The Black Forest, House Schwarzwald Territory

  The party began their journey deep into the Black Forest, a dark, ancient, and primal realm, known only to the foresters, hunters, and trappers of the Wolf Duchies, and even then, it was said they avoided the darkest recesses of these woods, as ancient and terrible creatures lived there, daring any to come in and challenge their dominion. The citizens of the Wolf Duchies relied on this great forest, but they knew better than to take it for granted or carelessly exploit it, for the lumber and game harvested here kept their lives going and coin in their coffers. The people stayed near the edges, maintaining what they could, and keeping out of the deep woods, which were marked by strange effigies that hung from the trees surrounding the border of that area, a warning from those who dealt deep that the intruders should come no further.

  Few knew what these beings looked like, only that they weren’t Fae, but something far more feral, and that it was only an ancient pact that kept these creatures from leaving the lands and stealing into the homes of their neighbors in the dead of night to wreak vengeance upon them. Even then, it wasn’t unheard of for some careless hunter or curious child to wander into these off-limit areas. Most who entered were never heard from again; their grizzled blood-stained cloaks being left to hang on trees to serve as a warning to the others. Those who did manage to escape back to their settlement did not have long to relax, as the creatures would come in the dead of night and make off with the entire village.

  Many were the tales told by travelers who came across abandoned overgrown settlements and homesteads, whose inhabitants had been dragged out in the dead of night to some dark fate. Those who investigated often found signs of struggle dried blood, and claw marks on the floor and the walls, as well as doors and windows that had been shattered open with inhuman force. All attempts by the common folk to get their lords to march with the legions against these creatures have all fallen on deaf ears, as the nobles will say, “A pact was made, and the pact shall be maintained, stay out of their territory, and no harm will befall you or your family.” And it was at this dark expanse that our heroes continued their journey.

  As the group began, they had agreed to stay on the primary road and not wander off, since the fog was deep and the foliage was expansive, blocking out the sun and forcing the group to pull out lanterns so they could see. The forest floor was bereft of undergrowth, except fungi and mold which thrived in these dark and humid conditions. The space was wide between the trees, but it was hard to see in the fog, and as they continued, many in the party could swear that they were being watched as branches high in the trees rustled as they walked by.

  Count Johann Kristoff maintained a cheerful demeanor. “Ah, home sweet home, the sun is hidden, the fog is thick, the air is moist, the mushrooms are glowing, and it feels like you’re being watched, by the ancestors it’s good to be back, isn’t that right Friedrich?” The Count looked back toward Sir Frederick who looked annoyed, by the way he said his name.

  “I have no idea what you are talking about. All of this is outside my norm, I patrol in the Lion, Hound, and Moth Duchies. My duties have rarely brought me into the lands of the Wolf, let alone this deep into the Black Forest.” Sir Frederick turned his gaze toward the trees, uneasy about what was following them. Sir Frederick was upset with Count Johann Kristoff for referring to him as Friedrich, as he was not ready to reveal to his companions who he was. Damian may have been forced out by his mother, but Sir Frederick left, and that was something his family would never forgive him for.

  Francesco shuddered, “This is why I hate the outdoors, there is nowhere to hide, give me a good city with alleys, abandoned warehouses, and storm drains, plenty of shelter there, and you can at least bribe the inhabitants for safety. I don’t think I could bribe anything here, and yes, something is following and watching us, and they are being very inconsiderate about it too, not even bothering to stay stealthy.”

  “The creature does not fear us, so it feels no need to hide from us, it’s making sure we know it’s there to remind us to be on our best behavior. It’s exerting its dominance over us, trying to make sure we know that we are nothing compared to it.” Bridgette joined in, unlike the others, she was unfazed by the woods, having grown up in the Eternal Autumn Forest, dealing with the cunning and capricious Fae that lived there. Still, she too kept her eyes open for any possible threat. Bridgette had been raised from birth to fight the Fae, and while these creatures were not Fae, her training would at least be handy in this situation.

  “Maybe I can calm them down with some singing?” And Carmen began to sing a bright and cheerful tune. As her song began to radiate throughout the forest, all movement stopped, as the creatures contemplated what was happening, then, a stone was thrown right in front of her feet, and carved into the stone was one wood, Quiet. Carmen let out a chuckle. “Even beasties of the woods fancy themselves music critics.”

  “I’m confused, are we in their territory? If were not, why are they bothering us?” Elizabeth asked, nervous at this situation.

  “The southern Black Forest is by the exit of the High Pass is sparsely populated, this is essentially no man’s land as the Schwarzwald refuse to settle too far south in their lands. The southern black forest also has the highest concentration of these creatures’ settlements, so it is more like they tolerate us moving through their hunting grounds if we stay on our path. Still, we do not want to risk irritating them, they will come for us in the dead of night and drag us all away if they deem us a threat, just food for thought.” Count Johann Kristoff clarified the situation.

