Ame Damnee FairHarvest

M

Meliodas

Guest
The town of FairHarvest can barely be considered a town. Only a handful of miles outside of New Eden in the wilderness. Under contracts from New Eden for wood this small logging village is home to seven people total. The town itself is very compact with packed dirt roads and a very crude wooden trunk wall around it. there has been a village here in some shape or fashion for several generations supplying the city of New Eden with their much needed wood. Relying on their proximity to New Eden and their otherwise solidarity for protection from outside forces.

Yuan MacCalo runs the mill and hold the contracts from New Eden, who he has the contracts with, he won't say. He has a small one room shack near the mill that serves as his home.

Gilcolm Maderel runs the small two room Inn that is in the center of this village. There is a main room with a large hearth and few amenities. He may have some food for sale if you ask, but it is more the two very simple rooms that he rents out. The only real customers he gets is from the loggers, their sons and the few people who come to see Toby. Gilcolm lives in a small house behind the Inn where he makes the liquor he serves in the Inn, from who knows what he finds in the wilderness.

Toby Brown runs a small carpentry shop. He is the local carpenter being called to some of the tribes within Oblivion to repair or build things. He has a relatively small house with a workshop connected out back with tools spread all over.

Art Daniell is the head logger. He lives with his teenage son Albyn in a single room shack not far from the Inn.

Brice Carre and his teenage son live next to him as the rest of the logging crew contracted out by New Eden in their similar shack.

(Credit to Joshua Raxter)
 
FairHarvest Outside Toby’s house.

Toby opened his door and walked out his workshop/ house, stretching his big body from side to side, making popping sounds as he did. Looking up he waved up to Yuan MacCalo, or Mac as Toby usually called him and walked with a stagger to the small Inn across the packed dirt street from his house. Walking through the solid wood door he waved up to Gilcolm Maderel as he staggered up to the stools by Gil’s counter.

“Morning Gil…” Toby grumbled, scrubbing his thick full beard and shaking his head. “Could I get something to clear my head?” Toby asked plopping his head onto the counter in defeat.

“That good of a morning huh?” Gil asked pouring his clear foul liquid into a wood cup.

“Is it morning already?” Toby asked muffled against the wood of the counter.

“It was some time ago…” Gil snickered pushing the wood cup towards the curly hair-bush that was plastered on his counter.

“Arrrgh…” Toby Groaned. “You get what I needed?” Toby asked finally lifting his head.

Gil tossed him a rolled up map. “You got my cups?” Gil asked with a raised eyebrow.

Toby reached into the leather bag that hung off his hip pulling out four brand new wooden cups. “Tell Art to stop breaking the damn things would you?” Toby said sliding the cups across the counter.

Gil snickered. Toby laughed. “Guess not…” Toby said downing his drink shaking his head to the strong alcohol that assaulted him. Standing Toby tossed the cup to the old Inn owner, who caught it, waved and walked out.

Toby walked back into his house. The small room that was his house had little when it comes to material needs other than carpenter plans nailed to the walls, with tools and wooden pegs stroone out all over the floor. A small wood burning stove in one corner and a small pallet in the other. Glancing out his window Toby lifted his center room carpet and lifted a trap door.

Down a ladder Toby stepped down into his basement. Saluting to the Warden insignia on the wall, this room was very different. Clean, it looked as if a spider wouldn’t dare to hang a web in the corners. Toby compared the map he was just given to a large one that hung on the wall. Taking a piece of charcoal off of the writing desk he put an ‘X’ on a spot seemingly in the middle of the Oblitus. Toby collected his huge Steel hammer off the wall placing it into the cup that hung at the small of his back and hooking the handle across his shoulder blade in its hook. Gathering the rest of his throwing knives and putting them in the sheaths under his clothes, he returned to the bedroom up stairs.

Locking his door, he stepped out and waved at Mac on his way out of the village.

