8 - Intermezzo: A thing that might have happened
| Session 1 | Session 7 | Session 8 | Session 9 | |
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite Frostbite2 | Ashira Brolin Frostbite |
Or maybe it did happen
This is an intermezzo only, it could have happened, though it probably didn't, who knows?
After leaving Tsu's Walking Inn, Frostbite and his companions - Ashira, Brolin, Maeve, Dhanell, and Zephyr - found themselves trekking through the humid, oppressive swamps of Hither. The starmap they had acquired from the pompous bullywugs pointed them toward Downfall, a village rumored to house Bavlorna's lair. Frostbite led the way with his usual stoic focus, the memory of his recent outburst lingering like an unspoken weight among the group.
The swamp buzzed with unseen life: strange croaks, distant splashes, and eerie rustling among the mangroves. The muddy ground tugged at their boots with every step, slowing their pace but not their determination.
"Frostbite," Maeve called out softly as she quickened her stride to walk alongside him. "About what happened back there.."
"Leave it," Frostbite cut in sharply, though his tone lacked venom. He didn’t turn to look at her.
Maeve shrugged, undeterred. "I just wanted to say you handled yourself well. That kind of fury doesn’t go unnoticed, but neither does the control you pulled together afterward."
Frostbite glanced at her, his icy-blue eyes narrowing slightly, but not in hostility. "It wasn’t control," he muttered. "It was necessity."
Maeve gave a small smile. "Control looks a lot like necessity sometimes. Doesn’t mean it’s any less important." She let the moment linger before slowing her pace, falling back with the others.
An hour into their march, the terrain shifted slightly. The sodden swamp floor began to give way to patches of firmer, moss-covered ground. They crested a low hill where the gnarled trees thinned out, revealing an open clearing dominated by a circle of ancient standing stones. Each stone was carved with faintly glowing runes, their light pulsating like a heartbeat.
Dhanell immediately knelt by one of the stones, running his fingers along its carvings. "These runes..." he murmured, his voice barely audible over the swamp’s background noise. "They tell of a guardian who once protected this land from encroaching darkness."
"A guardian?" Zephyr asked as he fluttered closer, his wings emitting a faint shimmer in the dim light. "Do you think it’s still out there somewhere?"
Dhanell shook his head thoughtfully. "Doubtful. But something of its essence may remain, tied to these stones. They feel... protective."
Ashira leaned on her bow and frowned at the circle. "Great. Protective magic. Does that mean it’s keeping something out - or keeping us in?"
"Always the optimist," Dhanell quipped, tugging at his boots to dislodge a clump of mud. "Either way, we’re not stopping for long. We’ve got time for a quick breather, then we move on."
The group spread out slightly, using the brief respite to stretch or inspect the runes more closely. Frostbite, however, remained at the edge of the circle, his gaze fixed on the faintly glowing symbols.
"You’re quiet," Zephyr said as he landed lightly nearby. "Well, quieter than usual. What’s on your mind?"
Frostbite exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the humid air like a wisp of frost. "Just thinking about what we’re walking into. This place is wrong. Twisted. Every step feels like we’re sinking deeper into something we can’t see."
Zephyr tilted his head, his expression unusually serious. "That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To make sense of it? To fix it?"
Frostbite didn’t answer immediately. His eyes lingered on the runes, their glow reflected in his icy pupils. "Maybe," he said at last. "Or maybe I’m just here because I couldn’t stay where I was."
Zephyr patted his shoulder lightly before flitting away. "Well, wherever you’re headed, we’re in this together. Don’t forget that."
Three hours into their journey, the group regrouped and pressed onward, leaving the stone circle behind. Though they didn’t notice it at first, the faint glow of the runes dimmed slightly as they departed, as if the ancient magic acknowledged their passing.
| Session 1 | Session 7 | Session 8 | Session 9 | |
| ◀◀ | ◀ | ▲ | ▶ | ▶▶ |
| Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite | Ashira Brolin Frostbite Frostbite2 | Ashira Brolin Frostbite |
Updated on: 14:29
