Cyprian approached the northern gate of the palace with the others. As the map had told him, this was indeed the lost palace of Anthedon, and the electrum key in his hand was the only way to open it, save for possessing more magic than he had, or was ever likely to have, to force the gate open.

The palace itself was square-shared, with one gate on each side; the golden gate in the north, the silver gate in the east, the iron gate in the west, and the bronze sea gate to the south. The palace was, in fact, along a river, yet no one could see it from any distance, given the powerful enchantments placed on it. Only by following an exact path at a certain time of day was the party able to reach the palace. Anyone else would have simply been directed away from it by a subtle compulsion to walk around it. He wasn't sure if the enchantment placed on it by Anthedon simply made the palace invisible or if it wasn't fully in the world until it was reopened. Such were the times that the art of magic had dwindled to such depths in Omicria. Or rather, what was left of Omicria.

It had been centuries since the kingdom had existed in more than just name, and the sorcerer Anthedon had been the last great champion of the realm. His betrayal and death had killed any hope for the kingdom. Even this place held no hope of salvation for the land. If the kingdom was ever to rise again, this was not where it would rise from. But the past wasn't his concern.

"Cyp, are you sure this is it? Looks like the other forts we've seen, except, y'know, not broken" Alyssa stood behind him, reaching one of her hands back to rub her right foot, which she had curled back for a moment. It had been a long trip.

"If the key from the fort opens the gate, then yes, we've found it. Everyone, I'd like to thank you all for your help. All these months of planning, traveling, and fighting are about to pay off. If there's anything dangerous inside, we should be more than prepared to handle it, but don't let your guard down. We don't know much about the palace or the surrounding grounds, and we're the first outsiders to set foot in it in centuries."

Ash looked at the gate and stood in silence for a moment. The place looked familair as if he had seen it before and yet it looked like most forts in this region but then in pristine condition. The walls and gate reminded him of what he was shown in visions and dreams throughout the past 4 years. If the palace of Anthedon truely existed, this must be it.

Many people had been searching for this place. For fame, fortune, ultimate power. You name it and somebody had used it as motivation to find Anthedon's palace. But not Ash. The truth was, Ash wasn't sure what he would find here. He only had visions of the outskirts of this humongous building and an instinctual drive to find it. Ash wasn't even sure on what he was searching for.

Ash walked up towards the gate and positioned himself next to Alyssa. "My tribe always told that the sky was our roof and the dirt our floor. But this doesn't look too bad either."

Mercury, the laziest of Amontillado's crows, had been riding on his shoulder when the palace wall materialised in front of them. The bird startled with a squawk, nearly falling from Amontillado's shoulder before managing to grip the fabric of the cloak and pull himself back up.

Amontillado gently stroked the ruffled bird's neck. He was rather surprised himself. They really had found the place. "This is... Considerably larger than I was expecting." He suspected an entire small village would fit behind that wall. It was easily the biggest building he'd ever seen. He'd never seen a man-made structure look so... bright and alive. especially not one this old. Something about the place had him a little on-edge already. Maybe it was the eerie magical nature of it, or perhaps how foreign it felt to the world he knew.

"What's our plan? We probably shouldn't split up in there unless we know it's safe..."

Taranis wets his throat with a swig from his waterskin, and looks around. He takes a step back when the great palace suddenly materializes right infront of them. "That's....a lot bigger then I expected. I half assumed it would be a pile of old bricks, but this.....this is the remnant of an ancient power. I can't even imagine what riches and magic lay inside." He licks his lips nervously, a spark flicking across his chest. "This place seems dangerous. I'm staying on guard untill we're absolutely sure it's not going to blow up." He shivers, though not because of the cold. He nods to the door. "Let's crack this vault open and see what we're dealing with, shall we?" He smiles. I wonder what kinds of relics and artifacts they left behind?

This is it, the right time of day, following the right map to the right path. But when the palace appeared in front of him Arney couldn't help but let out a gasp. If looked at with one's peripheral vision either left or right it would simply disappear, and even when he was staring at it directly it seemed to try to not be pinned down. It was sneaky magic indeed.

“Now, don't any of you lads go getting ideas about stripping that gate for its gold, this place is enchanted by a he-hag by the name of Anthedon, one of the greatest in the land, so keep ye guard up… In any case, the palace is here to be enjoyed by us all, the party and the Clan, and shared equally after the effort of finding it.” He said, addressing the small honour guard of 4 MacClatch champions, and Caterella.