  Hezekiah made the sign of the Nine and Madeline prayed to Lenera for protection. Damian kept his magic at the ready, and Ragnar twirled his weapons around. Except for a few possible snickers from the creatures, they did not come after them, though they did stay with them as they kept on their journey. And journeyed they did, for a few more days until they came to a Jaeger Outpost.

  The Jaegers of the Wolf Duchies were much like the Scouts of the Bear Duchies, lightly armed fast-moving skirmishers who relied on stealth, ambush, and hit-and-run attacks to harass their enemies. While the Scouts were accustomed to operating in the Dark Wastes, the Jaegers were masters of the forest, able to camouflage and move over twigs and leaves without making a single sound, or at least nothing their prey would hear. Often, during the Sanctioned Wars that were fought between the Duchies, the Wolf would try to goad their enemies into declaring war on them so that they would have the home-field advantage. And if they did, the Wolf made sure the fight would take place in the woods.

  All Wolf infantry and cavalry were accustomed to fighting in the difficult terrain that forested areas presented, but the Jaegers were Masters of it, and many enemy armies, with their armored knights and skilled wizards, would see those assets lost as the Jaegers always knew which targets were the most valuable and needed to be killed. Some of their critics complained that these tactics were dishonorable and that nobles should only be allowed to fight against other nobles, where they had the chance to be captured and ransomed back.

  The Wolf, on the other hand, believed in victory at any cost, to them war was not a game, it was a way of life, and there was no such thing as a time out, the moment your forces entered their territory, no matter when or where, they were free to be targeted and killed. It had reached the point where their rivals tried to avoid ever giving the Wolf the home-field advantage, knowing that it would not be fair to them. The Wolf were fine with that, while the Jaegers were masters of forest warfare, they could adapt and wreak havoc in any environment

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  The Jaegers were unsurprised to see them, they had their own eyes and ears in the woods that had been keeping track of them. A Sergeant by the name of Hildegard came forward to welcome them, she was the one in charge of this small outpost deep in the Black Forest. “Hello there, we normally don’t get such a substantial group of travelers through here, in fact, we usually don’t get any travelers. I take it you need provisions and a place to rest?” Hildegard was polite, if also suspicious and curious.

  “Thank you, Sergeant, my companions and I would appreciate that, I am Count Johann Kristoff von Claus, and this is my entourage. If you do not mind, I would also appreciate some of your Jaegers escorting us until we're out of the Black Forest, we’ve seemed to have attracted the attention of the Forest Folk.”

  “We’ve noticed, we can escort you until we come across any Schwarzwald Regulars, and then they can escort you the rest of the way.”

  The group stayed to rest at the outpost that night. During that time, Elizabeth felt the urge to use the outdoor facilities to relieve herself. It was a very foggy night, and after she had done her business, she heard crying, somewhere in the distance. Wanting to help, and still drowsy from her rest, she took off into the deeper fog, searching for the cries, forgetting about the warnings she had received about the forest. As she got deeper into the wooded area, she ran into some strange wooden effigy, wrapped up in a red hood.

  It was only too late that Elizabeth realized what that meant, she had wandered into territory she had no right to be in. Elizabeth began to back away slowly, only to feel something warm and furry behind her. She turned around and looked up, gazing at a nine-foot-tall fusion of man and wolf looking down at her with piercing yellow eyes, eyes that reminded her of Sir Frederick, and it was smiling.

  Terrified, Elizabeth jumped back and began to ready her Mead Stream, and the creature just started laughing, a loud mocking laugh, and then it spoke. “Be not afraid young Guardian, if I wanted you dead, you would be dead.” The creature had a deep, yet feminine voice.

  Now, more confused than terrified, Elizabeth turned off her magic but kept her guard up, oblivious to the ten other creatures hiding in the fog around her. “How do you know what I am?”

  The creature laughed again. “Our elders know the old stories, our elders know the truth. They know the of the Guardian, and of the day of your birth, our seers received visions of what had occurred. The Guardian, the force of balance, a being of great and terrible power, both the scourge and savior of the world.” The creature lifted a very old tapestry, of what appeared to be a crude depiction of Methuselah raining fire down upon a race of wolf people.

  “But how did you know that I was the new Guardian?” Elizabeth was both curious and nervous about this situation.

  “We have excellent senses, you don’t smell like a human, and your aura is unlike anything our seers have ever seen before, powerful, divine, and golden. Our tales tell us that only one being has such an aura, the Guardian of the world. Also, your friends need to be more careful about what they talk about when they think others aren’t around to hear. The only other person in your party who doesn’t smell human or Halmen only smells part fae.”

  “Why did you lure me out here?” Elizabeth had no idea what they were talking about with someone smelling part fae.

