The Hunt for the Anuran Bane and the Opal Serpent

What does your character do?

Poison. It was the word on everyone's lips. 'Stay away', they warned her. Nobody was willing to mess with whatever power was involved. Roe wasn't surprised. With the mountain of trouble Ivras had experienced recently, there was no telling what this new mystery was hiding.

Was Roe curious? Maybe a little. Was she scared? Oh, definitely. Was that going to stop her? Hell no!

There had been too much that Roe had missed out on, listening to her anxiety-riddled thoughts and fears. She liked to believe that she had grown since that whimpering child she had left behind in the library. It was time to put the big-girl pants on and prove her worth in the world.

For this adventure, it required her to re-visit Namarast. That, on its own, was a battle between herself and her mind. She hadn't been back since she left them behind in the dust and the thought of them capturing her was terrifying. Witch-hunters were no joke and some of them were ruthless in their methods of ensnaring their pray. Instead, Roe went the long way round through the boggy overgrowth, down a forgotten back passage that skirted Namarast's borders. It was muddy, the dirty water sloshing up her legs and belly. The earth sucked at her hooves, wanting to claim her as its next victim. Head down, Roe pushed forward, never stopping. Her breathing was heavy, her muscles straining with every weary step. It was a hard journey but the alternative made it worth it.

Eventually, she reached her destination. An old ruin, hidden by the thick canopy of the jungle. The stony structure reached up high but the trees soared higher, shadowing the building. As she grew closer, she could see the shatter patterns in the brickwork, where it had crumbled and collapsed from a huge force. A battle had been had here, many millennia ago. Here, water trickled downwards towards the river that sourced the entire southern sector of the island. It was evident why a nationwide warning had been posted across Ivras. The contaminated liquid shimmered and foamed, bubbling up against the edges of the bank. In these areas, the grass had died from infection and a few fish even floated atop the surface, bobbing lifelessly. There was a distinct smell of death in the air, forcing Roe to back away gagging. This was no natural phenomenon. There had been obvious intention here to cause harm.

As she examined the crime scene before her, she had failed to notice the rapidly consuming darkness that crept up on her. In a matter of minutes, she had gone from standing in the shimmering sunset to being plunged into the looming dusk. Night was when the jungle came to life and the moon soon began the musical composition known as 'eery shrieks'. Eyes burrowed into the back of her head and Roe had the overwhelming sense she was being watched by many. Perhaps, it was time to leave the jungle and return in the morning to continue her investigation. But, where to go? The path she had followed to this spot had quickly disappeared and Roe wasn't familiar enough to blindly lead her way out of here without serious injury. Suddenly, there was a flickering light just beyond the edge, through the treeline. It was small and only stayed lit for a few seconds before going out. With little other choices, Roe decided to follow it cautiously. It was very clearly a trap but one she had no choice but to enter.

With quiet steps, she stayed hidden within the bushes, peering out for more signs of life. There it was again, hovering over the entrance to the bridge that curved over the stinking river. It flickered again, shooting out of sight. Satisfied there were no others nearby, she quickened her pace and scampered across to the bridge, eyes and ears open for danger. Again, the light appeared. It was further away this time but, this time, it stayed alight. Roe was out in the open here, vulnerable to attack and that light indicated the end of the tunnel. What was going to meet her there? There was only one way to find out.