The History of the Horns...
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Character Name: Aislynn
Player Name: CMGFAislynn is from a place about a week's direct travel on foot from Narfell.
It is a village so small it can hardly be called a village. It's far more accurate to call it one large family, all clustered together in one small area.
Aislynn and others tend to call it a village anyway, and this particular "Village", happens to be a group of like-minded family and friends who all follow The Leaflord, Silvanus.
Aislynn's Aunt, her mother's sister, leads them all as a Druidess, and together they live in harmony with the lands around them. They take only what they need from nature, finding a use for all they they take, and give all that they can back to nature by protecting the wild places from those that would waste, cut, kill, and burn needlessly.
Theirs has been a peaceful life, and with little conflict, thankfully, until recently. Aislynn's father, a human and the source of her half-elven heritage, disappeared while he was out gathering for an upcoming meal and never returned.
Finding no signs of a struggle, the search for him that spanned that night and the next day was finally called off, everyone afraid to leave their small village and their duty to the lands around them any longer than that.
Aislynn however… couldn't let it sit like that.
While much of the village was elven, and suspected the human of leaving to experience more in his short life, and were happy enough to say "Don't worry, he'll be back.", and other such soothing platitudes.Aislynn was not convinced, to say the least.
She felt he was still out there, and out there he would have answers for why he left, if nothing else. She had to know, and thus, she set out.
She spents weeks traveling, having no real direction or destination... ending up traveling in a circle for many leagues before realizing it.
It was while she was trying to find herself a course to take away from the circle she put herself in, that she happened upon trouble. Bandits camped in the woods alongside a path spotted her.
The malicious intent on their faces was enough to cause alarm, the weapons in their hands only serving to solidify her worst fears, and prompted her to run for her life.
Her feet slapped the hard path like the demented applause of some cackling observer, panicked and erratic, her breath coming in short ragged gasps. There wasn't going to be any chance of escape. She knew she was not going to make it, but the least she could do was run. It was better than giving up at least... she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of an easy kill.
So far she had avoided turning around to look, being able to judge by the laughter of the bandits just how close to the end it was, when there was a crashing from the woods, a clatter of something striking the path, and then a surprised scream and an impact of flesh on something. It made a sickening, crunching thump, and then there were shouts.
Aislynn turned then, needing to at least know what new threat presented itself, and saw a great deer looking creature in the path. It's horns were just that, horns... growing back from it's head straight over towards it's body, which was larger than a normal forest deer's by far to begin with.
Several feet from it was a bandit, his ribs hopelessly crushed, gasping his last. Another of his companions was dragging him off, while the two remaining defended the fallen comrade from the enraged animal with sword and spear.
They battled there, in the path, and the tenacious creature followed them, harrying them with head-butts and kicks, until they were well on their way, running with their companion between them, sure that this demon-deer was an evil omen, and would take the girl as a meal anyway.
Warding themselves superstitiously, they were soon gone, and the animal walked it's way over to Aislynn, lowering it's head in a regal bow. Shocked, the reached out to touch it, and it let her... but something was amiss.
Blood pooled beneath the regal beast in rivulets, forming tiny currents in the dust underneath it. It did not rise from the bow, but rather, laid down as painlessly as it could in the dirt next to the now grief stricken girl, overrun by the realization of the truth before her. This noble animal had given it's life for hers, and was dying then and there.
Aislynn's hurried attempts at healing were futile, and she knew it, even as the creature lay gasping as she tried to tend to it. It did not kick or twitch away from her, but merely watched her every move with a proud sadness. Knowing now that it was inevitable, Aislynn did what she could to make it comfortable, and set the great horned head in her lap, stroking it gently and praying to Silvanus in thanks for the sacrifice of the noble beast, and that it be a painless end.
Making a funeral Pyre for it at dawn, she gave the body to the flames after making use of the meat and hide to honor it, so that scavengers would not make a mess of it, and thanked Silvanus one final time for sending one of his servants for protection.
Staying to watch the fire til it was done burning, she noticed something as she put out the smouldering ashes. The horns of the great beast were intact and seemingly unarmed by the flames.
In it's honor, she created a headand out of leather, and now wears them upon her own head as thanks, and a reminder of the animal's sacrifice for her sake.
She continued her journey once the ritual was completed, now feeling somehow more alone than before... at least now she had a plain sword at her side that had been dropped by one of the bandits. A scimitar.
It was weeks once more that she traveled, happening upon various small places along the way, everyone helpful if not a bit worried of strangers with horns... each one suggesting a different place to check, and most of the directions being sketchy or difficult, at best.
Eventually, she stumbled upon one of the much-loathed "Towns" she heard of, and bravely stepped through the gates. Thus, her search for her father begins, in Norwick.
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Reviewed, XP Pending!
