Magnus: Angry Forest
Woe to he who enrages the forces of nature
Tunnel Bag Kitty
Zoro turned this bag into a tunnel, then decided to wear it
…Time for this week’s story…
Magnus: Angry Forest
King Oraku’s army arrived at the mountain fort a week after Magnus and his Marauders conquered it. Magnus’s Marauders feasted and consulted with them about the terrain ahead, departing a day later. It would take a fortnight to reach their next destination, an underground mountain pass to the Northeast. King Oraku warned them to beware, for there were giants there, and humans were not allowed. Still, Magnus insisted that if there was a way the smugglers were getting through, they could as well.
A few days after their departure, they waded through the heavy brush of a bountiful forest. It was difficult to find an open space to train, so Magnus took to studying Eranor’s spell books.
“Eranor,” Magnus called as they waded through the brush. He handed a spell book to Eranor. “I have been looking for a spell like the one Jafret uses to move around. Do you have anything like it?”
“I'm afraid not, my Prince. I'd like to craft one, but it would take some time and experimentation. However, I can help you plan around it. Truth be told, by the time you faced him, he was tired. I'd fear for your safety if you were to face him again. He is a cunning mage. I didn't see his trick until it was too late.”
“Too true, my friend. It was quite a spectacle watching your battle with him. I'm just glad I was there when I needed to be.” Magnus patted him on the back. “I'd very much like to come up with some strategies to fight Jafret. He holds a grudge. We haven't seen the last of him.”
“If you don't mind indulging my curiosity, what spells have you pilfered from my spell book to your own?” Eranor asked.
“Spell book? I don't have a spell book. I was doing research on the mechanics behind such a spell so I can beat it.”
“You don't have a spell book? How? Why?” Eranor was so befuddled that he didn't watch where he was going, tripping over several roots and rocks as he stared wide-eyed at Magnus.
“I never saw the point. I'm not a mage, per se. I learned the principles but never saw the purpose in building up a spell book when I can just come to you.”
“No wonder you can only conjure a few spells in battle. Have I taught you nothing?” Eranor almost ran into a tree, moving aside just in time.
“I've learned some new spells on our journey. I think I'll get a spell book first thing when we get back home,” Magnus said gleefully.
Eranor gripped his face in frustration. “Do you not even have your childhood spell book?”
A ruckus grabbed their attention and they hurried to it. The thrashing and hollering of men drew the Marauders together. Magnus and Eranor came upon a group of men facing a hulking elemental. A whole head taller than their tallest man, it was a monstrous tornado of wood and leaves with arms and a lower half that blended into the ground. They kept their distance and treated it more like a thrashing horse than a threat.
“Get back! Come, everyone!” Eranor shouted, waving his arms. “You're just angering it. Everyone, we must leave this area!”
The warning came too late. The elemental grew three times its size and let loose a ghastly, guttural roar. It's long arms flailed at the men, sending several flying. Two more haunting roars came from the forest. Moments later, a giant hurricane of water with arms and a face stormed out of the forest. Eyes glowing red, it smashed into a group of Marauders like a tidal wave. From the other side, a towering whirlwind of fire burned it's way into the battle, slashing at Marauders with its fiery claws and lighting everything around it aflame.
“Retreat!” Magnus boomed, helping an injured Marauder to walk. “Grab the injured and run! This way!”
Magnus and his Marauders carried the injured and ran while Eranor and his mages protected them. They crested the hill and ahead was a wooden fort. As they got closer, it seemed to be abandoned.
“Head for the fort!” Magnus ordered as more elementals closed in from all sides.
“There's no fort on the map!” Farko shouted as they ran.
“Let's worry about that later!” Magnus said.
The fort seemed to have been created in a hurry. The wood had not been treated for weather, so it was never meant to be permanent and would make for drafty nights. Still, it was built on a solid foundation with a raised ring of earth at the base of the walls. A river ran through the middle of it. There were a few towers and a large wooden keep that easily housed them all. When the mages caught up, the injured were being treated.
“I see you remember my lessons about elementals,” Eranor said to Magnus.
“Of course. An angry elemental has been wronged. Instead of fighting them, figure out what's wrong and fix it.”
Magnus’s first order was to secure the fort. Every able-bodied Marauder moved with haste to figure out their terrain and assess what they had to work with. Oddly, the inside was practically barren. There were some discarded tins, but otherwise almost nothing, not even furniture.
“Something off about this place. I’ve got a bad feeling about it,” Nastor said with a scowl.
“That makes two of us,” Magnus replied. “Eranor, could this fort be the reason the elementals are upset?”
“Possibly. This wood had to come from somewhere. We'll have to search the forest.”
“It's too late to start that now. Let's get settled, eat, and make a plan for tomorrow. Thanks to the river, we have fresh water. Although, I do think there's something odd about this waterway,” Magnus said.
