Season 1
Welcome to Rothnia
1.1
Root Hollow is an idyllic place to die.
The town rests on the border of Rothnia and Albagard, nestled between old growth forests, the Rothgard River, and Haltha Mountain range. Its lush and fertile farmland, booming trade routes and good relations with neighboring towns and villages on both sides of the border, allow it a pleasantly insulated existence.
In this place, the dark machinations of powerful people is talked about in gossip, whispered like rumors, or waved away like a bad dream. The people feel, or at least pretend, that such strife and suffering could never reach Root Hollow. It’s too remote, too scenic, too pointless to engage. Or so they tell themselves.
So Evalyn tells herself.
The morning market bustled with usual vitality as Evalyn weaved through the throngs of shoppers and commuters. The foot traffic flowed like a well rehearsed dance as people shifted through the packed streets in ways that narrowly missed colliding into one another.
At one point a small hand pressed against Evalyn’s leg as a gaggle of children pushed through the crowd after a mangy dog carrying a stuffed toy. Their screams ranged from delight to distress, and Evalyn assumed the toy must belong to the one crying as she brought up the rear. For a moment, she entertained the thought of helping them.
But she couldn’t. She couldn’t risk standing out in any way.
The crowd thinned a bit at the town square as space allowed for the market stalls to spread out and organically organize the shoppers to their desired destinations. Evalyn continued across the square until she came upon the fountain in the center. She paused and inspected her reflection in the still edge of the water: nothing out of the ordinary - she looked much like anyone else. A satisfied smile waved at her from the reflection’s rippling surface as she adjusted her shoulder bag.
“Did you see the girl by the river? Could she really be a giantess?”
Evalyn stopped mid-stride away from the fountain as she caught the whispers of a conversation through the falling water.
“Dunno. Didn’t get a good look other than her head. Never seen hair so white on a youngin. Giants got white hair like that?”
“I dunno…”
“Should we go see if she’s still there? I never seen a giant up close.”
“It ain’t the circus- hey! Come back!”
The two gossiping teens took off in the direction of the river and Evalyn shook her head. What an inconvenient thing to be tall. There’s simply no way to blend in when you tower over others. Evalyn counted this small blessing as she readjusted her hood and slipped across the market square to her destination.
Dusty Tomes sat on the far end of the town square from where Evalyn started. The squat two story building looked a bit more like a story and a half. The wood from which it had been built darkened and sagged with age. Despite the many layers of white wash used on the first floor to hide the years of street dust that accumulated on the side, the upper floor shingles made of rough-cut, greying wood mottled with lichen displayed the building’s true rough state.
Just outside the green front door, a slim man with slicked back hair rolled out a wooden cart packed full of books and kicked open a folding sign advertising a sale.
“You really know how to tempt me first thing in the morning,” Evalyn said as she approached.
The shopkeeper, whom she knew as Callum Reed, stretched his back and gave her a charming smile. He appeared similar to her in age, but through their talks over the years she’d learned he had about a decade more life experience. Put simply, he’d been blessed by the gods with good looks.
“Got a new delivery recently. These books have been here almost as long as I have. ‘Bout time I got rid of some. I’ll cut you a good deal if you’re interested.”
“If they’re that old I doubt the information in them is even up to date anymore,” Evalyn said. She met his eyes with a weighted expression. “I’m more into ecology and geography.”
“Ah right. Those.” Callum rolled up the sleeves of his linen shirt, effectively hiding the ink stains on the cuffs and exposing the intricate ink on his forearms. “Well most of these books here are fiction anyway. If you’re looking for non-fiction or current events I’ll show you what we have inside.” He gestured to the bookstore within and stepped inside. Evalyn glanced around for a moment before she followed him in.
“I’ll have you know,” he grunted as he hefted a large crate up from behind the register counter, “the Librarians went through a great deal of trouble to track down this information.”
Evalyn stiffened between the shoulders. “The Guild is willing to pay the Library ten percent extra in damages if-”
“Easy, miss secretary.” Callum waved his hand in front of her face. “No one got hurt. Although one of them might have been discovered. We’ve got that person ‘back in the stacks’ until we can track down the missing books and collect the lender’s debt.”
Evalyn swallowed hard. “Then- then I suppose the Guild will pay any remaining overdue fines after you sort that out.”
“Right.” Callum nodded and smiled, slow and easy, as if they really were talking about books. He stuck his hand into the crate, and Evalyn imagined what hidden horrors he might pull out.
