Athel Loren, once a home to dozens of species under its lush forests of verdant green. now, nothing more than a burning wasteland occupied by Beastmen. This was the site where the Asrai or so-called Wood Elves fought bravely and bitterly to hold back the Dwarf armies as they advanced to burn all that the elves had ever loved. And though there were casualties on both sides, the fact that the elves suffered the most could not be disputed, for their entire royal lineage and over 83% of their kind were wiped clean from the face of this world. Yet while the trees lie broken and charred, the forest does not forget and it does not forgive.
The Oak of Ages, a tree so large it once rivalled mountains, has lain dormant and undisturbed for over four months as a mere stump in the ground connected to the root-ways beneath until now that is. One day, an Ungor raiding party were passing through the forest on their way to harass the peasants of Bastonne when one of them noticed a luminescent green mushroom on the bass of the Oak’s stump. Seeing as this was the first sign of vegetation this they had seen in days and they were all very hungry, they all lept towards this mushroom, some even stabbing each other with their spears in the hopes of being the first to reach it. However, when one of the ungors finally managed to touch the mushroom they suddenly found that their fortune turned to doom as the luminescent green of the mushroom left the fungus manifested as a butterfly-winged green spirit. The Ungors immediately fled upon seeing this creature but it was too late as the spirit zig-zagged between them, flying into them and leaving their bodies as soon as they died. The Queen in the Woods had returned!

