"I was curious Iselore, something stirs in the wind and in the back of my mind, I sought answers." You state meeting his predatory gaze with a prideful glare.
He nods slowly, then turns back to the elf maiden who glares at you with all the hatred she can muster, they turn to discuss matters in private.
"Another enemy made, best join the damn queue woman!" You chuckle to yourself.
A large hand falls on your shoulder and a deep voice rumbles. "Making friends again I see!"
You turn to find your old friend Nathaniel, the Archdruid. He grasps your shoulders in his huge paws, and looks at you for a while, his huge teeth set in a happy grin, and his big brown eyes searching yours. "Are you well Black Wolf?" He asks.
"Bonny and braw as ever my friend, a few more scars and a few more secrets, but that's life eh?"
He nods happily and leads you to his little house, one huge arm about your shoulders.
"I could have sworn it was your Da come again when I saw you facing down Iselore Wolf, you're just as stupid and proud!" His laugh takes any sting from the words.
Soon you are sat by Nathaniel's fire, sipping from tumblers of burning Heartwine, the cluttered and overgrown root laden innards of his home unchanged, even after so long. Here you sat when you wished to escape the gloom of your home, listening to the roots complain and Nathaniel telling his tales of Druids long gone and heroics now all but forgotten. Here you learned of your heritage and the reason for your fathers death, and the Druid held you as you cried for your dead father, shedding tears your mother would count as weakness in a son of the Black Wolf.
"Welcome home Wolf." And with Nathaniels greeting you realise that yes, this is home for you.
You sit and talk until the wee hours, chatting of the world outside and the Dale across the mountains, until finally the Archdruid claps his knees and sighs.
"So old man, have you decided to tell me why you called?" You ask sensing his reluctance.
"Aye, aye I have." He looks into the fire, and begins his little speech. "You remember the master mage Orrick, ach of course you do he taught you your letters and such, well his lifes work is nearly complete and he and Iselore have decided that the great Oak must be protected."
"Protected?" You ask leaning forward, you know full well that the eyes of bird, beast and insect watch over the vale, and Iselore restrains massive powers.
"Yes, twice now in the recent past the vale has been threatened and the last time the tree itself was wounded, it still bears the scars." He winces as if remembering, then shakes his head and continues. "There are banes out there against which Iselore would falter and the tree itself would wither, forces of darkness and entropy from the lower planes and other more familiar evils."
"To stop them, to finally grant the tree peace, Iselore and Orrick have decided to call upon the most powerful and potent of old Elven magics. They are going to cast a Mythal over Kuldahar, and remove the Oak from the normal flow of time and space." He looks up at you, his eyes apologetic. "At Midwinter six months hence Kuldahar will disappear from the world, the planes will be aligned perfectly and the opportunity will not come again for a century or more."
"This is why I called you home Black Wolf."
You collapse back into your armchair, stunned into silence. Nathaniel watches you from under his shaggy brows, rolling his tumbler between his big hands.
Finally you gather your wits and respond.
What do you say?
He nods slowly, then turns back to the elf maiden who glares at you with all the hatred she can muster, they turn to discuss matters in private.
"Another enemy made, best join the damn queue woman!" You chuckle to yourself.
A large hand falls on your shoulder and a deep voice rumbles. "Making friends again I see!"
You turn to find your old friend Nathaniel, the Archdruid. He grasps your shoulders in his huge paws, and looks at you for a while, his huge teeth set in a happy grin, and his big brown eyes searching yours. "Are you well Black Wolf?" He asks.
"Bonny and braw as ever my friend, a few more scars and a few more secrets, but that's life eh?"
He nods happily and leads you to his little house, one huge arm about your shoulders.
"I could have sworn it was your Da come again when I saw you facing down Iselore Wolf, you're just as stupid and proud!" His laugh takes any sting from the words.
Soon you are sat by Nathaniel's fire, sipping from tumblers of burning Heartwine, the cluttered and overgrown root laden innards of his home unchanged, even after so long. Here you sat when you wished to escape the gloom of your home, listening to the roots complain and Nathaniel telling his tales of Druids long gone and heroics now all but forgotten. Here you learned of your heritage and the reason for your fathers death, and the Druid held you as you cried for your dead father, shedding tears your mother would count as weakness in a son of the Black Wolf.
"Welcome home Wolf." And with Nathaniels greeting you realise that yes, this is home for you.
You sit and talk until the wee hours, chatting of the world outside and the Dale across the mountains, until finally the Archdruid claps his knees and sighs.
"So old man, have you decided to tell me why you called?" You ask sensing his reluctance.
"Aye, aye I have." He looks into the fire, and begins his little speech. "You remember the master mage Orrick, ach of course you do he taught you your letters and such, well his lifes work is nearly complete and he and Iselore have decided that the great Oak must be protected."
"Protected?" You ask leaning forward, you know full well that the eyes of bird, beast and insect watch over the vale, and Iselore restrains massive powers.
"Yes, twice now in the recent past the vale has been threatened and the last time the tree itself was wounded, it still bears the scars." He winces as if remembering, then shakes his head and continues. "There are banes out there against which Iselore would falter and the tree itself would wither, forces of darkness and entropy from the lower planes and other more familiar evils."
"To stop them, to finally grant the tree peace, Iselore and Orrick have decided to call upon the most powerful and potent of old Elven magics. They are going to cast a Mythal over Kuldahar, and remove the Oak from the normal flow of time and space." He looks up at you, his eyes apologetic. "At Midwinter six months hence Kuldahar will disappear from the world, the planes will be aligned perfectly and the opportunity will not come again for a century or more."
"This is why I called you home Black Wolf."
You collapse back into your armchair, stunned into silence. Nathaniel watches you from under his shaggy brows, rolling his tumbler between his big hands.
Finally you gather your wits and respond.
What do you say?