Nov. 23rd, 2004 05:18 pm
Memories and Shadows
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jdotmiI decided I'm going to post the in-character stories I've written for Letalli in EQ2 here. At least, for now. Just as a teaser. Let me know what you guys think!
I own the characters, SoE owns the world. You all know the drill.
Memories and Shadows - Sequence 1
I hear voices calling out to me. It's the only reason I know my name, really. I see fire and brimstone and the earth itself cloven by impossible powers. I see a brilliant flash as Luclin shatters, but I am underground then. An amulet with the image of two elves, one made of sapphire and one of emerald, shatters in my hand, leaving only the sapphire whole. I wake from the same dream every night. Every night, I forget all of it but my name.
I still carry it around, the amulet. The sapphire elf sits in her place, oblivious to the emptiness next to her. The emerald shards are kept in a pouch that I carry with me. It gives me a small comfort to have it near. It also gives me a great sadness, but for what I cannot say.
I'm old. I can feel it in my soul. Our people have naturally long life spans, but the hazards of life on Norrath seem to cut them short all too frequently. Still, I feel old. Those who see me on the streets of Freeport never comment on it. They don't see it. They just see the cold, hollow gaze of my eyes as I glance over them. They scurry away, perhaps disturbed by my presence, but perhaps more disturbed by the life they lead.
It wasn't always like this. I was powerful once. I was feared. Something in me knows this, but I can't recall how or when. Sometimes, I see a new face or hear a new name in a dream, but they are gone when my eyes open. I lived in this very city, but it was not the same. Nothing is the same, and yet, I don't remember what it was before.
Recently, something has begun to change. I saw someone on the streets of Freeport. Someone who I thought I knew, or had known. But, no, this one was far too young to be someone I would remember. A girl, an Elf. There was a darkness in her that didn't seem to fit her lineage. Strange that I should have that thought, as I could not tell who she reminded me of. There was a name... somewhere in my memory, something began to stir.
"Mentheren."
I hissed the name under my breath, sneering, a feeling of contempt forming in my gut. The next breath I took brought a feeling of nostalgia and loss. Confused, I followed the girl. She seemed sure of herself, not afraid of the dark places. Entirely aware of her effect on those around her.
I will watch this one for now. I can feel strange tugs in my mind, something trying to surface.
I returned to my home, the squalid place they provided me when I arrived in the city. I took the amulet out of my pocket and put it on for the first time in years. I looked at my face in the mirror. The silver chain of the amulet stood out against my dark skin. My white hair softly fell over my shoulder. A memory stirred.
"I am Letalli V'Lesra, Shadowknight of..."
My voice trailed off. The memory faded.
Memories and Shadows - Sequence 2
"So, are we going to Qeynos then?"
I looked up across the queen sized bed, a somewhat bemused smile on my face. We were taking an inordinately long amount of time to make the bed, and now I knew why. "So that's what all this hemming and hawing has been about this evening. Silly girl! I should have realized it earlier." I chuckled at the woman, amused at the very notion of such a journey.
"Come on, Tal. I know you've been considering it. A chance to really start anew. Shake things up a bit. You were always one to shake things up!" A dazzling and mischevious smile lit her face, accenting her blue eyes and golden hair. A High Elf, I thought vaguely in the dream. I shook my head at her, amused by her vigor and yet exhasperated by it at the same time.
I feigned indignance at this minute slight, "No no, dear An, it is YOU who are quite the trouble maker. I am quite the reserved and proper lady!" I knew that as soon as the words were out of my mouth she was going to dissolve into a fit of giggles. As expected, she did, collapsing onto the freshly made bed at that. "Alright alright, I'm a trouble maker!" I sighed dramatically and plopped down on the bed next to her.
The Elf settled down and looked at me intently. "Seriously, Tal. What does this place have to offer you. Remember when we said we were done with it? Done with all the petty bickering and thoughtless cruelty? You could be accepted there! Yes, it would take a lot of work, but it could happen!"
I looked around confused for a moment. Weren't we in Felwithe? No... Of course not. We were in my room in Freeport. Even without windows I could hear the cries in the alleys outside. Smell the stench of death and poverty. Fear and hatred held the people in line. Fear of a single man and his power over others. More than a man, and less than vermin, in my mind.
I looked on the bed. The necklace lay on top of the covers, glinting softly in the candle light. The sapphire sister was dull, absorbing light as if into a pit of the blackest tar. The shards of the emerald sister lay next to her, twinkling in the faint light. "You know, you can get it fixed." I looked up at her as she spoke.
I blinked, disbelief slowly spreading through my mind. "An... You're..."
I awoke with a start. I had been dreaming again.
The Elf woman had called me "Tal". No-one had ever spoken with me in such a familiar manner. Not since I arrived here, at any rate.
I opened the pouch that lay on the end table next to my rickety cot. Inside, I could see the shards of the emerald sister catching the small amount of light left from my candle, twinkling as if with peals of laughter.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to remember the dream. The name of the Elf had already faded from my mind, but another revelation refused to leave.
