Solo Beginning of the End III

[Alduin]

60th of Spring 513 A.V Alduin Ancienti came very prepared for this journey. He did not know where it would lead him. But he was aware that at any point of time his life could be in endangered. He had not only the Zith to wonder about but any strange creatures that could be hiding. Secretly plotting his death. He shook his head, now he was giving animals personalities. He was nervous about the trip. For where the log said the cottage was located at was deep in the Peaks, off the road to a make shift path. No one had ventured there ever since the mans death. Alduin had taken extra precaution, he had never gone out this far into the peaks. Though he was not without fear, he had bravery, and he relied on his own magical prowess to protect him. Speaking of protection as he customarily did he weaved a Shield around himself before stepping foot near the peaks. You could never be to careful with this place. On his hands were runes that he gotten quite used to drawing after repetitively doing it over the last couple of weeks. The same exact ones so that they wouldn't fail this time. He also was physically armored as well. Donning his armored robes for the occasion. It made him move slower, but he wasn't exactly in a hurry so this would do. He took the roads until he got to the fork where the log says there was a split. There he would take the path until he got deeper within the Peaks, closer to the ocean. There supposedly was supposed to be his cottage. His Staff of Fire at hand Alduin walked along the pathway to his destination. Hoping nothing came to interfere.

[Phoenix]

The day was turning out to be a decent one, or so it seemed. Clouds roiled on the horizon behind him as Alduin turned his back to his home in Lhavit and set out into the unknown. It was here that every adventurer set to seek his fortune, but it was rare that one was actually able to fulfill such a dream.

Without horse or Okamo, this traveler was either brave or foolish; while horses would have difficulty managing the terrain in the wilds of Kalea, it would not be unwise for Alduin to travel by coast, and a horse would then be invaluable. But this traveler faced towards the mountains, and thusly his mind was made up.

A full days walk would bring Alduin far enough away from Lhavit that the trees started to grow a bit wild, the plants less groomed and seeming to take on a life of their own. He had barely broken the tree line that surrounded very outskirts of the city and its Misty Peaks when the sky began to darken. One day in, and barely any progress. Luckily for him, however, he stumbled upon something that would make his first night out in the wilds a whole lot easier.

There was a break in the trees, barely visible from the game trail that wound down the side of the mountain. Upon inspection, it seemed to be a camp of some sort, abandoned by the looks of it and yet completely furnished with every necessity that a traveler might need. What Aludin had discovered was one of the Forward Camps set up by the Endal of Wind Reach. Though mostly centered around the Inartan city, some of the camps did indeed extend as far as Lhavit; it was rare that they were used, for if an Endal had to fly that far in search of food it was hard times indeed.

Alduin had everything he needed to camp for the night.

OOCI'm giving you a chance to detail out your travel and some skills. You have absolutely no wilderness survival skills or lore or anything that could help him hunt or catch food. Take this opportunity before things get rough to rack up the points

[Alduin]

The day was coming to an end. And he had been fortunate in finding the camp along his journey. He hadn't been to sure if he had wanted a horse, he just wasn't sure of the landscape and his ability to even handle one here. But that was for another time. He had enough provision's for a week so he would be set on food. But while he was out here he might as well learn how to hunt and survive like most humans knew how to do. Being a wizard shouldn't deter him from learning the basics of life. That however could wait in the morning. He was tired and the armor he had brought was tiresome to walk in. He removed his armor and put on his clothes to sleep. There had been plenty of death in the surrounding area, probably not the life of a more sentient being but nevertheless death was death. It calmed him, it soothed his mind. A sleep came easy after a few minutes of enjoying the feeling. He awoke the next day feeling refreshed. He opened his pack and began to eat some of the food he was carrying. No fresh meat but some dried jerk with bread was sufficient enough. Alduin stood there a few enjoying his meal and the current weather, it was still another nice day so far. Maybe the weather would be fortunate in his travels. But he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of forbidding. Probably because he had not fully understood what he was getting himself into. It couldn't be helped, seeking knowledge where it lay was not always planned. In the midst of his thinking's he heard a twig break faintly. He rose up quickly and had his hands out. Whispering a small incantation. he weaved a shield a around him again. His shield from yesterday was still present yet it had dissipated over the night so it didn't take long to reinforce it. In the distance he saw something come into the light. It seemed to be a deer, but it was white. This was odd but this would serve to be a practice run. It was few yards away from him and it had not noticed the wizards presence yet. It seemed to be minding its own business looking for food in the morning. He was glad he had taken off his armor, so he got up and and edged his way towards it. After closing the distance slowly the mountain deer started to make its way deeper in woods. Alduin quickly summoned a fireball, took careful aim, and shot it at the deer. It missed it by an inch and exploded slightly to the tree next to it. Its shot up and it was instantly fearful, it took off immediately. Disappointed he returned back to his camp, next time he would not miss. He gathered his things and put his armor back on. And started back on the path. Faintly in the direction he knew he was going in, he could sense death. But he wasn't quite sure yet, but he would follow the path anyways. If he got closer he would inspect that further. It didn't take him very but he covered a nice amount of distance into where the mans cottage was but it was still on the way. He would be there eventually, he just needed to push ahead.

