Valoryn

Due to lack of participation, the Fourth Session will be held again on:
Day 23 (Tuesday, 24 January), 9 pm Server Time outside the Oak Tower in Loreroot.

"...He was the youngest in the group; eager to get involved in everything as a means to prove himself to the others, but also reckless and too quick to judge both people and situations.
That stance concerned the rest of the group, sometimes more than the dangers on the road ahead. Would he manage to learn something from the veterans in his company and mature through the experience or would his attitude risk tearing everything apart?"
 
Continuing the theme from the Fourth session, this time our stories will revolve around learning experiences and whether we manage to actually learn something from them and change in the process or not.
Day 42 (Sunday, 12 February), 9 pm Server Time at the Maple Road outside the gates of Loreroot.

"He was among the older ones in the group, grim looking and quiet when duty called; he had a habit, however, to sing while on the long Road. Nobody complained in the company about it, since a good song was sometimes all they needed to improve their spirits.
And he was skilled enough for his habit to spread among a few others like some kind of a mysterious contagion; the kind that none of them would want to get rid of..."
 
This Sixth session will involve stories that relate to two things: habits that occur so often that somebody can end up being defined by them and those that have an effect on others to the point that they spread to them as well. The session will be held on:
Day 54 (Friday, 24 February), 9 pm Server Time at the Loreroot Hidden Exit in No Man's Land.

"The day, finally, came when they left their homes behind. But before their journey truly began, they stopped at the first clearing they found and set a bonfire. And they began to sing and dance around it, like they had never celebrated before.
To an outsider, it would seem absurd to watch men and women of various ages celebrate in that way and in such a remote place. But for them it was an ancient tradition that survived to their time since the days of the first groups of adventurers who set out to seek their fortune into the wide wild world."
 
Continuing the theme set by the Sixth session, this Seventh session is more related to habits that pass from one generation to the next as traditions and, more so, about those traditions that manage to endure for many generations. The session will be held on:
Day 70 (Sunday, 12 March), 9 pm Server Time, outside Wasp's Totem in Loreroot.

"...and they danced for hours knowing that, in the long journey that still lay ahead of them, many would perish and, perhaps, none of them would return home.
It was fitting, therefore, to celebrate life like they did, to appreciate the life they were given with all the joys and sorrows, the dull and exciting moments they experienced, their dreams that came true and those that didn't and the hope that they would end their journey alive and renewed; just like the renewal and rebirth they had often celebrated with the coming of spring."
 
The Vernal Equinox (celebrated on 20 March on the northern hemisphere) is often associated with the end of earth's slumber and of hibernation, with rebirth and renewal and for some cultures it's directly connected to the beginning of the New Year. In some cases, it also marks the victory of Light over Darkness or Good over Evil since, during the Equinox, day and night have more or less the same duration and days lengthen further from that point onward till the Summer Solstice.
The theme for this Eighth session will be Rebirth and Renewal, Light and Darkness as portrayed in the Vernal Equinox and traditions connected to it. However, this session won't be limited to stories alone. Participants can also perform MD based rituals or do anything creative that fits the theme. The session will be held on:
Day 82 (Friday, 24 March), 7 pm Server Time at Wasp's Altar in Loreroot.

The quest has ended and I have the results in my possession.
There were nine people in total that tried this small quest. Among them, only one finished it and wins the rewards for first place: dst.
Congratulations, dst, and thank you to all participants.
 
The results in detail:
 
The clues and the solution to the puzzle:

It's Christmas time and the exchange of presents is one of the core aspects of celebrating it.
In the above spirit, I have made a small clickable quest for this holiday. All you need to do is visit Loreroot Hidden Exit and ask for your Christmas present. It's that simple.
Well, not really. You will need to do a little work before getting you present, because something seems to have gone terribly wrong.
 
The clickables involved in this quest are scattered around No Man's Land, Marind Bell, Loreroot, Golemus, MD Archives and the Lands of the East.
The player who finishes the quest in the least amount of time wins. Starting time only matters in case of a tie; the player that begins the quest earlier wins the tie.
 
