It was one of the few truly wooded areas in Esulius and also one of the few untouched by the mushrooms and their spores. A day's walk to make one's way through it was all it took, and here she was turned around to go back through and explore an area her party had skipped. She stepped silently through the trees, her lithe, slender frame moving with an almost ethereal grace. The light from the rising moon glimmered over her dark hair and caused her mossy-green eyes to shine in the shadowed span of the trees whose branches she kept having to duck and twist and turn to avoid, as she moved through them. She wasn't one, normally, to leave her party without at least speaking to Galadion about it, but this night was different. The others were resting for the next day's plans, and she had seen something in their travels the day before that she felt she had to explore. If she didn't, she just might have to count herself as mad. Most would think her to be so, if they were to find out that her little exploration had started with a 'real world' dream, but Lorelei was certain that a dream was not exactly what she had experienced last evening, the whole thing had been much too vivid, much too real, more like a vision, and she knew she had heard that voice before, she had to find out if she was correct, in her thinking. She was almost certain that the voice had been the AI from here in the game, Terrasphere, but was she really playing the game so much that she was dreaming of it? It had been ages since she'd even heard the AI. Anyway, that's what she was planning to find out before she had to be back to her party. She just needed to know if she was losing her mind, or not. So far, she had followed the path that would backtrack her on the day's travels, perfectly, and she smiled to herself as she came upon a twisted, old oak tree, who's shape favored that of a slender, young and pregnant woman. She stopped to place her hand on the knotted expanse of the trunk that resembled the swollen belly. She stood there, remembering how, even in her dream she had thought it resembled the statuettes of the Mother Goddess, that she had seen in one of her old foster mother's rooms. She couldn't help but ponder over the oddity of how it was actually present here, this tree of which she had dreamed. Shaking her head slightly she tried to clear her thoughts. The tree had been what had sparked her memory of the dream and she needed to make sure she did this correctly if she was going to be certain. Glancing around for a moment, listening for the possibility of dangers, she took a right into the trees and off the lightly beaten path she had been following. Keeping her eyes peeled for the sign she believed she would come upon in just a few moments, she kept her ears perked to the sounds around her, though so far, nothing seemed out of place. Side-stepping a fallen log she raised a brow, as she saw the seemingly impenetrable wall of ivy and honeysuckle before her. Shaking her head at the fact that so far her dream had not proven to be wrong, she bit against her bottom lip, pondering over the possibilities. What were the odds of it all being here, in the game, and what would she find if she continued? She took a left as she reached the wall and began to walk along it. The long, slender fingers of her right hand trailed along the green mass, combing and brushing through the foliage as if they were searching for something. She continued like this for a few yards or so, before, suddenly, pitched to the side. She caught her balance, quickly, as her hand sunk into the foliage. She had found it, just as she felt she would, but would she really find what she believed to be behind the wall? She quickly regained her composure and pushed the vines aside, where she had found them to be thinner and stepped through the opening, her eyes scanning the very large area before her. It was a beautiful scene, indeed. She marveled at the familiar, yet not so familiar expanse of the place as she looked around. The light, of the moon, did not even penetrate the canopy the trees formed over this place, but she could see as if it were the brightest night of the year, from the light of the fireflies dancing everywhere. The trees themselves grew larger than any she had so far seen in the land that was Terrasphere. Their branches grew in such a manner as to make what appeared to be paths, out of themselves. Paths that ran in twists and turns above the lush, emerald greens of the grasses on the forest floor, and the small brook running through the center of the area shimmered a clear, crystalline blue, as it babbled and bubbled softly along its bed. In the crooks of every tree shone lights that seemed to glow from windows and upon closer inspection, she realized that was just what they were. Windows! Windows in structures that seemed to be molded into the trunks of the trees, themselves. Her dream had not prepared her for the splendor this unknown place truly held. She continued to look around, knowing there was a reason she was here, but unsure if she would find it. She moved carefully through the place stepping easily along the path-like