explorer – Vostak

The Valley – Part 3

The valley was so large that Sevir, while looking at it from the south end, could only see an outline of the mountains in the north. There was also, in fact, a large portion of the valley that Sevir could not see. It was hidden behind the mountains as a result of the valley’s bean-like shape. What Sevir did see, however, was enough to amaze him.

In the west, the land was hidden beneath a lush green blanket. A large forest lay at the base of the mountain range on the west, as though a sea. Its emerald waves rolled over into the center of the valley in between the high places and hills, which stood as an island amongst the trees. These highlands at the center of the valley divided it in two, as though a painter decided to put in a swath of brown, gray and yellow in the middle of his painting. The woods swept under these hills in the south, and came around to the east. What was left of the land was endless green fields in the north and northeast, nestled against the looming mountains. The orange hues of eventide covered a portion of the sky, whilst beams of gold danced across the mountains’ white peaks.

The valley was full of life. More so than Sevir would have expected. Across the fields in the north, and among the hills in the middle of the valley, several columns of smoke had sprung up from the ground and trailed off into the sky. Sevir stood dumbfounded for a moment. His heart almost stopped, and then began to beat so fast that he felt dizzy and lightheaded. He felt a rush and a whirlwind of emotions, filled with an almost childlike bewilderment and curiosity. He got carried away with excitement and almost slipped off the edge of the cliff he was standing on. The precarious moment which could have quickly proven perilous was like a slap in the face. While letting out his breath and clearing his mind, Sevir took a step back and rooted his feet in the ground.

Though he had reached the valley, he was not yet completely over the pass. He stood on the cliff with the gorge he was in before on his left, opening out into the valley before him. It was a fifty-foot drop down to the ground, and there wasn’t really any other way to come down. Once again, Sevir found himself stuck between a rock and an abyss.

He needed to survey the face of the cliff to see if he could climb down it. Once again, he approached the edge, only this time he did it right – on his knees. The cliff was a mixture of smooth and ragged stone. It would be difficult to climb down, with there being few crevices in the rock. It wasn’t impossible, however, and Sevir was determined to make it down. Led on by his curiosity and excitement, he was consumed by a sense of urgency and a need to make haste. Abandoning his reason and sense of time, he failed to notice the darkness which loomed over the valley. Sevir began climbing down the side of the cliff just as the sun was hiding behind the mountains.

The Valley – Part 2

The sky was like a canvas for the sunrise. Tendrils of orange spread across the clouds whilst rays of gold pierced through them and bathed the white mountain peaks with light. The morning mist lay over the earth and a slight breeze tugged at the trees. The sun looked over the mountains in the east as dawn made its way west. Birds chirped, chattered, and trilled. Below the cliff, a mother deer and her fawns came to the stream for water.

Sevir was surrounded by otherworldly sights and sounds, but he didn’t get to enjoy the setting for long. He had to pack up and keep moving while the sun was up. A thought to kill the deer for food crossed his mind, but he decided against it. He still had a quail wrapped up in his pack, and the deer was far more meat than he could eat or carry with him.

It took some time for Sevir to solve his dilemma. He didn’t have many options for how to keep moving forward. He could double back the way he came along the ledge, which would take him half of the day. The nearest treetop was about ten feet below the edge of the terrace. He could try jumping down to it and then climbing down the tree, which would surely be suicide. His one remaining option was to climb up to the top of the cliff and continue from there. It looked to be a thirty or forty foot straight upward climb. The cliff face was jagged enough that it could be possible. But if Sevir got stuck halfway up with no proper footrest, he could be stranded up there.

After several minutes of consideration, Sevir resolved to take the risk and scale the cliff. Long story short – he survived. Though the climb was perilous and there was many a moment when he thought that he was surely doomed. When he reached the top, he marveled at the sights. To the south was familiar territory – the mountain-side he trekked before reaching this canyon. To the west, he saw the other side of the canyon, and the side of the mountain which it carved through. In the east, Sevir couldn’t see much save for the woods right before him, and the mountain up above. But when he turned north, Sevir couldn’t believe his eyes. The canyon continued on northward, and the stream at its base. A few miles ahead, however, they passed inbetween two mountains. Beyond these two mountainsides Sevir saw a glimpse of what lay beyond.

Unknown to the villagers living just fifteen miles south of it, hidden in the mountains was a large bountiful valley. Sevir was stunned. All his life he had been told that the North Mountains completely covered the land north of their village for a hundred miles or more. But now he saw, with his own eyes, that there was yet much to be found and explored. So, his eyes full of wonder, his heart filled with excitement, and his belly full of game, he continued his journey towards the valley.