Rewards:
First place: A gold coin and a Santa (from the TKs).
Second place: Seven silver coins (from the TKs) and a Mirrorritual stone (from me).
Third place: Three silver coins (from the TKs).
 
The quest will run until the end of Wednesday, 4 January 2017 Sunday, 8 January.

It's Christmas time and the exchange of presents is one of the core aspects of celebrating it.
In the above spirit, I have made a small clickable quest for this holiday. All you need to do is visit Loreroot Hidden Exit and ask for your Christmas present. It's that simple.
Well, not really. You will need to do a little work before getting you present, because something seems to have gone terribly wrong.
 
The clickables involved in this quest are scattered around No Man's Land, Marind Bell, Loreroot, Golemus, MD Archives and the Lands of the East.
The player who finishes the quest in the least amount of time wins. Starting time only matters in case of a tie; the player that begins the quest earlier wins the tie.
 
Rewards:
First place: A gold coin and a Santa (from the TKs).
Second place: Seven silver coins (from the TKs) and a Mirrorritual stone (from me).
Third place: Three silver coins (from the TKs).
 
The quest will run until the end of Wednesday, 4 January 2017 Sunday, 8 January.

It's Christmas time and the exchange of presents is one of the core aspects of celebrating it.
In the above spirit, I have made a small clickable quest for this holiday. All you need to do is visit Loreroot Hidden Exit and ask for your Christmas present. It's that simple.
Well, not really. You will need to do a little work before getting you present, because something seems to have gone terribly wrong.
 
The clickables involved in this quest are scattered around No Man's Land, Marind Bell, Loreroot, Golemus, MD Archives and the Lands of the East.
The player who finishes the quest in the least amount of time wins. Starting time only matters in case of a tie; the player that begins the quest earlier wins the tie.
 
Rewards:
First place: A gold coin and a Santa (from the TKs).
Second place: Seven silver coins (from the TKs) and a Mirrorritual stone (from me).
Third place: Three silver coins (from the TKs).
 
The quest will run until the end of Wednesday, 4 January 2017 Sunday, 8 January.

It's Christmas time and the exchange of presents is one of the core aspects of celebrating it.
In the above spirit, I have made a small clickable quest for this holiday. All you need to do is visit Loreroot Hidden Exit and ask for your Christmas present. It's that simple.
Well, not really. You will need to do a little work before getting you present, because something seems to have gone terribly wrong.
 
The clickables involved in this quest are scattered around No Man's Land, Marind Bell, Loreroot, Golemus, MD Archives and the Lands of the East.
The player who finishes the quest in the least amount of time wins. Starting time only matters in case of a tie; the player that begins the quest earlier wins the tie.
 
Rewards:
First place: A gold coin and a Santa (from the TKs).
Second place: Seven silver coins (from the TKs) and a Mirrorritual stone (from me).
Third place: Three silver coins (from the TKs).
 
The quest will run until the end of Wednesday, 4 January 2017 Sunday, 8 January.

"And they made a fire and sat close together around it to stay warm. And they began to weave tales among themselves, some of them based on real events from times long gone and others the product of their weavers' own wild imagination…
Tale telling is an art, one that can raise the spirit high or cast it down into the depths of despair, and therefore one of immense power. And such was the power of their stories..."
 
When fighting ceases and the day grows quiet, gathering around a fire to share stories can spark some activity during an otherwise tranquil time. Such is the purpose of this event and I hope it stands up to it.
The event will be held on every 12th and 24th day of each month (Days of Tranquillity), at specific times and locations announced both here and on the Mood Panel.
At this early stage, there will be no specific theme for story tellers to base their tales upon; all kinds of stories are welcome, provided that two conditions are met:
(a) the story respects MD rules and restrictions in regards to the kind of content that can be posted in chat and
(b) it's not too long to dominate the event and prevent other people from participating. I'm not going to impose a rule upon this (such a thing would be against the spirit of the event), since I'm optimistic that common sense will prevail.
 