“Hey! You leaving?” Mac yelled as he stopped the saw for a moment.

“I’ll be back in a few days! I got a scavenge job!” Toby called back to him. Mac waved, kicking the lever to start the saw again.

“Let’s go see what this ruin has for old Metal Claw…” Toby mumbled as he passed the log wall.
 
Toby walked a ways away from the village following the small creek that was marked on the map he was given. Once far enough from the village, he changed.

His bulked up in size and his clothes disappeared into him as he stretched and bulged into a larger than normal grizzly bear. Shaking his fur out he smelled the air. He was up wind from where he was going, so he couldn’t yet smell the old stone of the ruins he wished to find. Able to cover more ground on all fours he ran through the woods. Being in his bear form was the only way to travel in the Oblivion safely from the other animals and most of the other creatures that stirred in these unforgiving lands. Not too many animals and creatures cared to tango with an eight-hundred some odd pound bear.

Toby’s big paws plopping in the dense overgrowth he ran in the direction indicated on the map.

Toby stopped and smelled the air around him when he was pretty sure he was in the area that was marked on the map he remembered from earlier. Smelling everything took some time to sort out as his big black nose funneled in the surrounding air. There was a rabbit at the base of a tree not far to his right, some birds in the tree above him, and stone, ancient stone.

Toby looked around but saw no sign of any kind of ruin around him. He was surrounded by trees. Mostly red oak with a single willow tree in the center of a small clearing. Crossing the rare sunlight of the circular clearing he sniffed at the hanging branches of the willow tree. The smell of stone was directly inside of the thick branches. Toby stood on his hind legs and pawed at the think willow covering, pulling down many vines with his big paws and claws.

Moss covered stone lay about a foot inside. Slowly working his way around the circular willow he pulled down all of the branches, revealing what was left of a stone tower. A willow tree had grown in the center of the tower and its branches had hung on the outside to cover it. How old Gil got the info about this place Toby didn’t know and never bothered to ask.

Shrinking down back into his human form Toby walked around the tower again doing some measurements in his head as he went.

Toby stopped mid stride and dropped back into his bear form, quickly. It hurt a lot to force the transformation quickly, but he smelled something dead. Following his nose lead him to the edge of the clearing. Sniffing around something strange was going on, the smell of something dead was moving. Toby was curious to see what was going on. There we’re zombies and the undead in this wilderness for sure, but this smell was not of those foes.

Stepping gingerly through the underbrush, silently making his way off into the woods. Walking through the woods was an averaged sized man with grey-brown skin and long black hair. Toby skirted around him, at least until toby ran into a black wolf that was growling at him. Toby stood up on his hind paws and growled at the little wolf.
 
Oliver was walking through the woods at a casual pace taking in the scenery, when Felix, the wolf that was his best friend, started growling. In full alert Oliver turned to face the threat while speedily drawing his bow and nocking and arrow. As he finished turning he noticed that it was a bear that Felix was warning him about. Having been raised in the wild though, he noticed that this bear was no ordinary bear. For one, the bear had a unique scent that did not fit into the lifestyle of a bear. Also the the bear did not behave as a bear would have, for a bear would have attacked him by now. He also noticed that the bear stood on it's back legs more comfortably than any bear he had seen, in fact, his stance look like the stance a humanoid would have. Thinking it couldn't hurt to check his suspicions before attacking he asks the bear, "Who and what are you, and what business do you have with me?"
 
Toby shrank back into his human form with his hands up to the wolf. looking back and forth between the grey-brown skinned and the wolf weary of an attack. The wolf worried Toby not, he had fallen many of his kind. But the strange death smeller concerned him. No smell such as him ever touched his nose...

“You smell weird…” Toby said. “And so does your wolf…” Toby said leaning slightly in to smell the wolf’s scent again. “Are you a zombie? Ghoul? Spirit….You smell of fresh death, but you carry no corpse…” Toby asked confused. “I have no other business other than curiosity.”
 