“When should we send out the signal to the rest of the Clan?” Said Catarellla MacClatch, a beefy middle-aged man with a large round stomach sat atop a small horse and cart. He, like many in the Clan was not of MacClatch blood, but had worked with them for so long that he'd taken the last name as was the custom. The mixing of blood happened organically.

“We’ll think about that in the morning, first we must settle the palace and ensure it is safe”

@WolfredWolf
"What's our plan? We probably shouldn't split up in there unless we know it's safe…”

“Agreed” “Of course, they could have left the place entirely undefended in the hope that the invisibility would make it impossible for anyone to find.” He said with a rye smile and drew his parrying sword and fetched a light shield out of the back of the cart.

---

The past month had been more eventful than the years she'd spent back home. It was only by chance that she'd met Cyrprian as he passed her hometown during his long journey; he had been gathering more adventurers to aid him in finding the palace of the great sorcerer. She hadn't the slightest interest at first, but the promise of a new home and a new beginning called to her, and she eventually caved in. Her father had been happy to let her go, it was good riddance to the child who had always been the source of his shame.

Now, at long last, they were at their destination. Cold sweat dripped down from her temple as they approached the northern gate, her eyes widening at the structure that had presented itself before her. In all her years, never had she seen something so vast and magnificent, and to think this was only the exterior... How spectacular was the palace from within these walls?

'This was worth the arduos journey, wouldn't you say?' She communicated telepathically to Obsidian, a beautiful shadow leopard whom she'd formed a contract with since he was a mere cub. Obsidian grunted, unimpressed by the man-made structure. He still preferred the lush, green trees of the forest and the rivers that ran through it. Lillith shrugged her shoulders before nodding in agreement. Indeed, nature was best.

She gandered upon the faces of the adventurers, each of them tired but in awe of the impressive golden gate that stood before them. There were hidden mysteries amidst the palace, many secrets awaiting to be brought into the limelight, and she saw the glint of excitement in some of their eyes. A few of them were simply nervous.

As they discussed how to proceed onwards, she only listened with her arms crossed. Although they had been traveling together for quite some time now, she hadn't spoken to them, albeit a few nods here and there. Thankfully, none of them had been overly eager to strike up a conversation, and most of them minded their own business.

'What do think we'll find in there?' She turned to Obsidian and stroked his chin. The shadow leopard eagerly licked his lips in response, which solicited a laugh from her. 'I don't think you will find fresh meat in a centuries-old palace, but wouldn't that be nice?'

"Our plan is simple: open the gate and see what's inside." Cyprian turned around to the party assembled with him. "Ash, I'm sure this place will be a good place to live, not that you've ever needed anything as elaborate as this."

He turned to look at Amontillado. "You're right, we should stick together. And Taranis, you're more of a mage than any of us, probably. Anthedon had a grasp of magic which almost no one alive can claim to possess. If even a fraction of his secrets are still in there, you'll learn more from this place than anywhere else in Omicria. As for you, Arney, don't send for anyone until we know it's safe to do so. And Lilith... thanks for being here. Sorry that there's not much more to say. Did anyone else have anything to add?"

Alyssa raised her hand. "Yeah. Is it true they had running water back then? Think it still works. I have to go."

"Er... they did back then and I'm sure we'll still find out if it works. Okay, here goes." Cyprian inserted the key into the gate. As soon as the key was inserted, it was pulled fully into the gate's lock by an unseen magical force. After a minute of rumbling, the gates finally swung open to reveal the palace.

From the north looking south, there was a long, white street flanked by buildings on either side. The road was immaculately paved, a tremendous contrast to the unpaved paths and decayed roads which remained in what was left of the kingdom. Looking south, the party could make out a perpendicular intersection, with a second road running easy to west. Farther south, they could make out a large octagonal structure and several long buildings, whose purposes were unknown. Overall, the architecture resembled that of a fort in its prime, with half of the structures appearing quite military from the outside, and the remainder being civilian structures built as they were centuries ago.

What truly struck Cyprian was how pristine the place was. From what he could see, there wasn't a single crack in any of the walls, nor any chips in the paint. Even the roof tiles were all still in place. The palace wasn't just protected by magic, it had been preserved, as if no one had ever set foot in there.

