I have lived in Winifred since before there were neighboring kingdoms almost surrounding our home, for the most part, it's a peaceful quiet life.
In fact, on an average day, the only words exchanged are between myself and the animals that share this beautiful forest with me.
I am Aja, known as the guardian of the forest or protector of Winifred, which must have been fate for I have studied scrolls on names and their meanings and I discovered Aja means patron of the forest, the animals within it, and herbal healers.
No doubt whoever named me was gifted with magic. I often like to imagine they exceeded in nature-based magic as I do.
Though I have never met them, and unless they do have magic in their veins they have surely become part of the earth once more as we all must one day, for I have walked with these beautiful animals at least one hundred and fifty years, I have cared for generations of animals, some of these critters I, unfortunately, have reunited with the earth, and some still walk with me today, of course, new friends are born every year, and thus the cycle goes on. I have lived in Winifred so long that I have come to appear just as an old mage should I suppose, my hair and beard flow several feet and shine a metallic silver that hides most of my face. I carry a proper staff carved of enchanted willow and always have long robes of natural colors.
Most of my days are not filled with what you would consider excitement or adventure, for we seldom Leave Winifred and no threat could hardly find our paradise, less perhaps God himself directed them here, not only are we deep into the wilderness, so deep it would take around two hundred and ten nights to reach our location from the borders IF you were a capable traveler and IF you were going the right way and, to be honest, you surely will not be if you are not guided here. Plus if the animals in these woods sensed danger in you they would either lure you to a hopeless fog or myself and some of our stronger companions and if either of these is the case you would never leave Winifred.
However, the forest of Winifred is not a place to fear. It is a place of unparalleled beauty, a natural paradise that seems to exist outside of time and space. Tall trees rise towards the sky, their branches reaching out like the fingers of a giant hand. The leaves are a riot of color, ranging from vibrant greens to rich golds and reds.
The forest floor is a carpet of soft, fragrant grasses and wildflowers, and a symphony of birdsong fills the air. The animals of Winifred are a diverse and wondrous group, ranging from timid rabbits and deer to bold predators like wolves and bears. They roam freely through the forest, living in harmony with one another and the natural world around them.
But the real magic of Winifred lay in the sense of peace and serenity that seems to permeate every inch of the forest. It is a place of calm and tranquility, where one could escape the stress and chaos of the outside world and find refuge in the beauty of nature. It is a place of healing and restoration, where the animals and the plants work together to create a sense of balance and harmony.
For those who are fortunate enough to find their way to Winifred in peace, it is a place of endless wonder and beauty, a place they would always cherish in their hearts.
But the events in which you are about to read do not take place in Winifred for the most part and they are certainly not a tale of peace, although Winifred was affected by the events they can not erase the place we call home...
I suppose it started when I was visited by a dear friend, he does not live in these particular woods, but he visits occasionally and brings news of the kingdoms and the world outside if he finds it necessary or that it will interest us, he tells of his quests and what he has seen or heard in the outside world. My apologies, this friend is a raven. He goes by the name Dream and on this particular night, the night of the blood moon he visited with grim news...
"Ah, dear Dream, what brings you to these woods..."
I asked as I looked up at the night sky and the burning red full moon.
"...and on a night such as this?"
"My dear friend Aja, healer of all that crawl,
I regret to inform you this visit is not of pleasure at all."
"What troubles you Dream?"
"I travel from Ninyol where Elvon still reins,
The visions I've had show endless dark days.
The kingdom of Ninyol, the Winifred woods, will fall to a war and be ocean of blood."
"This cannot be, Dream. You know I respect your abilities but these borders are well protected by all that inhabit them as well as the magic within them. We have not seen a magic that can outshine Winifred."
"It will not outshine you indeed, for all light will become a memory."
"What evil do you bring upon us old friend??"
As we spoke I felt a cold terror I have not felt since I made Winifred my home, a small part of my mind knew what was coming.
"Vo-Lok-til is upon us, and it brings a war that's driven by bloodlust."
"Vo-lok-til..."
I haven't heard such evil in a century, I shuttered at the spoken name.
"it can't be..."
