost half a minute before she continued. “I don’t… actually know how to talk to her though.” She finally admitted. “I mean sometimes she appears in my dreams as some green animal. But I can’t summon her… I think.” “Ah I see…” Farwaen put a foot up on the moss stone that Nimueh sat on and rested his elbow against his leg, striking a thinking pose. Cupping his chin, he thought with a playful hum before snapping a finger. “Nimueh!” “Y-Yes?” Nimueh said as she was leaning somewhat backwards, away from the large eidolon. “I theorize that perhaps your Queen of Beasts may have a similar attribute that of which my own Lord, Hevel, possesses.” Farwaen gave a wide smile. “Should my estimation be correct and not just presumptuous, then you might be able to cloister yourself to a simple prayer and thus conjure the attention of your Queen. Ho!” He slapped his thigh as punctuation. “Indeed, I think that may be the answer.” It took a clear moment until the zena fully understood what the eidolon before her just said. “I… tried that.” She carefully answered. “She doesn’t respond.” “Mind if I give it a go?” Farwaen held his pose — and Hafface stood disappointed behind him, arms crossed. “Doesn’t sound like a good idea.” She said. “I agree with Hafface, I don’t think it will work.” Nimueh added. “Very well!” Farwaen didn’t seem the least bit dissuaded. “Lady of the wood, what do you suggest instead?” “There… might be a way.” Nimueh said. “But it won’t be easy and you won’t like it.” “I wasn’t always… like this. I used to be a normal zena until I found a strange tree and ate its fruit. The next thing I know I was stumbling out of the woods in the late evening. Somehow I knew about the Beast Queen and somehow my influence over the forest grew. Everything started with that fruit. You could try and find the tree. It holds a much closer connection to the Beast Queen.” Before Farwaen could give any grand declarations Nimueh quickly held up her hand to stop him though. “I can’t accompany you if you go out looking for it and the forest is still angry with you. If I left you it would attack. If you want to find the tree you’ll have to do it on the terms of the forest.” Seemingly unbothered, Farwaen cracked a grin. “And what are the terms of the forest?” “No sword. No shield.” Nimueh said. Then her eyes wandered over to Hafface. As if the next demand wouldn’t faze the knight but would cause a reaction from his squire: “And no clothes. No marks of civilization. If you follow the rules the forest will let you be.” Hafface squirmed uncomfortably under Nimueh’s suddenly oppressive gaze. “You want us to-” “Derobe?” Farwaen stepped in between the two. “Such debauchery! Shall we meet the Queen with our fruits bare for the lady to see as well?” He paused… looking down Nimueh. “Present company excluded from this new revelation, I suppose.” “I- This is… I didn’t mean to offend you.” Nimueh stammered. “But that’s the rule. Nature doesn’t know about clothes. If you don’t take them off when you go looking for the tree the forest will keep attacking you. You could fight.” She looked straight at Farwaen with a knowing look. “But eventually you’ll tire and the night will come and you still won’t have found the tree. You won’t ever find it if you carry marks of civilization with you. This I know as a fact.” Something swirled in Farwaen’s eye, something grey and fluid. His expression changed at Nimueh’s words and his voice deepened. “Is that a challenge?” Nimueh met his eyes but showed only pity now. “It’s not. In fact, I don’t think you understand. This tree is divine. You won’t find it unless it lets you.” “And it wishes to find me naked?” Farwaen squinted. “It wants you as natural as you can be.” “And yet it asked me to be declawed and deshelled, and now to bear myself nude,” Farwaen cradled his chin in thought. “I’ll play its game, but I do deplore its requirements and find the fascination with my natural state to be pervasive and deeply disturbing, let it be noted.” “Noted.” Hafface answered for Nimueh. Farwaen tipped his head. “Thank you, Squire. Now disrobe, I shall close my eyes and scour the forest blind and natural — apparently.” The man ripped his cloth belt off in one swipe. “N-No no no!” Nimueh quickly interjected. “Right now you’re protected by me. I can guide you back to the edge of the forest where your shield and weapon rests.” She then looked past the eidolon at Hafface. “You don’t have to accompany him if you don’t want to. You can stay fully dressed unless you go into the forest without me nearby.” “I know I don’t!” Hafface yelped. “I don’t have to be doing any of this!” “Then why are you here?” Farwaen was retightening the belt he had around his waist. Hafface scoffed as if the answer was obvious but then fell silent. Farwaen blinked. Frowning, Hafface shook her head. “I want to see what happens.” “Well then, if that is so, you know what to do.” Farwaen ripped his belt off once again and tied it over his eyes. His white robes slacked without the support of the belt, and he easily pulled them off. Blindly, he threw the clothes over Nimueh’s head. “Hold onto that for me,” Farwaen said as he kicked off his strapped sandals. Another set of clothes landed over the robes Farwaen tossed over Nimueh and Hafface called out, “ready.” “I-I’ll…” Nimueh stammered as the knight’s far larger clothes fell over. The zena quickly uncovered herself again but now was looking up like a deer smelling a predator nearby. Something only Hafface could see now. “I have to go.” She suddenly said looking sideways towards somewhere in the forest. “I wish you both all the luck I can give you. Really, I hope you’ll be successful Farwaen.” With those words said Nimueh shot up and transformed into an owl so she could fly away over the canopy. [hider=Summary] We pick up where we left off, with Farwaen and his newly appointed Squire, Hafface, attempting to contact Nimueh to seek out the Queen of Beasts. It is a simple matter of walking up to the forest line and calling out for her, which Farwaen does in such a way that was likely unnecessary. The duo meet Nimueh on a mossy rock and after a brief discussion and some defiant remarks, it is decided that the only way Phelenia would see or talk to Farwaen and Hafface is if they were to leave all their markings of civilization behind (including their clothes) and set themselves to walk into the forest to find a sacred tree. After further discussion, the duo agrees to this — but not before using Nimueh as a hamper — and now we are left with a (very naked) Eidolon who is wearing his cloth belt as a blind fold, and a, equally very au naturale elf wandering the deep and dark forest for a special tree like a 1970’s special. [/hider] [hider=Spirit]Farwaen Starting Spirit: 4 + 1 Featured in the post + 1 Focus of the post + 1 for medium post + 1 for collab Farwaen Ending Spirit: 8 Nimueh Starting Spirit: 11 + 1 Featured in a post + 1 for medium post + 1 for collab Nimueh Ending Spirit: 14 [/hider] [hider=Vigor]Phelenia starting vigor: 4 - 1: Create Monument (enhanced): Heart-tree of the Vale - A sacred tree blessed by Phelenia. Its fruit created the heraldess Nimueh. It holds control over the forest and cannot be found by mortals if it doesn’t wish to be found by them. Reaching it and eating its fruit is one of the very few surefire ways for mortals to gain an audience with the queen of life herself. Phelenia ending vigor: 3 [/hider]