branches. She stopped to peer through a few of the windows in some of the lower buildings, her brow furrowing in confusion. The light seemed to come from nowhere, and the places all seemed empty. What exactly was it she had found, and what exactly was it that had led her here? She stopped as she saw a tree stump appear before her. It was rather large, even compared to the other trees, and she couldn't help but marvel at its structure. It seemed to have been ripped away nearly at its base, its edges ragged and torn and it's color dull compared to the rest of the wooded clearing. It was obvious that this tree had been purposely removed, but why? And where were the people that went with these houses? Why was she here and why had she had that dream? The questions reeling through her head were many, but there was no guarantee that she would find her answers. @Galadion
The sun had been down for some time as Galadion sat there upon a wooden stump and stared into the dying flames of the campfire that he had created many hours ago, his attention had been completely stolen by tactical thoughts on how to begin the mission to retake the country of Yladia. There was so much that he was going to have to get ready, so much support that he as going to need before this dream was ever to become a reality, he knew this it wasn't like he was stupid but he just felt like if he never took that first step on the road towards his goal then it would never go anywhere. This entire quest had been his idea and because of that, everything that came with it landed squarely on his shoulders and his shoulders alone, if they needed financial funding then it was up to him to find a way to make it happen, if they needed allies then it was his responsibility to find them. There was time where he wondered if he hadn't bitten off more than he could chew, if he would ever really be able to accomplish what he was setting out to do but there was one thing that he knew for sure and that was he would never know for sure if he never put forth the effort. He allowed his gaze the shift from the flames to all of the sleeping adventures who had accepted his request and came when he called, to this he would forever be grateful especially to a specific group of four other players. They had all met each other before he sent them the request to come to aide him in the quest, granted there was one out of the four that he really didn't care for all that much, he had the worst personality that a person could possibly have be the man had skills and he was going to need as many skilled people as he could find he if was going to accomplish this goal of his. It was at this time that the silver optics of his detected movement, his entire body tensed up as he was instantly ready for combat but when he turned his head in the direction that he had noticed the movement coming from all he was met was with was the sight of Lorelei leaving the camp. This was entirely out of character for as she would at least normally tell him that she was leaving, he had chosen the role of an assassin and just like him while she was within the world of Terrasphere she was completely immersed in her character something that he commended her for. All to few players in this game seemed to live the life of their character completely while they were here which was something that he just didn't understand I mean wasn't that the entire point of playing a role-playing game? To be someone else? She may have been an assassin but she was still a new player to this world and this particular region of the game was extremely hostile and unfriendly towards new players who found themselves alone out in the darkness. There were dozens of species of creatures that were indigenous to this region that could tear her limb from limb out here on her own, she may be his bodyguard but this time it was his job to protect her...no that wasn't right, he was the King, it was always his job to protect her. And not just her, it was his responsibility to protect every single person that came to put their trust in him and recognized him as their King. Raising to his feet he slowly made his way over to where she had got and followed her at a small distance, he didn't want to intrude on whatever it was that she was doing be he also wanted to be close enough so that he could come to her aid if he needed him. Step by step he followed the assassin while all the while wondering where it was that she was even going, somehow it seemed as if she already knew where it was that she was going like she had a built in gps or something. But of course this was impossible as there game didn't even offer a function like that one so how was it that she was able to navigate a completely foreign region that was currently held in the grasp of darkness. He didn't have the answer to this question but he was going to follow her until he got the answer that he was looking for, it didn't take long until he followed her into a setting that seemed as if it had been followed directly out of a fantasy novel and with that he could't just follow in silence anymore, he had to know what was going on "What is this place Lorelei?"
