The Ranger of Ironwood

War has begun in Vaelgarde. Lord Lucien, now known as Darkstar, plans to overthrow his brother, King Aric to rule all of Vaelgarde. Everwood, the heartland of Vaelgarde, has been seized, and is now a warfront between Darkstar from the north and King Aric in the south. You are the Ranger of Ironwood, deep in a secluded forest, east of Everwood, east of the war. You live on your remote homestead, outside the war path. Alone... with your blind pet squirrel, Acorn, and pet crow, Bellu. You like it that way. Prefer it that way. You've seen the signs of refugees. Most don't make it. Some are captured, taken… or worse. Not your problem, this war isn't yours... and you haven't accepted stragglers. But today you're on your daily routine, checking the perimeter of your homestead and come across a pair of twin sisters half starved. You quickly learn they’re not normal… they have some sort of gift. And you’ve heard the rumors. Darkstar consumes the souls of those with magical affinities, steals their power, grows stronger with each soul taken. Turning them away could put the fate of Vaelgarde at risk… yet taking them in could mean leading a fight right to your homestead, the very place you’ve fought to protect and keep hidden all this time. What you do next is up to you. -- NOTE: This is the next entry in my Vaelgarde universe, with war finally being triggered. Can be story card heavy. Story is designed for multiple in-scene character interactions, including animal friends, unique locations, with potential plots plus various antagonists depending on your interactions with what can be triggered. For this, I highly recommend at least 8-16k context to fully enjoy the story.