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Dawn breaks, your journey begins anew, again. The road before you is long and arduous but the sojourn must be made. As the sun climbs higher, you wipe the sweat from your brow, the countryside making the transition from lush farmland, to dense forests, the road following alongside a small creek. You dismount, to quench your thirst, and to take in the many smells that float through the air, but it is your hearing that suddenly takes over as the snap of several twigs draws your attention. As you turn towards the noise, one of your guides scream in pain as he is impaled by an arrow. Bandits. Slipping from the trees, a fight is possible, but a victory is fleeting as their numbers grow, the only chance, flee from the attackers, use the creek as a path, one that hopefully leads to safety. Your ears thunder with the beat of your heart as you race along the riverbank, as you round a bend in the brook joins with another small stream, becoming one flowing river.
You stop to take a quick glance behind you, the feeling of dread that helped you to flee has started to lessen, the sounds of pursuit fading over the din of the water, but in your gut you know the attackers are not following, perhaps they were satisfied with the pack horses, or perhaps they knew something you did not. Eyes upon you, you can feel them, yet when you seek their owners, only the forest remains around. You continue on your flight no longer fearing the bandits, but the overwhelming feeling of being watched, yet it cannot be evaded. The ground subtley starts to rise until there is a break in the trees, and a valley unfolds before your view.
You continue on, trying to ignore the invisible eyes that follow your every move, until they are gone, you are not sure how you know, but you are watched no more. The land begins to change more as well, the smell of evergreen and pine is in the air, a carpet of needles begins to spread, and you find what seems to be an animal trail. An old stump, torn apart by a hungry bear or other large animal.
The sound of water once again dominates your senses, you had wandered far from the river you used as your escape, but now another draws you near, a raging river reveals itself, hiding behind a small hill, you start to follow it, seeking its source, and then the forest ends, and an expanse of water unfolds in your view. A hidden lake, lying nestled in the forest, a sight perhaps never seen by the human eye.
As you walk along the shore you observe ducks landing on it's blue waters, fish jumping at insects, and even a few beavers dragging logs into shimmering liquid. Looking to the north you see the source of the lake, a towering waterfall spilling it's contents into the crystal pool. Nature's fury and her elegance combining to form a breath taking sight. You think you see a figure moving along the lower edge of the falls but at the moment the sun appears from behind the clouds, washing out your view.
The sound of movement once again leaps to your ears as you turn to see what makes such noise, a moose crashes from the underbrush, splashing into the lake, unnerved by your prescence, it makes it's way into the more swampy area of the lake, where a calf lay hidden, shorebirds squawking loudly at the creatures sudden appearance. The sound is calming to you though, if there are animals about then you know no evil can be near, no hunters lurk waiting to strike, this place is as safe as the wilderness can be.
You decide to make camp for the night, in a secluded part of the lake, the sun will be setting soon and no good can come from stumbling about blindly in the night, nothing but an early death. You make a small fire as the sun starts to creep down towards the treeline, a sigh leaving your tired body as you watch the tranquility all around you, a peacefulness that is suddenly broken as there is an explosion of water near where you sit.
A voice booms through the quiet glade, crashing like thunder and echoing through your sheltered alcove, the wind picking up snuffing out your fire...You have entered my home. I have allowed you to remain, but you will harm nothing that dwells here, not animal, not plant. As long as you come in peace, you shall remain unharmed and protected, if you seek to do evil, then it will be visited on you tenfold. Well met and welcome to the Glade..... The voice fades, as the wall of water subsides, all that remains is a humanoid shadow that fades as the sun finishes it's descent. Your heart slows to normal, but your senses remain alert, do you trust the voice, and do as it instructed, or do you act on your own accord?
You are awakened in the morning by the voice again, odd you think to yourself as you did not even remember falling alseep, but the day had been a trying one. The voice booms over the glade again, echoing off the walls…..Decide your fate, enter the cave of knowledge, or seek your answers elsewhere.….You see a figure high up on the waterfall, it slips behind the wall of water and disappears, revealing to you the location of the cave.
