A Venture into the Woods

An Excerpt From A Centuries-Old Journal

Written by Wolfient

Gentle Hands and a Keen Mind

The yellowed paper, coloured by time, weather, and dust, weakly bends as your gloved hands turn the pages. Oh so frail, the paper still holds the ink it drank many centuries ago. The words are sometimes barely legible, some letters having nearly faded from existence. It is written in Dwarvish, though it is an older dialect and only one with a deep understanding of this language can fully understand the story.

Photo by Tama66/Peter H.

Location

The document, as well as a transcript of it, both reside within the Library section of the Legal High Court, in Pla'aron. It is a mystery where the document was first located and how exactly it had come to the hands of the Library's scholars. It is said that it had passed through generations and generations of dwarves until the Dwarf-Union Wars, after which the person or persons which owned it had it migrated to Pla'aron, it is presumed, joining the Union.

Significance

Though the journal is but one piece of writing, it is of great importance. Not only does it cover several centuries, but it also covers an extended time period from which few records of any kind survive. In fact, a cult following of a sort has formed around this piece of writing. While there are some active arguments amongst scholars, it is generally agreed upon that the journal can be divided into three main parts: The Youth, which covers the author's experiences from mid-puberty to circa age 250, the Wartime, and, finally, the Old Age. The second speaks of a War not recorded in history and very vague in position, though perhaps that is due to any changes, either political or geographical, which have occurred over time. Others, meanwhile, suggest that this had not happened on Terra at all, but either on a different landmass or a different realm.

Background

The story written down between the leather covers of this particular journal is most probably not fiction, though the facts which it presents are hard to prove or disprove. The records suggest that within the vast and mysterious woods which lay to the South of The Aasaron Union a structure of sorts can be located which is most probably some sort of an even older temple, to two gods, similar in nature. The journal was kept by a seemingly young Dwarf who went by the name of Hagarto, who, with the help of several others, went to explore the woods at the behest of his people. The following excerpt mainly focuses on his travels into the woods, although the full copy of the journal does speak of his life amongst his own, as well as later events which might bear some historical significance.

Read the Document

A Venture into the Woods

[. . .]

28th day of the 2nd season of Circle 149

After two days of walking, we've reached the Woods. The trees are taller than the ones at home and I can't seem to get used to it. We've settled down for the night and I am meant to watch the woods for any beast which may see us as a meal but I keep looking up. The stars are barely visible from the thick branches, and I only hope to se- [the word suddenly cuts off, instead a sharp line of ink is found across the lower half of the page]
Aevron, save my mind! I swear I had just seen a bright blue glow as if a star itself had crashed nearby, but it was gone in a moment. As I sit here, no further movement or sound or vision appears. I could move to investigate but I would never hear the end of it, should they wake while I am gone. I can wait, until the morning.

29th day of the 2nd season of Circle 149

No further sign of any sort of glowing or strange movement. We've seen birds, insects, we even spotted a rabbit as large as Grandon's torso. He tried climbing a tree to get away but ended up costing us an hour of journey, seeing as he couldn't climb down. As for the trees themselves, the deeper in we go the taller and thicker they get. I bet that if we went in far enough, it'd take all six of us to wrap our hands around the bloody things.
I miss Tabon, I hope I see him again soon.

30th day of the 2nd season of Circle 149

We've come across a small structure and I was right about the trees! They've become even bigger, especially around this place. Lots of roots and flowers and other things have wrapped themselves around the metal building. The two doors were barely open and we had to push through, unable to push them open anymore. I think they were supposed to open left and right of, not towards or away from me. They had no handles. We're going to sit down for a bit, but it seems there's only one room in here.
Evening - As we sat down onto the circular engravings at the end of the small room, the floor began to shake and moan and move and suddenly we were going downwards. Almost like falling, but slowly. The circle floor reached a part of another area and it slowed and stopped. The feeling was amazing, though Ragno vomited onto some glowing plants down here. A magical, I think, glow appeared, lighting up the room and it was so very similar to what I saw the other night. We're currently resting inbetween two doors. The light has allowed myself and Tanon to study the scribbles and art on the walls. I think it is writing, though I can't read it. Nobody else can, either. Well, we've figured out something. There are two figures on the walls, very similar, so alike, but red and blue. Both seem like tall and lanky people, though I've never seen a Dwarf quiet like that. They also have tails and antlers, or horns. Hard to tell. We think that this word that appears every time they do means something like 'superior gods' or 'twins'. It's hard to tell, and we can't agree on it, but we're both working on using this as a key to the language. We'll see who's right.

I don't know when

It's been a few hours, or maybe more. The sunlight is weak down here and the glow has confused my sense of time and my understanding of light alike. We found a room with some strange structures in it, and three other doors, though we couldn't open them, no matter how hard we tried. There were bones of a Dwarf or, maybe, something else? on the floor, against a wall and a broken looking glass. I cut off a piece of the rib with my arrowhead, though the head broke and so I left it there and took the rib instead.
I keep seeing the figures. The glow figures. Figures made out of light. I thought that they were ghosts but they don't respond to me or to the others. They finally saw them, too. They seem to be stuck in loops of doing whatever it is that they are meant to do. I think they're harmless.
Later - I have volunteered to keep studying the symbols while the others sleep. They told me that I should sleep, but I can't. The ancient language, the carvings, glowing plants call to me. Even the figures. They've moved closer. I think. I think some of them stopped doing some things and started doing others. I can't prove it. Can't prove anything right now. I have to go back to the symbols. I have pages upon pages of them sketched out. Again and again. I think I know what they mean now.
I think something just moved. Loudly. I'll have to write all of this down in here, before we leave.
[Notable evidence of several pages being ripped out. Content unknown. Red and blue stains on the edges of some remaining pages. Suspected to be blood but unsure.]

38th, 2nd, 149

I barely survived. The figures turned on us, glowing not blue but red and purple and so strongly that they blinded us. It shook me to the core but as they all died, as the figure touched me, I felt a need to kill as well. Not the lights but my friends. Luckily, I shook the idea out of my head and instead helped Tanon up. The walls began to shake and just as suddenly the ceiling began to fall down on us and then, closing our eyes and expecting death, instead we found ourselves outside, above the temple. I was glowing blue, Tanon told me, and-- we just agreed not to talk about it. We agreed that giants beasts killed the others and we could do nothing to save them. It's for the best.

Close

A Sketch Found Within

Art by PoseMuse/Justin Martin

Type

Journal, Personal

Medium

Paper

Knowledge Unknown

The journal actually speaks of The Underground Sacred Ruin, found within the The Glowing Forest, which is a temple devoted to The Twins, gods of a forgotten, ancient race.

The above spoiler is meant to hide the knowledge which is not open to the public and is known by only one or a couple of characters.