[b][center]Mages[/center][/b] Those who reached the forest would soon find that vegetation itself would move out of the way, revealing a path deep into this pitch black forest. It could be felt from afar, even more so for the people with the gift, that every leaf, every blade of grass was imbued with magic, and hundreds of red, glowing eyes were flickering in the distance - intruders would not get far. Finally, they would reach a huge clearing, with a massive circular structure in the middle. It's walls were actual trees, grown in a shape of a dome. Inside all along the outer "wall", there were rooms, hundreds of them, with giant leaves for doors. Everything was illuminated by some kind of giant glowing flowers, acting as lamps. The rest of the structure was a giant hall, littered with tables and chairs. The tables were full of various delicious fruits and berries. In the very middle there was a throne, and in it sat a very old woman. Without a doubt, this was the mythical Witch of The Black Forest, and she was prepared for their arrival. Most likely, she was the one to call them. Besides her were two men, one rather young, and other one older, with a fancy, nobleman attire. The Witch and the young man were arguing about something. But the people who came cared more about satiating their bellies and getting some rest - the witch was waiting for all of them to come. ----- [b][center]Paladins[/center][/b] After everyone arrived, the hundred or so paladins were lead to the grand hall. After taking their positions in a formation, they were greeted by a giant of a man in an Inquisitor uniform. [hider=Inquisitor Levran][img=http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/126/e/5/Inquisitor_by_RoM_ushakov.jpg][/hider] [b]"I'll keep this short. We have a reason to believe the mage group only know as Azure Covenant is operating from The Black Forest. As you all know, all of our smaller expeditions that went into that area have never returned. It is a certainty that the forest is enchanted to ward off intruders. But magic is magic, and it will not stop our force. The mages associated with The Azure Covenant are extremely dangerous and more than willing to kill you, as they killed dozens of other paladins. You will be allowed to attack them on sight. Three of you will also be under my close watch, as you were selected as potential candidates for the Inquisition. That would Alicia Eternus, Varkasan Trenact, Conrad Felden and Sylvestra Wyrmire. You three will ride near me and the other officers. We will be riding through several villages that will be used as rest stops and places to eat. We should arrive at our destination in three days. Direct any remaining questions to your commanding officers, and head to the stables. We will set off within the next hour."[/b] ----- [b][center]Alicia[/center][/b] Arriving near the HQ, Alicia, like everyone else, was asked for papers. Passing by, she heard other paladins say something about "getting to eat real food now, thanks to the Eternus' maids". Not paying much attention to it, she headed to the main hall, where nearly a hundred of other paladins stood. The girl knew some of them, but they weren't exactly close friends. Heck, she didn't have any close friends. But she had no time to screw around, as they were supposed to stand in formation and listen to the briefing. ... The briefing was just about what Alicia expected, including being a candidate. Many strings were pulled for this, and combined with her skill, she was the prime candidate. She was not too sure why the other three were selected, but did not question it much. A part of her wanted to warn everyone that it was a trap - guilt washed all over her like a heavy rain. None of them knew just HOW prepared the forest was. She would survive, but the majority here would not - that much Alicia knew, and it was necessary step to dethrone Grinnoc, but it felt wrong and bad. A gnawing feeling was also there, as if something will go wrong, far worse than the forest. But it was just the nerves, right? A little bit shaking and twitchy, Alicia headed towards the stables. The stench of a hundred horses could be felt from afar. ----- [b][center]William[/center][/b] Finally, William has entered the forest. Falling behind the rest of his group, his pace slowed down to a crawl as he analyzed his surroundings. Brimming with magic, this forest would annihilate intruders, but also would guide and protect it's allies. Such level of enchantment required decades of time, immense power and experience, something far above the scholar's current capabilities. Even the animals of the forest were enchanted, most likely under direct control of The Witch, also being her eyes, noses and ears. Not even a blade of grass would move without alerting the master of this forest. The final destination brought everything up to 11. Even though William has never seen elven nature magic, it couldn't be anything else but that. Not even the Grand Archons of old could manipulate nature in such a way, without destroying or twisting it. The people he traveled with quickly rushed to the tables, as they haven't eaten in quite a while. Hunger gnawed William's stomach too, but he was too distracted by this literally magical place to care. After wandering around for a few hours, and not really learning anything other than "it's amazing", he finally sat down to eat. Or try to - he wasn't a fan of fruits.