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| Orathian Bjomolf |
Orathian walked in the brisk morning air, giving himself and
his pack some distance from the harsh and rueful eyes of Brescia and the
coughing dwarf woman and turned his gaze towards the solemn Ironcrags to the
north. The sun was on the rise, its unyielding rays causing Orathian’s weasel
to jump from the light to the druid’s other shoulder. Orathian smiled, summoned
his will and transferred his senses to his raven companion Zoltan flying
overhead trusting the white wolf Ghost to guard him while the druid was
temporarily distracted. They followed his every direction, the druid’s
companions, even into slimy dungeons; getting away from civilization would be
good therapy for the pack before traveling to Zobeck.
Using Zoltan’s senses, Orathian looked for a glade or other
suitable place of solitude on this the first day of Orathian’s retraining,
leaving behind his old warrior ways of Northman raiding to fully embrace the
druidic path. Ghost seemed to sense Orathian’s discovery because the wolf
howled as his master found a location that fit the druid’s needs.
A half hour later, the Weasel now sleeping in Orathian’s hip
sack and Zoltan perched on the druid’s shoulder, Orathian found what he had
seen with the raven’s eyes from over a mile away; it was a tree seemingly grown
independent from the soil of the earth. The curving tree’s green leaves were
tinged with red and sometimes brown, and provided a natural habitat for each
member of Orathian’s pack; tree boughs for Zoltan, small dark holes for Weasel,
and a canopy of roots over dry cool flat stone for the druid and Ghost.
Orathian set about immediately drawing power within him
before opening a dialogue with the tree, a meditative exercise that gathered
his will, but before he could continue a ripple from the tree caused the druid
to look closer. Orathian stood transfixed as a green light that began as a pin
hole parted the tree bark like heavy curtains as a beautiful green eyed woman
stepped lithely from the green light emanating from the trunk of the tree and
stood silently before the druid. The woman had small twigs, feathers, and leaves
weaved into the braids of her red locks; she wore a green gown magical boots
and a simple stick as a weapon. Behind her, the light was gone and the tree
appeared as it had before. She was a wild child and the druid loved her at
once.
Orathian’s mouth went dry, “Who are you?” Orathian said
without any measure of decorum and corrected himself. “I’m sorry, where are my
manners? Good morning my lady, I am the druid Orathian of the Northlands and
these are my pack.” He said as he motioned to Ghost and the rest. “May I have
the pleasure of knowing name?” At the druid’s side Ghost stood passively.
Several uncomfortable moments passed as Orathian struggled
to stay silent; Orathian was not very well spoken in the best of days, but in
front of this woman, he felt compelled to speak. The woman looked to his pack
and Orathian detected a glint of a smile and when he did it occurred to the
druid she was fey born and likely did not immediately understand him. Orathian
considered and instead addressed her in the druidic tongue, the effect was
immediate.
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| Brighid |
Her name was Brighid and she too was a druid and once the language
barrier was breeched, they talked into the night. She explained that the night
before she came to this very tree seeking to call her animal companion because
her path to that achievement deviated early in her travels. Brighid was a
cohort to Yngvi druid of the White Forest to the south following him instead of
following the call of the wild. Brighid eventually would explain how Yngvi died
successfully defending the Scarlet Citadel from dark beasts leaving her behind
and alone. Since then she has been looking for a ley line to tap into its
power, which is why she came here to this same tree.
Later that night lying naked
under the canopy of stars and the light of the moon, both druids, their legs
and arms wrapped around each other, “I can teach you how to call your companion
and create a bond with a pack of your own.” Orathian said offering his expertise
in exchange for her help in the remaining days before his travel to Zobeck.
“Thank you, but you too came
here for a reason,” Brighid said slyly. “Orathian, you did not tell me why you
came here.” A look of concern on her beautiful features.
“I must train, refocus my
talents, harden my resolve, and at the same time build a better bond with
Ghost.” He replied as it occurred to each of them they could help each other
out in ways neither of them could have dreamt.
