these images made with the assistance of perchance character-generator

Mirian is returning from a trip to the Kingdom of Rothey, where she was delivering diplomatic messages from King Langdor. Knowing Culpeper was away learning new medicinal herbology at the Everport Healers Academy, she decided to take the long way home. Do some forest exploring; she has never been to this part of the forest and is eager for new adventures. As she hits the road to Dunberry Kingdom, she notices how heavily traveled the road is.

Mirain has Bigor going at a ground-eating lope that he can keep up all day. "This would be a good time to practice riding maneuvers," she says to herself. Using her hands and knees, she tells Bigor what she is about to do. Bigor smooths out his gait even more. Pulling her legs up, she kneels on Bigor's back, then stands; she has a lasso in her hand.

As she rides by a family walking down the road, she acts like she is going to lasso the little boy. He squeals in delight as she rides by, standing on the back of Bigor. She continues doing various tricks and positions on Bigor. Anyone who knows these two wouldn't know who is having more fun, the horse or the human.

It takes two days of leisurely, playful riding before they see the edges of the Wayland Forest. Mirian pulls Bigor to a halt; dismounting, she admires the view of the forest. The view seems to go on forever in both directions, north and south of the coast. She stands there a moment longer, thinking to herself, "If we ride hard, we should be to the edge of the forest before nightfall." She gives Bigor a couple swallows of water from her Ever Full canteen and remounts. She kicks Bigor into a full gallop. She feels the wind pulling at her hair and clothes. She is exhilarated by Bigor's speed. Bigor enjoys being turned loose; he is a sprinter by nature.

As she thought, they reached the edge of the forest just as the sun was falling behind the tree line. She sees several groups setting up camps close to the road entering the forest. None of them have horses, except one rough-looking group of men. Most walked here. Some of the groups appear to be families. They look around at the other groups nervously; some of them look back like predators.

When they notice Mirian, all the attitudes change. The families all look relieved; others look disappointed; still others look curious. As she rides in amongst them, she smiles and nods to the families, acknowledging them being happy to see her and why. Some of the groups look at her and scowl; she looks back at them, also acknowledging why. She picks a spot close to a couple of the families and dismounts.

She removes Bigor's and her gear from his back. She points toward the open field, telling him, "Go roll." Bigor nickers at her and trots off to the field to roll around and play in the dirt. While Bigor is off playing, Mirian sets out the tools to rub him down, brush out his coat, and comb his mane and tail. Everyone recognizes her as a Ranger of Dunberry. The kids try sneaking up as close to her as they can to see what she is doing. Mirian is amused and doesn't mind.

As Bigor strolls back over to Mirian, he sees the kids watching her. He nickers at her; when she turns to see why, she sees him looking at the kids. Laughing, she says to him, "Go say hi if you want to." Bigor walks over to the kids with Mirian right behind him. Who wants to ride the Ranger Horse? she calls out. All the children raise their hands. Some of the dads look like they would like to raise their hands also, but with a look from the wives, they don't. Mirian puts two or three kids on Bigor's back at a time. She walks and trots them around for a few minutes, then puts the next group on Bigor. Once everyone gets a ride, she gets out a few carrots, letting each of the kids give Bigor a bite. While Bigor loves being the center of attention, it was time to send the kids back to their parents. "Alright, you little monsters!" she laughs as she picks up a little boy and twirls around with him. "It's time for you to go back to your parents. You pay any more attention to Bigor, and he will be too excited to sleep tonight. Now go! "Ha!" she laughs as she playfully chases them away. Mirian noticed while she was playing with the kids, the mothers took advantage of the time to get their husbands to build fires and start food preparations.

She goes back to the pile of gear she took from Bigor and starts to brush him down. Bigor is well taken care of all the time. He doesn't have much dirt on him despite rolling around a little while ago. His tail and mane only need a cursory combing.

As she is putting away her grooming tools, she notices one of the wives approaching her. "Good evening, lady. Are you a Dunberry Ranger?" Mirian smiles at the woman and thinks to herself, "I don't get called 'lady' very often." Out loud she says, "Yes, I am a Ranger. Please call me Mirian. We Rangers aren't that formal. The woman returns the smile. "Thank you, Mirian. Some of the women were talking, and we don't like the looks of some of those men." She glances quickly in their direction, trying not to be too obvious. “ We are going to move our families together. Our menfolk will be taking turns on guard duty overnight. We were hoping that you might be willing to join one of our families for the night. Your presence alone will make them behave. Sorry to impose on you, Rang. Mirian holds up a hand, telling the woman she is not imposing at all. "I already noticed the rather rough-looking men across the road from us. I planned to rest close to the road to encourage them to stay over there. Mirian can see the relief on the woman's face. No group of ruffians would ever dare to take on a Dunberry Ranger; that would be suicide! The woman takes hold of Mirian's hands. "Thank you, Ranger Mirian! This side of the road will sleep much better tonight. Would you like to join us for our evening meal? It should be ready in about an hour. ” Mirian can see it is a genuine offer and replies, "Would you send one of the children over here to help move my belongings over?" I would be delighted to join you.

