Searching Woodsedge

Her lack of equipment overrode almost every other consideration she had. Despite the importance of her information, or it's timely delivery, it would do no good for her to go rushing off half-naked and barely armed. At present, she presented an inviting target for anyone or anything that that wanted to come after her, and that wouldn't do.

Venus set off towards Woodsedge, every step bringing her closer to the ravaged town. A pall of smoke hung over the town, and as she drew near, the distinct scent of **** wafted to her on a faint breeze.

A short while later, she walked up to the shattered wall, and began picking her way through the rubble. As she set foot inside the walls, she discovered just how thorough the destruction had been. Every building in the town had been razed. Many had burned, and several more still did. There wasn't a single structure even partially intact.

As she rounded the edge of the first building, she came across the first of many bodies she would find, the sight stealing her breath away with a sharp gasp. They had all been killed in a horrific manner, many of them dismembered. She quietly murmured a prayer that their souls would rest easy. Tearing her eyes away, the tears again threatening to flow, Venus staggered through the shattered husk of the town, looking for anything of use, staying as far away from the dead as she could.
As she searched, she swore she would avenge these people. Whatever had done this to this town would find justice at her hand, no matter the cost to her.

After several hours, she was finally approaching the far end of the town. All she had managed to find so far was some salted pork, and a pair of water skins, effectively stretching her rations to about a week. Just as she was about to give up, her gaze stopped upon a chest, somehow unscathed despite the massive destruction surrounding it.

The chest sat amidst the collapsed ruins of what appeared to be the town's forge, large and imposing. It was edged in brass, which glinted with the light of the fires burning around it. Curious, Venus picked her way over to it. As she came within a few steps of it, she saw that it had no visible lock, just a large brass handle centered on the front of the lid.

With nothing to lose, Venus grasped the handle, and lifted. The lid opened easily, with nary a squeak, and she looked inside. It contained a single item: A thong, made of what appeared to be black leather, with a small, reddish gem inset in a gold socket over the crotch.

Venus looked at it a moment, wondering why something so small was in a chest so large, before curiosity overcame her. She gently grasped the thong, and lifted it out of the chest. A very faint tingle ran through her fingers, as if she had stood near a mage's lightning, and she looked at it closer. It was definitely enchanted, and she guessed the source of the power came from the jewel.

Her interest piqued, she decided to try it on, and after taking a brief glance around, she dropped her pack and stripped. Grabbing the thong, she pulled it on, and felt her skin tingle from toe to scalp. There was also what felt like a very faint caress inside the thong, centered over her slit. She stood still a moment, wondering what had happened, before finally turning back towards her pack. As she turned, she realized the ground felt...strange, beneath her feet, as though she wasn't actually touching it. She looked down again, but could see nothing obvious about what was happening.

After a brief pause, she decided to test something. Locating a fallen board, with several twisted nails through it, she placed her foot on the nails. Again, she could feel them, but it was muted. Pressing down, gently at first, then forcefully, she realized the nails weren't touching her skin. The thong appeared to have surrounded her with a protective field.

Venus smiled faintly. She had an easily concealable source of protection, something she could use to her advantage. Heading back to her pack, she grabbed her pants, and went to put them on. However, she couldn't seem to get her feet into the pants. Another faint tickle emanated from within the thong as she tried, which she passed off as a side effect of the magic field surrounding her. She was frustrated, though, as it seemed the magic repulsed any other clothing.

Frustrated, she stuffed her pants into her pack. While it was quite annoying that she couldn't seem to wear anything else with this thong, she'd much rather wear it and have some protection, than wear her pants and shredded shirt. All that was exposed that hadn't been before was her legs.

Sighing, she put her pack back on, slightly surprised that the magic field hadn't repulsed that too, then vacated the town as quickly as she could. The only lead she had was the Treant. Treants were known as large, gentle protectors of their forests. they understood the other races' need for wood, and would let them log, provided they did so in a way that did not disrupt the forest. If they had problems, they would seek out and speak to those who caused them, attempting to find a peaceful resolution. Only if that proved impossible would they raise their hand in anger.

Looking around, Venus could see no signs that the townspeople had done anything that would have angered the Treants. Furthermore, a pall of dark foreboding seemed to hang over the forest, something which never happened when the Treants were about. Some greater, and far more sinister, was at work here, something which had driven the Treants to anger and ****.

Anger blazed in her soul. These people had done nothing wrong, and the peaceable Treants had been corrupted and used by something sinister. Every fiber of her being screamed for ****, and she desperately wanted to hunt down this blight and remove it from the land. A small voice in the back of her head cautioned that she might want help, either from Namina or another Lodge, though.