"Be on guard. Powerful magics abound, and I can sense the focal point for them is in that octagonal building over there in the distance." Outside of the towers which had been built into the walls, it was the tallest edifice in the palace and very hard to miss.

Alyssa gingerly took a step onto the road, carefully letting her bare feet feel the smooth stone. "Whoa. So this is what pavement feels like. So flat. Damn. Just like you said, Cyp."

Ash looked in awe for a bit before he regained composure. The sight of the interior was truly marvelous, a true sight to behold. Then he noticed it too. The palace looked way to prestine to be natural. The forces of time, wind and weather seemed to not have affected the place at all. Was this the magic of Anthedon at work? The wizard died like 300 years ago. Shouldn't the magic have worn off by then? I not, the wizard was amezing.

"Yeah, this certainly looks like an upgrade from the dirt I've been sleeping on for the last few years. It looks so new and fresh. Are you certain that this palace is over 300 years old? Nothing shows wear at all. This place even smells way too clean to be natural. No funny smells at all, except for Monty over here." Jested Ash lightly as a reverence to Armontillado's work as a mortician.

For a moment the young man looked around. There were so many buildings in the compound that looked like a village of its own and they had to check them all. "So that big octagonal building in the center first? Or do we want to split up to cover more ground quickly?"

Amontillado threw Ash a mildly offended look, but he was starting to get the idea of teasing and jest. He was in fact rather fond of the various flower and herb based oils his profession called for, but unfortunately those had been destroyed along with most of everything else he'd owned before. He was adjusting to what his life had become now, but there were a few things he still missed.

"It all seems so... Unnatural." There was no green in sight. Even the neat bricks of the road lacked any weeds growing between them. Suddenly he couldn't help but be reminded of a corpse at a funeral; perfectly preserved and as fresh looking as possible, but undeniably dead. Yet this place had been buried in its coffin for centuries with no sign of decay whatsoever.

Mercury seemed unsure about the place, but also curious. He didn't seem afraid or unnerved. In fact, he chose to hop off of Monty's shoulder and take to the air to explore. Monty took a few cautious steps through the gate, following the bird. "Ah- be careful! Don't go far!" he called after the bird, perfectly aware it didn't really understand the words.

He returned his attention to the rest. "It's a very big place, but maybe we should head to that tower together... And then decide from there whether or not to split into groups..." Even after the months they'd spent together, it still felt a bit awkward to speak up or share ideas.

Taranis begins drumming his fingers on a wall, in a nervous tic. He looks up, and shivers. "So, what kinds of defenses are there, if any? Magic, constructs, that sort of thing?" His glowing eyes scan the walls and streets. "You'd think there'd be more dust and dirt from being empty for so long....." He begins weaving wind around his body, his cloak whipping around him, and he funnels it around his legs like a small cyclone, lifting him into the air, dust blasting away from his body. He looks around, his glowing eyes floating to each member of the group before sending him higher into the sky, the bent air making a bubble that he's hovering inside of.

"Which one of you lads is going to impress us all by going in first?" He said to his champions.
>silence<
"Just kidding... i know its me..." He said and steeled himself with a gulp.
Arney looked back and forth and slowly entered through the gate, his sword raised, flanked on either side by his champions.

He looked out on a freshly maintained courtyard.
>silence<
He didnt like the silence, it was now time to do something impressive otherwise the lads would have no stories for home.
He looked up and shouted out "HULLO IS ANYONE THERE?!? IF NOT CLAN MACCLATCH and friends CLAIMS THIS CASTLE AS THEIR OWN!"

He heard Taranis lift off into the air and looked around. That was a trick he'd never seen before.
He was flying towards the big building and he and the lads should probably keep up.

"Forward men, we've got a scout!"

---

The palace was beautiful — to say the least. She didn’t think such perfectly paved roads could exist, nor large buildings devoid of corrosion and dust. When the female orc stepped forward and allowed her bare feet to touch the smooth pavement, it sparked Lillith’s curiosity, and she almost felt compelled to do the same. However, she could only stand still with her mouth agape, her head spinning like clockwork as it sought to unravel the mysteries behind what she was seeing. Wide roads, impressive architectural structures, and the mysterious edifice at the center of it all.

By the looks of it, they wouldn’t be able to inspect every nook and cranny of the palace within today. Splitting up into groups to cover more ground seemed sensible, or at the very least, that’s what Lillith had intended to do. In the event that she faced danger, she would send a signal to warn the others so they could escape.

