eidolonic | Enchanted Forest meme

one → small quest it might be a rare herb or a cup of magic water, but someone’s life depends upon you going through these woods and getting it. will you find it right away? have to battle a witch for it? or maybe you don’t want to succeed at all.

two → lost how did you manage to get lost in these woods? you had that map, right? how did you even get to this part of the country? whatever happened, you’re stuck until someone helps you out. if they want you out in the first place.

three → chased these woods weren’t exactly the place you wanted to go, but you had no choice. innocent or guilty of a crime, or a victim of circumstance, these woods might buy you some time… wait. was that a wolf in the distance?

four → the old castle sometimes when you’re lost or wandering about, you see something really amazing or unusual. or something you were never meant to find. like that old abandoned castle people have been whispering about…

five → passing through the forest has a well-worn path that no one ever strays from, lest something magical happens to them. you’ve traveled it often enough, but just because you’re on the path doesn’t mean you’ll be left alone.

six → refuge it might be dark and cold, or entirely welcoming, but it’s the only place those nasty goons or insane villagers won’t follow you. but what exactly is keeping everyone else away from here? or did you want into some danger yourself?

seven → chance encounter it’s a fairy! no, wait, that was just an ogre. an ogre?! from sorcerers to talking deer, you can meet anything in an enchanted forest. so will you meet someone who wants to help you, or will they want to eat you instead?

eight → danger this forest doesn’t like newcomers, and the creatures don’t like humans. its ways are old and strange, and just because you’ve been able to enter it doesn’t mean you’ll be spared. no one likes trespassers, after all.

nine → large quest the forest might be the end of your quest, or it might be a large part of it. you’ve been fighting hard for a long time to rescue the princess or defeat the wizard, and this forest isn’t going to scare or defeat you. will it?

ten → spell trapped in an ancient oak tree? put under a sleeping curse? or maybe you’re the one who is causing that mischief from that little cottage you’ve hidden in the old forest people are learning to become wary of these days.

eleven → magical not all enchanted forests are scary! some of them are filled with sunlight, fairies, pretty little birds, and all those big-eyed creatures, all of them singing along with you, having a wonderfully good time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[At the crack of thunder, the kitten scrambles up onto the top of Owain's head, leaving thin red scratches behind. It perches there and hisses, its fur bristling as it tries (unsuccessfully) not to look terrified. His arms and legs wrapped around the trunk of the tree as he works his way back to solid ground, Owain can't really glance down to see what's going on without the risk of the little thing falling off his head.

But when he sees Aire climb up the other side of the tree, and when the kitten leaps off of him and follows her up, he knows it can't be anything good. He looks down... and quickly changes direction to follow after them.

Spiders can climb too, though, and much better than humans can. When he hears it coming behind him, Owain stops at the first branch he comes to that's wide enough to plant his feet on, and draws his sword.]

Go back, foul harbinger of evil! [He levels the blade squarely at the approaching spider's face.] YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

[He's never fought a battle in a tree before. This is going to be epic.]

[If only Aire could share his enthusiasm. She reaches out and scoops up the kitten as it darts towards her, wincing as its tiny but very sharp claws dig in to her arm. In spite of that she manages to get settled on a higher branch while Owain rushes back down to confront the spider.

She would like to just keep going up, but two things prevent it: she'd feel bad about leaving Owain to his own devices, and she doesn't want to get stuck up a tree like the kitten. So she scoots back towards the trunk as the spider races up, undaunted by Owain's battle cry.]

Vermin! [augh, his yelling is contagious. Aire whips out another hat, or rather, a crown of leaves. She only just remembers to put it on her head gently and starts singing the Motet to buff Owain's defense.]

[Oh sweet, Aire knows the Rally Defence skill! Owain's not sure what the singing's for, but he knows a defence buff when he feels it. And he's certainly not about to object to some musical accompaniment for his moment of glory. Great feats of heroism are that much more heroic when the proper mood has been set. He assumes a fighting stance and grins manically as the spider joins him on his branch.]

Face me at your peril, fiend! My power surges beyond the bonds of--

[CRRRAAACK! There goes the branch, out from under Owain's back foot. He yelps as he falls, but manages to catch hold of the broken end of it with his left hand and hang on for dear life, his right hand still miraculously gripping his sword. He doesn't get a chance to climb back up, though; the spider advances until it looms directly above him, peering down hungrily at its dangling prey.]

NO!

[That's not the most helpful thing to do, Aire knows. She grabs the kitten (gently) off her head to hold in the crook of her arm, and by the time she does that the spider is blocking her view of Owain.

For an instant she thinks of just jumping onto the damn thing, which is a disturbing indication that just a few hours in Owain's company is enough to leave a mark, but she's got something better: she sings the Fugue ~~not that Fugue~~ to the spider.

It freezes where it stands, right above Owain. Not ideal. It won't last more than a few moments, and the effort is exhausting, but it's better than getting chomped.]

Hurry up and surge your powers already!!

[Owain doesn't need to be told twice. He may not understand why his foe is taking so long to attack him, but that's not the sort of thing you question in the heat of battle. He hooks one leg up around the branch, then the other, and with a wordless shout he swings his sword up and stabs it deep into the spider's belly, twists it, and slashes the creature wide open.

He is quickly reminded of the fact that, when your opponent's guts come spilling out, the worst place to be is directly beneath them. He'll be cutting that shout pretty short. Now he's got spider blood and entrails in his hair and sliding down his face and the back of his collar... but the deed is done and the beast collapses silently, sliding off the limb and crashing through the branches beneath before hitting the ground with a thud.

Owain pulls himself up onto his branch and kneels there as he attempts to wipe the blood out of his eyes. He mostly just manages to smear it around.]

...Okay, ew. That... could've been more epic.

[Aire breathes an audible sigh of relief when the spider flops off the branch, although she wrinkles her nose to see that it's left most of its guts on Owain.]

It's an epic mess. [She climbs down one-handed until she reaches the branch he's on, though she stays well clear of the gunk.] That's why I hate fighting bug monsters. Are you hurt? We'd better get back to town before anything else turns up.

[She is smiling a bit, though, in spite of the unexpected battle. She and Owain did pretty well in her opinion.]

Alas, I bear no bloody badges of honour to commemorate the fulfillment of our grand quest. [Aside from the numerous kitty scratches, but those don't exactly count as wounds. Despite sounding mildly disappointed, though, Owain smiles back as he sheathes his sword and starts down the tree.]

But fear not, for I shall see that the deeds we have wrought this day live on in infamy for ages yet to come! The Battle of the Thicket of Eternal Deadly Peril shall have its own chapter in the ongoing saga of Owain Dark, Avenging Avenger of Justice!

[He jumps the last few feet to the ground and offers Aire a hand... before realizing said hand is covered in smeared spider blood, and hastily wiping it on his pants with a sheepish grin.]

Enchanted Forest meme

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