If you have a story to share but can't attend the event, you can send me your story through forum PM preferably; in-game PMs are accepted as well, although they aren't as convenient. Make certain to mention in the title that you send me a story for the event, so that I don't miss it.
All stories, both those shared in chat and those sent to me, will be posted here on the forum regularly but not immediately after each session is over so as to trigger more participation in the event in game than limit it to mere reading of its aftermath here on the forum. will be carefully written in a (clickable) book, which will remain stored inside the Lore Manor. You will need to use the password LostTales (with no spaces), in order to access the stories. As time progresses and the book fills with tales, earlier sessions will slowly move from the Lore Manor to the Oak Tower for safekeeping.
 
Important! This event is not a quest: there are no contests, no judges, no winners, no losers and no rewards. If other people wish to reward certain stories for their own reasons, that's entirely up to them and has nothing to do with me or the event itself.
 
Depending on my own availability*, people's participation and interest, other days beyond the Days of Tranquillity may be used as well. There are also plans to evolve the event further, depending on the same factors.
 
First session: Improvised story telling on Day 328* (Thursday, 24 November), 9 pm Server Time inside the Defensive Quarters in Loreroot.
 
* Due to my currently poor health, I can't promise to keep up with the event's schedule as strictly as I plan to. I will do the best I can to hold story telling sessions as frequently as possible though. My poor health is also responsible for the short notice about the first story telling session and I apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused.

"Preparation may not truly be half the journey, that would be a waste of time better used in more creative ways, but its importance is undeniable. They were meant to venture deep into the darkness, both literal and otherwise, and they had to be ready for it.
Whether they would manage to see the dawn that follows was too early to tell. One thing was certain: the longest night lay ahead of them."
 
Although winter is the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the Winter Solstice marks the "turning of the Sun" and the days slowly grow longer. Celebrations of the lighter days to come and nature's continuing cycle have been common throughout cultures and history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the Winter Solstice.
So let this be the theme of the Third session, before the journey itself begins: stories about Light and Darkness, revolving around the Winter Solstice and traditions associated with it. And there is no better day to hold this session than the day with the longest night itself:
Day 355 (Wednesday, 21 December), 8 pm Server Time outside the Defensive Quarters in Loreroot.

"“Preparation is half the journey.”, he said, his words causing the disdain of his younger companions.
“Would you go into the middle of a battlefield unarmed and untrained?”, he asked them and none dared respond positively, “Nor should you go into the middle of the Road unprepared.”"
 
Continuing the preparations for our journey, the Second session of Improvised story telling will be held on:
Day 346 (Monday, 12 December), 9:30 pm Server Time inside the Defensive Quarters in Loreroot.

Thank you, Ungod, and congratulations to the other winners.

I would like to thank Sunfire, MaGoHi, Lintara and Ungod for attending the event, for the stories they shared despite the short notice for this first session and for all the fun we had.
The stories of this first session can be found inside the Lore Manor, since that's where all tales are going to be posted instead of the forum. The original post has been updated as well to reflect this change and to provide the information needed to access the event's archives.

"And they made a fire and sat close together around it to stay warm. And they began to weave tales among themselves, some of them based on real events from times long gone and others the product of their weavers' own wild imagination…
Tale telling is an art, one that can raise the spirit high or cast it down into the depths of despair, and therefore one of immense power. And such was the power of their stories..."
 
When fighting ceases and the day grows quiet, gathering around a fire to share stories can spark some activity during an otherwise tranquil time. Such is the purpose of this event and I hope it stands up to it.
The event will be held on every 12th and 24th day of each month (Days of Tranquillity), at specific times and locations announced both here and on the Mood Panel.
At this early stage, there will be no specific theme for story tellers to base their tales upon; all kinds of stories are welcome, provided that two conditions are met:
(a) the story respects MD rules and restrictions in regards to the kind of content that can be posted in chat and
(b) it's not too long to dominate the event and prevent other people from participating. I'm not going to impose a rule upon this (such a thing would be against the spirit of the event), since I'm optimistic that common sense will prevail.
 
