Kings of Araxon

Rethana - One Week Earlier

I was walking back into town with Anendridia when the first stranger had appeared, he walked out of the Frale woods bordering the Southeast part of town with a long cut down his forearm, he didn't say a word to anyone, just walked to the middle of town, into the tavern and sat down at a table as if he were waiting for someone. He wore armour made from leather and metal with symbols, although I recognised some as an elven language which my mother had taught me being elven herself, I was unaware as to what any of the symbols meant. He was armed with a long sword on the left side of his belt, a shortbow hung on his right shoulder with a quiver of arrows attached to his back and throwing blades on the leather straps that crossed his chest forming an X shape, he had more throwing blades in his belt and a long dagger stuck in his boot.
The next morning two more strangers walked into town, they came down the road leading North, walked into the tavern as the first stranger had done and sat down with him.
One of the strangers was a male; he was short but with a stocky build and large shoulders. He had straight black hair down to his shoulders, chainmail over his suntanned skin and a large double-sided battle-axe slung over his back.
The female was shorter then both of them, she had a smaller, more graceful build. She wore plain leather armour and a gold headband. She was armed with two short swords on either side of her belt with the rest covered in throwing blades, she also had a crossbow slung over her left shoulder with a pouch of bolts sticking up, over her right shoulder. She had long silver hair, pale skin and light-blue eyes with strange markings on her face and hands.
They didn't say a word to anyone either, including the first stranger.
Later that evening, Anendridia and I went to the tavern, the strangers there kept staring at us, it was unnerving as they hadn't done this to anyone before, while they were staring at us another stranger walked into town, coming out of the Frale woods as the first stranger had done. She was tall, had long black hair and tanned skin, she had a longbow over her shoulder, a quiver of arrows and two daggers in her belt and a shortsword on her back. We left after that, not wanting to see anymore of the strangers.
It was the next day, Anendridia and I were walking back into town after working on the fields again, when two strangers jumped out of the trees and onto the road about 2 hundred paces in front of us, and then started walking towards the town. They were both male and were almost identical from the back, they both had longbows on their left shoulders, a quiver of arrows in their belts as well as a sword and leather armor, the only difference in their weaponry was that the one on the left had throwing blades strapped to his back and presumably his chest as well.
I was staring at their backs when the one on the left suddenly turned around, he pulled his sword out of his belt and stared at us with his green eyes, the sword was pointing at us and his gaze never strayed from us for a second. The other stranger shook his head slightly, looking at the blonde haired one who was still staring at us, the blonde haired one blinked a couple of times as if confused then shook his head, he started jogging after his companion who had already started walking away.
Anendridia and I waited a while, until they were around 600 paces in front of us, before we started walking again. The blonde haired one kept glancing around and staring back at us as if he were expecting something to jump out at him. When we got back to the town they went to tavern and sat down with the other strangers.
The blonde haired was always staring at us when we saw him, and although the other strangers glanced at us from time to time it was always him that i noticed.
On the fourth day one new stranger came into town, she came out of the Frale Woods with fresh blood painting her sword and missing two throwing daggers from her belt, she also had blood spatters on her armor. She had long blonde hair plaited and tied with a leather cord, blue eyes and pale skin.
She walked through the town glaring at anyone who came near her - not that many of the townsfolk dared to - and walked to the tavern. At the tavern she simply glanced at the other strangers, sat down next to them and stared at the tabletop.
It was the next day. Anendridia and I were working on the fields again, when two more strangers appeared from the woods. They were running through the fields shouting at people to run back to the village. Rethana and I were the first ones to hear them as we were closest to them, so we turned around and shouted for people to leave, they gradually started leaving. The older people, realising something was wrong, started herding the younger children towards town, Rethana started jogging towards them, to follow them, I was about to follow her, but decided to look behind me first, to see what was happening with the strangers.