She had been my Sister. And she had shattered when Luclin fell.
And those who were responsible, those who I held responsible, were going to pay.
I own the characters, SoE owns the world. You all know the drill.
Memories and Shadows - Sequence 1
I hear voices calling out to me. It's the only reason I know my name, really. I see fire and brimstone and the earth itself cloven by impossible powers. I see a brilliant flash as Luclin shatters, but I am underground then. An amulet with the image of two elves, one made of sapphire and one of emerald, shatters in my hand, leaving only the sapphire whole. I wake from the same dream every night. Every night, I forget all of it but my name.
I still carry it around, the amulet. The sapphire elf sits in her place, oblivious to the emptiness next to her. The emerald shards are kept in a pouch that I carry with me. It gives me a small comfort to have it near. It also gives me a great sadness, but for what I cannot say.
I'm old. I can feel it in my soul. Our people have naturally long life spans, but the hazards of life on Norrath seem to cut them short all too frequently. Still, I feel old. Those who see me on the streets of Freeport never comment on it. They don't see it. They just see the cold, hollow gaze of my eyes as I glance over them. They scurry away, perhaps disturbed by my presence, but perhaps more disturbed by the life they lead.
It wasn't always like this. I was powerful once. I was feared. Something in me knows this, but I can't recall how or when. Sometimes, I see a new face or hear a new name in a dream, but they are gone when my eyes open. I lived in this very city, but it was not the same. Nothing is the same, and yet, I don't remember what it was before.
Recently, something has begun to change. I saw someone on the streets of Freeport. Someone who I thought I knew, or had known. But, no, this one was far too young to be someone I would remember. A girl, an Elf. There was a darkness in her that didn't seem to fit her lineage. Strange that I should have that thought, as I could not tell who she reminded me of. There was a name... somewhere in my memory, something began to stir.
"Mentheren."
I hissed the name under my breath, sneering, a feeling of contempt forming in my gut. The next breath I took brought a feeling of nostalgia and loss. Confused, I followed the girl. She seemed sure of herself, not afraid of the dark places. Entirely aware of her effect on those around her.
I will watch this one for now. I can feel strange tugs in my mind, something trying to surface.
I returned to my home, the squalid place they provided me when I arrived in the city. I took the amulet out of my pocket and put it on for the first time in years. I looked at my face in the mirror. The silver chain of the amulet stood out against my dark skin. My white hair softly fell over my shoulder. A memory stirred.
"I am Letalli V'Lesra, Shadowknight of..."
My voice trailed off. The memory faded.
Memories and Shadows - Sequence 2
"So, are we going to Qeynos then?"
I looked up across the queen sized bed, a somewhat bemused smile on my face. We were taking an inordinately long amount of time to make the bed, and now I knew why. "So that's what all this hemming and hawing has been about this evening. Silly girl! I should have realized it earlier." I chuckled at the woman, amused at the very notion of such a journey.
"Come on, Tal. I know you've been considering it. A chance to really start anew. Shake things up a bit. You were always one to shake things up!" A dazzling and mischevious smile lit her face, accenting her blue eyes and golden hair. A High Elf, I thought vaguely in the dream. I shook my head at her, amused by her vigor and yet exhasperated by it at the same time.
I feigned indignance at this minute slight, "No no, dear An, it is YOU who are quite the trouble maker. I am quite the reserved and proper lady!" I knew that as soon as the words were out of my mouth she was going to dissolve into a fit of giggles. As expected, she did, collapsing onto the freshly made bed at that. "Alright alright, I'm a trouble maker!" I sighed dramatically and plopped down on the bed next to her.
The Elf settled down and looked at me intently. "Seriously, Tal. What does this place have to offer you. Remember when we said we were done with it? Done with all the petty bickering and thoughtless cruelty? You could be accepted there! Yes, it would take a lot of work, but it could happen!"
I looked around confused for a moment. Weren't we in Felwithe? No... Of course not. We were in my room in Freeport. Even without windows I could hear the cries in the alleys outside. Smell the stench of death and poverty. Fear and hatred held the people in line. Fear of a single man and his power over others. More than a man, and less than vermin, in my mind.
I looked on the bed. The necklace lay on top of the covers, glinting softly in the candle light. The sapphire sister was dull, absorbing light as if into a pit of the blackest tar. The shards of the emerald sister lay next to her, twinkling in the faint light. "You know, you can get it fixed." I looked up at her as she spoke.
I blinked, disbelief slowly spreading through my mind. "An... You're..."
I awoke with a start. I had been dreaming again.
The Elf woman had called me "Tal". No-one had ever spoken with me in such a familiar manner. Not since I arrived here, at any rate.
I opened the pouch that lay on the end table next to my rickety cot. Inside, I could see the shards of the emerald sister catching the small amount of light left from my candle, twinkling as if with peals of laughter.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to remember the dream. The name of the Elf had already faded from my mind, but another revelation refused to leave.
She had been my Sister. And she had shattered when Luclin fell.
And those who were responsible, those who I held responsible, were going to pay.
