Personal Logs

*This is an opt-in space to share BGA responses containing information relevant to those with an interest in the Vir. To best avoid metagaming issues, anything shared here should probably be something that your character would feel comfortable discussing in game.*

## Fytheias Faen

### Pre-E3

Every few days you head to the Family Tree and perform fairly basic tasks to keep it in as good of health as possible.  While shovelling a path to the tree one evening you hear something loudly trudging through the snow in the forest. Curiosity being what it is, you grab your spear and head out, being as quiet as possible.

You set down the path, crossing a small bridge and heading up a hill before you come across tracks in the snow.  You immediately recognize these tracks as belonging to the Vir. You follow the tracks, being careful to keep to denser sections of the forest to avoid being spotted.  After a few minutes you find the source of the sound you had heard earlier. It is a lone Vir. It looks to be one of the smaller ones and appears to be very badly injured, it's left leg broken, and a hatchet buried deep in it's right shoulder.  Seeing no other Vir around, you decide to ambush this one.

You sneak around behind it, matching your steps with it's wide footprints, quickly closing the gap until you are within range to attack it.  With one solid thrust, you bury your spear deep in the wounded Vir's back, which makes an unearthly groan before crumpling in a heap and dying.  Searching the fallen Vir's body, you find a wooden pendant, with a shape that reminds you of a wider, thicker needle. Interestingly, this pendant looks to be made of wood that is still alive, despite not being attached to the rest of a tree.

Before you can think about it too much you hear a sound to your side and look to see one of the bigger, slower Vir approaching you from deeper in the forest.  Confident that you can outpace it, you turn around to head back the way you came, only to come face to face with a pair of the smaller, faster Vir. The two Vir lunge at you, but you dart into the woods headed toward town, the snow slowing them down enough that you are able to get to safety.

On the way to town you bump into Gwanwyn.  You try to tell her what had just happened, but she is clearly to excited about whatever she had been doing to stop telling you about it and listen.  The two of you head toward a building that Gwanwyn had been working out of, and just as you think you might get a chance to tell Gwanwyn about what had happened you hear something heavy and metal crash to the floor inside the building.

You open the door to see Mirna struggling against all hope to pry the Vir Root vine, a vine which seemed dead the last time you saw it, off of her arm as it is trying to make it's way into her ear.  You and Gwanwyn rush to her aid, managing to pry it off of her and throw it across the room. In a panic, Gwanwyn throws her lantern at the vine, which shatters, quickly incinerating the vine.

The three of you quickly douse the flames before they can cause any damage and decide to go do literally anything else.

### Pre-E4

You and Gwanwynn meet up with Harbyron who takes you to the captive Vir. When you arrive the Vir is bound to a rock with stakes driven through it's arms and legs, and chains binding it accross the chest. Though these measures do not appear to cause the creature any pain, it certainly seems to view them as a niussance, as it struggles constantly to free itself from it's bonds. Repeatedly struggling against the chain has defoliated a large section of the chest, exposing the damaged grey-brown wood and vines beneath, a sickly smelling dark sap oozing from what you would consider wounds. Cracks and splinters have started to form around the stakes in it's arms and legs, the same foul umber sap clotting and matting the remaining foliage on it's arms and legs.

Gwanwynn asks Harbyron if chains AND stakes were both really necessary to keep the Vir restrained. Harbyron makes a grumpy face and says "Abso-fucking-lutely necessary", his limp appearing slightly worse than usual as he walks over to the Vir, signalling the two of you to join him.

Harbyron touches the ground beneath the Vir and a ritual circle pulses to life beneath it and the sound of a voice cracks and wavers into focus, a chant slowly solidifying in your ears. It sounds... displeased.

"Though this body lies splintered and broken, my end is the start of a new beginning. I go now to the groves of Vir'Kal to be reborn, my fury renewed by the will of the Great One. I will return in it's name, and reap my vengeance."

