The world was changing once again. As had happened in years before, the world was going through strange and unnatural transformations. It began in the dark of night with tremors and unusual sounds. The stars and the moon fell away and all the world was black. Artorias was not taking any chances with his wolves and had ordered all the Hallowed wolves back within the safety of Hearthstone's walls, where he did something he hadn't done for an age—he closed the gates. As a family, the Hallows had weathered the storm through firelight and stone walls, and when the sun finally rose the next morning, all the sky was bathed in an ominous blood red. Rumors of a strange new terrain up in Boreas reached the Lord of Cinder, and he decided then and there to get the jump on whatever creepy shit this was about.

Gathering up his sword and armor, Artorias called forth a small group to go scout out this new land. He led the group swiftly up the Bifröst and into central Boreas, where sure enough, it seemed as if the land itself had been pulled open to insert a whole new land. Artorias' brows furrowed over guarded eyes. He had traversed these lands many times and was certain this had never been here before. Yet, as he led the group into the strange new territory, the stone spires that rose from the ground like skyscrapers towards that crimson sky looked weathered and worn, as if they'd stood here for centuries. Nothing about this place felt natural and Artorias' fur stood on end the deeper into the terrain he pressed.

"Keep your guard up. Call out anything you notice. And try not to wander too far," he instructed his wolves, sharp amber eyes scouring the land, taking in its every detail. The way the ground felt under his paws. The energy in the air. The smells that hung like perfumes. Any and all sounds he could pick up. Artorias was drinking in evert detail so he could be ready to respond to whatever came next.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

A strange night. Perhaps not as strange some other things Thorn had seen before but it was the sort of night to stand hairs on edge. The tremors had knocked several items from their shelves. The tools he’d made for creating his maps, the maps themselves on one wall hopped from their shelves. His first wooden dagger rattled where he had mounted it on his wall.

It was a long night.

The strange sight of a reddish light to start the day was different than the life-bringing orange hue of sunrise but something that was both literally and figuratively darker. Father clearly believed it a dangerous sign as well, closing the Hallows gates.

At Artorias' call for a scouting party to a new land that had risen up seemingly from nowhere Thorn had been quick to respond. A desire both to seek out any potential danger along with the need to see a new land straight after it was – discovered? Appeared? Popped up? It made no sense. Still, he wanted to be one of the first to see it.

Thorn stayed slightly behind and farther left from his father. How could someplace that just appeared look so old? How could land just appear overnight for that matter? What had come with the land? If land could come out of nowhere then had any creatures come with it? Was it crazy? The land he walked on said crazy didn’t mean impossible.

“These,” a pause deciding the best word for them, “rocky spikes, they appear aged in how they are worn and yet, normally new life can be seen or smelled on old trees or rocks. Whether it's moss, vines, or whatever…” Thorn shook his head, not wasting to think up every example. “So, it seems accurate that this had to just get here. However, that fact makes no sense. I think we should keep someone coming here frequently to watch for changes. Now that it’s here will it respond like lands we are used to, with new growth, will prey and other predators trust it? Will more strange things occur here?” He'd certainly be happy to offer to be one who kept track of this new place for a while but that could keep for a later discussion, after they had made sure it was even safe and see what other strange sights and surprises lay in wait here.


"Thorn Carpathius"