Crackhead Bob remembered the words well. There is a new danger man hath conjured and it has come. And it was here, he could feel it. Bob stared into the blue portal as it glowed and gave an erie illumination to the surroundings. He clutched his axe and walked in. His eyes were hit with a blinding flash, his body, which has become accustomed to rejecting magic, was sent to an euphoric state. In an instant he was transported to Illneshar. 

His eyes were not adjusted yet when the first attack came. A sharp pain hit him at first, then realization of the arrow in his leg. It stunned him, but his reflexes took over as he drew his axe out of its strap and readied himself for battle. He saw movement in the bushes and recognized the attack plan, after all he did this to many prey. But now he was the prey. He rushed the shadow and swung, the sharp blade of the axe cut the branches of the bush cleanly then hit flesh. The Ratman yelled as his chest was cut deep. It jumped back to take another shot. The arrow sailed foul, striking a tree in the surrounding battle. Bob hacked at the Giant Rat again, this time grazing its leg. It took to four legs and scattered up a tree. Bob tried to hit it as it ran but missed wildly. The Ratman perched on a branch and knocked another arrow. Bob broke the arrow that had struck him and moved towards cover. An arrow flew passed him as he ran, inches from his leg.

He could hear the Ratman curse his luck as he hid behind a tropical tree. Bob took out his bow and got an arrow ready for a counter attack. He peeked around the tree and quickly pulled his head back as an arrow struck the tree. "Ratman that hunts like Ooman," he thought, "Me not know what dis means." It did not matter much though, soon this Rat will be dead, and Bob would make sure of that. He knew his location and had planed out his shot. He took off his feathered hat and placed it on the butt end of his axe. then stuck the hat out. "Must be quick like the desert Ostard of Papua." The hat was hit with an arrow. "Now!" He peered out the other side of the tree with his bowed knocked. He let if fly, the arrow shooting out like a screaming meteor and buried itself into the skull of the Ratman. It fell lifelessly out of the tree headfirst, the impact split its skull open, the contents spilling in the earth.

Bob walked over to the dead Ratman and took its remaining arrows. "Spoils of victory." He had never seen such an amazing creature, a monster that uses a bow. What was this place? He had fought many Ratmen in his age and had seen them use spears and swords. But a bow? Have the Ratmen gotten smarter? Stronger? Or was it magic. He had to know.
 

“It's nature that defines humanity, it effects are a mirror of mankind's actions.  What we do towards it, it too shall do to us”
Tess Soaringeagle- from the Ordo Sylvanus guild meeting transcripts of Mini Me.

Lothar took his seat at the Counsel of Skara Brea. The table was full of noblemen; Marcus the guild master of healers, Xion the guild master of mages and scholars, and the leaders of industry all assembled to hear the ideals of Lord Gemma, grandmaster ranger. He was a formidable tamer, and a man of great wealth and importance. He spoke of his great deeds, killing the daemons that inhabit Fire Island. “Fellow nobles,” he began. “I have come to share my vision. As you know, we have been blessed by the gods. They have granted us new lands known to all as Illneshar. But, it is plagued with evil beasts. Let us not fear this, for mankind has learned to tame these beasts and use them to defend. Once my guild of tamers hath tamed this new land, we shall build grand cities for the citizens of Britannia. Let us celebrate this new coming by granting myself and my guild lordship of the New World. All I ask is for your blessing, and the land shall be free of this plague. What say you, great and noble men of Skara Brea?”

Lothar rolled his eyes. He knew it was not about freeing the land, but about granting power to a dishonorable man, a greedy man who had found his fame by using creatures to do his bidding. It made Lothar's stomach turn at the thought of the Counsel granting his will and their plans to build cities in a land that Lothar believed to be the creation of mankind's evil nature. Lothar had been to Illneshar himself; he had seen what evil lies there. It frightened him. There, he had seen cities of evil monsters. The monsters had control of that place and nothing could usurp them. The counsel withdrew to its quarters. They spoke nothing but admiration towards Gemma. All but Lothar. When it was his turn he spoke his mind no matter what he risk by doing so.

“Councilmen, Gemma speaks of the place as a blessing but I must disagree. I have journeyed there and have seen the sites, which we have built as shrines to the virtues. Even those shrines have been overrun with evil. Gemma speaks to us of a great plan, but you cannot build on this land for it is the core of evil. We will endanger those who wish to seek out a peaceful living there. We have become too confident in our ability to train these beasts. We are not the masters of them and I fear if we do not stop they will become our masters.”

The counsel was shocked, how dare Lothar speak as if he was all knowing. How dare he dismiss the gift of the gods? Without Lothar's blessing, they went ahead with Gemma’s plan. Gemma was knighted Sir Lord Gemma, Grandmaster Ranger, Holy Protector of Illneshar. A grand party was planned but Lothar did not attend. He went to Yew to visit the grave of Doctor Evil for guidance.
 

