Zedd Witlock -- Strange days<br/><br/>The mid-day sun splintered through the forest canopy, giving precious little light to navigate by as Zedd walked along a long-forgotten trail. Branches snapped and underbrush crackled beneath his boots, protesting his careless and heavy steps. He unslung his pack as he walked and dug out a thick waterskin tied to a slender cord, with a carved piece of bone plugged into its spout. Zedd stopped a moment, pulled out the stopper and drank his fill, then replaced the skin in his pack and continued on. Birds chirruped and called to one another high above the boughs, way up where the sunlight wasn't such a rare commodity. And just as the serving girl back in Crescent City had promised, a soupy white fog hung implacably in the air, clinging to the trees and to the forest floor and to Zedd as he moved through it.<br/><br/>There was considerably less traffic at ground level. Every so often Zedd stretched out with Artemis' gift, looking for any trace of wildlife or potential dangers nearby, but each time drew back without success. Even the insects, it seemed, had vanished from the forest, leading Zedd to wonder if this was indeed some manner of holy place, or perhaps the gods had only recently emptied the forest for their purposes, or even if the woods were teeming with living things that were simply intent on avoiding him specifically. Whatever the case, he found it very unnerving, and kept his knife sheathed but within easy reach.<br/><br/>As he walked, he thought back to the day before, his evening in Crescent City. During the fight between the two land owners, the serving girl had seemingly vanished into thin air before telling him what he'd wanted to know about the Redwood Forest. Before the fight could erupt into a full-scale brawl, the local magistrate arrived and compelled the men to accompany him to the town's holding cells, where they presumably spent the remainder of the evening. Zedd tried in vain to cadge a few crumbs of information from some of the other diners and workers, but none were particulary forthcoming. Most responded with a wordless grunt, and a few went so far as to snarl before returning their attention to their startlingly greasy meals. Truly, the villagers' warmth was remarkably touching, and Zedd resolved not to abuse their fine hospitality. After finishing his coffee and dessert, he immediately hit the road again and continued on his way out of town.<br/><br/>Fortunately, as Zedd passed the village's border he spied a travelers' waystation on the road ahead of him. Nearing the station, he debated silently whether to stop and ask directions or perhaps request a map or simply continue on and hope blind chance would guide his path. Moments later as he reached the small hitching post outside the door, blind chance intervened.<br/><br/>"Heya, bo'ah. You dere, Man Passin' By wit' de Fiyah in Ya Eye! Come up and speak ta ol' Marley, tell ya an't'ing ya wan' know." A voice called out, stopping Zedd dead in his tracks. He looked around a moment until he spotted its source, an old man so black he nearly blended in with the charred oak steps he sat on. Barefoot he was, and clad only in a pair of ragged long pants. He had his head thrown back, a snow white beard pointed at the sky, and his gnarled and age-twisted body rocked on its own to a rythym known only to it. Zedd looked on a moment longer, gave a shrug and approached the old man, slinging his pack onto the ground at the steps and joining him up on the stoop.<br/><br/>"How are the skies, old timer?" Zedd asked with a sidelong glance at the rocking man. He brought up a knee and propped his arm upon it, waiting for a reply. Not long to wait. The old man's head snapped down and his eyes popped open, sightless and milky white, but he wore the look of a man who Saw. Zedd felt almost naked under the blind man's gaze, and shifted a little on his step.<br/><br/>"Dem skies ain' well, bruddah. Not well a'tall. Dere a fearsome wind blowin' roun' de worl', an' de Pale Mon an' him horse is ridin' fast among us. I an' I been waitin' on you for a while, bo'ah. De Shadow Walker, de Eyes o' de Worl'. Him called up by de Keepers ah Zion, dem Mos' Magics for ta walk de road ta salvation. But do'ahn tink ya gwan walk de road alone, bo'ah. Ya not de only mon called up by de Keepers. And de Keepers not de only ones callin'. Powerful lions ya gwan meet, bruddah, and treach'rous serpents. But it's irie, shadow mon. Ya can walk wit' de lions, for ya share dere heart. Ya gwan meet de firs' one soon, in de shadows o' red giants. Uddahs gwan come lat'r. Bes' be polite, bruddah...but do'ahn be no fool," the old man finished with a sly grin, his voice deceptively strong and hale.