Mercury, Amontillado’s bird, flew past the gate and began circling the air above. It seemed drawn to the magic brimming within that mysterious tower far south, but it also was reluctant to fly too far away from its master. Lillith eased a step further along the path, stopping just a little past the ex-mortician. Then, without saying a word, she bit down on her right thumb, her face contorting just a little. As blood trickled from her wound, she drew a line of blood across her left palm and held out her hand. "𝙰𝚉𝚄𝚁𝙰,I ƧЦMMӨП ƬΉΣΣ..." She chanted under her breath.

A blinding light emanated form her palm, coiling and flickering as it opened up a portal in which a beautiful, large bird appeared from. When the light disappeared, so did the wound from her flesh. The blue bird squawked before soaring up high above to join Amontillado’s little bird. Azura, her familiar, had beautiful feathers and large wings. The bird looked like a hybrid cross between an eagle and a peacock.

“A-Azura..will..l-look…a-after..M-Mercury..” She turned to Amontillado, her face turning a shade of red as she attempted to speak as clearly as she could. Lillith wanted to let him know that she would head straight for the tower along with their winged companions, but she felt embarrassed that she couldn’t get all of her thoughts out at once. Too flustered to open her mouth again, she simply pointed at the octagonal building and nodded — in hopes that he would understand what she was trying to get across.

Without waiting for his response, she began to move with Obsidian in tow.

@HowlsOfWinter@Milkman@WolfredWolf@Steel Legion@Shadow Dragon

"We can only be as sure of it as the sources tell us, but they all say this place is about three centuries old. That claim can be corroborated by architectural and artistic evidence, but I suspect that would be pointless at this point."

"And boring" Alyssac chimed in. Cyprian would have said something, but Taranis spoke first.

Cyprian shared Taranis' concerns. It was odd that no defenses had been activated. Then again, it was possible that the defenses would have been turned on in the event that a mage with enough power attempted to breach the walls instead of using the key.

"I'm not sure, but if Anthedon was anything like the mages of today- and that's a bit of an assumption on my part- he would likely have summoned magical guards as defenses, possibly summoned creatures from another plane, some golems, maybe even animated suits of armor." He stopped when they were a few dozen yards from the octagonal building.

"That building- it's practically emanating magic. Could it be-?" Cyprian advanced behind the rest of them. The style of architecture was reminiscent of a mausoleum, yet the magic coming from it wasn't necromantic.

"Amon, I think you ought to know that the 'tower' we're heading to is a tomb. From what I know, that's right up your alley. I have to ask you now not to tamper with anything you see in there. If my suspicions are correct, the tomb is the source of this palace's magic, and I have a suspicion as to why."

Alyssa ran ahead to keep up with Taranis and MacClatch. She'd never run on such a hard, smooth surface before, and she didn't like it. The pavement was too clean to be natural, the stones didn't give and bend under her as soil or grass did, and unlike actual rock, this was completely smooth and tough, lacking the subtle imperfections which gave nature's ground its distinctive character.

With some of the group behind him- he didn't know how many as he didn't look back, Cyprian approached the massive bronze doors of the mausoleum. Carved into them were scenes from the life of someone in robes, obviously the sorcerer Anthedon. The panel in the upper-left hand corner depicted his birth, and the others going from left to right, and down for five levels depicted various acts of heroism, culminating in his betrayal and demise. He reached out for the doors, finding that they opened with but a simple pull, much to his surprise.

Glancing into the palace, the party could see a large sarcophagus lying upon a raised bier, surrounded by four tall candles, all still burning and in such good shape that one would assume they had been lit moments ago.

"Lilith, Taranis, could you please join me in casting a spell of detecting magic? I don't think we need to be mages to tell that this room is saturated with magic, but it would help immensely if we could tell just how much there was. And if I have to say it, that's Anthedon, or at least his tomb. His body still has magic inside of it. Oh, I had hoped he'd be here, but not like this. His being the focus for this place's magic complicates matters."

The warmage felt a mix of admiration and pity for Anthedon. The great sorcerer had bound himself here in death as in life. His soul, his magic, his very essence permeated every wall of the palace. As such, he would never pass on to the afterlife as long as the focus remained intact. In theory, simply blowing out one of the candles would end the enchantments which kept this place intact and hidden, but it wasn't that simple. It would take more magic than the entire party had to be able to tamper with the focus or cause it any true harm. His reverie was only broken by Alyssa's sudden comment.