There is a new danger man hath conjured and it has come.

How many days did Bob walk? He did not know. Clearly he was lost in the new lands. It was an unforgiving, unfamiliar, and unjust habitat. He cleared his eyes and focused on a tavern up head. "Ooman place, no?"  He thought of going to find a safe place for shelter for the night. Even though Bob never was used to sleeping under a roof, the past nights were testing even for him, a born woodsman. The monsters came relentless here and he had fought them off every time, but each time they got smarter gathering in greater numbers each time. He was losing here; even the woods were unkind to him. He thought of the warning that the great Phoenix spoke to him, a giant bird made of pure fire, Bob's most treasured prey. The entire Guild of the Ordo Sylvanus fought the bird and it almost killed Bob.

As Bob was struck down, their spirits combined and the great bird spoke to him, “Why do you wish ill upon me, hunter? I am the spirit of the land. Harm me and you harm nature. Your evil nature will bring forth a great retribution. My revenge will take many forms, your kin and their kin will feel my wrath. Upon this day a new age will be formed where nature is perverted and all that you know is gone. You must go to the new land and learn balance.” Those words that haunted Bob drove him here. He already sensed the power of the monsters, they were hunters here and man was the prey. But he was tired now. He had seen enough and wanted to return home. He had to rest.

He opened the door to the tavern. Emptied! Chairs and tables turned over; glass smashed on the ground, then the smell hit him. Danger! The gargoyle had been waiting in the corner in the darkness waiting for easy prey, waiting for Bob. It screamed and Bob was hit with a spell that froze every muscle in his body. The gargoyle flew at him, slashing at his chest tearing the leather and skin alike. Bob flew back, the spell was no longer in affect. He got out his axe and swung the blade cut deep into the gargoyle's leg. Another spell - bright flashes of blue and purple surrounded Bob - but it had little effect.  Bob's body was anti-magical in nature.

Bob unleashed another attack, this time hitting the monster's chest. Blood sprayed out in a pink mist. The gargoyle retreated back to the corner, flying over the overturned tables. It landed and shot forth a bolt of energy at Bob, he flew back and toppled over some stools. His axe left his hands; the blow unwrapped his hold on it. “Demon dogs!”  He yelled in frustration. He pulled his long bow out and fired an arrow the monster evaded with catlike skill. It countered with a Fireball that shot out from its fingertips. It hit Bob in the chest, sending a burning pain throughout his body. Bob fell to his knees. His will was giving in to the pain but his reflexes did not. He shot another arrow, catching the gargoyle off guard. The tip spun deep in the gargoyle's eye socket killing it. Bob had managed to live another day. He set up a camp. He would see tomorrow.
 

“Always remember noblemen are men first, then noble.“
Plato- Extracted from his personal journal

Lothar stood at the grave of Doctor Evil, the Yew trees shading the sun with their massive branches.  He was deep in prayer when Mini Me approached him, “Excuse me, my Lord,” Mini Me said. “Is something troubling you?”

“Brother, for years I have defended the land and its people from those who would abuse it. Kwan Li, the insane mage once used the black orbs to give him unlimited power. Even to this day, I still bear the scars of that battle.” He pointed to his snow-white hair that was once black. Kwan Li had drained some of Lothar's life energy, turning it white. “Captain Neb once threatened to destroy Skara Brea just so he could live on the open sea again. I have tried to remain an honorable man, brother, though I have killed many. I have tried to pass my teaching to Tess and Gilgamesh.”

“And they are exceeding their potential, my Lord.”

“Aye, but it is I that have failed them. All their training, I have taught them to know thy enemy, and now  the enemy was the very people we defend. Nobles, their greed hath exceeded their own reasoning. This attempt to tame the new lands will fail like the attempt to tame the monsters that plague us.”

“Sire, you have done what could not be done. Your guild prospers, you have been granted paladinship, and Neb and Kwan Li are no more. And yet you talk as if you have been defeated. Why? Because you protect the wealthy? My brother, you of all know that life is a balance; to protect the weak you must serve the wealthy.”

“Maybe so, dear brother, but even I cannot protect them for what is to come. Illneshar is pure evil. I felt it when I walked the earth there. No good will prosper there, even Bob believes that.”

“Hahah! You seek counsel from that thing? Brother, that is madness. Bob has no knowledge of such things.”

“Tell me Mini Me, did you chronicle the guild's battle with the Phoenix? That thing spared Bob's life for a reason.”

“And what reason is that Lothar?”

“To warn him of Illneshar.”
 

