Fetzen
Frettzo
teenangstlife
Lord Zee
Neziul
Ariamis
rush99999
Simply Not Real
Shadowheart
The young man burst from the tree line, blood slick on his pale skin, sweat slick on his equally pale long flowing hair, his well toned muscles stringing as he fled. Behind him, the howling of wolves echoed through the woods.
Before him now were wonders that had been hidden by the canopy of the wolf woods. High, high above in the drifted gentle titans, pale blue sky whales sifting through flocks of krill that themselves sifted through columns of ash or descended to nibble on plants that floated through the air currents.
All of this drifted above a web of rivers all pouring down towards a central lake, and in between were rolling plains and shallow hills crested with green, across which herds of dark creatures grazed and were minded by taller things that he could not make heads or tails off. They looked like a bizarre fusion of man and a deer, adrenaline pumped man thought in the moments before the woods rustled behind him, and it became clear that he’d misjudged.
Just because he’d first encountered the wolves in the woods, that did not mean they could not come out. Though he was tired, and he didn't know where he could run too, all he could do was start running and pray. A few moments after he took off a pack of hunters burset from the treeline. Most were the common gray wolf, but at the rear, driving them forwards, came a hulking beast tall as a man, its fur pale and its eyes holding intelligence beyond mere beast, though that did not stop it from hungering for the flesh of man.
Paws and claws ripped up the tall grass as they ran after the man, jaws slathering as the man cursed first his dallying and then almost panicked as there were shouts from the deer humans he had ended up running towards, but with his heart hammering in his ears he had no idea what was shouted. Only when they came racing towards him, and in doing so they became clearer. Covered in fur black as night and armed with spears tipped with wickedly shaped points just as dark they came, and though he feared them in that moment, what else could he do but run headlong towards them and away from the wolves.
Then, suddenly, a howl from the towering packleader caught the ear of the beasts, and as one they ceased to hound him and instead fanned out into a loose formation around their leader, matching the width of the incoming spear-wielder's own charge.
The man had glanced back to see this, and when he looked forwards again the deer people were suddenly upon him and the world dissolved into chaos. Spear and hoof fought tooth and claw until the grass was slick with blood, and then it was all over. The pack-leader fled, sacrificing the last of his pawns to save it’s own life, and leaving the victorious warriors and the man cowering in their midst.
Then the human torso of one of the creatures detached itself from the body of the deer line thing and in that moment of human contact things became clear.
The man wearing clothes made of the dark wool of the goat herds his people tended too approached, using his his obsidian tipped spear for support as he moved away from his horse with a midnight back coat, and asked “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine” the man lied, and then promptly collapsed into the other man’s arms.
Several days recovery and an explanation later, and the messenger of Anak'thas found himself in a little boat made of reeds sailing down the rivers to reach the 12th node. At first he passed by mostly natural land, the only humanity he saw living there similar to the goat herders he had met, as well as the odd band of hunters chasing after swift hares.
As they got closer to the node however, small towns started to crop up, mostly made of hide tents surrounding cores of buildings made from stone or wood, and surrounded by farmland where rows of berry bushes, melons and root vegetables sprouted, tended by hard working farmers.
The city around the node was the same as the villages writ large. Farmland surrounded the banks of the grand lake, much of it on the far shore where he was told the soil had been enriched by the tall smoking mountain they passed under the shadow of. While tents could be seen among these farms, the city surrounding the 12th node hosted the largest collection of solid structures in the region, built from stone and wood all floated downstream from queries and wood cutting operations found around somewhere called stone lake. All this arrived via small wooden docks, which the man was let off at and form which he made his way through the city towards his destination.
At the heart of this stood a temple complex made of exquisite marble, surrounded by a rugged and practical Granite wall on all sides. The man, who’s name was Finley, thought it was quite a shame to hide the temple behind the wall like that, though it did mean the effect of its magnificence coming into view all at once upon being welcomed in via the main (never once closed) gateway was quite overwhelming.
The temple was surrounded by a colorful garden containing flowers and plants from all across the region. It was split into two halves, one was artfully arranged and could be traveled by winding paths was for recreation, the other was rigidly organized and was attended to by a group who Finley where told where a mix of apothecaries and cooks who where trying to find uses for all the plants that had been discovered.