If you have a story to share but can't attend the event, you can send me your story through forum PM preferably; in-game PMs are accepted as well, although they aren't as convenient. Make certain to mention in the title that you send me a story for the event, so that I don't miss it.
All stories, both those shared in chat and those sent to me, will be posted here on the forum regularly but not immediately after each session is over so as to trigger more participation in the event in game than limit it to mere reading of its aftermath here on the forum. will be carefully written in a (clickable) book, which will remain stored inside the Lore Manor. You will need to use the password LostTales (with no spaces), in order to access the stories. As time progresses and the book fills with tales, earlier sessions will slowly move from the Lore Manor to the Oak Tower for safekeeping.
 
Important! This event is not a quest: there are no contests, no judges, no winners, no losers and no rewards. If other people wish to reward certain stories for their own reasons, that's entirely up to them and has nothing to do with me or the event itself.
 
Depending on my own availability*, people's participation and interest, other days beyond the Days of Tranquillity may be used as well. There are also plans to evolve the event further, depending on the same factors.
 
First session: Improvised story telling on Day 328* (Thursday, 24 November), 9 pm Server Time inside the Defensive Quarters in Loreroot.
 
* Due to my currently poor health, I can't promise to keep up with the event's schedule as strictly as I plan to. I will do the best I can to hold story telling sessions as frequently as possible though. My poor health is also responsible for the short notice about the first story telling session and I apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused.

"And they made a fire and sat close together around it to stay warm. And they began to weave tales among themselves, some of them based on real events from times long gone and others the product of their weavers' own wild imagination…
Tale telling is an art, one that can raise the spirit high or cast it down into the depths of despair, and therefore one of immense power. And such was the power of their stories..."
 
When fighting ceases and the day grows quiet, gathering around a fire to share stories can spark some activity during an otherwise tranquil time. Such is the purpose of this event and I hope it stands up to it.
The event will be held on every 12th and 24th day of each month (Days of Tranquillity), at specific times and locations announced both here and on the Mood Panel.
At this early stage, there will be no specific theme for story tellers to base their tales upon; all kinds of stories are welcome, provided that two conditions are met:
(a) the story respects MD rules and restrictions in regards to the kind of content that can be posted in chat and
(b) it's not too long to dominate the event and prevent other people from participating. I'm not going to impose a rule upon this (such a thing would be against the spirit of the event), since I'm optimistic that common sense will prevail.
 
If you have a story to share but can't attend the event, you can send me your story through forum PM preferably; in-game PMs are accepted as well, although they aren't as convenient. Make certain to mention in the title that you send me a story for the event, so that I don't miss it.
All stories, both those shared in chat and those sent to me, will be posted here on the forum regularly but not immediately after each session is over so as to trigger more participation in the event in game than limit it to mere reading of its aftermath here on the forum. will be carefully written in a (clickable) book, which will remain stored inside the Lore Manor. You will need to use the password LostTales (with no spaces), in order to access the stories. As time progresses and the book fills with tales, earlier sessions will slowly move from the Lore Manor to the Oak Tower for safekeeping.
 
Important! This event is not a quest: there are no contests, no judges, no winners, no losers and no rewards. If other people wish to reward certain stories for their own reasons, that's entirely up to them and has nothing to do with me or the event itself.
 
Depending on my own availability*, people's participation and interest, other days beyond the Days of Tranquillity may be used as well. There are also plans to evolve the event further, depending on the same factors.
 
First session: Improvised story telling on Day 328* (Thursday, 24 November), 9 pm Server Time inside the Defensive Quarters in Loreroot.
 
* Due to my currently poor health, I can't promise to keep up with the event's schedule as strictly as I plan to. I will do the best I can to hold story telling sessions as frequently as possible though. My poor health is also responsible for the short notice about the first story telling session and I apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused.