“You may keep a man in the deepest dungeon, shackle his limbs and gag his mouth, but as long as he can think he will never be imprisoned.”
Captain Neb- Yew Prison Journal translated by Mini Me

Lord Gemma, champion of Skara Brae, had set forth his plan. Settlers under his order began selling goods off caravans to wandering adventures. His guild had set forth and cleansed the monsters with their tamed beasts. The process took months and cost many lives. Reports of hoards of beasts killing settlers were ignored. Gemma started to feel the pressure and built idols to members of the counsel to appease them. Now he began to work on his most prized work, a statue of Little Bo Peep, the greatest of all tamers. He and his most trusted men set out for Illneshar to find the perfect location.

Luto knew the game well: dress the part, play the weakness, then move in for the kill. To him taking advantage of some wealthy noble was not a crime but a necessity. Luto was dressed as a poor beggar walking the roads of Illneshar when he saw his target. A golden plate-mailed tamer upon a nightmare steed. Along with him was a bard, dressed in full chain-mail made of valorite, and at his side a mage dressed in the finest tailored clothing and leather. Luto hobbled over - always show to your victims your weakness. “Kind Sirs,” Luto spat in an old and humble voice, “Wouldst thou spare some shillings for a poor old traveler?”

“Be gone!” Gemma shouted, infuriated at the fact that a mere beggar could just walk towards him with no manners and touch his golden plate mail. Gemma shook an angry fist at the beggar. Luto cowered in fear covering his face. Luto backed into the bard. Oops! Now the game was on. Carefully, he went through the bard's pack searching for…. He felt it. A lute snuggled near the bottom. Fool you looking at my hands or so you think! One hand was actually made of a stuffed sleeve and gloved tied with the finest wire to one arm making it move like a puppet. His good hand was deep in the bard's pouch. He quickly loosened the string of the lute. Then he moved toward the mage. This was the key. “Please, great wizard, a shilling so that I may eat. I, too, practice the arcane arts.” Luto waved his hands as if to cast then a sparrow was released from a deep pocket. It flew out and the mage eyes shifted. Now! In that same instant, Luto hand was in the mage's reagent sack. He grabbed the black pearl and went on his way. Gemma’s party moved on. Luto smiled. Soon they will be dead and Luto would be there looting, stealing, laughing…

Gemma went to the shrine of Honor. He eyes began to tear; here is the place to pay homage to Peep.  Then in that instant the horror hit him.

It began with his Dragon, she seemed nervous. As the massive lizard-like creature moved towards the surrounding woods, the bard notice the trap. “Ambush!” the bard screamed, as the sky over the dragon turned black. It was a huge net that covered the dragon. “All kill” ordered Gemma, but his eyes were too misty to see what the real danger was, for to each intersection of rope a purple potion was tied.  The dragon, hearing the command, shot forth a fountain of fire igniting the potions. The explosion rocked the ground and Gemma fell of his nightmare steed.

“Heal the dragon.” he cried to the mage.  The mage began to chant “In Vas Mani,” but the spell had no effect. The mage's reagents were stolen.  The pearl that Luto had taken moments ago. The mage was powerless. Then the attack came. Arrows flew from the treetops. They targeted the mage. He was hit several times and fell to the earth hunched over. The bard got out his lute to fill the air with sounds of confusion, this would make the monsters attack each other, but when he played his first chord, the strings broke off. Then a dozen arrows hit him. The bard was pinned to a tree.

Gemma stood shocked he began to scream "All kill," but his words made no sound. A purple haze surrounded him, a spell preventing him from speaking to his nightmare steed. Out of the brush came a Ratman who uttered the spell “Corp Por.” The last thoughts of Gemma were "A mere Ratman could not learn to cast, this must be a dream." Gemma was knocked unconscious and was dragged into the woods. The nightmare steed wondered free and happy. After the battle, Luto emerged. He opened a large sack and quickly gathered the bard and the mage's items. Soon he would have spending money for food and drink. I am the prince of all Brigands.
 

“Strike hard, strike fast, strike last.”
Princess Leah- Tactics of Fencing.

A week had passed since Lord Gemma disappearance. A party was formed to find him. Lothar the Paladin, Mini Me the Scholar, Tess Soaringeagle the Tracker and El Matadore the Cleric. They went to Lord Gemma’s study and found his plans for the statue. They were off to Illneshar after that. It was not long before Tess found the imprints of a nightmare steed that lead to the bodies. The decaying bodies left a foul stench in the air and how they died left an even worse smell, fear.

Mini Me surveyed the battle ground and spoke his thoughts out loud. “The dragon was first to die, a cleaver trap. The markings on the ground tell me that the earth was synched by use of sulfurous ash, probably in liquid form. Glass is everywhere; my first guess is that over 30 bottles of ash were used to fill it right.” He walked toward the dead mage. “Judging by the rate of decay the mage died second. The maggots have already grown from his body and have turned into flies. The bard still shows signs of maggot growth in his orifices. The attack came from above, most likely the tree tops. The angles of the arrow shafts tell me that. The attackers were most likely brigands or pirates.”