"If you're going to stare at the dead guy, mind if I look around this place some more? You said these palace had baths with hot running water?"

"Yes. The baths are likely the building parallel to this one. Alyssa, I don't think you understand the magnitude of our discovery. The tomb of the greatest mage Omicria- possibly the world- has ever known, and you want to take a bath in his palace?"

"It's what he would have wanted, I'm sure" she chuckled. "And I'd like to check out some of the trees. There's a grove of 'em just outside the walls. Saw' em on the way over. They look magical."

"I thought I was the expert on that around here." He paused when Lillith and Taranis came into his line of view. "Well, one of the experts. What makes you think the trees are so special?"

"For one, they look like they were posed there, like they had been bent somehow. For another, I don't think Antydon or Ampigon or whatever would have planted anything around here without a reason, if he's as obsessive as you say he was."

"Methodical. Anthedon was methodical."

"Well, whatever he was, I'd like to check his stuff out. Anyone else with me?"

Amontillado gave Lillith a kind smile and an easy "Thank you. I always worry about them getting into trouble."

He was getting used to smiling around people. From a young age, he'd been discouraged from smiling. "Don't smile. Nobody wants to see us smile. We shouldn't look happy about anything we do."

~~~

As people began to go their own ways, Monty stuck with Cyprian. He stepped reverently into the mausoleum. "Wow..." he breathed. "This is gorgeous." His voice was hushed, instantly and almost unconsciously settling into his funeral tone, though he allowed himself to speak his thoughts. Nobody was here to grieve. "Look how intricate the sarcophagus is..." He bowed slightly to get a look at the lower details. "I've never seen a mausoleum for just one person before..." He straightened back up to look at the ornate walls. The dozen much smaller and much less impressive mausoleums back home were typically owned by wealthy families. "I have to wonder if there's another somewhere for the resident families... Maybe there's a catacomb somewhere."

He was itching to know if there was any kind of drainage system or if it was simply taken care of by magic. What preservation methods did they have so long ago? He suspected they were better than now. Good enough to make a difference after three centuries? Probably not. Then again, maybe the mage's body was perfectly intact in there, preserved by magic. Of course he was curious, but he knew better than to touch anything in the room.

Contrary to what most believe, spending many years as a tree does not feel at all like you're being diluted across time itself, watching the lives of insignificant humans wash away like a fallen branch in a river. Not according to Minna, anyway. She would describe it more like a vague wash of time that you can observe if you like. It just might get tedious. It is more like a handful of sand being dropped into a still pond, where points in time are like grains of sand, and your reflection is still more or less visible. Making out individual grains is a lot of work, and following a grain as it drifts down and mingles with the other grains is near-impossible.

Anyway, even if you are able to make out individual grains of sand while they float down, the surface makes such a lovely mirror. And isn't water better suited to bathing than watching thousands of years pass? That sounds boring. Best wash off those dirt smudges I got yesterday, she thought.

You see, the arrow of time isn't as straightforward for vegetation. For them it's better described as a bowl. I'll let you think on how that one applies, is what Minna would say if you were to talk with her about this. Of course, this particular analogy is hogswash, but she'd like to see what kind of sense you make of it.

Then, with a more serious tone, she would say No, no. Time is not a bowl, that's bosh. It'd all fall out if it got tipped upside-down! Time is a 3-part cycle with many smaller stages. Then she'd wonder, Why am I having conversations with myself? I'm in a tree watching time drift downwards, not having an intellectual discussion. Time to take that bath.

Spending time as a tree is also cozy, like a pelt around your shoulders and a stew in your belly. It's familiar. Well, it is if you spend a lot of time doing it. The time-water is warm and sweet-smelling, like honey but without the same consistency. When it's daytime you can feel the sun's invigorating power, and when it's nighttime you get to curl up and conceptialise about how the stars might think. It is not all perfect, though. The time-grains get all caught up in your hairs and can be difficult to wash out, and winter leaves you largely drained of energy and lethargic.

PLOSH

A rock fell in the time-water. Or was it thrown? Okay. This is interesting, she thought to herself. She dived under the sandy and indistinct water and raked around the riverbed, in and through grains of the past, until... "A-ha!"