<br/><br/>"Hey! Marley, if you scare off another one'a my customers I'm gonna torque yer hide, ya hear me you old coot?!" Another voice, deep and rough, boomed from inside the station. Zedd stood up just in time to see a huge, hulking blonde figure squeeze its way through the open doorway. He had just enough time to realize two facts: the figure was a woman, and she was easily the biggest, most muscular person he'd ever laid eyes on. "Well, hey there, traveler! Welcome to Big Berta's Tradin' Post! Anything you need, we got it, and if we ain't got it we can get it! I'm Big Berta, and if you're in the market for anything -- and I mean<em>anything </em>-- you just let me know!"<br/><br/>All this was said with a smile, and accompanied with a pat on the shoulder so hard that Zedd was nearly driven through the wooden porch like a nail beneath a hammer. As he staggered under the assault of Berta's welcome, he glanced back down at Marley and saw the old fellow had apparently fallen asleep, his eyes closed and his head once again thrown backward, beard skyward. "Aw, don't pay him no mind, mister. Just an old codger likes to make out like some kinda prophet, gets a kick outta scarin' the locals and the tourists. So, you look like a man on his way somewhere. Got everything you need, do ya? Cuz iff'n ya don't, we can sure outfit you!"<br/><br/>"Ah, well actually, I could use a map, if you've got--" Zedd started to say, but was almost immediately cut off. "Maps? Why sure, we've got maps! I've got maps and atlases and travel guides for just about every place on Earth, why hells I can even get you a few of Mount Olympus iff'n that's whatch'er after!" Berta said, her trademark enthusiasm all but exploding out of her. She wasted no time in ushering Zedd into the store, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along behind her like some rag doll as she squeezed her burly frame back inside.<br/><br/>Inside the waystation, the air was cool and stale. The scent of freshly whittled wood wafted through the room, mingled with healing lotions and herbal cure packs. Trinkets and charms lined the first few shelves, extolling the virtues and promising the favor of nearly every god from Apollo to Zeus and back again. Further in hung packaged tarps and tents, sheets of cured leather, fur-lined coats and various and sundry other articles of clothing. On a shelf right up next to the counter sat row after row of so-called 'enchanted' knick-knacks whose only magical blessing appeared to be the ability to not fall apart until someone paid money for them. All of this and more Zedd only caught sight of for a moment, before Berta hauled him into a back room and began rifling through a couple of very large cedar chests.<br/><br/>"So, maps! Where ya goin', and how many do you need? I've got maps for California, Nevada, the Utah and Montana territories, I've got some for Hawaii, let's see here, here's one for New Mexico, this one's pretty much the whole southern half of Canada, and this is, actually I don't even know what this is or what it's doing in here, and here are some language translation manuals, we've got Spanish, French, Italian, Elvish, Gnomish, Orcish (don't know why anyone would want that for, not like an Orc ever had anything to say worth hearing), oh and here are some magical maps, show where your friends and loved ones are and how they're faring, very useful--" As Berta continued digging through the chests, Zedd stole a moment to catch his breath. If Berta was married, Zedd either admired her husband for his dauntless bravery -- or wondered just how many of the gods the poor bastard had pissed off.<br/><br/>"Uh, ma'am...Ma'am! I just need a map for the Redwood Forest. It's very important, and I have to get there as soon as possible. I, er...I have an appointment with...someone. Can you tell me how far away it is?" Zedd said, finally managing to get a word in as Berta stopped to refill her obviously massive lungs.<br/><br/>At the words 'Redwood Forest', Berta stopped stock still and looked wonderingly at Zedd for a few moments. Apparently, he'd found the magic words to render the irrepressible Berta speechless. It didn't last very long, of course, but Zedd had a feeling he'd just accomplished something rather impressive; a small part of him felt very pleased with himself.<br/><br/>"Gee, mister, I'm awful sorry, but I don't have any maps of the forest. Don't really know why; nobody ever felt bothered to make one, I suppose. Most folks don't even go in there, anymore; they say a few hundred years ago, Elves and Fae used to live in the woods, but they started disappearing, and then Humans just didn't go in there anymore, and it's just always kinda been that way, you know? But iff'n you want, I can tell you how to get there, you're not too far from it at all, really. You just take the path a little further north, and then the path will fork and there'll be a signpost, you can't miss it. Just take the eastern path, and it'll take you all the way through to the other side of the woods. Well, I guess it should, ain't been no travelers on it for so long, it's probably growed up something awful, but the trail should still be there. You sure you wanna go that way though, mister? Like I said, it's been a long while since anyone's ventured in there."