  “My tribe wanted to meet the Guardian firsthand, it’s quite a rarity for the Guardian to come to visit us, as we maintain the balance of our home. We wanted to get your measure, and truth be told, we are not impressed. The only thing I could see you reigning vengeance upon is a patron who refuses to pay his tab.” And with that, the nine-foot-tall death machine began to contort and twist and shrink down until Sergeant Hildegard was standing before her. “Come now, we should get you back to the outpost before your friends suspect foul play.” Hildegard smiled once again, unnerving Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth exasperated at how weird her life had gotten, followed her back. The next morning, neither Elizabeth nor Hildegard talked about what had happened. Elizabeth suspected that the consequences for her friends might not be pleasant if she revealed the truth of the beast living in their midst, or how many of the Jaegers at this outpost were just like her. They did not seem to be a threat, but she did not want to put them in a corner. A cornered beast could become quite dangerous indeed.

  Zarathustra’s Tower, de Garnier Territory

  Ghul-Zar was enjoying himself. Life had been getting boring back home in the Wastes. In the wastes he could only kill Gribs, Ormags, Tormags, and Hill Giants and he had gotten bored of the whole affair. You could only kill such uninteresting creatures so many times before you craved something more. That something more was the Kingdom of Lions, a land filled with riches, including fat and weak humans, ripe for slaughter. It was not Ghul-Zar’s fault that the humans and Halmen’s were losing, they were cattle, and cattle could not withstand the might of a free being such as Ghul-Zar.

  Cornelia had read a book on cattle to Ghul-Zar, who could speak the common tongue but was still illiterate. From the book Ghul-Zar concluded that most of the Kingdom’s inhabitants were cattle. Humans and Halmens had soft fleshy bodies and rich and succulent meat, and the milk they produced was filled with far more nutrients than Chren-Zul milk. But the time was getting late, and Ghul-Zar was getting hungry. Ghul-Zar kept his gaze on the middle-aged human man he had dangling from a chain in the castle's kitchen. The man was whimpering in fear as Ghul-Zar laid his sights upon him.

  “There’s no need to whimper, it is not the place of cattle to struggle against the butcher, cattle should wait with patience to be slaughtered. Take solace in the fact that your flesh and meat shall give me strength.” The gray-haired man struggled in the chains he was dangling from. To Ghul-Zar it appeared that this piece of livestock still had some fight in him. That would not do, if he continued to struggle his meat would lose its tenderness. “No one is coming to save you, so it’s pointless to resist, though if you want to scream, go ahead, but it won’t change anything, tonight I feast on human stew.”

  “You are a despicable monster.” The man replied though any authority he tried to assert faded away into another pitiful whimper. The man knew that the situation he was in wasn’t in his favor, and that soon his life would be at an end.

  “Perhaps by your standards, by the pit, even by my people’s standards I am considered someone who takes things too far, but I usually kill anyone who speaks out against me or judges me and what I do. What do I care about the opinion of cattle? You are not a person, you are livestock, when you speak all, I hear is mooing. I’ve already killed your cow and your matured calves are in the wagons with the others.”

  Ghul-Zar pulled out his long knife, walked over to the man, and slit his throat. As the life left his eyes, he took down the body and laid it on the cutting table. Putting down the knife and picking up a butcher’s cleaver, he set to work.

  Chroniclers Notes

  I understand that what Ghul-Zar believes and what Ghul-Zar is doing may make you uncomfortable. Truth be told, I find it distasteful as well, but it is indicative of a wider problem plaguing Northern Acris. This problem was the mistreatment of the Chren-Zul and the other races who had been banished to the Dark Wastes. The Kingdom of Lions was not alone in this guilty behavior, further south there was a southern coastal pass that led from the Dark Wastes to the Kaehowkian Confederacy. The inhabitants of this nation had also forced the Chren-Zul and others like them into the Dark Wastes, and while they did not have a wall, they were quite fierce in driving them away.

  The Chren-Zul themselves had once been human, they were the product of a series of horrific experiments by an insane Arcanos to create a race of obedient super soldiers for his armies. The Arcanos underestimated the spirit of his slave soldiers, and they overthrew him. But, when they tried to return to the villages and towns from where they were abducted, they were driven off as monsters by their former friends and family who did not recognize them. The millennia would continue to prove to be unkind to them, only managing to find work and acceptance as mistrusted soldiers at the best of times.

  By the time of Zekron’s defeat, his Chren-Zul shock troopers were treated with fear and disdain. Attempts were made to integrate them into the nations that would emerge in the aftermath of Zekron’s defeat, but they all failed. The closest success was the Skull Kingdom, originally founded by Metatron the Skull Eater, but that came to an end with his fall. The Chren-Zul were banished to the Dark Wastes, where they found a way to survive and wait for the day when they could settle all accounts.