With the conversations around the large fires wearing down, Rohan begins to shift his attention elsewhere. This land is new and unfamiliar to him, and while he is not anxious in this setting, he is still not entirely comfortable with wandering about freely. Flicking his long tail about his flanks, the tiger-striped stallion wanders away from the circle that he had found himself at, muscled sinews shifting beneath his skin, now hairy with the frigid bite of Frostfall.

One fluted ear turns when he hears a mare’s voice rise above the gentle din of the others, shouting about something or other—the Hidden Fall’s First Annual Obstacle Course. Rohan purses his brown lips, nodding his antlered head once before he turns on his flanks and walks, soon joining the gathering that had begun to form around the base of the rock on which the pale mare is standing. Having caught word of the Fall’s festivities on the winds rather than the mouth of another, he hadn’t been entirely sure of the events that would be hosted. An obstacle course sound exciting, competitive, and challenging—immediately appealing to the stallion’s interest.

Settling at the invisible line where everyone seems to be placing themselves, the Warlander stands among the contestants, green eyes sweeping briefly over his competition. At first glance he recognizes none of the faces, and so trails his gaze forward—towards their path. A mountain of a hill rises ahead of them. Having lived in a valley of plains and coastlines, Rohan knows well that a mound can be deceiving in its size, and so he prepares himself accordingly—but he can already tell that the rolling hills of Etherim weren’t quite this formidable.

Snorting a wispy white breath from his nostrils and shaking out his thick, unruly mane, Rohan shifts his weight, eager to move. So coiled is his body that he nearly trips over himself at the sound of release, forcing the weight of his body faster than his hooves, but with only a single stumble he catches himself, thrusting forward mightily. The Warlander is not as quick and agile as some of the other contestants, but he is strong, and so doesn’t have to slow his pace as much as toughened muscles force him up towards the small mountain’s peak. Travel-hardened hooves find their way relatively easily, although Rohan finds himself watching his step, trying not to slip on the frozen ground.


“Speech.”