Water:
This creature looks mostly like a dragon. I say "mostly" because it's simpler to say "dragon" than "a gigantic flying lizard that spits fire to unwary travellers, in particular those who are bold enough to mess with the treasures it guards". However, this dragon isn't exactly like the beasts of legend you may have read about in many tales; it's neither the flying nor the fire-spitting kind.
This one is a very skilled swimmer and has fins that make it a very fast one as well; it can also retract its fins and use its four slender, when compared to its size, but strong limbs for movement on land. But what makes this specific dragon so special and scary?
The drowner, and it does live up to its name, has some sort of a collar around its neck where long tendrils come out of. These tendrils, apart from long, are also fairly thin but very strong, can move more easily in water and can be used as the first means the creature will use to catch its victim and prevent it from escaping. When the beast notices its potential victim, it will move its tendrils rapidly towards its target and wrap them around its limbs and neck. This way, it has plenty of time to move the rest of its long body closer without giving a chance to the victim to react and flee.
Its tail is particularly long and coiled, to the point that you can't be certain exactly how long it is and where it ends. Once the drowner has immobilised its victim, it wraps its tail tightly around the victim's body. Unable to react and move, feeling like a rock drifting deeper and deeper, the victim finds itself literally at the creature's mercy. The next and last thing one feels is a strong pressure on one's chest and stomach, before the beast's talons and jaws tear them apart and feast on them.
 
Crowds:
This creature could be mistaken for an ordinary macaque, very energetic and noisy, if it didn't have some special traits that aren't encountered on the known macaque species.
This one has three pairs of large skinny wings that let it scout its surroundings from above for potential targets, but for relatively short amounts of time. Once it finds a target, our airborne macaque lunges at it at free fall speed, grabs it with its long and very hairy arms and either tears it apart before swallowing it or stuffs it whole into its mouth. Once there, the victim is bathed in poison coming from the beast's own venom glands and then, whether whole or in pieces, it's pushed through the creature's throat, which is covered with many, relatively small but very sharp teeth that help cut the victim's flesh into small(er) pieces before said victim reaches the beast's stomach.
Considering that our special macaque is a very noisy creature while on the ground and even noisier when flying, it prefers to be a passive predator than an active one. So, instead of flying around to scan the area for targets to attack, it spends most of its time lying on the ground with its mouth wide open. The white, orange and rose colouration of the inside of the creature's mouth gives the impression that it's something one must have a closer look at, instead of a scary creature. And if one goes inside to have an even closer look all the better, one may think. But when the victim notices it's a trap, it's too late to escape. With the macaque being ever noisy and with the poison weakening the victim and distorting its senses, the latter may feel like being in the middle of a strong thunderstorm with nowhere to hide.
 
Old Age:
"This one is an apatosaurus!", you will say upon your first glance at it. Not quite. It does look like an apatosaurus in terms of size and speed. It's a really big beast, several times taller than a human, a very old and very ve-ry  s-l-o-w  o--n--e. But it's also very different than an apatosaurus. It's a reinforced apato-oak!
"A what?!", you will ask. Give me a moment to explain. I did say it looks like an apatosaurus; it's tall, very fat, very old and normally very very slow. What makes it different than an apatosaurus though is a series of special traits that make this creature unique.
First of all, its limbs will remind you those of an elephant: very thick and very fat. I know that you are going to tell me that the limbs of an elephant are much smaller than those of an apatosaurus, however thick and fat they may be. That's true, but the elephant's limbs are also faster, which means that this beast can speed up when it needs to, although not as much as an elephant can. Second, it carries a huge thick shell on its back making it look more like a gigantic tortoise. The shell, however, feels more like an extra burden, perhaps the burden of regret for all the things we wanted to do while we were young but didn't, rather than a means of protection. Third, its skin looks nothing like that of the known prehistoric reptiles, or any reptiles if that matters, because it's made of oak bark. Thick and strong oak bark that has helped this beast endure all these long years of its existence and which is also partially rotten and small pieces of it fall from the beast once in a while when it moves. Fourth, it has a huge and sharp beak, instead of a mouth, that can be very dangerous if the creature manages to approach you. And it will.
Why am I so confident about the fact that the apato-oak will approach you, once it finds you, no matter how faster you are than it is? Because it has one weird structure protruding from its forehead. The structure resembles the top of an elegant street light and, if you think about it, it's as big as a street light; its base is solid and wavy and on its tip a more flexible stem begins, which leads straight down to a big luminous sphere. The creature uses this structure like a pendulum swaying from left to right and vice versa while it walks, making you feel like there is a voice inviting you when you look at it: "Come closer and you will become more skilled, more experienced and wiser". And you heed its words and approach the creature, swaying your head along with the luminous pendulum, dreaming of more skill, experience and wisdom. But the apato-oak manages this way not only to distract you by making you watch its lure as if it were the most important thing in the world but, more importantly, to make you go closer to it so that it can unleash its true power on you.
If the creature doesn't step on you because it didn't see you -- old age can be like that; it doesn't care who you are or what you have done in your life and just steps on you --, then it growls at you with its beak wide open. And while you wait for it to grab you and feast on you (if you notice this at all, since you will most likely still be busy watching the beast's luminous lure swaying left and right and daydreaming of becoming more powerful), it will instead unleash its fiery breath on you. However, it's not the kind of fire that destroys everything it touches within moments. Its effects are slow, much like the beast's moving speed but, once you realise the harm it has done, how slower and less fit you are and how fewer things you can do now compared to what you used to be and what you used to do before encountering the creature, it's too late and there is no way back. It feels more like it's extinguishing your inner fire, by using its own, and your desire to live with no way for you to save either.
Therefore, you won't be troubled at all -- you won't have the energy to -- if the apato-oak leaves you for a few days to rot before it shreds your flesh to pieces with its beak.