“Shelving is quite lonesome. I’d rather give them a new project soon.”
His hand re-emerged holding a small stack of several thin novels tied together with an unassuming hemp rope. The novels themselves, bound in soft, flexible leather and made for someone to carry with them while traveling, boasted several treatises of varying topics and length, an embarrassing title of a recently released romance, and a field journal written about the ecological diversity of the Haltha Mountains.
He set the stack on the counter and Evalyn stepped close as he tapped it.
“This is everything. I recommend you read the Romance first. It's very popular!”
So…last.
“Thank you for the recommendation,” Evalyn said as she pulled her money pouch from her shoulder bag. She was in the process of placing three large paper bills into Callum’s hand when the door to Dusty Tomes flew open with a window rattling slam.
It showed in both of their eyes: the fear that they’d been caught red handed.
Both bookkeeper and book buyer jumped and whipped their heads towards the door. Evalyn smelled the faintest scent of ash and cinders emanating from Callum’s skin as he braced for a possible fight.
In the doorway, lit up from behind by the brilliant sun outside stood the tallest woman Evalyn had ever seen in her life. Even from a distance she could tell this mystery woman towered a full head over Callum, who stood nearly a head taller than Evalyn.
The giantess from the rumors? She’s huge…
Evalyn never encountered the giants of Albagard, but from the stories her Guildmates have told her she strained to see any resemblance. The woman in the doorway looked both human and yet...
Her clothing alone cast her in a bizarre alien light. A fluffy band held her white and black hair up in a high tail on her head, and exposed a myriad of piercings around the rim of both ears and in her eyebrow. The baubles themselves ranged from metal spikes to a shiny material Evalyn had no word for that dangled and dotted her ears with different colors.
In lieu of a cloak or long coat that Evalyn might expect to see in early spring, the woman wore some form of light blue blazer-esque outer layer over a very- very- form fitted black top decorated with artwork across ample breasts.
Heat, her own, started crawling up the base of Evalyn’s neck and threatened to make its home in her cheeks as her gaze lingered longer than acceptable. Her eyes drifted down to the woman’s trousers: They seemed to be made of the same material as the stranger’s blazer but dyed a deep indigo blue. But more importantly, they were completely skin-tight! Nary a muscle curve remained left to the imagination and the inferno threatening to assault her face broke through her defenses and she quickly lowered her gaze to hide the red surging to the surface. She noted both knees of the strange woman’s trousers had unfortunate tears and, though the stranger’s style made very little sense, her leather boots looked somewhat familiar albeit intimidatingly shiny.
The tall woman’s eyes darted between the stiff, slightly smoldering wizard man and the stiff, significantly smoldering secretary. Evalyn felt the stranger’s gaze land on her, so she forced herself to look up and meet her eyes. Her dazzlingly bright golden eyes, disheveled with smeared dark make up. She felt an instant pull towards this stranger, and judging by the expression that passed on her face, the stranger felt it too.
“——? — — ——— —— —?”
Evalyn glanced at Callum whose dark eyebrows just about vanished into his hairline, then back to the woman.
What in the world-
What even was that language? She’d never heard words like it, and yet she could tell the woman had asked a question simply by the tone. A confusing mix of emotions warred in Evalyn’s chest but curiosity and reverence fought for dominance. Evalyn wanted, practically needed, to reach out and touch her; she longed to feel her strange fabrics, to coax more strange words from this radiant woman’s pierced lips. Her own lips parted to answer the stranger, but Callum found his voice first.
“Hello there, miss! Please kindly refrain from slamming my door, it’s quite old.” He smiled, but the woman standing at the entrance returned his grin with a deep grimace. A creeping heat prickled at Evalyn’s side and mixed with the scent of ash.
A pained expression pulled at the woman’s face, deepening the shadows cast on them from the sun outside. She brought one hand to her face and rubbed her temples, and Evalyn noticed her nails were lacquered a vibrant red like the art on her bosom.
“—— —… - —— ——— —— — ————…” She spoke, softer this time, as if talking to herself. Once more she looked between Callum and Evalyn before she groaned with anguish. Then she quickly whipped around and walked away ignoring Callum’s shout for her to come back.
“Honestly,” he sighed, “Where could she be from? I’ve never heard that language before. And to not understand a word I said…” The scent and heat of fire dissipated as he stepped out from behind the counter. As he stepped around her, he slid Evalyn’s payment into his trouser pocket instead of placing it in the register. He whistled when he inspected the door.