The Vir continues it's ghostly chanting like this for some time. Harbyron explains that it has been doing this nonstop since being taken captive, and has not responded to any questions and that he has largely learned to tune it out until the spell ends. The three of you weigh your options for a moment, the chanting continuing unabated for the entire time, and settle on taking some samples for study. As Gwanwynn and Harbyron focus on gathering sap and leaf samples you take the job of removing a tooth from the wolf skull that passes for the creatures head.

As you approach you see it pause, as if it suddenly noticed something of great interest to it, it's ethereal voice cutting off mid chant. You get very close to the skull, attempting to pry the tooth out with a pair of pliers, remarking to Harbyron how "At least that speak with dead spell doesnt last very long", to which Harbyron pauses and replies "It is still active..." At this point, the Vir quickly rears it's head back, wrenching out it's own tooth in the process, and before you can react slams it's skull into yours, the force knocking you on your ass.

The Vir, now struggling with renewed intensity begins trying to free itself from it's bonds. Gwanwynn and Harbyron scramble away from it just as it rips it's arms free, one arm torn off completely at the shoulder, and the other hand swinging lifelessly from the wrist. With it's arms damaged but free, the monster gestures upwards, roots and vines rising from the earth and wrapping themselves around the chains at it's chest, the links breaking with a sharp metallic pop. The creature attempts to wrench it's legs free with a lurch towards you, the left leg snapping off at the shin, the other leg refusing to give out as easily causing the beast to topple forward hitting the ground with a dull thud, the stubborn leg snapping in the process. With all four limbs broken or removed in some fashion the creature pulls itself awkwardly towards you, roots and vines sprouting from the ground and it's back in an attempt to aid it. As it moves toward it reaches toward the living wood pendant hanging from your belt and you you hear it's voice once more.

"How kind of you to return Kurbacs to us.  A pity you wont be around to watch him scour this wor-”, the creature’s voice cutting out as it pulls itself outside of the ritual circle.

While you struggle to get back to your feet and retrieve your spear Gwanwynn and Harbyron come to your defense, with Gwanwynn lancing it through the "good" shoulder pinning it to the ground, and Harbyron smacking it upside the dome with his cane, the two of them giving you a moment to breathe. As it regains it's composure you focus your primal magics, launching a volley of fireballs directly into the creature's skull, it's eye sockets briefly glowing from the flame within, before the creature slumps over dead.

After getting back on your feet and taking a moment to calm down, the three of you try to move the now dead Vir back into the ritual circle to continue speaking to it if possible, but the monster is silent, whatever spirit it formerly held having fled it's body upon death. Harbyron tells you that he will do some looking into the name Kurbacs, and will be in touch as soon as possible.

### Pre-E5

In all your time trapped in this hell not a moment has passed when the Vir havent been a concern in the back of your minds. Every snap of a twig in the forest, every perceived motion in your periphery could be another arboreal horror come to end you. They don't eat, never tire, and even death does little to slow them and nothing to thin their numbers. It has not been a matter of if they will find you, but when. And so you run, always on the move, never staying in a camp for more than a few sleep rotations at a time.

Enough is enough.

You decide it is time to locate Haaskat's grove. A dead Vir just returns to tell the rest what killed it and where. On top of this you have heard the Vir groves are capable of being relocated, so if you want to have any hope of finding the grove you will need to locate it without being spotted or killing any Vir. To this end, the three of you decide to split off from the rest of the group to move as quickly and quietly as you can.

The three of you set out, keeping to the deeper parts of the forest away from the game trails. Using Caelia's prey tracking skills and Fytheias' and Gwanwyn's knowledge of the Vir the three of you manage to discern the general direction the Vir have been coming from. You spend what feels like several days narrowly dodging patrols and skulking through the underbrush. A few times you are fairly certain you have been spotted, but each time a clever diversion or plain dumb luck gets you out of a tight spot.

Finally you spot it.

Nestled just outside of a clearing being used as a mustering field sits the grove. An eerie green light emanates from within, likely the result of some horrific Vir magic. The three of you recognize that a direct assault on the assembled Vir army would be a very poor choice, and opt to make your way back to camp and come up with a plan of attack with the rest of the group.

