The fighting, how it never ceased to end. The once pristine plains of Bohar were now nothing but a graveyard for both men and the creatures of the void. It pained Zanar to see his once beautiful homeland turn into a battlefield, a battlefield on such a grand scale as this. For if the living lands failed to fight back the creatures, the star that they all lived on would become another territory for the rulers of the Void. The Hunter could not let this happen, he would not let it happen. He was sure the Tree saw that determination in his soul, such led him to be the leader of the defensive line. He wished he could have followed his other comrades into the void, but his forces were better suited to hold the line rather than an offensive front.

He had faith, faith in his brothers and sisters to avenge their fallen comrade.

The forces of the Void were powerful, though their main driving strength was their numbers. The true enemy to the mortal realm was exhaustion. This was a battle of attrition, he knew that as much. They had to wait for the offensive line to strike down Azhizheth only then would the enemy force retreat back into whatever realm they had come from. Still, exhaustion lingered its ugly head over everyone. The fighting had continued and continued with almost no end in sight. For every being they struck down more rose in their place. Even Zanar, one of the conclave had felt exhaustion take its toll on his body and from time and time he had to rest in order to regain his strength. He was lucky that the divine aether that flowed through him made it so even a quick minute was more than enough.

This time was different, Zanar had felt his soul start to slip away. Though the gods could not die, he could not allow himself to fall into a slumber as his body tried to regain the soul. By order of his own Rangers, he was to rest, and he did so without fighting them. He knew exactly what happens when the leader of a force fell, morale dropped and chaos ensued. His body may be resting, but his mind was not. He took this time in order to piece together all of the intel that he had gathered from his battles. There had to be some way to slow down the forces, even though he knew that he did not have the power to completely seal them away. They were emerging through fissures within the ground. He had seen mages try to close them with no success. Perhaps though if he channeled his power he could?

His eyes snapped open from his meditative position. He knew the dangers of trying to approach a fissure, as the forces there were far more condensed than the battle points. He had to try though if he could give the people a chance to rest and regain their spirit. He called for once of his rangers to enter the tent he was in.

”Send word through the battlefield, for any able body adventurer or soldier to come to me. We are going to try and give us time. I need their strength.” He noticed the Ranger was roaring to go himself and Zanar placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. ”I can not allow you or any of my forces to go. You were all hand trained by me, I need your strength out there to defend those that cannot defend themselves. So please, do this one favor for me.”

Zanar watched as the man left his tent to run off and send messages to all the sanctuaries that he could. The smile and the look of approval that he got from his Ranger was burned into his mind, as the god himself took a step out of his tent. He now only had to wait to see if anyone would answer his call. Would anyone brave the danger to save this star? He did not know, but he had to try.

Trafalgor stood holding the shoulder of Haati, the messenger and support mage of his personal hunting party, as they watched the body of Haati's best friend and the scout of their party, Tei, was being burned to ashes in the pyre of the healing camp Trafalgor was working in. A soft hand squeezed his left arm softly in silent support while he stood in the same capacity for his comrade and subordinate.

After one of the newest varieties of Twisted, ones capable of reanimating the flesh of the fallen, reared their heads in the aftermath of battlefields, the order had gone out that all bodies of the fallen, whether in the camps or on the field, were to be burned until they were no more to prevent the enemy from using them for their own purposes. Tears streamed down the faces of Haati, Kala and his brother Mikala, his love Daphne, as well as his apprentice Tor. Only Trafalgor's face was clear from the anguish the Gulu contingent all felt at Tei's loss.

Once Trafalgor watched the last of the scout's skin finally burn away, he lowered his head and said a short prayer. "May Tei's soul fly into Serafina's embrace on wings as swift as his feet and be judged fairly on his many deeds…"

The four other members of his team hit the ground with their weapons as one with two solid strikes.

Thump, thump. "Speed of the gods!" they all cried out in their native tongue, Trafalgor included. He then raised his head and turned it to look at his comrade with a soft smile. 

He gave Haati's shoulder another firm squeeze and waited until the younger man's watery eyes met his. "He fell with honor and courage… the same way he lived. He fell in the defense of not only his comrades, but in defense of our world." He then released Haati's shoulder, reached down, and grabbed his hand, opening it and turning the palm upward. He then placed a small length of braided hair decorated in various colored beads into his palm and closed his hand around it. Haati's tears redoubled as he clutched the Hunter's Braid cut from Tei's head before his body was thrown into the pyre against his chest. 

As the rest of Trafalgor's hunting party closed ranks around the mage, Daphne's thin, but strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist in a tight embrace. With a slight shift, he managed to bring the red-headed half-Dryad into his side so he could return the embrace while she shed silent tears into the side of his chest. 

He knew that he had not done very much in the way of alleviating his party's grief… but they all knew Trafalgor's nature and Path… and thankfully didn't hold it against him. He was glad that their bonds were strong enough to endure even the loss of one of their number as each of them gave him a small, reassuring smile. He made sure to return it… to let them know that while he had no further words, he would always be ready to support them however he could.