"Good evening, lady, I was sent to help you move your belongings over to our camp. What would you like me to carry? asks the tall youth. "very polite these folks. Twice in one day I have been called 'lady.' I could get used to that," Mirian says to herself. Out loud she replies, "If you would please, grab those bags and carry them over." She gestures to the stack of saddlebags. While he is gathering the saddlebags, Mirian throws the saddle on Bigor's back and picks up the rest of her gear and belongings. She looks towards the young man. My name is Mirian; what's yours? "Why?" she asks, holding out her hand. He takes hold of her hand. My name is Mandolf. My mother told me I was to address you as "lady." You might be a Dunberry Ranger, but she scares me more than you do. ” He says to her in reply with a slight laugh. Mirian laughs with him, saying, "I see you are learning wisdom at such a young age." They chat as they walk to the camp.

As they approach where the families have congregated, most of the adults come over to greet the Ranger. After being called "Lady" and "Ranger" several times, Mirian raises her hands up for silence. "Please, folks, my name is Mirian. We Rangers are not that formal. I understand some of you are concerned with the men camped across the road. I and Bigor will set up our camp a little closer to the road so that we are between you and them. Me? I am going to sleep like a rock with my buddy Bigor on guard duty. She reaches over and gives Bigor a pat. One of the men asks, "Are you going to be sleeping?" While we take turns on the watch? Mirian smiles at the man, replying, "Yes, I will." As I said, Bigor will be on watch for me. If even one of those men over there goes to water a bush, Bigor will tell me. If anybody approaches what Bigor considers our camp, he will alert me. And I am a light sleeper myself, so I am likely to notice movement myself.

Some of the adults look like they have doubts about this but go along, knowing the Dunberry Rangers' reputation. The children look at Bigor with awe. A couple of the children ask if they can sleep with Bigor. Both Mirian and the mothers tell the children that would probably not be a good idea. Mirian explains that Bigor sleeps standing up and should be free to move if one of the men across the road misbehaves. About this time one of the women announces that the evening meal is ready.

There are six families altogether. They have moved their family camps and sleeping arrangements closer together. Safety in numbers. Mirian joins the families in the evening meal. As she eats the road stew that was scooped into her kit, she says, "Thank you for sharing your food with me; this is a whole lot better than the field rations I was planning on." The woman who shared with her replies, "L…" Mirian, we thank you. Your mere presence is going to keep the peace here tonight. ” Mirian smiles and nods at the near slip.

Some of the older children come around asking Mirian to tell about some of her adventures. Looking around at the mothers to see how they feel about it, she agrees to tell a couple of stories. She winks to the mothers to let them know she will be careful with her stories. She sits by the fire, waiting for the children to settle down. As she looks around at the children, she notices some of the adults have moved a little closer to hear better too. She weaves and winds her tales like a bard. As she finishes an exciting tale about how she and two of her Ranger friends barely escaped the bad guys, one of the mothers comes forward to chase the little ones to their bedrolls. With a smile of amusement, one of the other mothers says to the rest, "I think that's enough storytelling for one night, Ranger Mirian." Making it clear she is only playing with Mirian. Mirian laughs along with her. “ My apologies, I don't get to entertain little ones too often. When I do, I overindulge. You are right; it is time to settle down for the night. Menfolk, please gather around. When they have all gathered, she sees that there are six of them. " Plus one youngster about to reach manhood. Must want to do his part. "Good for him," she says to herself. She notices that it is the young man who helped move her equipment to the family campsite. Looking around the group, making sure she has their attention. “ There are seven of you to rotate the watch, " pointing to the young man, " I want you to take first watch; keep half an eye on those men across the road from us, but also watch and listen to what's around you. The young man gives her a very serious nod and a "yes, ma'am!" that Mirian had a hard time not smiling at. The rest of you decide what order you are going to take watch. It should be for no more than an hour each. I and Bigor will be resting not far from the road. If you even think you hear or see something, scream your lungs out. Turns out to be a false alarm? You will get over being embarrassed; you won't get over being dead. ” She keeps looking at the men until she is sure they all got it. With that, Mirian goes to her bedroll.