Time passes in the dark. Cole gets back with a bloodied Braig and a handful of Trueforged. Varin returns after tracking down Yara with tales of an upcoming Branded prison break. Rilla is slowly getting better, and after Braig and Decimus hammer together a spear in between moving camps, she treks out into the woods with it and fills it with light.

When you, Gwanwyn, and Caelia return after finding the Vir grove you sit down to catch everyone up.

“You guys are fuckin’ nuts,” says Rilla. “We’ve done everything we could to stay away from them for the past hundred years.”

“What, are you scared, Saxgar?” Says Igneus.

She stares at him dryly for a moment and then bursts out laughing. “I’m never gonna get used to cool Iggy. God. And yeah of course I’m scared. Or, I was scared.” She shakes her head, trying to brush it off. “We didn’t know we had a whole world’s worth of backup.”

There’s a pause as you all contemplate just how far away that other world feels. Four months of far. Four long, dark months with no word from the Speaking Stone that Rilla had stuffed in a pocket.

“They’ll figure it out,” she says. “Or we will. Or both.” She says it like it’s an unremarkable fact, and the thing about Rilla is that you tend to believe her.

“And in the meantime,” Igneus says, “we can torch some Vir ass.”

“Language!” Hisses Rilla, mock-horrified, and lobs a globe of light at him that bounces off his forehead with a clunk and disintegrates into sparkles. Braig looks deeply unimpressed.

From there you break into battle plans. There’s no way you can get into nab Haskaat with the Vir army in the way, so Igneus and Rilla decide to put on a light show to draw them away. “Sun the fourth!” Says Igneus, and Rilla puts her heads in her hands.

You’ll have to pick your way back there and Igneus and Rilla have some work to do, but you plan to do it tonight. You’ve spent all of your time here so far running-- it feels good to know you’re finally about to take the fight to the enemy.

### Pre-E6

In the wake of Haaskat's defeat there has been a dramatic rise in Vir sightings by Chosen patrols and Endless Hunt scouting parties.  Most concerning are reports that they have become increasingly organized, their attacks having changed from simple ambushes and flanks to complex and coordinated strategies, resulting in many deaths and cases of blight.  Fearing the worst, you grab your spear and a week's worth of supplies and set out, Otto opting to join you.

The two of you set out to scour the forests around Brink.  For three days you search and find nothing, for three days you start at every snap of a twig or rustling of leaves.  A squirrel usually, once a raccoon.  On the fourth day the two of you find a sign.  Blackened residue splattered against a tree.

Blood?  No, not blood. Vir sap.

You pick up the trail like a bloodhound.  "It hasn't dried yet", you say,  "Can't be more than a few hours old."

You set out after the trail, any mirth or humor you had replaced with a single minded devotion to the task at hand, Otto with you every step of the way trying to lighten the mood.  It isn't long before you find your quarry.

"Nothing lost" an unfamiliar cold voice says in the back of you mind.

In a small clearing you find the broken form of one of the bigger Vir, it's skull singed and shattered beyond recognition.  Leaning against a tree a few feet away you spot what it had been after.  A lone member of the Hunt, a young man in his early twenties, at his side a gaping wound, entrails spilled onto the ground.

"Nothing gained."

The two of you grab a few of his personal belongings to hand off to the next Hunters you see.  At least he didn't end up like those branded in Haaskat's Grove.

The two of you head back to where you picked up the trail to see if you can find where the Vir came from.  It doesn't take long before you find what you are looking for.  The two of you enter a clearing, an eerie silence enveloping the area, the earth itself feeling broken and wrong.  You don't so much as hear, but feel a cruel laughter, scraping against the edges of your mind.

"What is this place?"  Otto says, snapping you back to reality.  You wonder how long he had been trying to get your attention.

"A Vir Grove" you say.  "They must have packed up and relocated after that Hunter found them"

The two of you decide to pick a trail and follow it.  For two more days you track the Vir, unsure if you are going where they are, or where they were.  For two more days Otto tries to crack jokes and lighten the mood, and for two more days you hardly speak.

The trail ends abruptly in an all too familiar location.  Not even a week before there had been a rift here.  A rift that allowed you to return to Aukana.  A rift that Haaskat had led its attack through.  This time you don't hear a voice, so much as sense it.  It is gloating.