With their grueling march interrupted, they relished in the comfort of the open space and leisure time. A few spells kept their presence a secret from the elementals, giving them a brief reprieve.
The next day they broke into teams of four, each with two mages to keep the elementals at bay, and two trackers. Magnus led his own team up the river. Everyone else stayed at the fort.
One team found where the trees were culled. The bald patch in the forest was not far away, and it was swarming with angry elementals. They were noticed and barely escaped.
Magnus and his team followed the river uphill for several hours. The further they went, the more they had to hide from elementals. Finally, they stopped at a clearing.
Trees were torn in half and splintered across the area. Although there were plenty of rocks and boulders, they seemed to be strewn about. There were also remnants of a small building with a tile roof. The mages shielded Magnus and his trackers from the elementals while they scoured the area for clues.
“It was a temple to the forest,” Magnus shared late that afternoon. “Someone destroyed it to divert the river this way.”
“Who would do something so stupid?” Nastor said.
“I think it was Jafret,” Magnus said. “We're far enough away that they could have built this place to have somewhere to rest for a few days. With his magic and their remaining manpower, this place could be up in a day.”
“But why anger the forest?” asked one of the mages.
“Because they knew we'd be behind them,” Farko said.
“They get a reprieve and leave an army of angry elementals behind them to cover their escape,” Magnus explained for anyone who wasn't caught up. “We need to redirect the river back to its normal path and build a new shrine. We can use the fort for our raw materials so we don't have to cut down any more of the forest.”
“If we do this,” Farko grabbed the room's attention. “We'll have to burn the fort down behind us.” The room broke into light discussion, and Farko spoke up to bring their attention back. “We're not staying here anyway, we're moving on. This place is part of the problem, remember? On top of that, most of you have seen how many elementals are out there. We'll be overrun. This will put us out in the open. Burning down the fort will force the elementals to come deal with the fire before it spreads, and might give us the breathing room we need.”
Farko’s wisdom won out in the end. They spent the next day tearing down what they needed for the shrine. Luckily, one of the rogues used to work construction, and he designed a beautiful, simple shrine that would be easy to erect. They used magic to paint it, and made sure to test its construction and take it apart again. Lastly, they created a small plaque to commemorate the site. Every Marauder slept soundly that night.
The next morning, they awoke with gusto. They set fire to the fort at multiple points and hurried away. They encountered a few elementals, but the mages warded them off while everyone rushed by.
At the home of the destroyed shrine, elementals were still abundant. Marauders created distractions to draw off as many as they could. With only a few remaining, the main group charged in.
The Marauder mages pushed back the forces of nature itself while Nastor and his rogues hurried to plant explosives in the rocks. They rushed back to cover and everyone waited together in silence. Then, the explosion boomed through the forest, scaring off birds and animals far and wide. Water rained down in the area and soon the noise died down. The river had changed course, but continued to flow down the artificial path as well.
Eranor ran to cast a spell on the largest boulder there and hurled it into the path of the artificial river.
“The river is fixed! Let's build this shrine before every elemental in the area comes after us!” Eranor shouted.
The Marauders hurried to find a location and built it in a hurry. Mages created deep holes to keep it stable. The pieces fit together perfectly, and wooden nails were hammered in to ensure everything stayed in place.
A rumbling beneath their feet made it difficult to finish the shrine. Most concerning was that it seemed to be getting closer. Already mostly surrounded by elementals and struggling to hold them back, they couldn't see what was coming.
The final nails went in as a shadow was cast over them. Atop the hill was a giant rock elemental. It roared and began charging down the hill. The earth shook violently, knocking them all to their feet.
“Like we talked about! Everyone, pray!” Magnus ordered.
Everyone dropped to, their knees, closed their eyes and said a prayer for the forest. They put the rumbling earth and raging elementals out of their minds and directed peace and love into the shrine they had built. Then, the rumbling stopped. The shadow was gone. Birds were singing again, and the roar of elementals had vanished.
Magnus and his Marauders jumped for joy and celebrated the victory. Those who took a moment to look to the forest’s edge noticed nymphs, fairies, and gnomes instead of raging elementals. They all smiled back at the Marauders, who could feel their gratitude coursing through them.
Strangely, since Magnus was not standing beneath anything, something dropped onto his head and fell into his hand. Magnus examined the strange item. It was a small conch shell fused with a ruby.
“What's that you've got?” Eranor approached from his side.
“I don't know, it fell on my head.”
“Ah, it's a gift from the forest. A token of gratitude. It's likely very powerful, it might protect you. Turn it into a necklace and wear it for luck.”
“Thanks, I will.” Magnus found a forest nymph and smiled, then thanked her for the gift. She smiled back, blew him a kiss, and vanished into the brush.