[Bronze Wood] By the Banks of the Avitar

by **Aoren** on May 14th, 2013, 4:09 pm

30th Day of Spring, 513AV, Bronze Wood near the banks of the Avitar River.

Aoren brought the fingers of his right hand together creating a flurry of wind then thrust his hand out in front of him. The sphere of blue swirling gas rocketed forward toward the charging wolf intent on tackling Aoren to the ground. Never mind the two that were closely on its heels Aoren just wanted to catch them of guard. It zipped toward the beast urged onward by the reimancer's will then just as the sphere was about to reach the wolf Aoren twisted his wrist and clenched his fist. The sphere exploded and with it came winds strong enough to make a fully plated Knight stagger. The three wolves that had been stalking him were flung backward by the magically empowered gale. The Drykas wasted no time in reaching deep within himself searching for the spark of fire that burned at the core of his being and willed it to manifest in the palm of his outstretched hand. The summoned wind had not been enough to fling the wolves very far and had only served to deter their approach. Aoren glanced to the left. He glanced to the right doing his best to make sure that he was not being surrounded by more wolves. It had been some time since he was confronted by any sort of dangerous beast in the Bronze Wood. Usually he was careful to avoid the wild animals capable of ripping out his throat.

Today however it would seem that Fate had another thing in store for him. Aoren only wished that he had had the foresight to notice he was being followed by three hungry wolves. He ignited the outer layers of the sphere of Res he conjured creating a fireball that he threw aiming for the center of the three wolves. He cast it forward and the fireball jetted toward the center wolf before it had a chance to fully recover. It slammed into the wolf's haunches and the moment it made contact Aoren allowed the rest of the Res to ignite creating a concussive burst of flame that cascaded the immediate area around the beast with magical fire. The wolf that had taken the primary impact was severely burned as its fur caught fire almost instantly while the other two were merely singed. The burning wolves bounded away yelping in pain and defeat.

Aoren immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction. He wasn't going to chance another encounter with wild beasts. Especially wounded ones. Those were often the most dangerous. Aoren had gotten lucky today. He might not be so lucky in the future. Aoren jumped over a fallen tree using his quarterstaff as leverage to heft himself up over the log without having to cease his forward motion. He dug the butt end of the staff into the ground just near the base of the log and swung his body forward kicking his legs out so that the movement would carry him through the air. He let his hands slide along the smooth shaft of the quarterstaff until he was near the top end then he grasped it firmly as he twisted his torso sideways to completely the motion. He tilted his wrists so that the staff uprooted itself then he lightly released his hold allowing the progressive momentum to propel the staff forward at an angle over the log until it was nearly out of his grasp. At the last moment he tightened his grip and relaxed the muscles in his body as he impacted the ground so that the force of his landing wouldn't off-balance him.

He bent his knees and sprinted forward doing his best to get as much distance between him and the end of the riverbank he'd just been cornered by. He needed to head back toward Syliras. Thankfully he wasn't terribly far from the city. A few hours at best. The Avitar river was certainly long enough that he could still fill his waterskin and get away from those beasts. So Aoren kept running. He ran until his chest was heaving and he was out of breath. Finally he slowed himself down, stumbling a little with each step he took as he resisted his body's urge to keep going forward. Aoren planted his staff in the ground, adjusted the pack on his shoulder and looked back at the direction he'd come from. An expert tracker would have been able to follow the trail he left in his wake with ease. Stealth hadn't been Aoren's goal though. He'd just wanted to run. Today was not the day to test whether or not he was skilled enough to kill three wolves by himself.

Gasping for breath he meandered out of the woods toward where he heard the sound of running water. Hopefully the wolves had continued on their way toward the Sunset Falls where Aoren had been headed. He'd never been there and decided to give it a visit on his day off from work. Those plans however had gone up in smoke. Almost quite literally. He had stopped to fill his waterskin and had been confronted by the beasts on the opposite end of the very river he was headed toward now. As he cleared the foliage he dropped his pack at his feet and knelt before the riverbank allowing his staff to rest against his shoulder. He cupped his hands in the cool water and then brought them to his lips so that he could drink deeply.

"I think that's enough excitement for today." He managed to get out as his breathing was still elevated from his hasty escape. He'd chosen to run in the woods on solid ground rather than the sandy banks of the river so that he could get more footing. He did wonder whether or not it would have been better to just dive into the river itself but then he shook his head. Aoren looked from left to right then behind himself. His senses were on high alert now and he edged closer to the water. He didn't want those beasts to sneak up on him like they did before. When it didn't seem like he would be attacked again he relaxed a little and tugged off his boots and rolled up his pant legs so that he could dip his feet into the water.

"A little rest and then it's back to Syliras I go." He wanted to visit the falls but it didn't look like he was going to see them any time soon. So there he sat on the edges of the Avitar River nervous because he'd just been attacked by wolves but a little proud of himself because he'd managed to fend them off.

by **Aoren** on May 18th, 2013, 1:23 am

To say that Aoren was relieved was an understatement. He pulled his legs out of the water and folded them cross-legged style in the sand. He needed to calm down. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes focusing on the sound of the running water. He felt the spray of the fresh mist on his face. There was something beautiful about the peace that could be found in the open wilderness of the Bronze Woods. He spent as much time in it as possible. After a while Aoren exhaled and with that breath the last of his tension went with.

Rising from the river bank he stretched his legs then rolled down his pant legs and tugged on his boots. Shouldering his pack he adjusted the straps so that it sat comfortably on his back. He grabbed his quarterstaff and turned to start heading back to Syliras. He was still keeping his guard up. It would be unwise to tempt fate by being lax in his powers of observation. He kept his eyes trained to the trees. He peered between the trunks that stood silently like sentinels of the forest. He peered over his shoulder being careful to make sure he wasn't being followed by anything unsavory.

"Avalis watch over me. Guide me to safety or give me warning before my enemies set themselves upon me." It only made sense to Aoren that he pray to the one goddess that seemed to take an interest in his life. He knew of the gods. Or at least the ones that seemed to reign over the areas of his every day life. Rak'keli, goddess of healing. He had heard Mistress Blackeaf honor her often while she worked. He'd heard the name of Rhysol, Lord of all things wicked and evil. He knew of the seasonal gods and goddesses but of all the Divines none guided him so much as Avalis. The goddess of foresight. He bore her mark. Aoren didn't know why. He'd searched the divine threads of his own past but no such answers had ever presented itself.

But what mortal could truly grasp the mind of a god?

All of these thoughts passed through Aoren's mind as he walked the length of the Avitar river. Many things were like a river. A winding stream of endless chaos joined together for a single purpose.

It occurred to Aoren then that he wasn't quite sure what his was. He pondered for a moment that perhaps he should endeavor to find one.

by **Radiant** on July 19th, 2013, 4:09 pm

njaa

Aoren :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+1 XP
Reimancy	+2 XP
Running	+1 XP
Acrobatics	+1 XP
Meditation	+1 XP

Completed [Bronze Wood] By the Banks of the Avitar