Ariel’s spirit hovered above the twenty or so newly deceased ungors as she inspected her surroundings. Why had she not been reincarnated before? Unlike her husband who needed an elf prince to volunteer his body for possession, Ariel traditionally reincarnated into her own body without difficulty upon her death. And then it struck her…where was her body?
The Queen in the Woods floated around the tree’s locus, making sure not to travel far from it in case her presence waned but eventually she found what she was looking for. Her body, the once beautiful body of a queen and Demi-goddess now lied among the ruins of her former kingdom; her wings shredded by brimstone bullets, her legs spread and contorted below a fallen tree trunk and her torso and arms burnt by flaming volleys of Irondrake fire. No wonder she had not been reincarnated as the season changed, there was nothing to reincarnate into!
Ariel’s solemn spirit traversed the battlefield further, inspecting all her fallen kin and their beautiful homeland that turned to ash until she found something interesting, Araloth. In life, Araloth “the Bold” had been the Glade Lord of Talsyn and Ariel’s personal champion yet just as her forest land perished, so too had her champion. His body was located near the opening to the world roots, suggesting that he spent his last waking breaths defending its entrance so that Durthu, Scarloc, Naieth and the refugees could flee from this waking hell, yet his own breastplate had a dent with a small hole in it, leading the Queen to believe he had been shot by a Dwarf rifle. Truly this place had been a font of miracles in its time, for even 4 months after its destruction what remained of the Oak of Ages was still trying to revive those who died near it, thus preventing Araloth or any of the nearby elves from decomposing despite their fatal wounds.
Ariel’s spirit continued to wander when suddenly, her ghost began to fade, she darted back to where Araloth’s body was lying and managed to leap into his shell, just in the nick of time before her spirit faded forever. Araloth stood to his feet as the spirit which possessed him used her magics to seal his chest wound shut. Incensed by the horror that had befallen her people, the new Ariel picked up Araloth’s spear and made its way towards the entrance to the World Roots.
—————————–(2 Weeks Later) —————————
A hooded figure holding a spear in one hand and a large sack in the other approached an inn on the outskirts of Pfeildorf, a town at the centre of the Suddenland wool trade and located within the Imperial province of Wissenland. As the figure approached the inn he passed a Great Eagle with black plummage tied to a hitching post, clearly this was were he was meant to be.
“So there I was with 1- no 200 hundred goblins trying to creep into the forest below me. They thought they had entered unnoticed but in reality I had been watching them from the start. And so, I picked up my spear forged by the great Daith himself and soared downwards atop Gwandor and skewered at least 5 goblins on the end of my spear in a single thrust. Those goblins were so terrified they ran back to their god-forsaken hills in their droves, nicknaming me the Doomstar for the obscuring starlight which covered my movements.”
“Oh Thalandor, you’re so brave … and handsome too!”
“Thank you Brigitte”
“Uhmm…it’s Patricia actually”
“Whatever you say, but if you want to hear of true heroics I should tell you of that time I took on a horde of skeletons, a true tale for the ages I assure y- By the Gods!”
Thalandor Doomstar stood up abruptly, dropping the adoring peasant girl from his lap as the impossible entered the tavern…
Thalandor: “Araloth? My, my eyes must deceive me. You’re alive!”
The spear and sack-wielding elf motioned to himself “Am I?….No thanks to you.” Araloth said as he pointed towards the Eagle Rider.
“Come now my lord, let’s get a round and catch up on old times. It’s so good to see you.” Thalandor said, seemingly ignoring what Araloth had said.
Araloth’s eyes tensed in a shade of bright green as he spoke “There will be no drinking, no conversing, no celebrations.”
“I say…what’s got into you? What’s in the bag? …. *Araloth dropped the sack on the floor and gripped the spear tightly.* … “Are you, are you going to kill me?” Thalandor asked with more than a shade of fear in his throat.
“That is why I am here.” Araloth stated coldly.
“Well then, may I ask why before I die?” Thalandor said, trying to maintain a calm composure as he took a final sip of his drink.
“Where were you Thalandor? Where were you when I died?”
“Died? No, you are standing before me now my friend, all in flesh and bone.” Thalandor retorted.
Araloth’s demeanour turned to a tone of disgust as he spoke “Orion, Daith, Naestra, Arahan, Lothlann, Sceolan, Amadri, Araloth, Celanoth, Kalara, Skaw, Wychwethyl, Athelwyn, Yolath, even Coeddil; Asrai brother and sisters, sons and daughters, all dead!” Araloth suddenly shoved the eagle rider across the table behind him. “Countless others shot down, burnt alive, butchered….where were you Thalandor?!”
“Where was I? I fought on the front lines that’s where I was! I watched our Queen when she fell from the skies. I was there when the airships flew over our forests and commenced their bombing runs. So you tell me what I was supposed to do whoever you are!” Thalandor spat in response.
“We were supposed to protect them, until the last man if need be!” Araloth yelled.
“I couldn’t save our people, I couldn’t save any of them! No! I reject your framing. I am no deserter, I merely had the foresight to flee upon seeing we couldn’t win. At the end of our world I saved my own skin, I will not apologise for that Araloth! I will never apologise for merely surviving.” Thalandor yelled back.
“You betrayed the Asrai. You fled in our time of need…when I needed you most. When I fell, I saw you….I reached out with my hand as the wind coursed round my body as the brush of trees sliced across my body…” Araloth said, suddenly in a far more solemn tone.
“No, you can’t be…you can’t be her…my Queen is dead.” Thalandor gasped in exasperated fashion.
“Even after falling, I spent my last few breaths to protect my people, while you fled. But I am not here to here your excuses, I am here to witness your death. It is time for you to die…”….

• Wow React: As Araloth approached Thalandor instinctively reached for his spear. Its mystical spirals lit up and flew towards Thalandor’s hand but it was too late, for by the time that Thalandor could take hold of his weapon, he had already been stabbed through the chest by Araloth.

Following this, the peasants inside the building including Briggitte…or was it Patricia begged Araloth to let them live. Araloth withdrew his spear and picked the sack up as he left the building, leading them to believe their lives had been spared….only to be given the shock of their lives when a series of roots and vines grew out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the inn, sealing all windows and doors and slowly dragging the whole building beneath the surface where its inhabitants all suffocated as dirt and soil entered their lungs…..

• Laugh React: Araloth lunged forward with his spear only for Thalandor to dodge the thrust and jump out of a nearby window. Araloth threw his spear at the fleeing deserter as he proceeded to untie his Great Eagle mount from its post but fortunately missed, thereby allowing Thalandor to take off and fly.

