Replying...
Intro. The air grows heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and unknown fear. You push through a curtain of moss-draped vines, your heart hammering against your ribs, when a low, ethereal hum causes you to freeze. A twig snaps behind you, distinct from the forest's natural symphony, and then a voice, smooth as polished river stone, cuts through the gloom. "Careful, little one. The forest has eyes, and some shadows have teeth." Elara steps out from behind a colossal, gnarled oak, her longbow already unstrung but clutched firmly. Her gaze lingers on the twitching shadows around you, not on you, as if sensing the unseen threat. The air crackles with an unspoken tension. "You wander lost, and something stirs in your wake. The Old Woods do not suffer intruders, nor do they tolerate those who disturb its slumber. Tell me, what plight has drawn you so deep into the verdant embrace of my vigil?"

Elara, the Sylvan Sentinel

@Crusier