Mostly Human and Elf Hunters and Empaths, but not limited to the fed up Trader, or battle-torn Gor’tog, the tribe fled to the west, far from the exploration settlements governed by Zoluren. They made their homes within the valleys of the mountains, promising not to resort to the behaviors displayed by their former neighbors. There would be no Human, Elf, Elothean or any particular race, instead, there would be the simple, yet joyful splendor of life.

The initial years of their exodus were met with many challenges, famine, the tests of weather and more, and those yours brought forth a great decline in the already meager community. But they adapted, and they grew to be some of the best hunters in the lands. Traders and furriers from the far reaches of Therengia and Ilithi would travel by foot to sample their pelts and hunting treasures, but the tribe would have nothing to do with them, keeping the oath to set themselves apart from the community they were once a part of.

Over time, some of the tribe began missing the great city of the Crossing, and pled the tribal council to return. The council chose no for the time being, but installed an emissary from the tribe to test their former home, once every ten years. Each decade would come and pass with the same results – the Crossing would be too bothered by their own citizen’s to be concerned by the outside world. I remember the last Emissary, a beautiful Elf named Triannt, he was a friend of my mother, and one of the most skilled archers in the tribe. He never returned alive, instead, a hunting party found his corpse tied to his panicked steed, his body stripped of any armor or valuables, riddled with his own arrows.

I remember so clearly the day we committed him to Kuniyo and Everild’s divine army. The peace on his face, despite the holes that consumed him, made all who attended realize we would move on. It was that day, even though I was a barely a child, that I decided I was the one bring peace to the Crossing.

At age ten, I approached my mother about training for the next Contest, a brutal test of survival in the nearby wilderness, and the final step in becoming the Emissary. My mother smiled and laughed quietly, giving me permission in the at-the-moment pleasing way parents always do, not knowing my question was a serious one. Despite my young age, I took many expeditions into the forest, honing my skills on small game, eventually working my way up the food chain. I had four years until the Contest, and much to learn about the world.

Mother soon after realized the seriousness of my previous question, and pled me not to attempt it, for it was a lost cause. My mother and I were considered revered among our tribe, my father died a hero shortly after my arrival to the lands, and the tribe looked up to us in his memory. Although I’d be following in his footsteps, the council would never allow their equivalent to a princess to risk her life so. But I continued with my training nonetheless.

Four years passed, and before the Contest, I was required to meet with Cykante, a council elder. He would test my mental and spiritual knowledge, leaving the physical challenge for the wilderness.

"How do you feel today, young Audru?" Cykante asked me. I was named Audru at birth, for my cries and energy rivaled even the most ferocious storm. Later, I changed my name to Storrmm, the closest translation in common from High Gamgweth.

"Jerimen, escertaro," I replied. "Shonpele amiro?"

"I am fine young one, I see you have been practicing your Ilithic?"

I nodded. "It is my second tongue Master."

"That will be helpful if you pass the contest child, but it will not accomplish the mission for you."

He turned to me with his eyes penetrating my soul, "You will be scoffed for your people here," he said. "Many do not believe the way we do."

"I realize this, and I am prepared for it," I told him.

"And how will you deal with the marauder’s coming towards you with blades drawn?" he asked. "Or the thief who finds their way into your coin purse."

"I will attack the swordsman with my mind and mouth, telling him the error of his way," I said, "when the pickpocket is caught, I will give him my remaining coins, so he will not have to resort to the life of crime again."

"And when the lands are attacked by an regional enemy? How will you stand then?"

"I will defend the lands to the best of my ability, aiding the townspeople in whatever way possible; saving whatever life I am able to save."

"You have come a long way Audru, but there is much to learn." With that, he dismissed me, granting permission to attempt the contest.

The sun and moons set, rose and set, and I was led into the wilderness to begin my contest of survival. I was told of a great creature who had been terrorizing our hunters, but they could not say what it was, that it was my responsibility to decide what was threatening and what was threatened. There were three others, albeit far from me, vying for the same position. I heard each of their death screams throughout the first night.

Clothed with a simple tunic, and armed with whatever stick I was able to sharpen, I sat within the shelter of a small rocky outcropping. The air turned cold, and as much as I wanted the warmth of a fire, I knew it would only attract the creatures of the night. Eventually, my eyes became to heavy, and I quickly faded into the world of sleep.

As the sun crept out of hiding, the rustling of nearby leaves awakened me. I looked up and saw a brown bear, the size of a Human and Elf combined, and as wide as two Gor’togs. It spotted me and began charging, as I grabbed the sharpened alder stick at my side. The beast got feet from me, stood on its hind legs and roared an earth-shaking roar.

I jumped back a bit, but a moment too late as the creature knocked my makeshift spear from my hand, splitting it in two. His next swing connected his paw with my abdomen, his claws raking a quarter-inch deep inside me. First blood was his.

I scurried back to and up the outcrop, all the while muttering prayers to Kuniyo. I took a moment to catch my breath and tend my wound with part of my tunic, scanning the area for anything to be used as a weapon. I began pelting the bear with large stones, which did little other than annoy him more than he was. I tried to summon a mystical chant, but failure came as soon as I realized I was not aligned enough with the forces of life magic. So instead, in a moment of insanity, bravery or stupidity, I leaped off the outcrop and onto his back, pounding away at its skull until he easily threw me off.

He hovered over me, playing with my battered body, waiting for the right moment to strike. To my left, I saw the short, yet sharp end of my former spear, just within my reach. He raised his paw, claws ready to tear the heart from my chest, as I grabbed the spear piece. With quick burst of power and energy, which I assumed was granted by Kuniyo himself, I drove the spear through the bottom of his jaw, through into his brain. He fell to the side, never to move again.

The next evening, the tribe gathered me and my fallen comrades from the wilderness, tending to my wounds and giving the others their final rest. Once I was properly healed, the council approached me, with a solemn, yet congratulatory smile. I would be the next Emissary for the Crossing, to see if our time to return is yet at hand, for better or worst.