The conversations, happenings and gossip of AranisDir concerning TheThree, brought to notice in TheSheepAndTheForest.

Zalaf, the stablemaster of the Reeve, and Magar, the Miller, sat together on the patio shaded by the Inn’s awning. The breeze, the shade and the beer brought relief from the heat. Magar pointed at Cha’zul Taval and asked Zalaf, “Do you think that he has the favour of Chal”?

“How would I know?” grunted Zalaf

“You are both Mi’lar and you pray to the same God,” said Magar reasonably.

“I might pray, but Chal is silent,” muttered Zalaf into his beer.

“Perhaps, he takes time to listen,” retorted Magar.

Zalaf said nothing and they sat in familiar silence.

“Jazim, can you settle this?” called Magar to him as he stepped onto the patio.

Jazim took a reluctant step towards the two bickering friends.

“Zalaf and I were debating if Cha’zul Taval is favoured by Chal,” said Magar loudy.

“You were debating and I was trying to stay out of it,” growled Zalaf.

Jazim thought for a moment while regarding the two friends and said, “I know he is favoured by Chal, I have felt it. I was near death and almost beyond hope when Cha’zul Taval reached out towards me and he said a prayer. Through him Chal healed me.”

Jazim stepped off of the patio and into the heat and said, “Chal bless your paths.”

Zalaf and Magar stared after the retreating Jazim for this uncharacteristic pronouncement of faith.

The three oldest daughters of three households gathered at the well to draw water for their chores when Tesa broke the silence by saying,

“Guess who spoke to me yesterday?”

“Naban,” answered Regini confidently, “he was looking for you yesterday.”

“Who?” asked Tesa and after a brief pause to remember, “Oh, him … no.”

“Well then?” asked Sara.

“Mahir!” exclaimed Tesa and her eyes flashed with excitement.

“Really,” replied Sara with a hint of jealousy.

“What did he say?” asked Regini.

“He wanted directions and he asked for my name,” answered Tesa.

“He could talk about anything and I’d listen,” said Regini to herself.

“Do you think he will find you again?” asked Tesa, “you could get lost in those eyes.”

“Perhaps,” said Tesa smiling and hoping.

“Oh you would have to pry him away from Cha’zul Taval, he watches and following him like a hawk,” said Regini.

“I hear my mother say that he is as dangerous as he is pleasing to look at,” said Sara knowingly.

“Hello,” called Branor to the smith’s children while they were cleaning at the back of the smithy.

Nina elbowed Naron in the back and said “your friend is calling you.”

Naron straighted up and spotted Branor and yelled louder than required, “hello!”

“Have you heard?” asked Branor, “The Three are going to find Vazir.”

“I hope that they come back safe,” said Nina

Naron, hoping that his news was as important said, “The Three showed my father Kurdrun axe heads and arrows.”

Nina asked, “What is a Kurdrun?”

“They are little people who live in the mountains and are great smiths” replied Naron.

“Isola my great aunt said she remembers that we used to trade with them, but no one has seen them for many years.” Said Branor.

Kuria eyed the group of men and women seated around him in the Inn. Kurai was a shy man and preferred to spend time out in the open rarely had everyone’s attention and he knew he needed to make the most of it when he had it. It might provide a free drink or three, wandering rarely made enough drops to buy alcohol. So, he took a deep breath and began his story.

“My brother, Ores lives in Graradis Dir and I visited him yesterday. He told me that Daran the Agarazine had stopped in Graradis Dir several days before the equinox, and wanted to stay to see the equinox ceremony of The Black Tree. However, stories were told that sheep and people were going missing near the forest, the Brasisiron?.”

Kuria held up a hand to quiet the questions and waited …

“The lands were too dry for the sheep and the green grass near the Brasisiron was too much to resist. So, before the equinox, The Agarazine, travelled near the forest to find out if the stories were true. One night, the herb hunters and The Agarazine, were surprised and captured. None of them knew who attacked them, or why, and the Agarazine woke to find himself wrapped in leaves of what he said was a giant Urashiin plant. Around him he heard sounds of combat and the Urashiin plant was bleeding him dry. Only after a great struggle did he break free. Outside he found The Three, attacking this giant Urashiin plant, it threw darts at them, lashed them with vines and tried to eat them. However, the stars must have aligned for the Agarazine and the Three to meet. They defeated and burnt the plant.

Kuria paused to down the offered date spirit and when another arrived he continued.

They traced the vine back to an old village site and found the Spirit in the rock that Grandma Tesina had told people she had dreamed about. The Rock was wrapped in vines that were draining it to feed itself. The Three were ambushed by a creature that can only be described as a mantis that is four time longer than I am tall. (Kuria is of the Shawnal and is a tall man. He often stands a head taller than TheDromar he was holding court with.) With their skills and bravery, The Three killed the beast. However, these weren’t the only guardians of the Vines. Creatures that are shaped like us, but are only as tall as children, covered in bark and leaves also guarded the Vines. The Agarazine referred to them as CedarKin.

On the night of equinox, the Agarazine and the Three battled the Tree Children and the Vines to save the Rock Spirit. The Tree Children sacrificed themselves to save the Vines but they were cut down. The Vines drew on the energy of the Rock and grew tentacles that snared the Agarazine and the Three, trying to drag them to the a mouth that opened in the great vines that encircled the rock. However, the Three found the missing stone to complete the ritual of the equinox and the Rock broke free.”

Kuria paused dramatically once more and drained a glass. He began to speak again once another full glass did appear.

“The Agarazine says that the dangers in the forest are real and trying to drive us from our homes. The forest will cover our homes and will no longer be a safe place to live. Some of the trees can act and think. Many people you trust, Dromar?, Jazim, Esah, Tir, and Daran the Agarazine have seen the dangers. We must be on guard and watch.”

Rabar waited for his friend Gasgar to arrive with his sheep. He was sitting on a branch of an ancient Olive tree by the sheep fold. Soon, Gasgar arrive with a half dozen sheep and once he was satisfied they were safely inside, he called to his friend in youthful exuberance,

“I talked to The Three yesterday, they are hunting Vazir.”

“That doesn’t make sense Vazir wouldn’t hurt anyone, they must be wrong about him.” Said Rabar.

“Drovan never lies,” said Gasgar, “and he is Vazir’s friend, so something must have changed him.”

“I guess … what did you tell them?” asked Rabar.

“I told them I saw what I was sure was Vazir by the Ronisiram,” said Gasgar.

“That makes sense because Vazir would know we never go there,” said Rabar.

“Do you think they will catch him?” asked Rabar.

“How could the Three not catch him?” answered Gasgar with an excited grin.

“How are they?” asked Torar.

“The bruises and cuts will heal quickly, I think, but they are drained and need to recover.” answered Cha’zul A’havi.

“Vazir must be powerful foe, filled with the power of the Dark Praj,” mused Cha’zul Rihaj.

“They told me that Vazir turned their ambush around on them, he was able to find them easily in the dark,” said Cha’zul A’havi.

“The Three said that the axe grew and shrank at will and seemed to react to their attacks on it’s own,” added Doramad.

“The threat is real, but how do we best address this?” wondered Torar.

“Chal tells us that all Praj are against us, how do we address a new threat when there is evil amongst us?” asked Cha’zul Rihaj.

“Perhaps not all Praj, deserve the same attention and we might need to be discerning where we put our resources,” stated Cha’zul A’havi.

“What can we do?” lamented Torar, “when the Three struggle against only one minion of the forest.”