Northstar Vale natarum

The sun dips low, its final rays piercing through the toothy peaks that cradle the belly of the vale. A light mist curls along the ground, weaving between pines and casting long, creeping shadows. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth — forecasting rain, or perhaps it has already come and gone.

A wiry, dark-coated man crouches beneath the shelter of some trees. He is clearly travel-worn, stained with dirt and streaked with mud that has scarcely begun to dry. He pauses, taking a moment to observe his surroundings and to catch his breath, his gaze sweeping across the lush, hidden paradise that unfurls before him. He is both in awe and wary, being in this place so far from home.

As he takes a cautious step forward, he feels his heels sinking in to mud. He moves silently, or as near to it as he can muster; but he is most adept upon sand, or where shale sits exposed beneath the open sky. This place is different — and as he pushes through a thicket of ferns, he freezes. His gaze is locked upon a glint of silver just beyond, where the crooked shape of a willow tree weeps, catching the faint light of sunset.

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@Viskani ?