Game 1 Round 1

The dawn brought new, shaded light onto the Graywood, a forest of ancient, colossal trees, their aged and color-muted bark giving their namesake. For centuries the dryads have nurtured these titans, as their thick trunks made excellent spaces to carve out buildings- Each tree could house a dozen families, and hold twice as many shops or facilities. The wood carved out to make room in each trunk has been put to use in carving intricate furniture and bridges across each tree, creating a natural city that almost never touched the ground. In fact, the only things that weren't made of wood or some other plant-based material were those objects brought in by the other races, and the ritual sites- circles of stone pillars and slabs, each carved with powerful runes, marking the spots the druids and their volunteers would gather to hold ceremony and worship to the gods.

As first light hit one of these sites, hundreds of such volunteers hazily awoke and stood up from the dirt. They were composed of many different races- dryads, elves, satyrs, centaurs, other beastmen and so on -and, like the druids they had joined, they were almost entirely nude, save for some painted marks and ceremonial garbs, much of which had been smeared or ruined by the night before. Many of them still bore the marks of festivity, their skin slathered with fluids both sticky and slick alike, and with expressions speaking only of true bliss. Like any other day in the Concord, though, none of them acknowledged these facts. The masses merely got up, dusted themselves off, and carried on with their lives as if the previous night never happened. In fact, the only thing unusual about this moment was the sheer number of people- The celebration of the start of the equinox always gathered a crowd, but since this also fell upon the fifth anniversary of the Concord's forming, the festivities were doubled.

From within one of the more ornately decorated trees, two figures watched as the gathering dispersed. Officially, the Graywood Concord had no exact ruler, with each of the five clans having their own say in their collective actions. Unofficially, though, these two were the closest thing to that. One was Clovelia, a dryad who played a crucial part in negotiating the creation of the Concord, and whose lack of surname implied she had been one of the first dryads to exist. Her appearance certainly confirmed such theory, the usual leaflike skin most dryads have instead having become almost literal bark from age, and her hair being a mane of autumn-orange leaves. The other person was Evet Obspar, leader of the most populous clan, the Shield Sages. While most satyrs rarely grow above five feet, Evet had reached seven and a half, making her tower over the woman next to her. Her bronzed skin and defined muscles spoke of many months in the field.

"Do you see that?" Clovelia spoke with a hushed tone, despite her rough exterior hinting otherwise, and kept a patient pace. "I swear there's almost twice as many of them as last time." Her amber eyes, the only thing still human-looking about her, flitted over each head in the crowd, counting them over and over again.

"You said the same thing the time before," Evet quipped in a sincere tone, "and again the time before that." Still, she knew what her associate was talking about. Since the Concord first formed, the Graywood had seen a constant population boom as a result of the more frequent rituals. At first it was something they could keep up with, picking the fruits of the ancient trees and hunting game. But recently the question of starvation truly came into question. And it would be a certainty unless... "I think we need to move forward, beyond the Graywood."

"Are you sure? It still isn't exactly safe out there." While the five major clans of the land had agreed to the Concord, there were still dozens of small tribes that chose to remain independent, still holding rivalries from the past. "Besides, the druids won't like it, sending people out to exploit more of the land."

"Well, I don't see us having much else of a choice." Evet shrugged, a motion on her that rippled and shook the dryad next to her. "Besides, I think I know the right spot to start." To the northwest, on the other end of the river, she had seen some perfect farming land. Wouldn't get them through the next few years, but it'd at least save them for this one.

Clovelia only made a tiny sound and nod in response, something Evet still took as a sign of worry. Wordlessly, she put her arm around the smaller dryad in a more-than-friendly matter. Clovelia returned the gesture around the satyr's waist, looking up at her. Continuing their shared silence, the pair walked off to another room. The equinox celebration may be up, but some people still had yet to participate...