Essays

Ocarina Isle - A Vile Tale

Recently, I was wandering about to check upon the Marble Isle champion area. While near the travel stone, I happened to hear a loathsome scuttling noise that resembled claws on marble. Followed quickly by a stealthy hissing that was growing faint, I armed my kryss and ducked into the musty building. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim, dusty light they espied a dark stairwell. Quickly with my back to the cool marble I descended the steps into an area lit by a vile colored light. I quickly realized whatever unnatural beast I'd heard had moved on from this place and stepped into the hall to glance about.

Warning to all that shall travel here! Most vile of creatures! Thou shan't return!!

Grimacing to myself as I finished reading the hastily tacked sign, I wondered what waited for me past those green, glowing sparkles. Taking a deep breath and bracing the weight of my buckler, I immersed myself in the vile green glow......

Stepping out the other side of the teleporter I looked about at a handcrafted stone gate. Spinning in a slow circle I found myself alone. Where pray tell were all these creatures that were so vile? Mayhap they heard of my prowess with magic and weapons and scuttled off for higher ground. Nodding slowly I listened for any telltale signs that I was not alone. Off to the west I heard a faint laugh... and headed that way.

Parting the trees I spotted before me a young looking creature smaller than a full grown dragon, but in a color I'd never seen before. It's nostrils flared as it caught my scent and it trumpeted a call as it flapped it's great wings in warning or dare. This lethal drake was unlike any I'd seen, wary of his fight I backed away.

Surely somewhere this island had other hidden delights? I headed to the south and slowly descended a hill, hearing as I did so an ear numbing chill. Like the skittering of a huge insect this noise descended! Soon as I spied it this critter casted! Healing damage as I headed deeper into the forest, the putrid protecter chased me down chittering a signal to the others about.

Finding a clearing I quickly hid, waiting a while till silence chased the din. Taking a deep breath I released it real slow, then felt a horrid heat on my throat. Peering past my shoulder I found myself not alone. For there beside me was a beast full grown. With a blast of rotten air he released his fire breath, and issued a challange that would end in death.

Calling upon my powers of chivalry I declared him my enemy, and consecrated the kryss that would soon end this. The vile dragon headed towards me teeth gnashing, claws ripping, and wings in flight. For a long, drawn out battle I fought long and hard. Healing greatly and feinting I soon brought him low. With this knowledge in hand I soon brought the beast to hand. Looking about me I spoke out the words to take me to less hostile land ~~Vas Rel Por~~

Stepping through my newly spun gate I stabled my newest and greenest of pets. The stable master took the vile beast then looked at me true and told me to rest before death took me over. Exhausted from my journey to this newly found place I slept a few winks and rested my head.

Samurai Demise

Shortly after the discovery of the Tokuno Islands, Lord Blackthorn ran an expedition to explore and bring back treasures and other oddities from this strange new land. His expedition captured many of the creature to bring back and place on display in the Zoo of Britain. On return to Britain, Lord Blackthorn was summoned to show the King all the treasures and creatures brought back. Something terrible happen during the showing. The most powerful of the creatures, Yamandon, broke loose and raised much havoc in the throne room of Brit Castle. It destroyed all the cages holding the creatures from Tokuno. They all fled the castle causing much death and destruction in their wake. As a natural homing instinct, they all fled north towards their home land. North of Brit they found refuge in a large cave. This is where the descendents of the first creatures still live today. They survive by killing and devouring any unwary traveler or animal that may wander into their caves.
Samurai Demise Dungeon is located north of Brit Cemetery near the mountains. It can challenge the best of hunters. Beware.

Lost Alchemy - Ancient Alchemy legend

Once upon a time in our kingdom...

Deep within the dusty tomes of knowledge lies a secret legend of potions untold. The magical potions are rumored to repair items, resurrect lost souls, hide hunted prey, and other things that bogle the mind. Once simply thought to be a myth, this lost art may now be secretly taught to alchemists apprentices. Delving deep into the dusty tomes, I discovered some needed items for this craft.
Deep within the Compassion desert is said to stand tall an ancient keeper possessing a tool to grind these potions.
In swamps throughout the land many hunters have found an item upon creatures describes as petrified wood. How old these plants must be to have such an item!
Most elusive is the dishing stump required to process the potions. This is very rare and sought after from a crafty beast called the Reaper. Seem this item is rare indeed and much hunting is required before you see this reward.
Seems that only a most dedicated alchemist may have a chance to attempt these wondrous potions... According to the lost art many failures will be made before triumph soars.....

... you see an absentminded blot of ink and the print ends...

A Tale of Treasure

Recently, I was sitting at the bar in the Horse's Head pub in Jhelom after a few rounds with the Vorpal Bunny's in the pit.

An old sailor came up and sat beside me. He looked to be 100 years old if he was a day. He was talking and rambling on, almost incoherently.

I payed little attention to him and then a few words caught my attention. Treasure! Genie! I bought him another mug of rum and asked him what he meant by those things.

He started telling me a story that sounded more like fable than reality. But he kept hitting on things that sounded real. So now I find it hard to disbelieve totally. Seems to me to be possible.
Here is the story he told me. You can believe it if you will or not.

