The losses were devastating. Of the thirty brave primate scholars and pioneers who originally stepped through the veil of the Spirit Realm, only five managed to crawl back alive and none of them returned without deep, permanent scars.
The most bitter pill for the primates to swallow was the forced silence of their companions. While the Children of Wardenwild accompanied them as their guides and "protectors," their protection was strictly limited by specific laws. These deer spirits were the direct offspring of a world spirit, their eternal, sacred service was to the balance of the surrounding world and the guiding of souls.
