Meditation – calming, soothing, reflective meditation.
Shattered by the screams of my family and friends back in our village.
Immediately the natural world forces surged through my body and mind,
propelling me quickly towards the chaos and noise. We knew they would return eventually…
The first time they came, the claimed to “own” the forest,
what a silly notion! Bandits have such absurd ideas; I don’t think I will ever
understand them. When they demanded payment it was all I could do not to laugh
out loud. Payment?!? These Bandits were not even aware of the natural forces
teeming and flowing though this cherished forest; and they wanted us to pay them?
How silly indeed.
The leader started getting aggressive and I could not help
but let out a hearty laugh. It surprised me when his blade flashed out and I
barely managed to duck back out of reach.
The other Bandits took a few steps back and withdrew blades & bows –
the fight was on. Fortunately, we were ready for such an outcome and using the
natural forces we forced them to flee.
That was only three days ago, now moving quickly through the
trees I started smelling smoke and the flicker of fires through the trees. I
knew the Bandits had returned, they never seemed to learn from their mistakes.
This was going to be fun…
Propelled by the wind magic I rapidly approached the
outskirts of our village and saw all the buildings were on fire, how could this
be?!? Stunned I slowed my approach and noticed there were a lot more than just
a handful of Bandits, there were hundreds! Many of my friends and family lay
slain and the few survivors were hard pressed against such numbers.
My sudden arrival was noticed by a group of Bandits, they
yelled to alert others and charged towards me. A small group of bowmen turned
at the alarm and let loose a volley of arrows at me. I managed to duck behind a
building as the deadly shafts fell all around, I had no choice and sprinted
back to the forest. Hopefully I could find others who had also sought refuge in
the forest and we could band together for a counter attack.
The Bandits were everywhere and it took all my skills to
avoid their chase and escape deep into the forest. This was a well-planned
assault and somehow what seemed silly did not seem so silly anymore. I was
exhausted by the time I had eluded the roving bands searching for me and I fell
into a deep recuperating sleep in the hollow of an old tree.
Upon awakening the forest was silent, I cautiously started
making my way back to my village. Just to be safe I headed for a nearby hilltop
that had a good view of the village. The Bandits were still occupying the
village and it was apparent they were not going anywhere soon. They were in the
process of erecting a defensive palisade around the outside and I saw a huge
wagon train near the center. I could also see some of the villagers were in
chains and being loaded up into some of the wagons.
Lower down the hillside a small group of Bandits started
heading up to where I was hiding. There were too many for me to fight alone and
I had seen enough to know I could not possibly take them on myself. Silently I
started slipping back from the hilltop and retreated to the safety of the
forest. I needed to find some help to rescue what remains of my family and
friends. I also needed to meditate soon to help alleviate some of the pain I
felt creeping into my soul. The shock of having all my family and friends
either dead or enslaved had not yet fully registered with me, but the
realization is starting to set in.
Gloomhaven was a famous city teaming with Mercenaries,
perhaps I could find some help there. The thought of heading to the city was
intimidating. I preferred the natural world and suspected my connection with it
would be strained. I would also have to be careful, these folks were very
strange to me. I needed to meditate – and soon.
Peace
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