Ouro Greenbottle

Ouro was born to a trader and his wife, simple folk who would travel town to town with their caravan of goods. It was that same lifestyle which they desired for him, but Ouro felt differently. He felt more connected with the birds and the trees than with the people of the cities he often visited. And so he decided to leave, that his fate was not that of a trader but of his own design. The next time his family passed through the High Wood, Ouro slipped away into the forest never to be seen again.

Life in the High Wood was as Ouro had hoped - a paradise. Here he would grow to be one with the forest, spending much time studying the wildlife surrounding him. He taught himself to hunt, to track, and even befriend his animal neighbors. Though one day he stumbled across a creature he had never seen before - an autumn elf. The elf sat by a river with his legs crossed and seemed to be meditating. Ouro watched curiously from a far, not quite sure what to make of this creature - but before he could decide what to do next, the very bush he hid behind parted down the center to

reveal him. "Hello there" the elf said with a smile "I'm Elrith, come out from there and sit with me." Ouro reluctantly approached the elf, still unsure of his intentions. He maintained what to him was a safe distance and sat down. The elf was polite, he offered Ouro food and refreshment and the two began conversing.

Elrith was surprised to find that Ouro was able to adapt and survive in the forest for so long without proper training or experience. He suggested that Ouro come back with him to his people and that he undergo training to become a druid. Intrigued by the idea of becoming even more in tune with nature, Ouro gladly accepted. He would train under Elrith for the years to come.

Ouro spent the later and final portion of his training in the great grasslands of the Green Moor. Here him and his druid companions were planting seedlings to further grow the forest and shape the land. They hoped that by cultivating the land in this way it would encourage more fauna and wildlife in the area. During this time he began to experience vivid dreams while he slept. His elven companions would joke at his need for sleep, but told him that they may indeed be visions of events to come.

One night he had a dream of himself wandering through an unfamiliar forest while several voices called his name. When he woke he looked across the Green Moor and on the horizon saw the same forest he had seen in his dreams - the Deborah Woods. He wandered inside the forest attempting to retrace his steps from his dream. By doing this he stumbled upon a dryads grove. The dryads began to repeat what the voices had said to him in his dream. They warned him of a great danger on the horizon, that his visions would be the key to understanding the events that would follow. One dryad brought forth an unusual mushroom and handed it to Ouro. "Consume it" they said in unison "it will show you what must be seen". Though hesitant at first, Ouro plopped it into his mouth and found himself in a sort of trance-state in which he experienced several visions of the danger the dryads warned of. Awaking quite confused from what he had seen, Ouro was promptly told to leave and to discover the true meaning of these visions. The dryads gave him one last thing, a dream journal whose cover was made of bark, and was like silk. He was told it would help him revisit these visions.

He left the Deborah Wood and headed south, his constant visions acting almost as a compass guiding him.