“I do not think so.” Tess chimed in, "The markings on the ground are beasts. Ratmen I believe.” 

“Ratmen archers?” Mini Me asked. Could that be possible? “These tactics are very complex, Tess.  Surely human.”

“Take nothing for granted,” Lothar said.  “I have been to Illneshar many times, my brother, and have seen things that my eyes could not believe.”

“No sign of the tamer?”  El Matadore asked.

Tess looked at the earth. “Someone was dragged into the woods.”
 

There is a new danger man hath conjured and it has come.

Bob rubbed his eyes in disbelief. A village being built by men, "Could Oomans live in ‘dis place?" Then he saw the Lizardmen ordering them. "Slaves, Oomans were slaves, building for monsters." Should he save Oomans? Lothar would. "Is that the nature of Oomans?" He got his bow ready for combat.

He counted the foes. Ten Lizardmen. He was sure he could kill three before they knew what was going on. He had to use the woods; he was finally the hunter. He took aim and released, the arrow hitting a Lizardman in the head. He was dead. Bob moved position as the lizards scrambled. Another shot to the head of another Lizardman.  Another dead. The Lizardmen grouped up and headed for Bob. Every shot had to count. He let another arrow fly, striking again, killing again. He moved again. The Lizardmen were at his old spot. He shot again, another screamed in pain as it died. No more hiding. He got his axe out and rushed the remaining. One by one, he hacked limbs and cut chests open. He was covered in green blood. He was getting used to Illneshar. 

He ran to the village. Something had killed the Oomans. Magic. He found one survivor, a man by the name of Lord Gemma. Then Bob saw the thing that killed all the Oomans. An Efreet had come for him and Lord Gemma. Bob used the archer retreat tactic, shooting arrows wildly at the magic beast. It shot magic in return. Bolts of energy hit Bob, but he resisted. The Efreet used a spell to paralyze Lord Gemma then rushed him. Lord Gemma, a powerful tamer, had no beast for him to order an attack. He was without his weapon; he would surely die.

The Efreet was fast, faster than Bob, faster than the desert Ostard of Papua. Each hit from the Efreet crushed Lord Gemma’s bones. He fell after a few exchanges. Bob kept firing arrows at it, hitting but doing little damage. He had to make a choice. Run and live, or try to save the Ooman. What would Lothar do? Demon Dogs! He ran to aid Lord Gemma but it was too late. Lord Gemma lay on the ground, twisted and beaten to death.

The Efreet was after Bob now. Bob ran in circles, shooting when he gain distance. The fight lasted days. Bob's body was hit with so much magic, it glowed at times. Bob felt his will giving in. He tasted copper in his mouth, he was bleeding internally. One last shot. He fired with all his might, the arrow lodging into the heart of the Efreet. It finally fell. Bob fell, or rather, he collapsed. He felt his heart slow; he was dying.

Then he saw the Phoenix; she appeared in a glowing ever-flowing dress made of pure fire. Her human form, no doubt. She smiled at Bob as he lay on the ground. “You are of pure heart hunter, though I cannot lift the curse of Illneshar, I shall take pity on your soul.” She faded and Bob closed his eyes.

Lothar and his party found Bob lying there still. Lothar bent towards him and notice the grin. It puzzled Lothar as he began to heal him. “Rest, great hunter, you will be home soon.” Lothar placed bandages on him and Bob breathed a deep breath. El Matadore began the prayer. Mini Me walked toward the body of Lord Gemma. Looking in his pouch, he found a book. “Lothar we have found Lord Gemma, but my Lord we have failed. He is no longer.” Bob sat up, healed by Lothar's paladin abilities. “I think not, brother.” Lothar said. Lothar cared little about Lord Gemma. To him seeing him still and silent, dead in battle, Lord Gemma seemed more noble than ever. 

Days after, a great ceremony was held for Lord Gemma and his fallen guild. Mini Me held on to the book, studying it carefully. Then, it finally made sense to him. He unlocked the secret of Illneshar.  Illneshar was not a new land but a land that was once ruled by man. Epic stories of men controlling great beasts and tapping magic energies to control the land and gain power were contained within. Then the age came to a halt; as man reached its pinnacle of power they were over thrown. Mini Me faced turned white. If this be true, then we are doomed to repeat it. This information would surely get Mini Me killed, along with Lothar and the rest of the guild. He grabbed the book and threw into the fireplace. If destiny was a path in the woods with many side routes, mankind could survive Illneshar.