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Chapter 5 Overnight as the two girls slept the weather took a dramatic turn. Gales from the far north brought an icy chill and thick banks of clouds. In the pre-dawn hours it felt almost like winter. Yet that was only the beginning, as for not even an hour into their trek along the road did the rain start to come in a torrential downpour. Worse still were the heavy banks of fog rolling off the lake and smothering everything. An impenetrable mist that in some areas almost totally blinded Ileana and Nadia and kept them on edge. Just as the storm seemed to be at its worst was when the thunder came. Not artillery this time, but mother nature. Lightning crashed and thunder boomed as the thunderstorm brewed by the erratic cold front harassed the land below. Both Ileana and Nadia were soaked to the bone not even a mile into their journey, making things rather miserable to say the least. Yet it was more concerning to them how the storm was veiling the other dangers that lied about. While

Chapter 4 Thankful and lucky to be alive, Ileana and Nadia decided to remain in and around their home where it was safe. While they should be out continuing to scavenge for supplies to cope with the extremely harsh Siberian winter that drew near, they also had no desire to test their luck two days in a row. The small cabin which Ileana and Nadia lived in was sparse on the inside. A simple, slightly grungy old hunting cabin with bare wooden walls and only two rooms. A kitchen with a table by a wood stove, and a bedroom with a single small metal framed bed draped with a few layers of heavy woolen blankets right beside it. Both rooms had a single window facing the lake, with the entrance being right at the west end of the kitchen. In either room we're shelves stocked with food and other knick knacks. Everything from pieces of rope, lighters, pocket knives to canned bread, meats and various soups. It was a controlled chaos of things stuffed within the cabin, but after all the time

Chapter 3 Adventuring into the depths rather quickly revealed itself to be a claustrophobic experience to say the least. The tunnel was just barely tall enough for either Ileana or Nadia to stand up straight; forcing both of them to duck each time they came to one of the very artfully carved timbers that made up the cribbing of the tunnel. The markings within the wooden beams had the same marks which had been carved into the shrine back in the forest. In the dim glow of the flashlight they almost had a haunting presence. Ancient spirits watching their every move from Ileana’s guess. This sensation of paranormal presence was only fortified by the all-encompassing darkness and accompanying silence. A silence which was hollow and deafening that either one of the girls could hear their own hearts beating away even. With each of their steps did the sound echo off the walls with such vibrance it made them flinch. Ileana quickly grabbed onto Nadia’s sleeve as her nerves began to fray like

Chapter 2 As the sun began to crest the horizon in the east did dawn bring a new day. The land was still basked in shadow, yet the skies began to brighten with new light. The overnight clouds that had brought rain were beginning to part, leaving a glistening landscape in their wake. Water dripped from various foliage while the scents of soggy earth were carried by the breeze. The rains had rode in on a cold front far from the northern wastes that brought crisp chilly winds to the midlands. Winter's shivering grasp was slowly enclosing on the land even as autumn tried to flaunt its brief glimpse of color. As always, changelings and their haunting calls reverberated off the landscape and kept the land under their haunting watch. At Ileana and Nadia's shack, Ileana stood shivering outside with her rifle and backpack over her shoulders. She was waiting for Nadia to get a few last minute things together back inside before they ventured off on their little sojourn northward. Ileana

Chapter 1 The golden light of the late autumn Siberian sun gleamed upon the black waters of Northern Lake Baikal, nestled at the foot of the Ural Mountains. After weeks of storms, a calm finally gripped the Siberian forests for the first time in what seemed like ages. The waters of the lake remained glassy in the gentle arctic breeze that rustled the thick foliage that crept up to the water's edge. Not a cloud was to be seen for miles upon miles as birds flew high into the heavens above. The shoreline was a vast swath of blazing yellows amidst the nearly black evergreens, the forests teeming with life and laden with the scents of tree sap. Everything seemed picture perfect; yet something was amiss. The scent of tree sap was lined by the acrid smell of cordite. The calls of elk, birds and moose, were also met with haunting howls of strange monsters. Monsters that had been at the heart of the downfall of the Baikal region of Siberia. Unleashed by deranged fools. Fools who had once

Visions of Belegore Episode 3: A Pack of Problems Artwork by Plasmadragon Story by ShinyKatStudioz Off the northwestern coast of the peninsula were a small group of islands named simply the Highland Chain. These were an interesting group of islands that had quite different landscapes, flora and fauna to feast the eyes and imagination. Some were rolling hills, some flat plateaus smothered with trees, others rocky outcrops of shear cliff miniature mountains. No real official cities or towns were among these islands, instead they typically had small ragtag villages nestled on the shorelines or within the protection of coves. Many of those who chose to live here were those who had fled the east, or who simply desired a frontier lifestyle. Under the auspices of the Archduke of Rovilan, this place had not been afflicted by the church's rebellion that had then ended up nearly bringing the apocalypse to the entire realm. As such, there were plenty of witches and mages who had also flocked