Oliver stared in surprise as the bear shrank back into a human form as he had never seen anything like it before. He had heard of people who cold change forms but had never had the chance to witness it before. Oliver became intrigued about this person. He lowered his bow keeping it nocked in case the guy made any sudden moves and motioned for Felix to semi-relax.

"I realize I may smell weird being what I am, but I never thought Felix to have a weird smell. so could you explain?" Then, looking the bear man up and down with a glint in his eyes, "you also smell weird, my curiosity is peaked as well, what are you?" then looking down and to the side with a sullen gaze, "my smell is probably something to do with me being half vampire."
 
Toby looked at the brown-grey man confused, head cocked almost as if his wolf were confused. "Vampire....never heard of it..." Toby leaned and offered the wolf the back of his hand to smell. "Your wolf does not smell as a normal wolf. They smell of their last kill, and the forest. This boy here smells of death and of cooked meat, like the dogs of the villages."

Toby stood still, still offering his hand to the wolf to smell. "Your wolf is trained well, most wolves would not challenge a bear of my size. Not without their pack anyway. I am Toby, i do not know what the title of my kind is but I am part bear. I was born with this ability. You smell of elf, but tainted somehow. My nose is just as good if not better then your wolf's here." Toby said looking up at the man, though he could not see the actual colors being not able to see them, he could still smell an elf from close to three miles away if the wind was going the right way.
 
Oliver stood for a moment in thought. How can I explain what a vampire is to him, he thought to himself, oh I know..."Vampires are undead creatures that usually feed on blood to sustain life in them, but like I said earlier I'm only half vampire my other half is elf," he explains," Felix here though has been my friend, partner, and mentor for some years now. After befriending him he taught me how to hunt stealthily, and now he follows me just about everywhere. He usually scouts the way and keeps a look out for dangers and for prey. Oh, sorry, how rude of me you gave me your name and I have yet to give mine, I'm Oliver"

Oliver looks over at Felix and sees him smelling Toby's hand and then a thought occurs, "you may want to watch out, there are still a few things that he does that I can't help. For instance, in a couple seconds he'll probably do a greeting nip at your nose." Right as the words finish coming out of his mouth Felix crouches down and leaps for Toby's nose.
 
Toby snaps his head back away from the wolf, bears can be fast when they want to be. "Ah ha! Missed little one!" Toby exclaimed. now standing again Toby wipes his hands on his apron and offers a hand out to Oliver. "Well met Oliver, what brings you out to this not so forgiving land?" Toby asked hand still out.
 
Oliver thinking that this guy wasn't a threat unnocks the arrow and puts it up along with the bow. He then notices that Toby has his hand outstretched to him. He looks up to Toby unsure what has his hand is out for and asks, "why do you have your hand out? is this some kind of greeting? or maybe something else I don't know about? Sorry I'm not too educated in the ways of the world. I've lived here in the wilds my entire life"
 
Being so close to New Eden, not even the outskirts of Oblitus would be unscathed from the events unfolding just a few miles away. In almost an instant, the sun seemed to disappear behind the moon, the forests going dark and silent. The fog began to creep along the forest floor, and the wind howled before it gently started to snow - a chill in the air.
 
Toby smiled, "This is a human greeting, you grasp wrists and shake them lightly. It is also used to make promises." Toby said stepping up to Oliver, reaching down and grasping his wrist in his hand and showing him.

Toby looked up during his greeting demonstration, the light of day seemed to dissapear. Fog rolled into the underbrush as Toby looked around. "Is that you doing that?" Tody asked gesturing his head at the fog.
 
As Toby explained and demonstrated the greeting, Oliver noticed the fog rolling in and the temperature dropping. All sorts of thoughts started entering his head, none of them good.

"Is that you doing that?"

The question jolted Oliver back to reality. "No, this isn't me. It seems kind of ominous though, like a bad omen" Oliver said in a worried tone.

