The Astigari Meadows
By Phoenix Yamato
In the midst of a forest, a stream bubbled along, reflecting the light filtering through the trees. The green leaves lazily wavered back and forth, as a lone bird twittered happily away in a tree.
Suddenly a bush shook, and then a man fell through it. He was scratched and bruised. He pushed the branches out of his way, and got up. After picked up the sword he had dropped, he looked back with something like fear in his eyes.
A sound of footsteps was heard. They were creaky and yet seemed to clumsily blend in with the background sounds of the forest. The man ran into a clearing and stopped, listening for the footsteps.
Through branches and leaves a figure tried to push its way through. It seemed inhuman...........
The man clenched his sword tighter, and sweat trickled down his brow.
The thing crashed through the bushes and stood up. It was wooden and dark. Red slits glowed from it's head. It seemed to be a tree, but corrupted and animated by dark energy. It waved its wooden arms about, and shook itself. It then wobbled toward the man, swinging it's arms.
He lunged at it, and slashed its arm. Energy streamed out of the cut, as it shook itself again. Moving with suprising quickness it smashed him on the shoulder. He staggered against a tree, but stood up again. The blow had glanced off of him, since he had almost succeded in dodging the dark trees attack.
He raised his sword in the air. The wooded abomination lurched closer, about to knock him down.
His sword glowed.
The creature raised its arms.
The sword shone.
The arms swung down, sure to kill the man, such was the strength behind them.
The man swung the glowing sword.
The blade cut through the two arms. The creature stumbled backwards, black energy leaking forth from its wounds.
The blade cleft its head in two, and the accursed monster sunk down, dark energy spouting from the place where it's head had been. It slowly disintegrated, the dark wood turning into dust.
The man breathed deeply and rushed through the woods. He stopped quickly when he heard a noise, and ducked down into the bushes.
Two tree monsters lumbered past him, waving their arms about. His breath quickened, as he started to sweat again. Fortunately they went past him.
After they had gone, he bolted from his hiding place and ran toward the edge of the woods.
He pushed through the last branch and looked around. In front of him was a group of farms. Beyond them grass glittered with dew for as far as the eye could see. They appeared to be untouched by the woodland menace.
He thought back to how it had all began..........................
The woods had always surrounded the Astigari Meadows. They had always protected the meadows from excursions from the outside world, as a mountain range surrounded the area as well.
There were farms dotting the whole area, and the farmers had existed together peacefully. The Meadow was like a huge clearing in the great woods, and from the woods hunters had gathered food, and others gathered berries. Inside the Meadow the majority farmed, bartering goods for fresh meat and berries from the woods.
All in all it was a happy life.
Until the dark times.
The darkness had swirled through the sky, and sent forth clouds that blighted the crops. Then, the darkness had descended from the sky into the woods. The woods had burnt up and turned into ashes and rotted branches. Then, from the destroyed woods the tree monsters had risen up. Most of the forest was still intact, but the parts that had fallen to the darkness sent forth the dark trees.
Now, the farmers fight to survive, beating back the trees with pitchforks or swords, and using fire to burn them apart. The people of Astigari are slowly holding them back, but the struggle is hard.
What is this darkness that plagues the Meadows? Who is the man that we found fighting in the woods? Who will win, the good........or the evil?
This chapter is an introduction to a scenario idea for Coldstone, Ambrosia's RPG creating engine. To use this story idea in the Coldstone editor(when it is released), contact Phoenix at: PhoenixVelocity@netscape.net
Or on AIM at: PhoenixYamato
(This message has been edited by Imperial Phoenix (edited 07-18-2001).)