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The Fanged Ridge.

The name alone was intimidating enough. The monstrous peaks along the top of the mountain ridge which looked like outstretched pillars of death looming over the land.

Though this was far from the largest range in Feracts, it was the one that belonged to a particularly frightening entity – the giantess.

Known as the Sorcerer of Fanged Ridge, this elusive legend was myth to some, but fact to others.

Stories came from the ridge and the surrounding woods about seeing this entity roaming about the woods, soundless and ready to snatch up any poor soul who had the misfortune of getting lost. Some hunters told stories of how this monstrous woman pursued them and chased them out of the forest. Others, such as the Nomads and travelers, said they had been taken, abducted and used in odd experiments and barely escaping with their lives.

In all reality, none of those things were true.

The Sorcerer of Fanged Ridge was actually a recluse, interacting and descending from the ridge only when requiring specialized ingredients which could only be harvested fresh at the base of the mountains.

Direct.

Soft-spoken.

Taciturn.

Reserved.

The self-named Wizard of the Woods enjoyed her privacy and the encompassing silence and privacy from the home she made. She had a place to stay many years ago when she was enhancing her arcane abilities, drilling her magic and spellcasting skills until they were acute. Even though she had a place to stay, she wanted to strike out on her own.

She needed to find a place – her place – in order to create a home.

Essie bid her mentor a farewell and wandered the land until, one day, she found herself drawn to a densely wooded area which lead up into the mountains. She never knew why she felt so drawn to this place, but it led her all the way to the summit where, finally, she felt home.

The place was a humble one to say the least. Bore into the corner of the mountainside, the home was constructed in Essie’s image, fulfilling her basic needs, and providing very simple comforts. She used her magic to better hollow out the fissure in the rock she discovered to create a living area, fireplace, window, and doorway.

Inside, she used the wood from fallen trees, preserving them with a spell she learned from her mentor, Kaven, and created shelves, a hearth, and miscellaneous pieces of furniture including her desk, a bed, and a chair. Essie eventually crafted bottles and jars, cast iron pots and pans, and an immense blanket from the pelts and furs she harvested from the larger beasts wandering the woods.

It became a tranquil place, a sanctuary of silence, where Essleeahsayray lived many years undisturbed. She was free to eat and sleep as she saw fit, though being idol wasn’t Essie’s way. She found herself descending the mountainside to collect herbs and inspect the trees and land for rot and decay which she would take time to heal. The giantess tended to animals injured by the mountainside.

Her self-assigned duty was, in short, to maintain a balance between the world that lived in the shadow of the mountain and the life that thrived among the trees and cliffs she called home.

Simplicity.

Solitude.

That privacy, until recently, had been untainted with the presence of other sentient beings. Recent events, however, changed the solitary fortress the sorceress constructed for herself.

One of the nomads from the town in the valley had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nearly paid the ultimate price. Essie had been down in the forest gathering herbs and inspecting the terrain when she interrupted four individuals beating this nomad within an inch of his life. She was spotted, however, and the perpetrators ran away, leaving the nomad behind.

Essie could recall every detail of the conversation she overheard that day.

~

“And yet you keep coming back. We don’t want you here. Nomads aren’t welcome. They never have and they never will be. All you do is cause trouble!” The larger individual lunged forward and delivered a harsh blow to the pinned individual’s midsection. He winced and gritted his teeth, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

“I swear. I didn’t do it,” he moaned. His lip was obviously swollen, and he sounded exhausted.

“Stop lying!” shouted another as he stomped down on the man’s foot. The man cried out in pain as he doubled over.

“I swear! Please! I’ll leave,” pleaded the man.

“Oh, like we haven’t heard that one before,” said the other man standing nearby. He was cleaning his knuckles with what looked like a bundle of moss.

“Why would I hurt her? Why would I hurt anyone?” demanded the man, sounding desperate.

“Because lowlifes like you – no home, no family, no possession – only take from those who bleed and sweat for what they’ve got,” spat another. “This is justice.”

~

It was that interference that cost the wizard’s solitude. She couldn’t leave him in the cold bleeding among the roots of the forest. Her mentor would have scolded her for such an action. Instead, she gathered him up and brought him to her home to tend to his wounds. He awoke a few hours later, and the two of them spoke, specifically about the incident.

~

“You’re nervous suddenly. Did you actually do something wrong?” asked Essie.

Rylir didn’t like where this was going. Was she going to administer her own form of justice if she didn’t believe him. She had to believe him. He was innocent!

He dared himself to straighten up off of his hands and elbows as he tried piecing together what to say to the giant wizard.

“You… might… I’m just a little worried if you don’t believe me what… might… happen to me… after…” Rylir knew that he must’ve sounded horrendously guilty, but he couldn’t think of anything better to say to explain why he was nervous.

Essie suddenly leaned forward, eyes locking Rylir’s eyes into place, as she steeled her features.

“You honestly think I’m worried about what you can do to me?” she asked, eyes flaring for a moment with magical energy. She sighed and leaned away, giving Rylir a moment to heave an immense sigh of relief; but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Tell me.”

He took another shaky breath before nodding, hoping she would believe him when the others didn’t.

“There… there was a crime in the village. A young woman was beaten and hurt badly. They said I… did things to her… and then they thought I stole from the home and took her family’s possessions. Coin. Food. Clothing. I’m a Nomad. I move from place to place. I work as a hired hand. Of course, they don’t want to suspect anyone in the village. Please, you have to believe me or… if you don’t… just… just make it quick.” Rylir tensed his arms and drew them close to his body as he looked away. He couldn’t look at what might be his demise.

~

Believing his word that he did not commit the crime he was being accused of, Essie offered her home for him to stay in until he recovered and then she would send him on his way.

But he had no way to return to.

No home.

No family.

No explanation that he was willing to speak to Essie about, and she wasn’t the type to pry. It was decided then and there that Rylir would stay and live with Essie.

But… was he ready for such a thing? Would living with this giantess – the Wizard of the Wood – be a mistake? Or was it the start of something incredible?

Was this the single rock that would begin an avalanche? And would they be ready to see what the rock may reveal underneath?