The morning was quiet as the dewdrops gathered and fell from the pointed tips of the beige plant petals. Tumbling to the soft, damp, mossy sod below among the fallen leaves of yesterday. The thick woodlands were still and silent this day. Not in slumber but as if the mere drop of a hay needle would shatter the silence in millions of shards and reveal some sort of vile punishment lurking within. Or perhaps merely the silence was the prelude to the revelation that life itself was no longer here. Unsettling it was to the rider of the steed who now appeared from the other side of the fog, casually riding down the crudely bricked road. His hands loosely gripping the reins, golden eyes glancing around the scenery, the knight turned his head to the left peering around for even the smallest sign of life.<br/><br/>The birds did not sing, the critters did not scamper, the wildlife was as devoid as the seemingly waning, crooked, and pale trees that bowed over as if to breathe their last breath. The rider sighed softly as he glanced about. It had been only two years since he had last passed along through Tannin Fell. In that time the kingdom was a favorite vacation spot of his. Odd that it should appear in such a manner now. There was something ominous about this air. No longer did it smell fresh, no longer did the breeze flow gentle across the way, and there was no obvious sign to point as to why. All too late he had received the summons from King Castor, desperately urging the knight to hurry to Tannin Fell, that it was a matter his majesty felt could use the knights specific experience.<br/><br/>Hurry he did. But arriving in the valley he had been greeted by this pale blue foggy haze. Seeing the bizarre way it affected the terrain. The knight leveled his eyes forward and pressed on, lightly flicking the reins to hurry the brown steed onward a bit faster.<br/><br/><em>This is not the work of the weather...</em><br/><br/>"I am aware." the knight murmurred to himself, as if speaking to an invisible riding companion.<br/><br/>The town was far different from the woodlands. In fact, it was worse. Peasants and noblemen alike walked the streets. But the numbers were small. A sobbing child asking for his parents. An aged old man searching for his wife. A young recently wed bride searching the streets desperately for her new husband. The knight sat up, his face filled with soft awe as he looked around. Once there had been a strong thriving community in Tannin Fell. Now barely twenty people remained. His left brow arched as he passed along the shops. Most of them closed for the owners were nowhere to be found. People were speaking to the guards along the streets, but the soldiers could offer little solace and only words of empty comfort. A troop of ten soldiers with hunters and rangers alike had returned from the woodlands, entering the town from a parallel roadway to the rider. As they passed in travel, no words were exchanged, for it was written in their faces that the search had ended with no answers to give. The knight rode onward to the looming castle ahead.<br/><br/>Two fully armored knights bearing halberd axes awaited. As the knight rode up on them, one seemed a bit startled from under his helmet, "Is it truly...?"<br/>The other bowed his head to the rider, taking his horse by the reins as the pale haired male descended his steed, "We welcome your return, oh great Silver Lion. I fear his majesty needs to see you most urgently."<br/>The first knight bowed his helmet now as well, "The matter is truly dire if he has summoned the services of Cade Rigaldo!"<br/><br/>The young male smiled quietly, adjusting his clothes after dismounting his ride, "Please. Whatever is troubling Tannin Fell is best left to heroes such as yourselves. I'm only here to give my advice and opinion on the matter. My experience is the only thing required for this visit, not my hand in action. You are the true guardians of this realm."<br/><br/>After a brief back and forth banter, the knights separated, the knight Rigaldo entering the stone fortress to meet with the noble lord who sat atop the throne. The pale, gaunt and withered face of the monarch spelled his fatigue. For many months King Castor had not slept and there was no comfort his queen Marla could offer to his troubled mind. Now he was deteriorating much like his homeland, his body more sickly than ever. Cade Rigaldo approached the throne and bowed before the King and his audience seated around the chamber.<br/><br/>"Rise noble knight, please do not bow to an old friend." Castor barely grinned, motioning for the knight to rise from his knee. The silver lion rose, lifting his golden hued eyes to Castor, "Your grace, let us not doddle with semantics. I have seen the state of your kingdom in my travel. What has happened to Tannin Fell?"<br/>The old man sighed and closed his eyes weakly, "Oh my friend, if only. If only I knew. Knowing would bring even the smallest comfort of the troubled times we have fallen on. It started Not more than a few months after your last passing through here two years ago. My people vanish nightly. It started with one. Thereafter as the days wore on, more and more villagers disappeared, in greater number and even during the daylight. The creatures of the wood, animals and pets alike, have grown feral and vicious, attacking vagabonds and owners alike. They disappear to the woodland and remain hidden in the fog. Crops no longer grow for barely any sunlight pierces the thick veil which suffocates my once beautiful Tannin Fell."<br/><br/>Queen Marla wiped away the drops from her reddened misty eyes, "We pray to you Sir Rigaldo, help us! Help us in this hour of darkness! I fear if these days continue we will all surely perish! Save us from this curse!"<br/><br/>Cade exchanged looks with the noble rulers and crossed his arms, his eyes furrowing thoughtfully, "My liege, I'm afraid there is not much I can do that your own soldiers have not. If this is a matter of a curse, there must surely be one capable of placing the entire kingdom under such influence. To do so would require great power, and I have felt none in my course through the travel into Tannin Fell." He looked to the King Castor and silenced the man before he could speak with a motion of his finger, "However...vanishing citizens is certainly not natural. I will look into this matter for you, but I will do nothing more than inquire. I did not come to wield a blade in your name to an enemy that may or may not exist."<br/><br/>Castor frowned, "And what would you have me do while you merely inquire? Sit and wait while more of my people disappear or are attacked in their very homes by wild beasts?!"<br/>The Silver Lion shook his head, "Patience is necessary for now sire. Let me perform a small investigation and I shall report back to you within three hours time. That is all I ask. You'll have answers then."<br/><br/>The king remained silent, staring at the knight in thought before at last nodding his agreement. Rigadlo bowed and departed the castle quickly. Stepping outside, he left his horse in the stables and wandered the streets on foot for now, his brown cloak surrounding his form to hide his short sword. Along the way he would find heralds shouting to the public that their loved ones would soon be found, any with answers should seek audience with the king. Cade paused by a local tavern, thinking over the situation a bit.<br/><br/>This would be a great place to overhear some rumors. After all, with people vanishing into thin air, one has to start somewhere when given no clues to start from. he mused to himself.<br/><em>Agreed.</em>answered the snake-like voice from his mind.<br/><br/>Pushing through the door, the silver haired knight wandered inside, finding a table while the bar wench brought him a pint of lager to whet his appetite with. Cade smiled quietly to himself as he heard the uproar and drunken rantings of the men seated at the table behind him.<br/><br/>"It's witchcraft I tell ya! Someones gone an' put a curse on this whole bloody land!"<br/>"Has anyone seen Terrance lately?"<br/>"Probably up and disappeared like the rest of the lot, I reckon."<br/>"Fellas, you wouldn't believe my story if I told ya! Last night, I was walking home, and I seen a buncha figures in the graveyard! Prowlin' among the cemetery stones!"<br/>"Roger ya drunk! You be seein visions again! The ways this land is now, nobody would be out in the middle of that place!"<br/>"Shut up and drink your pint Roger!!"<br/><br/>Cade glanced to the corner of his eyes at the men briefly, his ears perking up slightly as he sipped at the rim of his wooden cup, the froth tickling his mouth as it trickled inside.