A loud call caught his attention, causing him to crane his neck around to see who was yelling out at the entryway leading into the camp. The man, who's clothing caught Trafalgor's attention, was saying something about needing volunteers for a mission to relieve the defenders. He had missed a few words due to the man turning his head from side to side, but the gist of things was that he was here to deliver a call-to-arms. 

His party, too, heard the call… and one by one, they silently communicated and came to a decision. However…

"No," stated Trafalgor firmly with a stern expression. All four Gulu natives glared up at him with various expressions… anger… disbelief… surprise… but most of all, there was pain. He shook his head slowly and repeated himself. "No… you all are in no state to enter battle without getting yourselves killed." The anger gained more steam, but he continued on without blinking. "You are all angry. At the Twisted… at yourselves… at me. If I allowed you to go forth in your current states, you will make Tei's sacrifice pointless," he stated ruthlessly, staring down Haati and Mikala, specifically. The pair averted their eyes, unable to deny his words. He waited a beat, making sure that they were no longer going to argue, then said, "I will go." All eyes snapped to him.

With a slow, deep breath, Trafalgor reached up and unwrapped his love's arms from around him and pulled her in front of him with a smile. She stared hard, eyes still slightly red, but no longer as wet. She knew. He could only smile as he waited. Finally, Daphne huffed out a breath and set her jaw firmly. "You had better come back. Understood?"

Trafalgor chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss her softly. "Yes, dear," he affirmed as he pulled away. He looked over her shoulder as his party, then met her eyes again. "Be there for them. When I return, we will all retire to my tent and remember Tei properly." She gave him a firm nod, one final hug, then let him go and stepped back towards his party.

"You all are off-duty until I tell you otherwise. I will return." He then turned and made a direct path for the messenger, summoning his Iron Wood staff as he went, who was looking around the camp, growing visibly disheartened and frustrated as no others answered his Lord's call.

"Mtetezi!" came from behind him. He stopped and turned to look back. Haati had run forward and stopped a short distance away… expression fierce. "Kill as many of those bastards as you can."

Trafalgor smiled softly and nodded. "For Tei." And for the first time in the last two hours, Haati smiled a true smile. Trafalgor wasted no more time and turned away from his scout. The messenger, who had noticed the byplay, had his full attention directed at him… and he noticed that more than a few eyes were staring widely as he passed them.

"You call for volunteers to venture beyond enemy lines in an attempt to stifle the flow of enemies?" he asked the man, who was quite obviously one of Zanar Arowin's Rangers by his clothing. The man simply gave a nod as he looked warily at Trafalgor, as if trying to determine if he was serious. He didn't know what the man saw, but whatever it was, it seemed to meet with his approval as his eyes hardened.

"Very well, follow me," the man said, giving one last look around the camp to see if anyone else would volunteer… No one did. With a gesture, the Ranger opened a Gate and stepped through it. Trafalgor was right behind him. They appeared in another camp, one that was clearly the main headquarters for the defensive fronts from the many people running about and recognizable banners he had seen in different battles. He let his eyes check his surroundings momentarily, but kept following the Ranger as he made directly for the heart of the camp.

As they cut around the corner of a tent, the man turned sharply and placed himself right in Trafalgor's path with a scowl. The two locked gazes - the Ranger's searching and Trafalgor's curious. Finally, the Ranger let out a sigh and let the scowl drop from his face. "I recognize you," he said softly. "You're Trafalgor, right? The one they call the 'Verdant Storm?'" There was a tinge of desperation in his tone, but Trafalgor merely quirked an eyebrow before replying.

"That's… a new one, but considering my main method of clearing the Twisted away from the line and my robes, the title is apt. Yes, I am Trafalgor. Why do you ask?" he shot back, just as softly.

The Ranger gave a short sigh of… relief? "Thank goodness… I was hoping I wasn't mistaken. Please," the Ranger reached forward and grasped Trafalgor by his arms with a beseeching look. "No matter what happens on this mission, promise that you will make sure Lord Arowin makes it back alive… or rather, safely!" The request caught him by surprise, but he did not hesitate to reply.

"It shall be done, Ranger," he said firmly. If the Commander for the entire defensive front fell, then either the lines would eventually fall apart from the loss of morale and leadership, or another of the gods or goddesses would have to shift their attention from their current tasks to take over command. "Whatever happens, I will ensure that Lord Arowin returns safely to this camp. On my life and honor," he swore, placing his hand over his heart with a solemn bow.

The relief from the Ranger was nearly palpable as the man released him. "Thank you. The rumors say you are as good as your word, so I will trust in that oath." He took a moment to compose himself, before returning to his previous demeanor. "Let us go. Lord Arowin awaits." 

Trafalgor followed him a bit further, making one final turn and approaching a large tent… with the God of the Endless Hunt standing outside it. The Ranger, having led him to their destination, stood to one side and gestured for him to approach. Trafalgor nodded and stepped forward to greet the deity. He stopped a short distance away, placed one hand over his chest, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Lord Arowin. I am Trafalgor of Gulu, here to answer the call for assistance you sent out. What task would you ask of me?"