Water:
This creature looks mostly like a dragon. I say "mostly" because it's simpler to say "dragon" than "a gigantic flying lizard that spits fire to unwary travellers, in particular those who are bold enough to mess with the treasures it guards". However, this dragon isn't exactly like the beasts of legend you may have read about in many tales; it's neither the flying nor the fire-spitting kind.
This one is a very skilled swimmer and has fins that make it a very fast one as well; it can also retract its fins and use its four slender, when compared to its size, but strong limbs for movement on land. But what makes this specific dragon so special and scary?
The drowner, and it does live up to its name, has some sort of a collar around its neck where long tendrils come out of. These tendrils, apart from long, are also fairly thin but very strong, can move more easily in water and can be used as the first means the creature will use to catch its victim and prevent it from escaping. When the beast notices its potential victim, it will move its tendrils rapidly towards its target and wrap them around its limbs and neck. This way, it has plenty of time to move the rest of its long body closer without giving a chance to the victim to react and flee.
Its tail is particularly long and coiled, to the point that you can't be certain exactly how long it is and where it ends. Once the drowner has immobilised its victim, it wraps its tail tightly around the victim's body. Unable to react and move, feeling like a rock drifting deeper and deeper, the victim finds itself literally at the creature's mercy. The next and last thing one feels is a strong pressure on one's chest and stomach, before the beast's talons and jaws tear them apart and feast on them.
 
Crowds:
This creature could be mistaken for an ordinary macaque, very energetic and noisy, if it didn't have some special traits that aren't encountered on the known macaque species.
This one has three pairs of large skinny wings that let it scout its surroundings from above for potential targets, but for relatively short amounts of time. Once it finds a target, our airborne macaque lunges at it at free fall speed, grabs it with its long and very hairy arms and either tears it apart before swallowing it or stuffs it whole into its mouth. Once there, the victim is bathed in poison coming from the beast's own venom glands and then, whether whole or in pieces, it's pushed through the creature's throat, which is covered with many, relatively small but very sharp teeth that help cut the victim's flesh into small(er) pieces before said victim reaches the beast's stomach.
Considering that our special macaque is a very noisy creature while on the ground and even noisier when flying, it prefers to be a passive predator than an active one. So, instead of flying around to scan the area for targets to attack, it spends most of its time lying on the ground with its mouth wide open. The white, orange and rose colouration of the inside of the creature's mouth gives the impression that it's something one must have a closer look at, instead of a scary creature. And if one goes inside to have an even closer look all the better, one may think. But when the victim notices it's a trap, it's too late to escape. With the macaque being ever noisy and with the poison weakening the victim and distorting its senses, the latter may feel like being in the middle of a strong thunderstorm with nowhere to hide.
 