The next morning as both sides of the road wake, Mirian is sitting by her fire sipping on a cup of tea. She gets up and goes to the woman who asked her to join them last night; she appears to be the mother in charge. "I am going to go over there and talk to the men across the road. Feed the families and get ready to go, but don't move out until I come back." The woman looks over to the men and nods, still looking nervous about them. Mirian reaches out and rubs the woman's arm reassuringly. Mirian turns and walks across the road to the camp of the rough-looking men.

"I am a Dunberry Ranger. Who is in charge over here?" One of the bigger men looks up to her from packing his gear. "We know who you are, Ranger; you have no authority here. What do you want?" Mirian walks right up to the man, into his personal space. Looking up to him, she states, "Those families over there," she points across the road, "are under my protection. I will take it very personally if something happens to them. Authority or not, I will find the man who causes them any harm. I want you and your men to pack up and move out as soon as possible. Are you going to or from the forest?" The man looks down at her for a moment; Mirian can see he is sizing her up. Finally he replies, "We are heading away from the forest. We are going to the capital to hire on as mercenaries." Mercenaries are soldiers for hire. She makes a note of that for King Langdor. "Very good. We will be leaving after you." She abruptly turns and leaves.

She moves to her campsite and picks up her cup of tea, showing an air of calmness. She signals for the mother in charge to join her. "I requested that they move out as soon as possible. They are mercenaries heading to the capital to be hired on." She pauses here to look over at the mercenaries to see how they are progressing. "We will wait an hour after they move out to move out ourselves. I will ride with you folks for a while just to make sure they keep heading away from you. Does that sound good?" The mother looks very happy! "Yes, Mirian! That sounds excellent! I will let the others know." Mirian sips her tea while watching the mercenary camp start to mount up to head out. Their leader sits atop his mount watching Mirian. Mirian puts down her tea, puts on her quiver of arrows, and picks up her bow.

By the time Mirian stands again, the mercenary leader has four of his men sitting next to him watching her. Mirian casually reaches up, pulls one of her arrows, and slips it into her boot. She does this four more times, making sure the five mercenaries see her do it, making the threat explicit. The five men talk amongst themselves for a moment. The mercenary leader puts his hand in the air, twirls it in a circle a few times, and then points down the road. The mercenary group moves out, deciding it is not worth the risk. Mirian turns slightly so she can still see the mercenaries, checking on the families. They look scared. "I don't believe we will be bothered by them anymore. I believe they know challenging a Ranger is not a good idea," she laughs. As she laughs, the families relax and laugh with her.

Mirian and the mother in charge stand together watching the mercenaries. About an hour later Mirian tells her it's time to go. While the mother in charge tells the group it's time to go, Mirian gears up Bigor. Mirian tells Bigor to "follow," then joins the families. As Mirian and the families enter the forest, she picks up the three smallest children and puts them on Bigor's back. "This will allow us to travel a little faster. Let's get as much road between us and the mercenaries as we can." Mandolf, the tall youth who stood guard duty last night, walks beside her and Bigor. He chats with her mostly about what the cities in Dunberry are like. He has done some work in the wheelwright shop back home. She explains the guild system that most crafts in Dunberry use. The cities all have Wheelwrights shops and some of the bigger villages. They chat some more until the mother in charge comes up to them. "Mirian, I believe we have traveled far enough to be of no further interest to the mercenaries. We, all of us, would like to thank you for your protection from those men. It could have gone very differently if you weren't here." Mirian looks back and forth between them. "I really didn't do that much; I played with the children more than protected them. " Mandolf laughs with amusement. "Mirian, when you stood there by the road, just looking at them, I got worried for you. Then you put those arrows in your boot and still just stood there. When I saw that, I was no longer scared. I knew who would win. There was no question. So, please don't say you didn't do anything. All by yourself you made that group of men behave themselves. For people like us, that's a lot. "Mirian's eyes get a little watery. She turns towards Bigor to get the children down. As each of the children comes off Bigor's back, she twirls them around in the air, gives them a hug, and tells them to be good for mother and father. Once all three are on the ground again, she turns back to Mandolf and the Mother. "It was very nice to meet your families. "Mandolf, I am sure you will find a wheelwright master who will be happy to teach you." She holds out her hand, and he takes it; she then gives the mother a hug and waves to everyone else. She spends a moment just looking at them; she wants to remember them. She mounts up Bigor, kicking him into a trot.

She trots Bigor for a couple minutes, then nudges him into a lope. As they travel down the road, they see all kinds of people. She stops a group of cavalry soldiers on patrol. "HO! Cavalrymen, hold up! "She pulls up Bigor in front of the squad of horsemen. "Good morning, Sergeant, men. My name is Mirian; I am a Dunberry Ranger." "Yes, ma'am, I recognize the emblem on your saddle and brooch. "What can we do for you?" replies the sergeant in charge of this group. "About an hour down the road there is going to be a group of six families walking together. I would be very appreciative if you would stop and check on them. We had a little scare this morning. I would like them to feel safe on the road. Please tell them Ranger Mirian said greetings." The sergeant looks to his men. "Well, Ranger, we are on our way home from a long patrol. I believe we can take a few minutes to make the citizenry feel better. The sergeant signals his men forward; Mirian nudges Bigor back into a lope. She travels the rest of the day without talking to anyone else.