She swam to the surface and over to the pond bank. She hoisted herself onto that mossy cushion at the bank and she inspected the rock. Carved into it were the following words.

"HULLO IS ANYONE THERE?!? IF NOT CLAN MACCLATCH and friends CLAIMS THIS CASTLE AS THEIR OWN!"

"Oh."

She looked back to the pond to watch it shrink away as she returned to the present. What a shame. She stepped out of her tree, out into a bright world with vivid colours. She rubbed her bleary eyes. What was going on? Distant footfalls and voices. Weird.

The rock was gone.

Taranis lands outside the tomb, and walks in quietly, the wind muffling his footsteps. "His body still has that much power flowing through it? We are certain that he is in fact dead, right? Not in some frozen state to keep himself alive?" He begins scanning the air around him, trying to bend it to see what he can learn. "I don't think that he's truly gone. Are we sure he isn't here, watching us from beyond the grave?" He nods at Cyprian's suggestion. "Of course. When would you like to start the spell?" He takes a deep breath, and his eyes flare as he channels his magic into understanding what it is he's seeing. "The air here hasn't changed in all the years he's been here. If he's in some sort of magic stasis, we could be in trouble if he decides to wake up."

Arney and his champions had entered the large building and were presently looking at the dead wizard… could it be possible to revive him? Was he waiting for someone to do so? Is it wise to do so? So many questions hung in the air.

Catarella had stationed himself by gate the outside, keeping lookout for the wagon and horse. Nervously looking around he glanced back and saw the tree seemingly sprout legs and move. “Uh CHIEF, CHIEF!!! SOMETHING MOVED!!!” Arney heard the urgency in the mans voice, it was loud enough that Cyprian and the others could hear. Arney turned about on his heel and went to the grove with purpose just in time to see Caterella running in the opposite direction, his large belly bumping into his legs as he bounded to safety.

Arney looked at the tree-creature. They were coming out of the woodwork, literally.
Arney looked at the creature, it was presently rubbing its eyes, it was not overtly threatening so he thought he'd try reason first.

“Do you speak? This castle is so old we thought it uninhabited… at least by humans” (it was obvious the castle was made for humankind and less so for trees)

Minna's eyes were taking some time to adjust to the light. Everything appeared fuzzy, but it was slowly getting better. Slowly. She leaned back on the tree behind her and looked up through the canopy, allowing sunlight to stream onto her face. Its rays filled her with energy and left her face feeling warm.

She sighed.

A nice breath of fresh air was worth being woken up, after all. But she was still woken up. She cast her eyes down to see if she could spot whoever did this. Her eyes had adjusted far better by now, and she was met with the sight of a veritable giant walking towards her. He asked her if she spoke and said something about the palace being uninhabited by humans.

"I am a Dryad and I speak for the trees," she said, gazing warily at the man. "Soooo... yes, I can talk, and no I am not a human."

She gave him a puzzled look. "And no, it's not uninhabited. You're all here now, so not technically. Are you from Clan MacClatch?"

Cyprian addressed his team's concerns one at a time. "Oh, I don't think he can just 'wake up', but even if he could, I don't believe that Anthedon would want to. He didn't use his own remains as a focus for nothing, after all." He then turned from Taranis to Cyprian.

"I'm sure there is a catacombs around here somewhere. A mausoleum this elaborate is only reserved for someone of noble stature or higher. If the tales of this palace being a small city unto itself are true, there must have been others living and dying here at some point."

Meanwhile, Alyssa was still outside of the mausoleum. She had planned to visit the grove of trees, but in this rare instance, the trees seem to have come to her, or at least one of their representatives, if the "speak for the trees" line meant anything at all.

"Er, hi there. So, a dryad. A tree nymph." She looked at Minna, looking for any sign of her claim. Sure, she had pointed ears, but elves had those too. "Forgive me for saying so, but aren't you a bit heavily dressed to be a nymph? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm dressed lighter than you are, and I'm an orc." She was determined to visit the grove by the palace before checking out the baths, now that it was obvious that it wasn't just a normal stade of trees.

Amontillado had to tear his attention away from admiring the craftsmanship of the sarcophagus to pay attention to what the others were saying. "So... What do we do from here?"

The loud caw of a crow was heard in the distance. The sound wasn't urgent, but evidently Mercury had found something interesting.

~~~

Mercury landed in the branches above the dryad and orc with a flutter. He stared down at the two, tilting his head side to side almost like he was trying to absorb what he was looking at in each eye to understand it better.