Young Daisy, 10 years old. Walking around in the forest, she feels watched, and is filled with dread. She comes across an opening, and she sees a deer and a calf drinking from a small pond. The sky darkens, the flowers decay. The deer runs, and dies. The calf lives, and tries to wake its mother, but to no avail. She tries to run away, but shadow envelops her, and follows her no matter how fast. After a long while, she sees Clementine and Galen under a tree. They are sad, and say “Why couldn’t you help us?” Their skin turns grey, they become dust and blow away in the wind!
In the tree is a green eye, it stares at her.
She wakes, and remembers.
And cries.
It’s been about 3 weeks since she was exiled. There is corruption in the forest. Not everywhere, but there are signs all over the place. It feels unwelcoming. Like it doesn’t want her here.
She packs and leaves, following an eagle towards a road she was told not to go. Thana has no hope, so she follows the eagle.
She sees some people, and goes over to listen to what they want. They are in need of food, and have been hungry for days.
Human, short blonde hair, scar across the chin. Authoritative voice, Rowan. Fighter
Female half elf rogue, Cora
Human, yellow and red, female. Tracy. monk.
Older guy, human, long beard, old armor. Claudius. Cleric. Unwilling to talk about his patron.
They have been questing for days, and they are hunting an owlbear that has been plauging the surrounding as of lately.
They want to kill the owlbear, but Thana wants to ask it to leave willingly. She find tracks from 1 owlbear and 2 smaller creatures. Possibly children.
They find a cave where it’s located. It is confirmed, it has children! Thana tries to persuade it to leave peacefully, but she isnt very good at it and the owlbear becomes aggressive. It is close to a fight. Where the people ask her to make a choice. The owlbear or them. She puts herself between the owlbear and them, feeling the warm breeze on her face and seeing light from the sun hit her. This is visible to the others as well. She feels a breeze blow her towards the owlbear, and as she touches it, it becomes calm. She heals it, and beggs it to take its children and leave. It does, and she and the gang travels towards Maplemere. Only Rowan will talk to her.
In town are farm animals, all of which are new to Thana. They come to The Golden Goat Inn. She is given a room, but doesnt understand that concept. She decides to go out and check out the town. She meets the cows, which are very eager to talk to her. The farmer is angry and shoes her away. She walks into town, and meets a dwarven blacksmith, Bamin, who seems used to her kind. He teaches her a little about life in the outside world, such as the concept of money.
She spots a shop, with cauldrons in the windows. The Fey Locker. An elf inside. She tries to buy something with a copper she got from Bamin, but can’t afford anything. She is chased out eventually. There is another tavern, The Stray Lamb Inn. She goes back to the taverns, tastes a beer but doesnt like it. She gets milk instead, and likes it much more. She thanks the cows before she makes for bed. She is distracted by the band playing, and tries to play her flute, but gives up. She goes to bed but decides to sleep on the floor.
They wake in the morning, and go to the “town hall”, where the leader of the town lives.
A fat human with a thin mustache exits and asks about the owlbear. They say it’s taken care of, and they make for Rivergrounds.
Cora shoots a deer, to Thanas own frustration. She sacrifices half her food to the gods, in payment for the deer's life
Nightime, she dreams. She’s back in the forest, she’s alone, its dark. There is a big, green eye in front of her. She wakes.
As they move further away from the forest, the feeling of being watched subsides. It was stronger with the dream, but weakens as they move further away. Some corruption in the forest
As they come closer to Rivergrounds, a child stops them on the road. Her mom has fallen and she can’t get her up. The rest of the group refuses to help, but Thana decides to help. The others turn a cold shoulder and leaves.
Thana follows the girl into the forest, and she heals the mom. She tells her that she just fell over, she doesn’t know what happened. Thana finds a rock with blood, and the mother tells there have been goblins around. They have been stealing peoples belongings. There is a small cottage in the forest where they live. The goblins usually don’t come this far.
She stays the night with the family, they are poor and the father has died. They eat raspberry pie, and talk until nightfall.
Wilwen- mother
Daida- daughter
That night, she has the best sleep she had in a while, and by the grace of Daidamia, she feels a new flicker of hope in her heart.
The day after, she gets some gold from the Mother, and sheets course for Rivergrounds.
The clouds are dark, and it starts to rain. There is a storm brewing. Lightning strikes an old tree, it splinters, and catches fire. The fire is doused by the rain, and inside the old tree is a new sapling. Hope floods through her, and she casts away her old name. She is determined to rid the forest of corruption to help her people and her home. She takes a new name, Willowbark. She sees a darkness across her forest, but light in the direction she is heading, and a light breeze nudging her towards the light.
She continues towards Rivergrounds, where she meets the dwarf Gundren. She heals him, and he asks her to help her with a problem. She agrees and they continue towards the town together. After a few days, she meets up with many new people in the Forgetful Faun Inn.