For many years the Wizard's Tower has stood. It has given many the tools to continue on in life, it has helped many move forward past the hurdle of restarting their adventures, including our brave heroine. But as time has moved on it has been ever changing, being corrupted from the "family" of people it once protected, becoming less and less of a place of camaraderie and learning. It has been moving towards a soulless place. A place which removes the joy from it's people, almost alive. This monster has started to take it's toll on many who have stayed there long years.
Enter our heroine, four long years ago. She had begun her battle, to come back from the bottom of the pit of despair. Her life a shambles, but slowly taking a turn for the better. She had returned to the land of her youth, after years of running away from the fights she needed to confront, to face those demons and work her way back to the life she once knew and loved. Returning to those she had chosen as her adventuring crew, if not her chosen family. She was finally starting to feel some hope, especially when she was chosen by the Wizard's Tower to join their ranks. Amidst the darkness that was surrounding this place, it was a beacon of light. A way out of the darkness and to start again. She accepted their invitation and started to learn.
She learned to crack the codes and where to procure the items for each person's loss that came through her hands. She was good at it and happy that she had found something she could excel at. She found herself with enough gold to live a decent life, albeit, not a life of wealth, but for the first time she was not worried about feeding herself and her familiar Willowcat, paying for her past mistakes and starting to move forward in life. Things were going well, just after her acceptance to the Tower she even found herself starting a wonderful, while sometimes trying journey with her amazing questing partner. This adventure we call life was cresting a high peak and things were good.
She was happy there for two years. Then she started to feel and see the changes. Subtle shifts in the atmosphere around her. Changes from the Powers that Be to make things slightly less pleasant. The changes were so slight, she figured the Tower had just grown and was adjusting to the increased levels of help they were providing to the people at large. So she continued on her way, happily doing her job and living her life. Fighting other monsters and bosses outside of her days of code cracking and finding the items people needed.
She continued this way for about another year. It was at that point she found out she needed to see a Master Healer for some problems in her spine that had grown to a nearly unbearable level. It was at that point that she had been rejected for two separate positions of advancement, which again, she hadn't thought anything of as she knew she was good at her current place. The person who had fought so hard for all of the resources of the humans in the Tower decided to leave. As, apparently there were problems with other Powers that Be. The corruption had already started to take over those in power. It was a huge blow, and as the weeks prior to our Heroine's healing leave progressed things got worse.
When she came back from her time of healing, things had changed even more. Her pay had decreased, both because of changes in the world at large and because she was not as fast as she had been due to her injury, though it was better than before she went to the Master healer by leaps and bounds. Her time away had given her rest and the ability to realize just how much had changed in the years she had been there.
After that point her awareness of just how corrupt things were became quite clear. But she still had hope that some of the goodness of the Tower would prevail and things would in turn get better. She continued in this until shortly after the new year, despite yet another decrease in her gold intake. It was at that point when the corruption and greed revealed itself. There was a change in the entire structure of how this job she had been doing for so long was done. Which brought all of the people who had been protected by the Tower to a crawl. All the people they had helped were not seeing that help for weeks rather than days, the gold intake of nearly everyone was cut in half and things started to look very grim indeed.
This is where we find our heroine now. She often spends her days in tears due to feeling as if she was no longer good at the job she had always excelled at. The monster Anxiety she has nearly always fought and won against, has started to take hold, which caused more problems. She feels at a loss and is trying to get herself out of the place where she once felt so happy. She is so very grateful for those wonderful adventuring crew and chosen family for all of the support they have given in the recent crushing blows. She is also so very happy to still have her questing partner with her through all of this as she attempts to push her way through the mire that the Tower has now put her in. For now she waits for the next good turn of this adventure called life, hoping she can just hang on until that happens.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Friday, January 6, 2017
The SOMEWHAT Faithful Steed Who Couldn't
A special thanks goes out to my amazing sister for helping inspire this post, as the idea sprang from something she said to me. Love you! You are in fact the bestest sister ever!! Also a special thanks goes out to my amazing questing partner as he was so very supportive this past week.
Late in the eve of the new year our heroine decided to venture out. It was dark and slightly wet. Her Ember Steed, who had caused her much grievance in the two years and six cycles that our lady had owned her having to see it's healer many times over the course of that time, seemed to be in good health and was rearing to go. The gentle rain was not a deterrent as she pushed forward on her way to celebrate the coming change of time with some she held dear. She was excited and had dressed for the celebration accordingly. In a shimmery gown and hair done to match. Her eyes sparkled as she made her way onward to the new and away from the old.
As she progressed on her journey the weather turned for the worse. The rain became snow and caused our heroine to slow her pace as it was progressively harder to see. She managed to keep control of her mount, but stayed at a slow pace to make sure of the footing. Though her ability to see continued to diminish, she continued on.
As she continued through the hills and bends of her path she felt herself slipping, but this time she managed to maintain control of the reins. Ember bucked and fought to get her head and take control away, but our lady was far to smart to let that happen. Two more times Ember fought against the reins and tried to get away. Our heroine continued to manage to keep the steed under control, still following the slow and steady path of the turtle.