The temple itself meanwhile was the largest structure Finley had ever seen, and it continued a myriad of marvels and mundanities both. At its heart sat the node itself, locked away in a defensible core of the facility, while around it where rooms containing treasures, gold and silver trinkets, glistening jewls, the bones of a spinosaurus, great wolf skulls, artfully crafted statues, intricate carvings and more, all on display for visitors to see. Each was a little inscription that he was told explained who had offered the object, some details about it, and what they had gotten in exchange.
Much of what had been given in return for these offerings sounded fantastical, but the horned man guiding him through the complex explained that Xavior had insisted that the objects were mundane, simply made with materials and skills that where presently beyond them. An unbelievable fact, considering what was acquired was often made from a material known as ‘steel’ that made the recently invented copper tools seem as if made of clay by comparison.
More mundane than these wonders were several classrooms where the horned priests of Xavior passed on his node gifted knowledge to those who wished to learn it, who would then go out and spread it far and wide. There were also offices for people called bureaucrats, and a meeting hall for the city's leaders, whom Finley was surprised to find were not selected by their god but instead by the people of the city itself. The god naturally sat at the head of this group, but they were empowered by him to act on behalf, and so it was not there that he ended up meeting Xavior even though they were at that moment in session.
When he did meet the god, Finley found him dressed richly. He wore the finest of black robes sown with silver threads, was adorned with a wolfskin cloak and his hair was decorated with a colorful array of velociraptor feathers. He was also kneeling before a pain looking farmers and in the midst of setting the man’s broken leg.
His hands glowed softly, and the farmer's look of pain vanished in an instant to his look of slight surprise. He began to profusely thank the god, but Xavior waved him off as if it was nothing as he stood and then turned to addressed Finley.
“My apologies for making you wait, today’s healing session took a little longer than anticipated. I do hope you enjoyed the tour in the meantime?” He asked with a smile.
As Finley replied that it was no issue and he had enjoyed it he was led to a nearby meeting room. There, over refreshments, he explained why he was here. He had been sent to deliver a message to Benea by Anak'thas, only to discover that the goddess was not here, and had instead traveled on to another node, though not one that he could receive direct directions to from any he had met. He also feared he would not make the journey on his own, as the travel here had almost claimed his life already.
“I’m very sorry for your altercation with the wolves. They were Benea’s ideas, but seem to have outstripped either of our intentions for them for an unknown reason. Attempts to resolve the problem have proved… bloody” Xavier apologized before asking “Are you at liberty to divulge the nature of this message to me in her stead?”
Finley found little reason not to, and so explained in short Anak'thas’ plan to claim node 14, a thing that had likely already occurred by now. At some prodding he also explained what the god had already created, and his treatment of the human in his charge. As Finley had left just after the node was made, he was light on details, but he did what he could to sate the god’s curiosity.
“Benea will not be pleased. This goes against her plans… not that I am sure she ever communicated them to Anak’thas,” Xavior said thoughtfully while stroking his beard contemplatively, before turning his attention back to Finley.
“Regarding your intent to travel onward to Benea, I can acquire for you an escort, transport and provisions. The latter you will most certainly need, for the node Monica intended to claim has but a single way though, and I do not know what lies on the other side or if there is foraging available along it's rout. On that note, I will provide this aid on a condition: you will discover why the 11th node is in the state that it is, and report it back to me, as well as any other news Benea wishes to convey once you discover her. Is that a fair deal? Should you learn of anything outside those parameters that might also be of use to me, I may grant you a boon for hat knowledge also”
Finley thought that this was a fair deal indeed. They shook on it, and the very next day he and an escort of a half dozen riders (all furnished/paid with a new set divinely gifted recurved composite bow bows and provisioned with food from the city’s collective stores) set out west to deliver Anak’thas’ message.
A day later, another , larger, band set out, this one traveling north to find a safe passage through the wolfwoods bordering nodes 11 and 12. Once through they would to get the lay of the land, make contact with whatever human population Anak’thas had left behind there and to then travel onwards to meet the god himself, so as to gift the god himself with the knowledge of Benea’s coming displeasure with him, as well as to enquire about any other plans he might have, and to request the sharing of their nodes with one another. He also sent a few simple gifts in the form of several horses of both sex, a set of obsidian knives and the seeds with which to grow olive trees as a show of good faith.
