Maiva In The Marshes
click for full view
Back story:
"She heard them screaming. Her people being dragged out of their homes. Maiva picked up her bow and moved towards the door, she pushed it aside. Outside she could see the attackers, dressed in black, like shades they moved though the darkness of the night. Torches illuminated the camp enough for her to see groups of her people gathered outside their huts. Her people resisted, using their natural strength to throw the attackers aside. They were struck down by weapons of light. Flashes from darkness.
She scanned the village with her night eyes. Two shades were moving towards her hut. She moved back inside, while kneeling behind the center pillar she placed one arrow beside her and put another on the string of her bow. The door was pushed open completely, a dark silhouette with a glowing eye was visible. She waited for both sets of footsteps to resonate among the clay walls. She took a step to the right, bow raised. One of the shades turned towards her, her arrow sticking out of his chest. She moved back behind the pillar picking up the second arrow, put it on the string and pulled it back.
Maiva took one step to left, the second shade had raised the circular device in his hands to eye height. It was glowing faintly. He was standing behind the body of his companion. His upper body turned towards her. The arrow was still in mid air when the flash of light shattered the center pillar, it missed. Maiva was knocked back, her bow fell. The ground started shaking and a painfully sharp noise could be heard. The eye of the shade looked towards the entrance, then focused on her. She grabbed her bow as the shade raised his glowing weapon.
The shade slowly moved towards the door while keeping his one eye fixed on Maiva. She rolled behind the fireplace pulled an arrow from her quiver and put it on the string. The door shut and the shade discharged his weapon breaking the wall of the hut. The clay shattered, pieces of brick were falling from the ceiling. Maiva looked up as the shade fired another bolt at the top of the door. The front of the hut collapsed. Piece by piece the ceiling started falling and Maiva was forced backwards. She pulled back a cloth revealing a small window. She kicked it repeatedly until the clay started crumbling. Once she had made and opening large enough she squeezed through as the heavy brick ceiling collapsed completely.
Now free and readying another arrow she moved from bush to bush and closer to the sound. Shaking the ground a large unnatural shape lifted from behind the trees in a shroud of light. The glowing shape turned towards the moons on the horizon. It flashed, Maiva closed her eyes. When she opened them the lights were far away on the horizon, moving east.
Maiva put the arrow back in her quiver and the bow over her shoulder. She looked through her village for her people but could not find a single soul. From among the empty huts she looked east.
Then she started walking. Determined to find her people. Maiva brushed a tear from her cheek. Moving quietly through the night.
She was quick. When the moon was high in the night sky, the swamps that were her lands gave way for an open landscape. Further than this few had gone. It was home to dangerous animals and deadly traps of natural terrain. These were the marshes."
The Character:
The Tree (sculptris model):
Scene Wireframe:
Work In Progress thread
