[01/01/01] The Red Grove in the Green Wood

The three Lorekeepers sit in a circle atop the tallest tree in the city, contemplating the situation they had found themselves in. In their collective millennia of memories, none of them could remember an event anything like this. To be spontaneously transported to what could only be assumed to be a new world was simply unheard of. Was this truly a new world? Yes, they decide. They would become surer of this as the minutes pass. The air was too thick, their bodies too heavy. The trees outside the grove were green, rather than the red they were familiar with.

What were they to do? The people were waiting for their decision. “This new land could be full of danger.” Lorekeeper Turko says quietly. “We must gather an army.” Turko’s memories – both those from past Lorekeepers and those she had made herself – told her what could happen if they were caught unprepared. The others state their agreement. They had troops, but they were lacking in number and coordination. Bringing them up to an acceptable level would take time.

“Téa is not large enough to support our people.” Lorekeeper Lim states. “We need to spread out and found new settlements.” While overpopulation was a concern, the larger problem was food. They had enough stored to supply the population for 6 months. If they had not expanded enough by then, they would be facing famine.

“We must seek out the other inhabitants of this place.” Says Lorekeeper Dago. “We can ask them for aid or know how to prepare if they are hostile.” Interaction was a core tenant in the Rhodens Empire’s philosophy. Those who do not interact stagnate. Stagnation was not something they could afford, not in their current state.

The meeting ends, and the three Lorekeepers begin planning. There was no time to lose.