She stopped as she heard Galadion's voice behind her, but she didn't, yet, turn around. Her mossy-toned hues still were looking over the strange landscape before her; taking in small details here and there. Some of the things she began to notice were quite discreet. The houses in the trees, for example; as her eyes began to focus more on them, it could be seen that there were small cracks in the bark that appeared to cover both them and the massive trees. It gave an indication that they had been built into the trees, rather than the appearance of being formed from them that she was certain one was meant to take from the spectacle. This bit of knowledge only left her with more unanswered questions, as she turned her attention to the flowing waters that split the clearing nearly in two. The brook itself flowed from a cluster of rocks at the far end of the clearing, its clear waters bubbling and babbling past where she stood and back towards the entrance. This, though, was where she had to stop and wonder what exactly was going on with even the water. The small stream stopped a few feet from the entrance to the clearing, there was no 'mouth' to be seen. Instead, it seemed as if it simply ended, or perhaps it shifted to begin flowing beneath the ground. There was another rock formation there, and surely if the rocks were simply in the way of the water, it would have caused a dam or a split to the stream, right? She wasn't sure of the answer, but she knew it wasn't something she could come up with just by looking. She was beginning to wonder if somehow the game's AI had connected with her mind a little too closely, or possibly the opposite was true? Was that even possible? She tried to push the thoughts away as she continued to scan the structures around them. The branches that moved up and around the clearing, forming the platforms and paths of what appeared to be the very small settlement or encampment, she began to notice, were made much the way the houses were. They were built, only to be covered in the bark or bark-like textured wood that helped to blend them to the trees. The questions were teeming through her mind now. She had so many and she wasn't certain she would be able to find the answers; especially to the one her chosen King had ask her. Turning to Galadion, finally, the dark-haired woman shook her head, slowly. Her hands moved from her sides to give an indicative shrug towards the clearing, as her face took on an expression of pure confusion. It was a look she was certain he wouldn't be used to seeing on her, but it was also one she could not control at this point. “I am not sure, M'Lord, nor am I certain I can properly answer the other questions I am sure you have.” She said, as she turned from him once more, her mossy-hues once more scanning the area. She was uncertain of what to do at this point. Galadion was a player much like herself. He very rarely, if ever, broke character. In order to explain herself, though, she would have to do so. Would he want to hear even the small explanation she could give him, if she were to do so, though? The more she thought about it, the more she realized she really had no choice. “Forgive me for this, Gal, but I don't know how else to explain. I don't know really what this is. I only know that I saw it in a dream. A dream out of the game. I only happened to realize it; even to remember it, when we passed a certain tree earlier. I had to come back and see if I was right or if I had simply imagined it...And now, here we are.” She shook her head once more, as she ended her short explanation and she turned her head to scan back over the place once more, waiting to see how he would react to her words.
Standing there he allowed his silvery optics to slowly take in the scene around him, it truly was a most beautiful sight to behold but there was more to it than that, as a magic caster he could feel the overwhelming magical power the seemed to radiate within the very air of this place. He would have to remember the location of this place for future purposes as it would make a great place to leach off the ambient magical energy to cast even more potent and powerful spells that he would normally be able to without its assistance. Slowly ideas were already beginning to form in his head for plans that would include the use of the excessive magical power that seemed so heavy upon the air that he could literally almost feel it like a pressure upon his skin, well that was assuming that the mechanics of this world would even allow him to use an outside magical source to power his spells or not. He began to wonder exactly how this place came to be, it didn't look as if it was created through any natural means so perhaps someone in the passed had used powerful Nature Magic to create his current surroundings. If that had been the case it would explain the reason that the air felt so heavy with magical power but if that was true then who had they been, they had obviously been an extremely powerful user of Nature Magic that much was completely obvious. Slowly he made his way over to the stream that ran through the clearing and dipped his fingers into the cool water, feeling the small and gentle current that it possessed and he could feel the overwhelming amount of magical power that ran through the water as well which caused him to narrow his eyes. The longer he was inside this mysterious area and more question that it presented to him what kind of magic could have been cast here the would even make the water itself teeming with mana? Lowering his hand he reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a rolled up looking piece of paper, it was a magical scroll that he had written himself using his vocational skill of Magecrafting. This particular scroll itself was titled 'Summon Goblins', looking around he tossed the scroll into the air "Summon Goblins", as soon as the words left his mouth the scroll levitated in the air before erupting in a blue flame that consumed the paper releasing the magical spell that had been inscribed upon it. Once the paper itself was completely destroyed by the flames a large portal appeared in the air next to him and several small grey skinned Goblins walked out of them and looked around taking in the sight around them. Turning their heads the leader of their small party stepped forward and looked up at him "Master, what are your orders for these ones?" He turned his head and looked down at the creatures that he had called forth to his side from the magical scroll and nodded his head, these Goblins were completely tame and would never lift a finger to harm him in any way, instead it was exactly the opposite they would lay their lives down to protect him. Not only that but these creatures wouldn't make a single move if he didn't give them the order to do so, he was able to summon these creatures because of his Summoning Magic Mastery, he may have only been at the Adept Tier in that particular mastery but it still allowed him to summon a vast variety of different creatures. Would he be able to do the same thing if he had taken the Awakened Mastery Necromancy, would he be able to write scrolls that called forth undead creatures the way the he had written the one to call forth the Goblins? It would be a experiment that he would love to put to the test when he had more time, staying up all night just before they had a big raid ahead of them tomorrow wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas really, he would need to be at his best if he was going to protect his friends adequately. Returning his focus back to the goblin captain he decided what he wanted them to do "I need you to spread out and investigate the area around here. I want to know everything there is to know about it, if there are any people hiding here, are there weapons or perhaps some form of treasure that is hidden or anything that might prove useful to me". Taking a step back he watched as his summoned minions set about the task that they had been given as he turned his attention to the female assassin that he had followed to this place and noticed that was the first time that he had ever seen her break character, something that he just refused to do no matter what the situation. Perhaps she had seen this place during her travels before she had come to pledge herself to his serve and had just been reminded of it when they had gotten close to this area? It wasn't exactly unheard of I mean it made more sense that her having a dream or vision in the real world about a place that she hadn't ever even seen yet in the games world, while magic may exist here it damn sure didn't exist in the real world so the explanation had to be something different.