“Wood’s fine, but she cracked the glass on the window. Repairing that’s going to be hell and a half. What’s this?”
He stooped down at the entrance and pointed out a talisman to Evalyn. “You recognize this?”
Evalyn stepped closer and knelt beside it. The talisman was long and cylindrical inlaid with materials she couldn’t describe. Perhaps…trapped lightning?
“That woman must have dropped it,” She said. The frantic desperation on the woman’s face flashed in her mind and she reached for the Talisman. “She can’t have gone far, I’ll take it to her.”
“Wait! Don’t touch-” Callum reached out to stop her, but Evalyn scooped the Talisman up mid-stride and disappeared into the crowd.
She thought finding her would be simple as the woman she sought easily stood out, but a near hour passed with nary a sign. She started to believe she imagined the whole encounter when she heard the expressive vocalizations of that familiar yet unfamiliar language in a nearby alleyway. Evalyn ran towards it without a second thought.
“- —— — — —— —!” The voice came out practically as a growl and Evalyn could sense its ferocity. That ferocity did not match the scenario the woman found herself in.
She had her back against the brick wall of a building while two muscular men about her size pressed the boundaries on her personal space.
“C’mon gal, don’t be like that. We ain’t gonna take much…” The one with his back to Evalyn spoke. If his shoulders were any further apart they would obscure the view of the scene taking place entirely. But from where she stood, Evalyn saw him grip the woman’s face in his massive scarred fingers and turned her face to his. The woman’s eyes blazed with building fury.
Evalyn hesitated to help. Helping was dangerous for her. Helping now could risk everything Evalyn had worked for.
The woman smacked the man’s hand from her face and attempted to shove him. He barely budged and both men laughed in a way that made Evalyn’s skin crawl. Her whole body trembled as she tried not to imagine the grotesque lust in their expressions as they pressed further in on the giantess.
“We just want the things you’re wearin’. That fancy jewelry… maybe a lock of that beautiful hair…”
Evalyn’s blood was already pounding in her ears when a glint of steel caught her eyes and turned it all to rushing ice. The giantess saw it too, cuz as soon as the man drew his dragger the fight in her froze up.
“Maybe a taste of that blood under your skin?” The other whispered. “I bet it’s exotic.”
A dirty hand slid up the giantess’ skin and gripped her chin once more to expose the elegant swoop of her neck.
I shouldn’t have come. The thought weighed on Evalyn’s mind.
If she hadn’t come she would never have seen this. She might hear about the death in the morning gossip column tomorrow, but by then the thought of the talisman and its owner would be far from her mind. Most likely, she could have continued to live her life in blissful ignorance. She could continue her work and her mission unimpeded.
But now…
The giantess’ white head moved suddenly and the man blocking her from being seen howled in pain.
“This crazy bitch bit me!” He dropped hold of her face and the woman’s locked eyes with Evalyn.
Once again, Evalyn read the emotions on the woman’s face and understood them all too well. Despite her size, her musculature, the giantess’ eyes pleaded Evalyn for help. Suddenly she couldn’t feel her hands.
Please no. I can’t stand out.
“— ——!!!” She screamed. Evalyn jumped again.
Her racing heart skipped a beat.
Within that missed beat…she saw it. She saw the reality. Everything she built up to hide behind came crashing down.
But she couldn’t say no…she couldn’t walk away and pretend she never saw anything.
The thought alone haunted her whole eternity within a fraction of a second. No. She would do it. She would kill these men. She would save the girl. She would lose everything she worked for.
“‘But what if you gained so much more?’”
The voice - was it a voice?- broke the suspension of time happening in Evalyn’s mind. Or perhaps that came from a sharp pain in Evalyn's hand. “‘You have suffered far too long… Waiting for love. Hoping for someone to love you. At long last I can heed your prayers. I’ve brought you the one who would heal what is broken. Through your love, you will both find strength.’”
When their hostage cried out down the alley the men turned in the direction of her cry and saw a small woman standing stiff as a statue, with a stack of books in one hand and a tightly closed fist in the other. The thief with the blade stepped away from his companion and their target to approach Evalyn whose head dipped forward as a dark object in her fist slid to the dirt in two halves.
Evalyn noticed the talisman she hoped to return resting in pieces at her feet. Did she do that? She never felt her hands clench.
