"Just breathe," Vale told herself at the wave of tightness in her chest. Her thoughts had wavered, going to the one being that she couldn't stop worrying herself over, someone she had been trying to ignore but kept coming back persistently. Taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air, she tried to still those thoughts and her racing heart. "Focus on something different...like that." She pulled up short, her great wings beating to keep her from falling to the earth. In front of her, through the morning fog she found herself face to face with a great wall of vines. The wall was thick and not even a speck of a hole could be seen that she might be able to look through. She craned her head back, looking to the sky above and felt her heart flutter once more. The wall seemed to extend far higher then she could fly...how on earth...this had to be a work of the Gods. There was no way it could not have been. Perhaps there was more to this relic then she first thought. 

With her interest sparked, Vale descended from the sky, landing neatly in front of the maze. Already she could see many hoof prints in and around the wall, many equines had already come to check it out...and perhaps enter. Following these hoof prints she worked her way around until she found the entrance to the maze, where the hoof prints all converged on one point...then disappeared. Letting out a steady breath she looked up at the wall again, thinking of how tall it was that she couldn't even see the top of it. Whatever this relic was, it must have some worth behind it, especially if it was from the Gods. She hesitated only a little as she pushed her way into the maze, the fear only setting in as the entrance disappeared as the wall of vines grew rapidly until there was nothing left. The mare shifted her weight back, her eyes wide. Clearly there was no way she was getting out from there again. Turning around she faced the long corridor and with no other choice, began to follow it.

@Random Events

As you enter the maze, the world around you seem to dampen and grow darker, the tall hedges casting shadows from every direction as they seem to lean in towards you. The air cools the further you venture in, crystals of ice covering a few delicate leaves on the hedges, the ground hardened under hoof. Each breath of air you take is cold, and small puffs of frost are emitted with every exhale. From somewhere up ahead comes a high pitched cackle, disembodied in the mist.

Rounding the next corner will show a lone figure standing there, his skin as pale and thin as stone, tangled locks obscuring a good portion of his face. Across his body is draped the skin of some animal you don’t recognize, covering frail shoulders.

”Is it the relic of almighty Tempus you seek, Erynvale of Night and Autumn?” he asks, his voice youthful despite his aged appearance, carrying a lilt you cannot place into any of the Courts. You do not know how he knows your name, for he is a figure you have never seen before, and you can only wonder what more he knows about you. ”You will have to follow me to find it.” And with that, he turns and takes off further into the maze, ever leading you northwards. His speed belies his age, for he is constantly just ahead of you, sometimes disappearing into the dim but never venturing far. As he disappears around the next corner, you become aware of another creature lurking somewhere behind you, one of the many beasts to have make the maze its home.

@Erynvale you’ve found the Shaman! However he is not one to stay and chat, and has already taken off into the brambles. It is up to you to hunt him down or not, but be warned: the maze contains many hidden dangers and beasts lurking within it that you might just get caught up in!

Feel free to write in your own obstacles or beasts, or tag the Random Events account and specify if you would like one given to you! You have until Wednesday, July 19th to get your next reply in, at which point the Shaman will again respond.

Happy writing!