So it Begins

[Author]

Evelyn, Knives and Theo all walked along the great river heading west. They had already crossed the bridge out of Reyland, and could see the mountains of the Worldnose on the distant horizon. They walked along the edge of a treeline, which stopped where the ground slopped down about 10 feet to the river. The slope was now much higher on the far side as well.

Theo, Knives and Evelyn had all left the military after a civil war waged to keep the southern parts of Reyland in check. Evelyn, having grown up in the Ruschaw woods, was never that loyal to the crown, hoping to join the military to protect people, not keep them in line. Theo had a similar story, though he was pushed into the military by his traditional family. He was a scholar at heart, but he had clerical attunement and a desire to help people, so he made an apt field medic and ended up in Evelyn's unit. He was a large man for how soft hearted he was, and about 27 years old. He learned from war that life was too short not to do what you love, so despite the incredible risk, he decided to accept the offer to search for lost ruins and mystical things out in the fey infested forest. He knew his curiosity would get him killed eventually anyway.

Knives was a street rat, and joined the military to get out of the gang warfare. She was good at the gang warfare, mind you, but her moral compass started to catch up with her (she's lothe to admit that, but Ev could eventually tell that was the case). Still, she didn't care for civil wars either, and romping around in the woods with her friend-with-benefits sounded more fun. Not that the Ruschaw Woods are a walk in the park.

It was only an hour after dawn now, having recently packed up camp and headed out for the day.

"So I looked him in the eye and explained that anyone my size doesn't last very long making empty threats..." Knives said, recounting another fun tale from her street days. She always seemed to have too much fun with people who underestimated her.

[Artemis]

Evelynn smirks and readjusts the strap holding her sword over her shoulders. "Was this the guy that you stabbed in the thigh later on? After he blew up your cargo with a alchemical admixture?"
Her breastplate is dented and worn down, rather unlike the breastplates of the other officers she used to work with in the Renyland national army. From the waist down leather padding, similar to an armored kilt protects her upper legs while knee high metal combat boots secure the rest. In her hand is a half empty tankard of some alcohol of sorts that she's been slowly sipping down during the first hour of the walk. A simple round metal shield finishes the look of the armored knight, secured to her back by the same leather strap that holds her curved blade and it's scabbard. The only remarkable thing about her is a glowing crystal, its colors slowly shifting between the entire spectrum of light that hangs around her neck.
"Think I might have ran into him back in the war, if he's the same guy."

[Author]

"Sol's rays Ev, I stabbed a *lot* of people in the thigh. I think he might've done that to try and get back at me for stabbing him, but it was his fucking fault for trying to stiff me. Some people..."

After a moment Ev and Knives realize Theo remained a few paces behind them. Turning around they see him looking at something in the forest.

[Artemis]

Ev tilts her head curiously, then raises one hand up to the blade on her back. "Something the matter Theo?" She asks in a seemingly calm and mundane tone.

[Author]

"I think I see someone else's campfire..." he motions for the girls to follow.

[Artemis]

Evelynn pulls the blade out and unclips her shield, hoisting it up on her left arm and following behind Theo. Her stance changes, dropping the center of her body lower and causing her body to tense up, ready to move on a hairs trigger. After taking a moment to thank the gods for her armor not making any noise, she starts to stalk behind Theo silently.

[Author]

Theo points to the spot and lets the shield bearer go first. Sure enough, they come across the recent ruins of simple campfire, but no tent. or anyone nearby.

"Another wanderer I suppose, or maybe there's a village nearby..."

[Artemis]

[[15 perception roll]]
Evelynn holds her sword hand up at a right angle, a signal to the rest to be silent, then spins her fist around signaling them to search the perimeter. She herself scans the treeline, looking for any signs of movement in the woods.
"Last thing we need is a bandit giving his friends a lead on us..." She mutters under her breath.

