The Hunt for the Pyre of the North

Does your character stay to help with putting out the barn fire, or do they investigate the second blaze?

Roe couldn't believe her eyes. The sights, the smells, the atmosphere. It was just as described, if not better. What a joy it was to experience something other than the unsufferable stench of The Order.

Of course, she wouldn't have got this far without her new road trip buddy - Jesper. They had had the best journey to Faline. There was so much to see and do, she had learnt so much over the past few days and didn't want any of the adventure to end. But, unfortunately, it couldn't all be fun. The reason for their visit to Faline was that Jesper had some errands to run. His employers had offered a good price for some rare materials that couldn't be found north of the jungle. They paid handsomely for the retrieval but it was time to cash in on the rest of the spoils. Whilst Jesper attended to his important meetings, this left Roe a little time to unwind and relax. She began her day wandering the streets, gazing at the beautiful architecture. Witnessing something for the first time was truly a blessing she never even dreamed of. What a time to be alive.

Always being drawn to nature led Roe outside of Faline's compounds. Several paths led away from the city, some winding upwards into the trees and some following the hill down which is the way they came in from Namarast. Intrigued, the little doe left the city and strolled down the path into the treeline. It was a cold, clear winter's morning with no brisk winds or harsh, thrashing rain. Everything was calm and still. There were no leaves for the breeze the whistle through - only empty branches coated with a thin layer of snow. Nevertheless, it made this winter wonderland look ever so special and this time of year had never looked prettier.

Onwards, Roe continued, following the path laid out as not to get lost. Jesper had explained that his list of clients was long in Faline and it would take a bit of time to see everyone he needed. Together, they had worked on a plan and agreed a meeting point. Should neither show up after 3 days, the other was to leave and not look back. It stopped any unnecessary constraint. Jesper may wish to continue alone with his business as he had previously before Roe. Roe may find something she was looking for or perhaps take another offer too good to pass by. Mutually, it had been agreed that no hard feelings were to be felt if the other decided not to come back. The winged deer had no reason to leave her new friend behind nor did she have an intent in doing so. What Jesper had taught her about surviving was paramount but it was merely scraping the surface to what she really needed to know. Here was a man offering to teach her the bare necessities - why would she give that up? However, she had such a desire to explore. It wouldn't hurt if she ate into the 3-day leeway just a little bit. Just a smidge.

The path was long but the walk was easy. The ground underfoot was frozen solid. Granted, there were ice patches hidden beneath the snow that Roe had to be wary about but, a young doe like her, it wasn't hard to stay nimble on her feet. She bounded over frosty puddles and slushy mud, sticking to the less-churned grass verge where wagon wheels hadn't strayed.

Daylight shrunk away fast, shrivelling up into the horizon as quick as it had appeared that morning. The road ahead was not so easily navigated by nightfall. She stumbled and tripped over large dips and holes. Her speed slowed dramatically to a crawl. She considered turning round, heading back to Faline but, as she looked around, the path was just as dark in either direction. Stupidly, she had left her belongings back at the inn where she had registered to stay a couple nights. Cold and hungry, Roe bedded down for the night as best she could.

It was the whistling tune of the early birds that awoke her from her slumber. With nowhere to rest her head, she had slept standing up, slightly cocked against a large tree trunk. It had led to a rather uncomfortable night. Nevertheless, she shook herself off, determined to continue her explorations. She continued down the path that led her away from Faline, eyes wide and looking at everything. The trees were trees and the grass was grass but it was all new! These were trees she had never set eyes upon; this grass was the first time she was standing upon it, the longer strands tickling at her fetlocks. Up on the hill, stood a small settlement. Smoke arose from its centre, blackened clouds curling up into the sky. Curiosity killed the cat but she sure as shit hoped that curiosity wouldn't kill her.

In her quest for knowledge, she steadily walked up the hill. It was quite the climb from the valley below but the views were so worth the trek. Despite its size, the little village seemed bustling with bodies. Mages and non-mages alike worked together in harmony, some using their magic to lift objects onto wagons and, those without, looked after the animals and shops. It was a wonderous way of life, one that The Order wished didn't exist. Suddenly, through the calm, the calls to arms rang out through the streets.

"FIRE! FIRE!" She heard them yell.

Behind her, a makeshift wagon loaded with buckets of water and a rudimentary hose raced up the path, pulled by a bullish bison. He gruffly huffed it up the path, barging past Roe with haste. She sidestepped off the road, making way. Always the one to lend a hand, she followed at a brisk trot, hoping she could help extinguish the mystery blaze. As she furthered into the craze, it was clear to see why they were so quick to leap into action. Their barn was alight, burning brightly like a beacon in the night. Even from such a distance, Roe could feel the heat radiating. This was these people's livelihoods going up in smoke. Their hard summer slogging in the fields was now burning to the ground and it seemed as though there was nothing anyone could do to control it.

"FIRE!"

Another cry of the alarm startled the congregated group, turning heads sharpish. Another mystery fire had been set, this time in the fields. While a small few stayed behind to save the barn as best they could, the stragglers all left and galloped out to the fields where this second inferno was brewing. This one had a weird smell about it. Now, fires, in Roe's opinion, did have an unnatural, nauseous stink about it but the stench of this fire was intense. If Roe thought about it too hard, she'd end up with a headache. There was a flash of bright, white light. It was burning so hot, no one could get near it, spitting its foul ash at anyone who dared get too close. Some wise fool crept up as close as they could bare, pail of water in hand. With one heavy throw, they chucked the entire contents over it. Any normal fire would've given up then but this one didn't extinguish. It didn't even falter. Only thing they managed to do was piss it off. In retaliation to this obscene act, it spat a mini fireball towards them. It hit them square in the chest and, with a hefty thud, the stranger threw themselves to the ground in agony, the sizzling heat spreading across their entire body. They died, screaming. Roe was aghast, taking several steps away. This was nothing good, oh no. Nothing good at all.