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((sorry for such a long post, but I let myself go...))
It's sad to hear you're leaving, even though stepping down from Archmage doesn't mean you're completely gone... or so I hope. If he hadn't already declined, I'd have recommended Shawn, who I concider one of the best (((few) real rpers Dustari has at the moment)) mages Dustari has at the moment. I would love to say that I was amongst them, but apart from doing my best in that respect, it's for others to judge that.
My name is Satrek Horn, and I was born in Dustaris southern province almost 32 years ago. In my youth, my dream was to become a warrior, to wield a weapon and face the enemies of this kingdom where I grew up in. When I got older, and the time to make the decision which would affect my future life... I wish I could say I had some revelation, but no god or almighty being appeared to me and revealed my destiny, nor did some terrible demon come forth to challange me, awaking spiritual powers inside of me... I witnessed a group of thieves, who waylayed an old trader and his mule at dusk, lifting everything he owned, then striking him down and running away.
I was too scared to act, and, thinking of it, I doubt I would have had any chance against them in open combat. So much for being a brave warrior. When they were gone, it started to rain, and eventually I dared to leave my cover and come to the old man's aide - only to find him dead. It's not as much the guild of not having tried to help him, but the possibility that he has survived the thief's attack, and might still be alive if I had helped him earlier. To make things worse, the thieves had left a back, probably overlooked it when they ran. It contained a talisman, a mere twig and some papers, which I figured to be some kind of spell manual.
I sat there for hours, wet to the bone, and saw myself in shiny armor, the bravest knight of Dustari, too scared to help an innocent man who I might aswell have killed myself. Again, I wish I had some divine or supernatural excuse for what I did, but only I am to blame that I took the bag for myself. I found a Knight a little up the road and led him to the crossing, where the old man had fallen, and told him what had happened - except that I didn't mention the long time which had passed between the thieves' flight and my attempt to help. He promised to take care of it, provide the man a proper grave and hunt the thieves. His next words hit me like the dagger that had ended this old trader's life: he said Dustari would be a better place if only people were as brave as I'd been, trying to help that man while the thives still were close.
With my dreams of becoming a warrior, a defender of the innocent, being shattered, I wandered to the next town and arrived there at midnight. Of course, there was nowhere to go, the only pub had already closed, so I had to find another dry place. Eventually, I ended where my consciousnes felt I belonged, under a bridge over a rover just outside the town. But not even the sound of the water could silence my thoughts.
So, I pulled out the rugged bag and started to throw it into the river, so it could not weight me down any further, but something stopped be. It was curiosity, I have to admit, that made me put the bag down and upen it. I put the twig aside and examined the talisman, not knowing the powers it held, then took a closer look at the rough spellbook. I mindlessly played with that twig while I read the pages, and at some point, without realizing it, I took the talisman in my free hand, and it's imbued powers went to work. To my own surprise, I did cast a magic bullet.
Before I had any idea of what just had happened, the spell hit the wooden middle pillar of the bridge and set the dry, old wood on fire. Panicked, I got up and stared, shoving the paper into the water while doing so, my hands still clenched arround talisman and what I started to realize was a rudimentary kind of wand.
The pillar breaking gave me a start, and I ran into the close forest to get my thoughts sorted. Even though it had rained all evening, and a river was flowing underneath it, the bridge's wood had been dried out for years, and my magic bullet has set it ablaze - not for long, due to rain and river, but long enough to make the upporting pillar break and give way. I watched the bridge colapse and the villagers came out shouting and screaming.
It took me two days to reach the next village, where I worked as a farmer to make my living. For a few months I tried to forget the incident, but then the longing to try the spell again became stronger. So one day, I set out and bought a spellbook, which took all my money, but nobody really cared ad they thought I could not make any use of it.
But I could. I went to a small lake, into which I cast bullets whenever I had the time - the book contained the same spell as the old trader's papers had. I got better every week, and I started to aim at moving targets - leaves on the water, sometimes even birds.
One bird I managed to take down, and I suddenly feld a jolt of remorse and went to search for it. maybe it was still alive. I managed to find it, and indeed, I had graced it, but I had now idea what to do to heal it - nor did I want to kill it to end it's pain. While I was thinking, someone placed his hand on my shoulder. I did not hear him coming. It was a wandering mage, who had spotted my bullets aimed towards the bird. He had a friendly look on his face, and with a murmored spell he had the bird healed and released him.
When he questioned me, I told him the whole story, from the very start, grateful to be able to tell someone.
He just nodded, and asked me whether I wanted to become a mage. At first, I did not, seeing what I had done to the bird, and the bridge I had destroyed. He must have seen it in my eyes, as he nodded and turned. He said that he would go and find someone who would be willing to master a dangerous craft to protect people, and wished me a plesant life on the fields.
I was his apprentice for many years, and eventually I learned how to defend myself and, more important, others. I became a full mage and started to wander the land myself, I explored foreign islands and helped people as best as I could. Whether this makes up for my failure in past times, I cannot say. I have recently been apointed the position of a High Mage, and I found out that I can now use the spells I learned without wearing the talisman. I passed it on, so it will help someone else, and I will continue to serve Dustari the best I can, the country where I was born, grew up and learned to be what I am, to undo what I did when I was young, and where I met my wife.
Whether I qualify for being an Archmage, I cannot say, neither whether I deserve it at all. I just felt the need to explain myself, as even after all these years, there are but few who know this story, and my consciousnes is still a heavy one. I hope I did not waste your time with my story.
At your service,
Satrek Horn |
09-14-2003, 06:26 AM
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It's like Ed said, he doesn't want a Barbarian with Talisman running round saying he's the Archmage and actually not lying.
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