The constant scratching of a pen on parchment was the only sound emanating from near lightless cavern. Hollow and empty, there would be almost no reason to even take second notice of it where it not for it's odd coloration and the faint glow emanating from the entrance. Should one be curious enough to venture inside, any expectations of the inside would definitely fail to match the interior. Carved out of the stone walls themselves was a seemingly endless series of shelves, each stuffed to the brim with various books. Random sheets of paper seemed to freely decorate the floor and shelves, each covered in a complex series of scratching and drawings. There seemed to be no organization to the library, instead objects freely flung into any slot they'd fit. Down on the right side of the sprawling cave was what appeared to be a small bed, made out of wood with a simple bedsheet lazily thrown on it. Then, perched in the opposite corner was a small wooden desk, covered entirely in more notebooks and papers. A series of ink flasks and quill pens laid on top of them, with little to care seemingly taken for anything in the room. It was lit by a series of "torches," if they could even be referred to as that, with simple wooden sticks shoved into holes in the wall.
The most notable feature of the cavern however, was the deep grey color the dirt beneath it took. The floor was clearly unnatural, and looked as if any trace of nature had been drained from it. It was clearly an unnatural shade, yet there would be seemingly no natural explanation for it. The outside of the cavern would give no answers, but instead more questions. In an forested area of Bellum, towards the border into Desertio, it seemed as if death itself had lived in the area. Random sections of ground and trees seemed all but completely drained of life; grass wilted, tree's leafless and dead, and the dirt the same lifeless gray as the inside of the cave. It all together formed a loss trail, leading from the entrance deep into the forest. One would wonder what sort of abomination could completely kill the land in such manner, and would often be surprised to find it was no more than a single man.
Strolling carelessly along the makeshift pack, the pale figure seemed unphased by it. His expression was completely blank and natural, and his white hair was tangled and unkempt. His robe fluttered and blew with his every step, the former ornate designs faded after countless years. Even though his eyes were alert and keeping track of everything, he seemed off in another world. Faint whispers of green smoke traced from him, barely visible to the naked eye without proper inspection. He carried several bags on him, as well as three buckets. Headed towards the cave, he stopped to take a moment and properly inspect the trail of death he followed. 'I think my time here may be starting to ear thin. It's taking much longer for nature to recover from my trips now. It's an obvious effect from such prolonged exposure on my own part, but with my trips out becoming more frequent as well, it may soon reach a point where it can no longer support my existence safely.'
A soft sigh escaped Alexnader's lips as he returned to his travels. 'I knew I'd need to move eventually, but I had hoped to try and get a few hundred years more out of his place before that. I guess I underestimated the effects of my presence here. Even if this is the most magically charged area in Earthland, it still rejects my existence.' These problems wouldn't exist if he could simply find a community he could live in, but his presence after too many years would draw too much attention, and the process of moving constantly enough to negate that would take too much effort. Still, he had all but double checked all of his research, and he'd be lucky if he could get 10 more years out of it. With such little time left, he'd need a solution soon, but that was a situation he couldn't rush any random solution at. He needed time to consider it, much less than he currently had. Reaching the entrance into his hermit hole, he pushed such thoughts aside for now, he'd deal with them in a year or two, after finishing the current study he was working through.
The most notable feature of the cavern however, was the deep grey color the dirt beneath it took. The floor was clearly unnatural, and looked as if any trace of nature had been drained from it. It was clearly an unnatural shade, yet there would be seemingly no natural explanation for it. The outside of the cavern would give no answers, but instead more questions. In an forested area of Bellum, towards the border into Desertio, it seemed as if death itself had lived in the area. Random sections of ground and trees seemed all but completely drained of life; grass wilted, tree's leafless and dead, and the dirt the same lifeless gray as the inside of the cave. It all together formed a loss trail, leading from the entrance deep into the forest. One would wonder what sort of abomination could completely kill the land in such manner, and would often be surprised to find it was no more than a single man.
Strolling carelessly along the makeshift pack, the pale figure seemed unphased by it. His expression was completely blank and natural, and his white hair was tangled and unkempt. His robe fluttered and blew with his every step, the former ornate designs faded after countless years. Even though his eyes were alert and keeping track of everything, he seemed off in another world. Faint whispers of green smoke traced from him, barely visible to the naked eye without proper inspection. He carried several bags on him, as well as three buckets. Headed towards the cave, he stopped to take a moment and properly inspect the trail of death he followed. 'I think my time here may be starting to ear thin. It's taking much longer for nature to recover from my trips now. It's an obvious effect from such prolonged exposure on my own part, but with my trips out becoming more frequent as well, it may soon reach a point where it can no longer support my existence safely.'
A soft sigh escaped Alexnader's lips as he returned to his travels. 'I knew I'd need to move eventually, but I had hoped to try and get a few hundred years more out of his place before that. I guess I underestimated the effects of my presence here. Even if this is the most magically charged area in Earthland, it still rejects my existence.' These problems wouldn't exist if he could simply find a community he could live in, but his presence after too many years would draw too much attention, and the process of moving constantly enough to negate that would take too much effort. Still, he had all but double checked all of his research, and he'd be lucky if he could get 10 more years out of it. With such little time left, he'd need a solution soon, but that was a situation he couldn't rush any random solution at. He needed time to consider it, much less than he currently had. Reaching the entrance into his hermit hole, he pushed such thoughts aside for now, he'd deal with them in a year or two, after finishing the current study he was working through.