To their side Felix was on alert, his head darting from side to side, and his fur standing on end.
 
Toby Looked around watching the fog as it rolled in. "This doesn't look good at all. I don't know what it is..." Toby said looking around again. "But, I think we should get out of the open just in case. I am a carpenter by trade but I sometimes scavange the old ruins around here for whatever I can find. There was one not far back that I was about to start exploring before I smelled you and came to investigate. Shall we go explore for a moment and get out of the woods for a bit? Not that the ruins are any safer mind you..." Toby asked pointing back the way he had came with his thumb. "With you or without you i'm heading in..."
 
Oliver looked around a bit before he decided. The fog was rolling in fast and the light was fading fast as well. He didn't like the idea of being in a confined area but this fog came out of nowhere and he had no idea why. There could be danger about, and the ruins could be better than nothing." I'll come, I don't like enclosed areas but it's probably better than being out here."
 
The pair may have spoken too soon as a pack of wolves had slowly come in for the kill, encircling them. However, these weren’t your average wolves as many of them appeared mangled – with missing patches of fur, severed limbs, and various other discrepancies found among the lot. It wouldn’t have taken a genius to smell rotting flesh and discern they weren’t among the living.
 
Toby Cursed himself for not paying attention. Switching to bear form he lashed out at the closest dilapidated wolf, hoping that Oliver had his back covered behind him. The undead wolf groaned as the large paw and claws ripped into it's rotted flesh. Toby knew enough about the undead to attempt to avoid getting bit, or at least that's what he was taught. Lashing out at the nearest wolves as they scrambled as best as their rotten anatomy would allow them. He stomped one wolves skull in with a back paw swiping at the next. Undead protoplasm sprayed everywhere as he stomped and clawed his way through his half of the circle of filth.

Toby thought he saw arrows fly over him into other of the undead foes, but was too concerned with fighting himself to really pay attention. He swiped an undead monstrosity away from the black wolf as an arrow caught one that was attempting to bite his rump.
 
As the stench of rot filled the air Oliver turned as Toby switched forms and with lightning quick reflexes drew his bow and nocked an arrow and saw a seemingly endless swarm of wolves. With only a glance he could see that they were already dead but they were still moving which confused Oliver having never seen or heard of anything like zombies, but not having time to think as the first one lunged at him he ducked low and put his arrow in under neck of the wolf as Felix jumped around attacking the wolves missing limbs. He glanced around and saw one heading for Toby's back and let loose another arrow and saw this one was going to miss as soon as it left and in quick succession fired another arrow that hit the wolf in the noggin. He turned hearing a growl coming towards him. Not having time to nock an arrow he swiped the wolf away with the blades on his bow and severed the wolf in half
 
Gaining a moment to breath, Toby switched back into human form taking out his hammer.

"Let's get to that ruin...If you would follow me Mr. Oliver..." Toby said using his large steel hammer to smack a zombie wolf to the side, or at least the front half of it. Kicking and slamming his hammer into whatever decrepit wolf carcass that got into his way. Toby stepped into the clearing where the tower was standing. Toby waited taking out the decayed wolves that flooded out of the trees, waiting for Oliver to emerge.

"If you drop down I'll block the top...These ruins usually have more than one exit...Usually anyway...." Toby called to Oliver has he made his way into the clearing. Slamming one zombie wolf into another one that was in front of his new Elven comrade. "Let's get off the surface...what's down there can't be too much worse then these..." Toby said kicking another wolf.
 
In the midst of the turmoil Oliver heard Toby and agreed that it couldn't be much worse than this. Oliver followed Toby towards the ruins and whistled for Felix to follow them as well. As they headed for the ruins Oliver tactically let loose volley after volley of arrows into the oncoming horde of wolves wherever he saw a way to slow them down. When he got to Toby as he passed jumped down to the ground in the ruin a checked around to make sure all was clear then called for Felix and Toby.
 
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