Out of breath, Eerikesh collapses against a large Banyan tree, attempting to conform to the fissures between the large roots while catching his breath. It has been two weeks since the ill-fated battle against the Emeraldites and their expansion had broken their settlement’s resistance on the field and now their soldiers were hunting down the last of the survivors that refused to surrender; a decision that Eerikesh now deeply regretted. “Damn it, Damn me… Damn you!”Eerikesh begins quietly ending the statement outwards, frustrated at himself for failure in his battle and angry at his old god for abandoning him and his people. The rustling of chain and plate catches Eerikesh’s ear as he realizes, only too late, his error. The soldiers are closing in faster now and he has no energy left to resist or run. Never one to resign himself to his fate at the determination of others Eerikesh readies his hunting bow, maybe he can take one before being hacked to pieces. As the leaves rustle and the moss beneath him seems to beat in time with his heartbeat a thought nibbles at the corner of his mind… He had never taken the time to observe his mother’s old prayers, but memories of her form disappearing into the jungle and her stories about hearing, feeling, tasting, and seeing, truly seeing the whole of the jungle. The jungle sees itself, not the sight you impose on it the vision of itself, its own personhood, the vision, home, and realm of her divine caretaker.    Taking a deep breath Eerikesh begins to pray, truly with his being, feeling his ego and identity melding and interacting with the beings around him feeling the life and energy of those around him. His prayer to the divine is simple, not a demand, not a request of gifts, but a question, one that requests of the divine nothing but to enter into a reciprocal relationship. This relationship Eerikesh molds into a thought:    “Protect my being so that I may act as a protector in your stead for those that can not reach you. Care for me so that I may care for others in the future. That is my request, Caretaker.”   As that though coalesces into his mind Eerikesh opens his eyes to find the moss and leaves overtaking him as if to answer in the affirmative. Eerikesh’s last sight of this realm for unknown time is that of rustling foliage until everything is black.   What feels like an eternity passes without hunger, thought, or discomfort until suddenly Eerikesh becomes aware of his eyes again, not as if they were ever closed but that they were unable to process any of what, if anything, they could witness. Out beyond his person he sees an ethereally lit forest, and a single spire of iridescent smoke rising in the distance. Eerikesh rises to his feet off the mossy ground figuring out, as if for the first time, to walk and slowly makes his way towards the smoke. After a walk that seems at once slow and no time at all Eerikesh finds himself at the edge of a section of less dense forest, at the center of which is a small settlement with houses that seem too close to the ground for one to stand inside. The smoke is rising from a particularly large one in the center of all the others, a circular door in the center, just large enough to crawl through on hands and knees dominates his vision. The wood seems to pulse green and and as he draws closer it becomes apparent that the grain of the wood is shifting and reorganizing constantly as if it is still alive. Cautiously Eerikesh pushes the door forward, as it swings inwards he is faced with several old faces below him.  The dwelling’s door is actually towards the top of the front wall as the floor is several feet below with earthen steps leading down from it. The floor and first two thirds of the walls are made of earth with roots weaving their way to and fro forming intricate patterns while remaining flush with the surface of earth. The faces that look up at Eerikesh, some stern, some gentle and still others curious.    “Come down and join us as an outsider.” A voice calls from behind the fire crackling in the center. “We have been expecting your company for some time.” The same voice states. Eerikesh takes in the voice’s owner as he makes his way down the earthen stairs and the face the voice belongs to emerges through the smoke. The face of a woman, lightly wrinkled and bearing some tattooed markings meets his eyes.    “How did you know I would come here? I didn’t even know until I arrived.” Eerikesh asks, befuddled.   “You have been moving through the woods, the moss, and the leaves. Of course we knew of your coming for years, and that you seek some peace for a time.” The woman responds with a smile.   “Even then how do you know I was the one you expected?” Eerikesh questioned only finding himself more confused, yet curiously, no urgency to understand accompanies his confusion. He finds himself calm, a feeling of serenity accompanied with an internal truth new to him: He will understand when he is ready.   The woman chuckles at the question and after a second responds with a smile: “Well you would be the only one who could be here outsider…” After a moment a sly grin flashes across her face as she states “And you are the only one we have ever seen with  their head so… crudely opened to nature.” As if in response Eerikesh looks down into a cup of water that they find handed to them from another of the people in the room. Looking down Eerikesh sees that above their left eye their skull is opened in a crude gash that emits a deep green light. Rather than being disturbed Eerikesh finds himself strangely calm as he puts a hand into the light and feels… nothing but a light vibrating sensation.   “You are here with us for now, to learn, recover, and fulfill your relationships.” The woman says as Eerikesh finds himself growing more and more tired as he lays back against the roots and earth of the ground he feels the peace of sleep wash over him. Sleep calming and welcoming a feeling that he has missed for untold years. Years later Eerikesh is hunting, farther than he has ever been from the Triblet’s central location, Eerikesh caught up in the pursuit of an unusual game track finds a strange section of moss with a handprint depressed into it. As he makes his way towards the section of moss he carefully looks around, seeing nothing but forest and the tracks ending right next to the strange imprint. Slowly Eerikesh reaches towards the handprint, finding that it fits his perfectly, as he ponders the curiousness of this the gash on his head fills his head with a strange hum and the moss begins moving up his arm slowly engulfing him until he once again finds himself in that space between, without hunger, thought, or discomfort. Eerikesh this time awakens at the foot of a great tree, creaking accompanies the metallic smell of blood as a strange woody and gnarled figure comes into focus, appearing to look down at him.