Summersong

ARDUINNA

Her smile does not fade, even at his pretty words, his attempts to flit and flutter away. "Oh, but these woods are no cage. They are, as you say, a paradise. What bird would not wish to fly through these trees for always, to sing and to live out their time in peace?" With a flutter of her dark lashes, Arduinna slips down from the root to stand before the bard expectantly. That said, however, he is wise in his distraction, and her expression darkens somewhat.

"The forest has come down with a sickness," she says. "I know not what it is, only that the flowers wilt and the trees rot. There is the stench of infection in the air. It has only been since your barrier came down that it has been noticed."

Nature, nurture heaven and home
Sum of all, and by them, driven
To conquer every mountain shown

Table by Sky!