As the sun reaches the top of the treetops, she decides it is time to look for a place to sleep for the night. She slows vigor to a walk, searching both sides of the road. Looking for any openings or game trails going into the forest. At last she found an opening that looked like it hadn't been used for a long time. She dismounts Bigor, tells him to "stay!" and then moves into the opening. She has to travel a ways into the forest before finding a clearing big enough for her and Bigor to occupy. She goes back out to get Bigor. Bigor is not happy to enter the opening but does so as a well-trained horse. The opening and trail were not made for a horse. When they return to the small clearing, Mirian uses the last of the light to clear the ground and build a small fire. "Well, Bigor, old boy, it's field rations tonight. You can crop any grass you can find." She removes their gear from him, breaking out her rations for the night. Bigor moves off a little to munch the grass he can find.

 She places some dried vegetables in her kit, pours some water in, and places it at the edge of the fire to heat up. She cuts up some of the jerky she has, throwing it into the kit. She adds some herbs and spices from a small pouch that her husband, Culpeper, makes for her. Lastly, she throws in some hardtack. "Not the most appetizing meal I have ever had, but it will do the job." She says to no one. While waiting for her food to hydrate, she looks to the sky, asks Nomar. "Now that Culpeper and I are married, will you grant us children?" She waits for a moment, knowing she won't get an answer. Once her food is ready, she eats it down quickly, not wanting to prolong it. She retrieves her bedroll, lays it out, places her weapons within reach, and goes to sleep.

She breaks her fast with some dried fruits and nuts. checks on Bigor, giving him some grain and water. She looks around her little clearing, deciding which way she wants to go. 'We came from that way,' she points back towards the road. Looking the other way, she decides the game trail can be followed further. "Alright, Bigor, old boy, let's see where this trail leads. " Follow!" she tells Bigor as she starts walking the trail. Periodically she has to pull her sword to clear the path a little more, but she doesn't mind. She looks back to Bigor from time to time to see how he is doing. He looks back at her with big brown eyes. He will follow her anywhere. They walk and they walk and they walk. After several hours they come upon another small clearing, where Mirian eats some more of the dried fruits and nuts. Along the way she has been picking and eating berries. She is enjoying this trail walk, as she is seeing lots of the wilderness. She has seen a few of the herbs that Culpeper has been teaching her about, collecting a small amount to use on the trail. They also see several small animals along the way.

After eating, she starts walking the trail again, her bow in hand, intent on finding out where it goes. As they walk, she keeps an eye on the sun so that nightfall doesn't sneak up on them. As they walk, Bigor is alert to potential dangers.

After walking for a while, they hear a rustle in the bushes a little ahead of them. Mirian draws her bow, ready to fire at the first sign of threat. All of a sudden two partridges take flight from the bushes; Mirian shoots them both. happy to have the fresh meat, especially partridges because of how easy they are to prepare. She puts the birds in her game bag hanging from Bigors. saddle.

Mirian and Bigor travel through the woods following different trails, exploring just to be exploring. After traveling for about a week in this unknown part of the forest, she starts to notice a change in how her surroundings feel. Her senses are telling her that something is different in this area, but she can't tell what. As they continue to travel, Bigor nudges her; when she turns to look at him, he just looks back at her. 'He is trying to tell me he feels it also. ' She gets an apple from one of the saddlebags, giving it to him, rubbing him on the muzzle area, "I know, my friend, I feel it too. I don't know what it is, but I believe we should find out." She lets him finish the apple, then starts walking again. After a while the trails start to get more difficult to travel, and she notices that there are little signs of wildlife. 'The last time I saw something like this, the followers of Orlandin were trying to resurrect Dagnar the mighty. Hope I am not facing something like that again.' She prays to Nomar for guidance in whatever is happening in this part of the forest.

Mirian and Bigor follow the almost nonexistent trail for another day. "We have been following these trails for ten days now. If we wind up needing help, we are not getting it. 'Looking up,' she continues, 'unless of course you want to help us out?' As usual, she gets no answer.

At long last, she sees a large clearing starting to form ahead. Signaling Bigor to wait and be alert, she advances alone. She works her way up to the edge of the clearing, where she can now see a large building. Not so much large as it is long, she realizes. She cannot tell the function of the building from where she is; however, there is a large window at her end of the building. She cannot see an entryway from here.