He told me had sailed the great oceans of out land on a pirate ship since he was a lad. He had been to every corner of the world. Many years ago, the pirate ship captured another ship on the high seas. This ships captain was a powerful Mage. But even with all his magic power, the ship was soon overpowered. Among the treasures the ship was carrying was a Magic Lamp. That's right, a real Magic Lamp with a Genie inside.

The great Pirate Captain, Blue Beard, soon summoned the Genie of the Lamp. He demanded that the Genie be his slave and grant his wishes. The Genie was old and very cunning. He told the Captain that granting wishes would be easy. But the Genie then said, "Wishes are small compared to the riches I know. And if I grant you wishes, I will be gone and you will never know the riches of which I speak." Blue Beard demanded he explain this comment.

The Genie explained that he had been entrusted to hide the all the treasures of different Mages for centuries. He knew of hundreds of buried treasures that were not known by the scholars that decipher maps and log treasure locations. None of these treasures are listed in the public Rune Library. None are marked on the AutoMaps. After the Genie hid up each of these treasures, an old rough map parchments was drawn up like other treasure maps. But these were then spread all over the land among the creatures of the land and among the other treasure maps in the land. This was done long before anyone could decipher these map and log the locations.

These maps look just like any other treasure map. Just when you decode it, you will see that you can not find a Rune nor a marker to help you locate the treasures exact location. The Genie then told Captain Blue Beard, "That is what I meant. I know all the locations and have the power to teleport you to the exact spot to dig." Could this be? Hundreds of treasures from eons past?

The Pirate Captain decided that he would test this Genie. To see if he could in fact decipher a treasure map and go to the exact spot. "Bring me that treasure map we found past week." he barked at one of the deck hands. The deck hand sprinted to the cabin and back in a flash with the tattered map.

Blue Beard gave the map to the Genie and in the blink of an eye, the Captain was teleported to a strange spot on the land. This was most strange. But the Captain decided to start digging and see if in fact this was a treasure spot. Within a few minutes he hit something solid and behold, it was in fact a treasure chest. The Captain began dancing around and singing. But then it dawned on him that the Genie was not with him.

The Genie was old and wily. He had in fact told the truth, but not all the truth. He could decipher maps and teleport to the exact spots. So could every other Genie of the Magic Lamps. But he did not tell the Captain that during the teleport, he is able to vanish and escape back to the Mages that were his true Masters.

This old drunken pirate was about gone by this time. I couldn't get much else of the story from him. He soon stumbled out of the bar and I never saw him again.

I can not just throw this story away. I know I must keep my eyes open and maybe I too will find a Magic Lamp. Just as he has said, I have found treasure maps that are not logged in any of the usual places. I am not an expert at reading ancient parchments and maps. So trying to find the right spot to dig by just looking at the original map is very hard if not impossible. Some may be found on luck but I know I could sure use a Genie to show me the correct spots to dig. I hope to find a Magic Lamp soon.

You too should keep alert to finding one of these Magic Lamps. A Genie to take me to exact buried treasure chest locations sounds too good to be true. But I am hoping this is not just a myth.

Evolution Dragon

(by Decameron)

"Tonight we dawn our armour, sharpen our blades, and dust of our spell books. This Dragon has been terrorizing this kingdom for long enough!" - screams the king on his throne. His audience of warriors cheered. "No longer will we live in fear, no longer will we starve. For you, the strongest and fiercest warriors, will take up arms and rid this land of the foul Guardian Dragon!"

"Quit writing boy! You heard the king, gather my things"
"Yes sir."

We marched up the mountain. The air was still, the night was quiet. The men knew most of them wouldn't return. As we neared the top there was a massive explosion. A fireball rose from the path ahead of us, the sky itself seemed to be on fire. It has begun. I handed my father his sword and I hid.

Already there were bodies strewn about. All I could hear was the screams of men and the chanting of spells. They fought valiantly. It was a bloody battle, but in the end the mighty dragon fell. I raced out to find my father.

"Father! Where are you father?"
"Cough, Son"
His voice was feint. He was struggling to call to me. Finally I found him behind the dragon, clinging to life.
"Son. You are safe. Take care of your mother."

He passed soon after. He had delivered the deathblow to the beast. But his wounds were mortal. In His clutches he held an egg. It was a soft white glowing egg. It was warm, it began to shake. It was hatching! Out of the egg slithered a snake. I was afraid, but it clung to my leg, huddling for warmth.

"Kill it!"
"Yes Kill it, we will end this beast's line once and for all."
"No! Look at it, it's harmless. I will raise it. I will keep it"
"But this will grow into a beast as foul as the one we have slain tonight."

A voice speaks up from the back of the small crowd of survivors,
"But what if we could command such a beast! The boy will keep it."

It began killing rodents on the farm for us. But as time went on it grew bigger. The more it killed, the bigger it grew. No beast ever threatened our kingdom again. We travelled the land in search of foes worthy of my might "Evolution Dragon." We vanquished many evils, and found many treasures. But most of all, this friendship lasted a lifetime.