<br/><br/>Zedd gave a friendly smile and nodded. "I'm sure, ma'am. Like I said, it's important. Thank you for your time, Berta. And, give Marley my thanks as well." "Marley? Pfft, don't know that old fart's ever done anything worth thanks, but I'll sure tell him." Zedd smiled again and gave a small salute as he turned and left the waystation. Marley was gone from his step when Zedd made it back outside, and there was no sign of him in any direction. At the bottom of the steps, he scooped his pack back up and continued on his journey.<br/><br/>Berta's directions had proven solid. For the rest of the day, Zedd had walked the main road until nearly sunset, when he'd found the signpost and the fork. He moved off of the path a short ways and cleared away a sleeping space in a hollowed log, made camp and almost immediately fell asleep. The next morning, a little after dawn, after a quick breakfast of some jerky and lukewarm water, Zedd returned to the road and started making his way east. Very soon, the trees started growing bigger; by mid-morning there was no doubt that he'd found the Redwood Forest.<br/><br/>Now, as he alternately strolled and struggled along the forest path's cleared stretches and choked patches he thought again of the old man's words. Lions and serpents? So he probably wasn't the only one summoned by the gods. At once, this both comforted and disturbed him deeply. Zedd felt some small relief at the thought that he might not have to face Artemis' challenge alone, but if this quest were serious enough that each of the gods would enlist a champion of their own, then surely the consequences of failure were more terrible and far-reaching than he'd originally suspected. Mention of the Pale Man was equally disconcerting; it had been a long time since Zedd thought about his childhood, but he remembered well the nights he'd spent in his room reading about the history of the gods and other entities, and finding references to a pale man and his pale horse. The Angel of Death...not one of the gods, nor one of their agents, but a being wholly separate and apart from the pantheons, above them, a creature more conceptual than corporeal. Zedd shuddered and quickly turned his thoughts to more concrete avenues.<br/><br/>So preoccupied was Zedd with Marley's prophecy that he almost didn't notice the clearing until he was in it. The sudden absence of the great Sequoyias in his path was almost shocking, and the shadows they cast were long and deep. He stood at the clearing's edge and looked around; if the gods had called others to this place, it seemed he was the first one to arrive. He walked a little further into what seemed to be a perfect circle of lush, green grass. Small patches of wildflowers dotted the glade, and Zedd wondered how such lovely plants could flourish in such a dark habitat. 'Truly, this place must be sacred after all,' he thought reverently as he reached the clearing's center.<br/><br/>He sank to the ground and crossed his legs, sitting comfortably as he laid down his duffel beside him. His stomach rumbled; last night's pie and the morning's jerky were long since gone. He would have liked to catch something for lunch, a few squirrels or a fat rabbit, perhaps, but the emptiness of the forest mocked him once again. Nothing for it; he grabbed his bag and began to hunt for another pack of his jerky, thankful he'd managed to bring a healthy supply of that, at least. His fingers had just closed around the smooth paper wrapping when he heard the sound of a thick branch cracking beneath a heavy foot, somewhere in the forest to his left.<br/><br/>In an instant Zedd spun up onto one knee, his knife drawn and ready. He reached out with one hand, calling forth the power of the earth into himself and feeling the absolutely immense reservoir of magical energy that flowed through the clearing. Ley lines of power criss crossed the forest, and he wanted to kick himself for failing to notice them sooner. Like the intricate web of an insane cathedral spider, the ley lines radiated outward from the center of the glade where they formed a node of pure, unbridled power. If it weren't for the adrenaline already pumping through Zedd's veins, he would probably have been knocked cold by its raw essence. As it was, he felt somewhat unsteady, and fought not to sway under the weight of the power he'd tapped.<br/><br/>"Hello?" Zedd said, listening as sharply as his ears allowed. "I know you're there. Come out now. I, uh...I promise, I won't hurt you." He glanced down at the readied knife in his grip and felt a little silly. The blade lowered somewhat, and he called out again. "Honestly, I don't mean any harm." '<em>So long as you don't, either</em>,' he thought to himself nervously. For long minutes Zedd remained still, the only sounds his breathing and racing heart. He was beginning to wonder if he'd actually heard anything after all...