She shook her head as she let her gaze move across the area. It was genuinely beautiful. There was no way for them to be able to tell if it were crafted by players or if it were a part of the game's design. What she didn't understand was why it seemed empty; abandoned. Who would make something like this and then leave it to the elements? Rather it was made to be a part of the game or some players crafted it, there had to have been a reason. There had to have been some secret it held or purpose it served, right? So what was it, and why had she found her way here? She could tell from the look on Galadion's face that he didn't believe her about her dream. It was fine. He didn't have to. She had to admit that she could see where it would seem far-fetched, but this was the first time she had been through this particular area, so she couldn't credit the possibility of residual memory for the circumstances either. She wasn't certain, herself, what was going on. Perhaps the game had infected her head somehow. She didn't really care to find out if that was the truth of it, either, though. No, she was more interested in what the truth behind the area itself was. She shook the thoughts from her head as she turned her eyes back to the man to whom she had sworn her loyalty and sword. He was casting, a summoning of sorts, apparently, and she watched as his goblins appeared. She listened to the exchange between the sorcerer and the goblins. “Do you think there could be some secret here?” She asked him. She couldn't help but wonder. The place seemed so magical, There was always a chance of finding some book of magic or other items, right? The confusion was real for her, but also, so was the interest. Moving to step across the clearing, slowly, she peered through the windows in a few of the house-like structures. They appeared to be small cottages. She could see inside the ones she had looked there was a table, chairs, a single bed, and a cooking area. They were basically glorified tents. Cabins it seemed, but it also looked like the place had been empty for a while. “Hey, Gal. You think there's any chance that this place was made in the game just to be a camp-area of sorts?” The question might have seemed odd, but at the same time, she couldn't think of anything else for it, aside from maybe a settlement, but if that was the case, where was the evidence of life? The questions were beginning to form again, and she didn't like it. She didn't care for the fact that she couldn't seem to find an explanation at all. Of course, that was also part of the game. It was observation, learning, survival; it was life. Moving further through the clearing, she made sure to not disturb much, as she stepped around the structures. “There you go. Let his goblins to the hard work. You just wander around.” That annoying voice in her head. How wonderful. She had thought she had finally gotten it to stop. It had been a while since she'd had to deal with it, after all. She shoved it away and continued her exploration. She had made it about halfway across the clearing when she stopped. Her ears twitched at just the slightest sound that had echoed against their depths. It had sounded like a footstep. Something was coming. It took her only a moment to be back at Gal's side. She remained silent, as she looked around, before looking back at the Sorcerer she viewed as King. “Something is coming.” She said as she let her mossy-green hues scan towards the direction of the clearing's entrance. What she saw pushing through the brush and vines, though, caused her to still in her movements. It looked much like a cross between a tree and a mushroom. The mushroom-like 'caps' that adorned its head and the ends of what she assumed to be its hands were a dark-blue with light-blue, almost white spots. It's 'body' was of the same light-blue and it seemed to have dark-blue fungi of the same sort sprouting over the majority of its body. What's more is it had a face. It was actually looking at them with eyes wide and dark. “GAL, IS THAT A MYCONID,” She asked? Her voice was a whisper, but the shock behind it was apparent.