Old Age:
"This one is an apatosaurus!", you will say upon your first glance at it. Not quite. It does look like an apatosaurus in terms of size and speed. It's a really big beast, several times taller than a human, a very old and very ve-ry  s-l-o-w  o--n--e. But it's also very different than an apatosaurus. It's a reinforced apato-oak!
"A what?!", you will ask. Give me a moment to explain. I did say it looks like an apatosaurus; it's tall, very fat, very old and normally very very slow. What makes it different than an apatosaurus though is a series of special traits that make this creature unique.
First of all, its limbs will remind you those of an elephant: very thick and very fat. I know that you are going to tell me that the limbs of an elephant are much smaller than those of an apatosaurus, however thick and fat they may be. That's true, but the elephant's limbs are also faster, which means that this beast can speed up when it needs to, although not as much as an elephant can. Second, it carries a huge thick shell on its back making it look more like a gigantic tortoise. The shell, however, feels more like an extra burden, perhaps the burden of regret for all the things we wanted to do while we were young but didn't, rather than a means of protection. Third, its skin looks nothing like that of the known prehistoric reptiles, or any reptiles if that matters, because it's made of oak bark. Thick and strong oak bark that has helped this beast endure all these long years of its existence and which is also partially rotten and small pieces of it fall from the beast once in a while when it moves. Fourth, it has a huge and sharp beak, instead of a mouth, that can be very dangerous if the creature manages to approach you. And it will.
Why am I so confident about the fact that the apato-oak will approach you, once it finds you, no matter how faster you are than it is? Because it has one weird structure protruding from its forehead. The structure resembles the top of an elegant street light and, if you think about it, it's as big as a street light; its base is solid and wavy and on its tip a more flexible stem begins, which leads straight down to a big luminous sphere. The creature uses this structure like a pendulum swaying from left to right and vice versa while it walks, making you feel like there is a voice inviting you when you look at it: "Come closer and you will become more skilled, more experienced and wiser". And you heed its words and approach the creature, swaying your head along with the luminous pendulum, dreaming of more skill, experience and wisdom. But the apato-oak manages this way not only to distract you by making you watch its lure as if it were the most important thing in the world but, more importantly, to make you go closer to it so that it can unleash its true power on you.
If the creature doesn't step on you because it didn't see you -- old age can be like that; it doesn't care who you are or what you have done in your life and just steps on you --, then it growls at you with its beak wide open. And while you wait for it to grab you and feast on you (if you notice this at all, since you will most likely still be busy watching the beast's luminous lure swaying left and right and daydreaming of becoming more powerful), it will instead unleash its fiery breath on you. However, it's not the kind of fire that destroys everything it touches within moments. Its effects are slow, much like the beast's moving speed but, once you realise the harm it has done, how slower and less fit you are and how fewer things you can do now compared to what you used to be and what you used to do before encountering the creature, it's too late and there is no way back. It feels more like it's extinguishing your inner fire, by using its own, and your desire to live with no way for you to save either.
Therefore, you won't be troubled at all -- you won't have the energy to -- if the apato-oak leaves you for a few days to rot before it shreds your flesh to pieces with its beak.

Thank you all very much.

Name: Valoryn - ID: 246890 - Scene: 1_-2x4_3
Reason: As a citizen of Loreroot and a Guardian of the Root, I have already been guarding Wasp's Totem unofficially for over two years.

Name: Valoryn - ID: 246890 - Scene: 1_-2x4_3
Reason: As a citizen of Loreroot and a Guardian of the Root, I have already been guarding Wasp's Totem unofficially for over two years.

Name: Valoryn - ID: 246890 - Scene: 1_-2x4_3
Reason: As a citizen of Loreroot and a Guardian of the Root, I have already been guarding Wasp's Totem unofficially for over two years.

Name: Valoryn - ID: 246890 - Scene: 1_-2x4_3
Reason: As a citizen of Loreroot and a Guardian of the Root, I have already been guarding Wasp's Totem unofficially for over two years.

Name: Valoryn - ID: 246890 - Scene: 1_-2x4_3
Reason: As a citizen of Loreroot and a Guardian of the Root, I have already been guarding Wasp's Totem unofficially for over two years.