Haaskat wasn't the only Vir'Bren to come through that day.

### Pre-Mageprom

Returning to the woodlands around the Cintainn Grove-tree where you last saw the Vir'Bren you attempt to pick up it's trail. While there Gwanwyn is sure to double check the tree for any signs of damage or corruption that she may have missed in the dark. After a thorough checkup she decides that the Vir'Bren had not done anything to harm the tree beyond taking a few of it's seeds.

Before long you find signs of the Vir'Bren. A narrow trail of withered plant life, winding it's way through the forest, deep claw gouges left in tree trunks and branches, the smell of decaying foliage filling the air, the forest eerily silent. Several times the Vir'Bren's path crosses a stream, or passes over a large rock formation. Things that any person or animal trying to avoid being followed would know to utilize to shake a tracker. But you never have any trouble picking the trail back up. Hell, you are pretty sure the two of you could follow this trail with zero knowledge of tracking or the Vir.

As the sun begins to set you spot a man leaning against a tree just off the trail. At first you approach cautiously, but quickly realize he is not carrying any weapons, and recognize his clothing as Chosen garb. The two of you try to get his attention, but he doesn’t respond. As you get closer Gwanwyn makes to tap him on the shoulder, but stops just before making contact. That is when you spot the vines.

The man's head suddenly slumps to the side awkwardly, his eyes distant and glossy. A cluster of vines around the man's midsection begin to shudder, and the man starts to emit a sound that on a normal day you would call a death rattle. The vines shudder again, and the death rattle transitions into raspy speech.

"How nice of you two to show up. I am called Difetha. Our mutual friend suggested you might wish to talk. Sadly, I am far too busy to chat with you right now. A war to plan and all that. You know how it is, Im sure. In this corpse's satchel you will find a map. When the snows thaw I will be at the marked location. Meet me there and we will parley."

With that the vines shudder once more as they wither and die, the body slumping to the ground. The two of you try to pick up Difetha's tracks again but the blighted trail abruptly stops, and it isn’t long before you lose the Vir's trail in a nearby river.

### Post-Mageprom

After concluding all your other business over the winter you meet with your friends and begin making your way up the Comeazo to the location marked on Difetha's map. As you near the Cintainn/Caeden border you begin heading inland, noting a surprising lack of signs of Vir activity as you travel. One afternoon, a little more than a day's journey from the site of the parley you decide to stop for the night at the top of an abandoned Riddari tower that overlooks the forest canopy. As you all settle in and the night grows dark you spot it. In the distance to the east, a sickly green glow pierces through the roof of the forest canopy.

Difetha is waiting for you.

### Pre-E8

In the weeks before your scouting trip into the Origin you make for Cinhyfe, the city still filled with joy over the recent election. You make your way to the Kal Bren longhouse near the center of town, and walk up to the front desk. The man at the front desk sighs, “You must be Riddari Faen. The Kal Bren Iri has been expecting you.” The man walks over to a nearby door, knocking before announcing your arrival. You hear the familiar voice of Harbyron on the other side of the door. “Thank you Lloyd, please send him in.”

Entering Harbyron’s office you are greeted by the sight of what can only be described as mounds of paperwork on every surface. Harbyron sits at a desk toward the back of the room, it’s surface the only thing in the room remotely tidy.

“Good to see you Fytheias! So I decided to get a head start on getting the Vir Taskforce moving. I have received word from Roshanjoman that we should be expecting some light artillery for field testing, provided they receive detailed reports regarding its efficacy, as well as a chunk of their research budget.  Our delegates in the Delta have also reported that several of the Zamen houses are willing to offer what food they can spare, as well as some of their superstitious bullshit, some of which might actually be useful.  Your friend really came through on that one.  In both cases, I have yet to secure solid agreements, but it sounds like you can likely expect more and greater supplies and aid if you prove yourselves in the field.”

“As for what we can provide, much like with the Zamen and the Yehrubi, it is less than I would have liked.  With the recent hostilities on our eastern and southern borders I was only able to secure a small contingent of Riddari who were able and willing to devote themselves to this cause.  Given time and success I suspect that many more will be joining your crusade.”