[Phoenix]

With no coordinates or any kind of map to guide him, Alduin was left to wander further and further out of the Misty Peaks and into the surrounding Unforgiving in his search for this mysterious cottage; the book in the Library had mentioned a small log cabin not far from Lhavit itself, but thus far that information seemed to be false.

It was with determination that the young man pressed forward, struggling through the dense underbrush and the wild tangle of limbs that seemed to bar his way at every turn, keeping him from going further into the forest; which was what he would have to do, should he wish to find anything at all.

A discovery at the very edge of the Misty Peaks is what tipped Alduin off to the direction he would have to take; a well-beaten, yet somewhat overgrown, path lead into the line of trees that loomed forebodingly in the distance. It seemed to have fallen into disuse, but for how long? How many seasons? Was it long enough to match up with the information he had stumbled across in his research?

The path, should he choose to take it, would prove uneventful. More of a game trail than anything else, more than once Alduins appearance and passing would startle small creatures from their hidey holes, while larger animals stood their ground at a distance, warily watching the man pass. Night was quickly approaching when, disturbed from the long grasses that encroached upon the path, a thick, mottled snake slithered bare inches from the toes of his boots.

Though this one hesitated only to hiss menacingly at the weary traveler before continuing on its way, the appearance of the dangerous reptile should have been more than enough to put Alduin on alert; the forest wasn’t as simple and innocent as it seemed. The night continued to creep closer, but it wasn’t until dusk that Alduin made some progress on his journey.

Just as if written in a storybook, the path bent around a large, ancient tree that conveniently hid whatever was around the corner. When Alduin made it around the bend in the path, he found what he was searching for: The cabin.

However, the burnt and crumbling shell of the little house was not what the young man was hoping to see. Embers still smoldered beneath the ruined roof, only parts of the walls still standing and were charred almost beyond recognition. The burnt-wood smell hung heavy in the air despite the light breeze that ruffeled through the leaves of the surrounding trees, tossing the long-bladed grasses around the former-log cabin.

The grasses… Though the house was destroyed, completely and utterly, and left as a smoldering ruin, none of the plant life surrounding the area seemed to be affected. In fact, thick, soft, green grass grew right up to the edge of the house; anyone who had ever seen the remains of a fire knew that the plantlife suffered the most. Looking as recent as it did, this ruin shouldn’t have had a healthy carpet of grass surrounding it. Not only that, but when Aduin tried to approach the ruins, he found his face crunching into a solid, invisible wall that shimmered slightly upon impact before fading again into anonymity.
x

[Alduin]

A huge wave of disappointment shook his brain as he thought that his efforts were for naught. His natural curiosity getting the better of him and it seemed it was giving him a reality check. Perhaps there was some type of clue in the ruins. That way he could have something to go on besides being completely useless. Alduin stepped forward to the cabin. He didn't get very far before his body slammed into a an invisible wall. It caught him off guard and sent him stumbling backwards. Magic. Was his first initial thought. This seemed to be a some sort shielding type magic. He could see it shimmer so he might be right on that assumption. That also meant a number of things, someone was protecting this area for some reason. He didn't know how the Shield was implemented or when it was started. But he would try his best to get through it. He brushed his hair out of his eyes as he stepped back a few feet. The Eiyon quietly murmured an incantation in the ancient tongue. Slowly building to sizable res balls within both of his hands. He threw his hands out as he directed the res towards the barrier. He ignited the res and two fireballs were conjured in mid-air towards the barrier. The firebolts exploded against the barrier and get absorbed into it. A shocked expression shot across his face as he noticed that this was no ordinary shield. He walked over to the area and carefully felt for the area in front of the barrier. He stopped where his firebolts exploded. Alduin in his readings in the Library, learned of a magic art called Auristics. A useful ability to tell aura's much like his Eiyon's ability to sense death. But his being able to apply it was non-existent. It never told him how to actually do it. Now he thought he'd give it a try. Holding his hands over the area. He closed eyes and began to chant in the Ancient Tongue in slow repetition under his breath. Focusing his Djed to attempt some type of connection to the barrier. It seemed like his efforts was in vain and he abandoned the attempt. He guessed he didn't really get it then. Alduin brushed the failure out of his mind and continued to look around the barrier. Perhaps there was a weak point in the barrier he can exploit with his Reimancy. This barrier could possibly be quite old if its covering this old cabin. I wonder whats in there. This invigorated him to look further into this. He threw another fireball for good measure, but it was as useless as the first attempt. So he shook his head and began to walked around the perimeter. Seeing how far the barrier actually stretched. He checked and it only extended maybe about 40 or so meters from the cabin he observed. But he when he was in the front of the barrier he felt a stronger humming of magic near it. As he strayed around it he didn't feel the familar hum. The mage stopped. Interesting. Alduin noted.