[Author]

Evelyn sees nothing in the treeline, but she does hear a small rustling above her... she looks up to see a person sleeping in the branches well above her

[Artemis]

She signals to the others to hold, then points at their sleeping friend with the business end of her sword. She moves into position below him, then waits for the others to get near her.

[Author]

Knees fills her hands with her namesake from the numerous places on her leather armor where they are kept.

"Want me to climb up there and hold a knife to his throat?" Knives whispers.

[Artemis]

Evelynn shakes her head. "No, no let's be more pleasant then that. He seems to be alone, and sleeping out of sight. Best guess a traveler like us." Then she smirks at Knives, before loudly banging the flat of her sword across her shield.

[Author]

The figure jolts awake, falls off his perch, falls down a few branches with some painful sounding cracks, then catches himself where the trio can better see him - a stunningly beautiful half-Elven man in simple pants and a low cut tunic. "Well," he says" there are worse things to wake up to out here.

[Artemis]

Eve lets out a chuckle, then uses her blade to point at Knives. "You should have heard her idea, it was killer." Her eyes flick over the man, taking in his details quickly. "Thats... a really low cut shirt. Isn't that the type of clothing comely buxom wenches wear in bars?"

[Author]

"Hey it's comfortabel. I am comely aren't I?" he says.

"You had to deny me a closer look," Knives whispers.

[Artemis]

"Knives, girl like you? I'm sure you can just get a closer look whenever he goes to sleep." Ev whispers back.
"So friend, who are you exactly?" She says, turning to address the not-quite-primordial sex god.

[Author]

"Call me Ren, just a travelling swordsman from the far west. And you all? Not planning to rob me are you?"

[Artemis]

"I dunno, maybe your shirt. It seems like it would fit me and I could use a spare. But beyond that? Naaah, we aren't going to rob you. Travelers on the road ourselves." Eve sheaths her sword and shield, then offers out her hand to Ren. "Pleasure to meet you Ren, I'm Evelynn."

[Author]

"Yeah, some road this is huh? Hold on a sec." He climbs back up a few branches and tosses down a small backpack, grabs a sheathed sword and hops gracefully to the ground, then proceeds to shake Ev's hand.

"And I'm Theo," Theo says in a friendly manner also shaking his hand, and Knives more warily introduces herself as well.

Closer up now, Ev can see he looks to very much no be from around here. His eyes slant in a way Evelyn has not seen on the peoples she knows, and his sword, sheathed as it is, seems to be of an unfamiliar, lightly curved design.

[Artemis]

"So where are you from? You don't seem to be a from around this area, and it's rare to see a weapon like yours."

[Author]

"Well to be honest I'm not sure where my homeland is in relation to here, while back I uh... well that's a story for another time."

Knives raises an eyebrow.

"You going anywhere in particular? If I might ask, might as well stick together if we're going the same way."

"No offense, but I don't trust random people to be around while I sleep."

"So leave me out of your watch rotation? I assume you keep such a thing out here. Unless you also sleep in trees of course."

[Artemis]

"Not... exactly... How... Hmmm..." Eve seems to puzzle the situation over for a moment, turning around and walking away from the group while considering what they are about to get into.

[Author]

"Well hey, night is a ways off, I can make myself useful in the meantime... if you guys are the exploring type. I had come across something interesting yesterday but it's, uh, guardians were too much for me to handle on my own."

"Oh?" Theo raises his eyebrows. "Like a grove, or like a ruin?"

"Elven architecture I think," Ren replies.

[Artemis]

"Does it count as getting sidetracked when you stumble upon ruins while on your way to explore ruins?" Ev muses aloud, returning to address the party. "It's a lead, I don't see any reason to not go explore it. Unless it's a trap; in which case Knives knows what to do."

[Author]

"Yes I do," Knives says, glaring at Ran.

Ren puts his hands in front of him, "Heh, don't, don't need worry about that..."

"Getting sidetracked is part of the fun," Theo says.

"So long as you aren't getting sidetracked into a faerie trap of course."

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