Worrying about that at a time like this? Evalyn pushed that thought away with a deep breath and prepared to face her assailant.
A sensation she could only describe as “lightning” shot up her arm and spread through her body. The ice from her fear shrank beneath the flood of strength suddenly burning her from within. As she called on the terrifying powers she possessed, that lightning pierced it from all sides. It infected her. It took over and soothed her. The heat comforted her as it bolstered the power inside her. This foreign power cradled her old magic in a cocoon both fearsome and gentle. The thought of using her powers always terrified her, but something else….something new… was holding her power with her and it promised without words that everything would be fine.
Evalyn raised the hand that had previously been holding the talisman. Blood trickled from broken skin. A foreboding aura slithered around her as she loosened the hold on herself.
“Freeze.”
The word, full of power, rushed over the cobble stone and locked the man in place. He pulled with all his might, but an unseen force more powerful than himself held him firm. In desperation, he chucked his knife, aiming for Evalyn’s face. But with a flick of a wrist the dagger flipped over in the air and surged back, stabbing the original thrower in his still outstretched arm. He screamed in pain as his frozen arm trembled. It was all he could do.
“For fuck’s sake, I SAID-” a familiar voice broke through the slow motion events. “BACK! THE FUCK! OFF!” The distinct sound of skin hitting skin came from behind the thief attempting to engage with Evalyn who saw a large dark shape leave the ground.
A shadow descended over the alley as the wide man from before flew through the air and landed with a massive thump against the wall above his partner’s head. He bounced off and landed on his partner, causing a tangle of muscular limbs. The frozen hold on the man broke as his body crumpled under the weight and Evalyn stumbled, hit with a psychic recoil.
“Let’s get out of here!” The wounded man groaned to his wider companion as he struggled to his feet. His companion didn’t stir so he turned to run alone, but the giantess’ hand grabbed the back of his shirt and she sent him careening onto his back. The knife tore free of his arm and skittered down the alley. He clutched his bleeding wound and struggled to find his breath.
“You’re not leaving with my stuff!” She growled as he scrambled to his feet once more. The thief threw a small bag with a long strap at the woman’s feet and decided to take his chances by running in Evalyn’s direction.
She needed to regain her composure and control after the sudden turn of events caused her to drop her guard. She gathered her power and began to command the thief to freeze once more, but the last of her words were muffled by his bloody palm as he covered her face and shoved her aside one handed. She fell backwards, landing on her rear in what she desperately hoped was a puddle of muddy water.
Silence fell on the alley. As morning commuters bustled about nearby, not a soul stopped to peer into the alley and discover the source of the commotion. For that, Evalyn thanked the gods.
“Walked all night through a damn forest just to be ogled and fucking molested. What a shit day…” The woman hissed and spat as she picked up her bag. Her expression softened as her head suddenly snapped back up in Evalyn’s direction.
“Oh god, that’s right! Are you okay? Ah! Your books!
”
Panic returned to Evalyn’s heart as her head whipped in the direction of her stack of books, sitting half covered in what was definitely…not… muddy water. The woman reached for the books but gasped as they shot away from her and into Evalyn’s hands as she hurriedly brushed off the refuse and liquid, praying under her breath for the contents’ safety. Eventually she came into contact with the hemp rope binding the stack together and relief slid in with a sigh.
“It’s fine,” She muttered. “They’re still fine.”
“You’re lucky we’re still fine too,” The woman said. “I told you to run! If you could understand me why didn’t you save yourself?” She blinked, and her scowl turned to surprise. “And why didn’t you say anything at the bookstore?”
Panic, relief, comfort…anger. The storm of emotion crashing through Evalyn reached a crescendo and she jumped to her feet.
“What the hell did you do to me? I COULDN’T understand you at the bookstore!”
“Then why did you follow me?”
“I was trying to return that,” Evalyn pointed at the broken talisman. “You dropped it before we could say anything.”
The woman’s eyes fell on the talisman.
“That’s not mine,” she said and her eyes drifted over to Evalyn. She reached out lightning fast and grabbed Evalyn’s hand before she could pull away. “But that is.”
Evalyn looked down and saw a chain of three hearts engraved upon the skin around her wrist. The woman had a matching marking in the exact same spot on the opposite arm.
“What’s happening?”
“I was kinda hoping you could tell me,” The woman said. “I just woke up in this place yesterday… But I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be dead.”