Challenge Submission A Kingdom of Ancients

[Thatch]

The first inkling he had heard of the mountain was in a pub three hundred miles away, much like every other one he had gone to, this one seemed to have a lingering sense of something he hadn't seen among the humans. The information spread town to town, like a disease, lifting the spirits of the poor, the hungry, the diseased. They would chatter absently amongst themselves and the impoverished patrons of the pubs. 'It's right there by Murkwall.' They would say. This was his first time hearing of what they had named the territory, and it wasn't very appealing. 'Murkwall' to him at least, sounded like a dismal swamp town. He kept going on his way, until he had heard it in the trees, some of the very same souls he had once known, overtaken by the blight of existence. 'If you leave your roots down too long you'll get stuck there.' He had said to them hundreds of years ago. The trees spoke of a sanctuary for not only the humans, but for him, they begged him to find shelter before he passed on and he stayed with them for a while, collecting dust.

One bright sunny morning he awoke with a start, shook off the leaves and headed out. He had been imbued with some sort of quest, a reason to seek out the mountain within his dreamscape. He followed the maps, and the signs, Speaking only to the oldest and most pathetic looking humans, he could not trust the younger generations, and the poor would not argue about locations if offered money and food. He made his way through the towns, coming in at dusk and leaving to continue his journey before first light. Several months had passed since he had begun his quest before he finally stepped a tiny foot into the main street of Murkwall. He had gotten there a little before Dusk and he was quite angry with himself about it. He brushed a strand of long ginger hair from his eyes and glanced up, spotting the looming mountain in the distance. "Okay Adriel.. Time to do this.." He muttered to himself, adjusting the tattered pack on his back.

Adriel mulled about the town, trying to find a safe place to rest, the inn was too crowded, the saloon had too many drunkards. He walked through the town and finally found a nice space of trees. He sat down and leaned against the trunk of the thickest and oldest looking one and set his satchel down beside him. He opened his bag and pulled out a small book, a bottle of ink, and a quill. He then began taking his daily notes, on what had happened, what he had seen. Once he was finished with his recount, he flipped through the last few pages and sighed, they all looked the same, different towns, but the same general theme. He noticed that he was on the last page and, regretfully. He placed the book on the ground, moved his fingers in a few simple circular motions, and the book was engulfed by roots and dragged to..Gaia knows where, maybe where all the others went. He settled in to the tree and closed his eyes, drifting off for a minute or two.. or hours, how could he even tell, before he stood up and shook his head. "No, I have to go." He muttered, not only to himself but to the sweet scent in the air that always made him want to settle down for a century or two. He stared up at the mountain and, after slinging his satchel over his shoulder, he made his way towards it, quiet as a mouse.

He made his way up the stretch of road that began at the base of the mountain, a jagged path between the massive mounds of earth, well worn from centuries of foot traffic. Had this been here the last time he had come through? The scraping on the cliffs suggested not, awful hacking in the craggy earth suggested tools of man had widened the path, making room for caravans, armies, the path was so wide, and yet he walked alone, without interference for most of his time. He had ascended half of the mountain when he decided to rest, choosing a particularly empty cave to settle down in. He set his pack onto the ground and opened it, pulling out the same quill and ink, but this time, he produced a new notebook. He dated it to the best of his ability, time was hard to keep track of, and, after scribling out the month several times, he settled for 'Spring' at the top of the page. He wrote of his adventures for the day, the long walk up, the changes made to the path, and his feelings of why exactly he needed to go. He had no clue, he even took the time to write it.

'I haven't the slightest clue why I'm even going this way, Gaia guide me safely.'

Once he had finished, he returned the book to his satchel and sat for a long moment at the mouth of the cave, hugging his legs to his chest, his chin resting on his knee. The spring air was turning crisp as the sun began to set and he had a beautiful view over the side of the mountain, the sun was sinking low, and clouds that suggested rain helped paint a beautiful picture before him, an abstract illustration of deep oranges, yellows and pinks, splattered with lavender, all over a pine tree ridgeline. He sighed to himself, admiring nature's beauty, the only thing he could truly rely on. When the last of the light was dying, he tore his gaze away, finding himself rooted to the cave floor by means of small patches of clover that had sprung up as he diverted his focus to nature's energy itself. He apologized to the greenery and rose, digging into his bag to produce a hefty book, covered in runic writing. He flipped through the pages and, after deciding on one, he leaned and drew the summoning circle on the dirt floor. He compared to the book, making sure everything was right before he spoke.

"Incendio"

The circle he had drawn on the floor glowed, and behold! He had fire, a bouncing orb of energy that light up the dark cave, casting shadows on the walls that seemed to dance around the ginger, congratulating him on his success. With that said and done, he laid on his side in the dirt and drifted off into sleep.
He awoke with a start, sitting straight up; and inhaling deeply. He glanced down at his body, he was covered in a soft blanket of moss, which he gingerly tossed to the side. It was mid-day for sure, but something was off. His magic fire had been reduced to a small, glowing orb and he frowned, reaching over with a finger to break the circle, letting the fire extinguish itself in a puff of smoke. He rose to his feet, his knees cracking lightly. What was going on? He stepped out of the cave and squinted, the bright sunlight blinding him momentarily. The air was hot and humid, birds sang in the trees and circled overhead. How long had he been asleep? He knew it was summer now, but which one? He sighed to himself, shouldering his pack and continuing to make his way up the mountain, speaking to the trees and asking them if they knew where he was going, and of course, they offered nothing more than the gentle hum of their energy.

"I know I know.." He mumbled to them, but mostly to himself. It was hard having one sided conversations. "But if you could just.. drop a leaf in response, or whisper when the wind comes.." They weren't listening, and this made him discouraged, had all the nature spirits disappeared? He continued his trek, winding up the mountain until he made it. He knew he had. Before him, on the surprisingly flat summit of the mountain, stood four massive trees, at least half a mile in circumference each, hoisting a city into the sky. He stared in disbelief, his mouth hung open. Above him, life bustled in the airborne town, he saw humanoid figures walking the suspended bridges, voices singing, laughing. He had been too in awe to notice two heavily armored guards walking his way. His attention shifted when the gruff voice of a male spoke, forcing his attention away from the skyward city.

"What is your purpose here? We are not expecting visitors."

Adriel, too stunned to speak, stared blankly up at the two guards, his mouth moving in an attempt to form words, but none came out. The guard cleared his throat and gestured behind him to the city.

"Be Ye refugee? Or conqueror? We will not tolerate the latter."

The other guard, chuckling at Adriel's shocked face, pointed his thumb towards the edge of the summit. "Hey buddy, if you don't speak up now, we'll throw you off the mountain"

This got his attention, he cleared his throat, looked up with his most confident face, and gestured outwardly to the city. "Something.. called me here. I'm not exactly sure myself. I can leave, if I am not welcome."

The first guard nodded sagely, as if he had heard this a thousand times, and turned on his heels. "A nature spirit? We haven't had one of those in a while, we thought we had met the last of them. Come, Lady Cypress will want to meet you."