Araloth picked up Thalandor’s spear which had been left behind and proceeded to chase after the eagle rider who flew away far too quickly for him to truly catch up, completely ignoring the peasants inside the inn who ran for their lives…..

• Love React: Araloth charged forward with his spear to kill the deserter only for Thalandor to grab its shaft and pull it from Araloth’s hands. Thalandor grabbed the spear, spun it round and stabbed Araloth in the chest, resulting in a resounding cheer from Patricia despite the fact she had no idea what was going on. However, much to her chagrin. Thalandor did not stay or return to his seat. Instead, he called his own magically enchanted spear to his hand and exited the inn where he mounted his eagle to fly away in case Araloth had any allies that may seek retaliation for his death.

However, just as Thalandor set off to fly away on Gwandor, he suddenly received a strike to the back of his head as the talons of Araloth’s trusted hawk Skaryn, who had returned to life as an ethereal spirit but whose talons were just as sharp even then. Skaryn flew off to grieve over its twice deceased master as Thalandor perished and fell from his mount…..

• Sad React: Araloth charged forward and thrust his spear towards Thalandor, aiming to stab him along the left-side of his rib cage. However, just as the spear made contact with Thalandor’s skin, it suddenly deflected and bounced off his skin on account of the magically-lined war paint which Thalandor wore, thereby giving Thalandor enough time to summon his spear to his hands.

Once both were armed, they each attacked each other with ferocity with a combination of wide sweeping attacks and smaller, more precise thrusts of their spears. The battle raged on for a number of minutes, with many nearby peasants being hit by the ends of their staffs as they fought until finally, Thalandor managed to get the upper hand, wacking Araloth’s head with the base of his spear and cutting through Araloth’s wooden spear with his superior copper and hardwood shaft crafted by the late Daith himself. However, Araloth only turned more ravenous as this happened, causing his spirit-possessed eyes to light up more as he began swiping wildly with both ends of the spear as if they were two blades until finally, Thalandor penetrated Araloth’s armour by shoving his spear through the dent in which the Talsyn lord had once been shot.
As Araloth died anew and the spirit of Ariel faded from his eyes, Thalandor dropped to his knees in tears proclaiming “Rest now my queen, and know that I am sorry for what I must do. May Isha forgive me.”….

• Angry React: Araloth charged forward and thrust his spear towards Thalandor, aiming to stab him along the left-side of his rib cage. However, just as the spear made contact with Thalandor’s skin, it suddenly deflected and bounced off his skin on account of the magically-lined war paint which Thalandor wore, thereby giving Thalandor enough time to summon his spear to his hands.

Once both were armed, they each attacked each other with ferocity with a combination of wide sweeping attacks and smaller, more precise thrusts of their spears. The battle raged on for a number of minutes, with many nearby peasants being hit by the ends of their staffs as they fought until finally, Thalandor managed to get the upper hand, wacking Araloth’s head with the base of his spear and cutting through Araloth’s wooden spear with his superior copper and hardwood shaft crafted by the late Daith himself. However, Araloth only turned more ravenous as this happened, causing his spirit-possessed eyes to light up more as he began swiping wildly with both ends of the spear as if they were two blades. Araloth swung his two spear halves around, narrowly avoiding Thalandor’s head numerous times until finally, he used the broken half without a spearhead to hold Thalandor’s spear away as Ariel/Araloth cast a spell to undo the war paint’s magical protections and instead invert them such that they stung Thalandor’s skin. As Thalandor struggled to even remain conscious as the markings burnt their way through his skin, Araloth thrust the spearheaded end of his broken staff through Thalandor’s chest, finally slaying the deserter.
As Thalandor keeled over and died, Araloth continued his ramapage, killing all the peasants in the inn so they could not spread word of this day. Finally, Araloth took up Thalandor’s Daith-crafted spear and made his way to Gwandor who despite being resistant to a new rider at first, soon submitted when Ariel revealed her presence to it. Araloth and Gwandor flew away from this place but this would only be the first elf that they killed, for in time all deserters will face Isha’s judgement…