Up and down the hills and around the bends she continued. Slowly and careful all the way. Then she came upon that fateful hill, she could feel Ember wanting to fight her once again. She proceeded to the top feeling a bit of pride at the accomplishment thus far when suddenly, as if Ember could feel the relief she made her move, she bucked and our lady lost control of her steed. Back and forth across the path completely swerving out of control. As our heroine was dragged along she realized in horror that her very life might indeed be in danger. She tried desperately to follow and regain control of the reins when suddenly there was a loud bang. Ember had crashed into a barrier in the side of the path, and had stopped dead.
Shaken and scared, our heroine went to investigate what had happened to her poor steed. When she came to the other side of Ember, her eyes grew wide and she let out a gasp. Ember seemed to have broken a leg, perhaps more. Our lady is not an expert on such things, so she was unsure of the extent of the damage to her poor mount. She moved back to her place and tried to see if Ember could in fact continue on, but sadly it was all for naught.
Our heroine soon sent a message to her questing partner so that he was aware of what had happened and then she proceed to message those who she was to celebrate with that eve. She finally called a transport to make sure that Ember was able to get closer to home, to her healer even, which was very close to her abode, she gathered her belongings and said a very sad goodnight to her poor Ember.
The process for finding out what exactly was wrong with her poor steed seemed to take forever, though in truth it was only two days. When they finally told our heroine the news of her steed she was crushed. Her poor Ember was to be put out to pasture, the first steed she had been able to acquire on her own. She had worried this was going to be what transpired, but she was unsure. As the next few days went forward, our heroine retrieved her tack and tried to brace herself for this steed's departure. It was not easy on our heroine in any way. She shed many tears, but tried to keep it to herself.
The day came and now her poor Ember had been taken away, never to be seen again. She still felt sadness though she knew that there was hope, that she would again find a steed who was worthy and would carry her through her coming journeys far better than Ember ever had.
"After her harrowing journey, our fair heroine found her mount unable to continue on. But she did not give up for she was as brave as she was beautiful! She began her quest in search of a new mount. A better mount! When she found it, she knew! This was what she had been searching for! This, at last, was her new beginning!" - My wonderful, beautiful, talented and amazing sister.
Late in the eve of the new year our heroine decided to venture out. It was dark and slightly wet. Her Ember Steed, who had caused her much grievance in the two years and six cycles that our lady had owned her having to see it's healer many times over the course of that time, seemed to be in good health and was rearing to go. The gentle rain was not a deterrent as she pushed forward on her way to celebrate the coming change of time with some she held dear. She was excited and had dressed for the celebration accordingly. In a shimmery gown and hair done to match. Her eyes sparkled as she made her way onward to the new and away from the old.
As she progressed on her journey the weather turned for the worse. The rain became snow and caused our heroine to slow her pace as it was progressively harder to see. She managed to keep control of her mount, but stayed at a slow pace to make sure of the footing. Though her ability to see continued to diminish, she continued on.
As she continued through the hills and bends of her path she felt herself slipping, but this time she managed to maintain control of the reins. Ember bucked and fought to get her head and take control away, but our lady was far to smart to let that happen. Two more times Ember fought against the reins and tried to get away. Our heroine continued to manage to keep the steed under control, still following the slow and steady path of the turtle.
Up and down the hills and around the bends she continued. Slowly and careful all the way. Then she came upon that fateful hill, she could feel Ember wanting to fight her once again. She proceeded to the top feeling a bit of pride at the accomplishment thus far when suddenly, as if Ember could feel the relief she made her move, she bucked and our lady lost control of her steed. Back and forth across the path completely swerving out of control. As our heroine was dragged along she realized in horror that her very life might indeed be in danger. She tried desperately to follow and regain control of the reins when suddenly there was a loud bang. Ember had crashed into a barrier in the side of the path, and had stopped dead.
Shaken and scared, our heroine went to investigate what had happened to her poor steed. When she came to the other side of Ember, her eyes grew wide and she let out a gasp. Ember seemed to have broken a leg, perhaps more. Our lady is not an expert on such things, so she was unsure of the extent of the damage to her poor mount. She moved back to her place and tried to see if Ember could in fact continue on, but sadly it was all for naught.
Our heroine soon sent a message to her questing partner so that he was aware of what had happened and then she proceed to message those who she was to celebrate with that eve. She finally called a transport to make sure that Ember was able to get closer to home, to her healer even, which was very close to her abode, she gathered her belongings and said a very sad goodnight to her poor Ember.
The process for finding out what exactly was wrong with her poor steed seemed to take forever, though in truth it was only two days. When they finally told our heroine the news of her steed she was crushed. Her poor Ember was to be put out to pasture, the first steed she had been able to acquire on her own. She had worried this was going to be what transpired, but she was unsure. As the next few days went forward, our heroine retrieved her tack and tried to brace herself for this steed's departure. It was not easy on our heroine in any way. She shed many tears, but tried to keep it to herself.
The day came and now her poor Ember had been taken away, never to be seen again. She still felt sadness though she knew that there was hope, that she would again find a steed who was worthy and would carry her through her coming journeys far better than Ember ever had.
"After her harrowing journey, our fair heroine found her mount unable to continue on. But she did not give up for she was as brave as she was beautiful! She began her quest in search of a new mount. A better mount! When she found it, she knew! This was what she had been searching for! This, at last, was her new beginning!" - My wonderful, beautiful, talented and amazing sister.
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