“That leaves your part in all of this.  Given your history with the Vir you are the natural candidate to lead this task force.  Unfortunately, given the political climate right now that position is nominal at best.  But if you can prove yourself, and this organization as being a multinational one and not an arm of the Cintainn government I can make a case for you to be given more freedom and authority to do as you see fit in your war on the Vir.”

Pausing, Harbyron grins a shit eating grin as he slides an envelope labeled “Arborwatch” across the table towards you.

“Related, did you know I'm legally allowed to declassify documents related to the stories of our people now?  Who the fuck gave me that power?”

(*You receive: “The Arborwatch”)*

Rilla seems to disappear mid-celebration in Brink immediately after grabbing Matias, so you track down Lord Igneus and ask to track Vir. He seems worried that Rilla peaced so fast, and asks for a moment to go check on things.

Two days later the both of them return. “Ready to fuckin’ punch some trees?” Rilla says, preemptively cutting off any questions. “Or, stalk some trees. We’ll punch ‘em later. Once we have a plan.”

Into the Origin you go. The four of you spend your days and nights picking your way through the underbrush, moving fast across as much area around your upcoming base camp as you can cover. Almost immediately you find evidence of huge forest fires, great swathes of trees downed and blackened.

Rilla frowns at Igneus.

He shrugs. “I didn’t do it.”

They stare at each other a moment in thought, and then move on.

It becomes rapidly apparent that there are not as many Vir as you expected. A few scattered groups patrolling the area. “The fuck?” Says Rilla, peering over a cliff where she’d thought there was a Vir training area, now just a deserted field. “Are they all in Archieland now? Or just-- not here?”

With the missing threat making your skin crawl, you all decide to devote your time to investigating ways into the camp area, ways to make the place defensible. There are a few small scattered paths into the area, but only one major route that could accommodate an army. You’re cresting a hill when you see a touch of smoke in the distance and Rilla fixates on it. “Cole,” she mutters, and then fast as light, is charging off in that direction. “Ah shit,” says Igneus, and starts to hurry after.

When the three of you catch up to her she’s crouched down next to a pile of hours-ago-dead Giftbearers, staring at a boot print in the mud. She straightens up and without ceremony yells at the top of her lungs: “COLE!”

Igneus is wincing at the way the shout rolls around the forest. She’s winding up another big breath and Igneus lifts a hand. “Maybe we shouldn’t--”

Her head snaps to look at him; she’s got the same light-blinded look in her eyes as the moments just after getting her first phylactery back. “Maybe if we’d noticed him leaving in the first place we wouldn’t have to be here shouting in the dark. Maybe if we’d--”

“Rilla,” says Igneus, carefully.

She blinks at him, then visibly deflates. She rubs hands over her eyes. “Right,” she says. “Sorry. Let’s mark another three Giftbearers downed here and keep moving.”

### Pre-E9

In what downtime you have you find yourself turning to your regular obsession; the Vir. You spend hours of your time pouring over your notes and maps, hoping to find some small detail you have overlooked, some tiny piece of information that will allow you to defeat the Vir for good. You had hoped Astrid would have returned by now, but there has been no word of her whereabouts since just before launching her guerrilla mission.

You consider launching a rescue mission, but the territory you would need to cover is massive, the mission itself likely only serving to stretch your limited forces disastrously thin and resulting in more losses than you could possibly justify.

Just as you are about to turn in for the night you sense an all too familiar presence that you haven't felt in months, a barely shackled fury that has lain dormant since your meeting with Difetha. Your vision blurs for a brief moment, your ears ringing so loudly as to deafen you to the world around you and you become light headed enough that were you standing you fear you might collapse. Through your ears ringing you hear- no, feel- a cold, hateful voice.

“You and I need to have a conversation about my sister”

When you come to, bracing yourself against the table so you don't fall face first onto your map, you find your eyes focused on the location of the Arborwatch Keep.

*(You will begin game in the Cintainn Hegemony near the Arborwatch Keep ruins. Bring a few of your good pals!)*