Ezáreth

~Update~ Added Extract two - Warm Whispers

Thank you all so very kindly. I'm glad people are enjoying this as much as they are! It really inspires me to keep going - which I shall! And thank you Availer. In death, may they both be granted as much as they gave me in life, and then some. I owe them my all, and their spirits live forever on.

ooc: whoah. This is so, so much bigger than I ever thought! AMAZING! :D :D

Do not so willingly underestimate my abilities. I have trained long and hard, and I will by no means be an easy target. You have been warned.

~Reserved for further entries~

Extract one - Parting Forever Dated June 1st ( ) I woke suddenly, gasping for breath in a cold sweat in the dead of night. I light a candle at my bedside to gather my thoughts and provide a dim glow. That same dream, I thought to myself. But then it’s not really a dream, or a nightmare. What plagues my thoughts of a night is history. It is fact, it’s happened. And each time I am powerless to change the outcome. I lay as still and as quiet as the night itself and slowly drift into a restless sleep as the last breath of the candle is drawn, and the flame snuffs out. It was a bitterly cold autumn eve in the wilds, and I was naught but a boy. I had stayed out too far past what I should have. My mind was telling me to go back, to return home, and yet my body was telling me to press on, that I was on the verge of a breakthrough. I was naught but a boy, but I should have known better. My foster parents had brought me to this part of the wilds on more than one occasion, showing me the exact spot they found me as an infant; nestled amongst the undergrowth of a great redwood tree. I pressed on until the moon shone bright in the night sky, searching aimlessly for clues hinting towards my origin. I of course found nothing. It wasn’t until I heard the howls of wild wolves that I realised just how far I had ventured, and it snapped me back into reality. I needed to get home. Direction was no problem for me, as I had studied the stars and knew the constellations well, however a rabid wolf pack was another matter. As I turned to leave the howling grew louder and not fifty paces from where I stood I saw clearly two, then four, then six yellow eyes glaring menacingly towards me. I froze, afraid for the first time in memory, the wooden sword I thought I was so capable with fell from my hand and landed with a thud and two of the wolves advanced. I dropped to the ground and retrieved my sword in time to strike one wolf alongside its head, to which it cowered away in a daze. The other approaching wolf, which I now realised was much bigger, let out a howl and with that came the arrival of four new pairs of eyes. I ran. I ran as far and as fast as my legs would allow, but was of course no match for the wolves. I cowered behind a fallen tree, and prayed to the Gods for safety. I waited for what seemed like an eternity in the dark silence of the forest, only broken by the howls of the wolves in pursuit. And then another sound broke the silence. Shouting, I could hear people shouting. And light, they had torches. I could barely make out the sound of a sword unsheathing and then not a moment later came the cries of a wolf. I looked up from my hiding place to find my parents on the other side of the clearing. My father swinging his torch at the beasts, and then striking swiftly with his blade while my mother loomed in the distance firing precise shots with her bow. ( ) Our eyes met, and she called out for me to run. I did, yet in the second she took her eyes off of her target it charged at her, fangs bared. I called out to her and as she turned to face the beast it struck, tearing at her throat. I screamed out in shock and my father, slaying another, rushed to her aid. The wolf turned its blood-soaked snout towards him and as it did he hurled his torch at it, setting it alight. Running to my mother’s aid, he shouted at me to run and keep running. My mother lay motionless and through tears my father drew arms once more to continue the fight. I hid behind a tree and watched on as he fought three at once. Swiftly slaying two of them, the third circled around him and caught him by surprise. Another wolf joined the fray as they quickly mauled him to death. Through tears and cries of heartache and anger I fled for the city. ------------------ Extract two - Warm Whispers Dated June 2nd ( ) When I awoke the sunlight’s harsh rays burned my eyes. The mid-morning sun was filling the room with a bright golden warmth and all worries and subsequent darkness of the previous night had seemed to vanish amidst its splendour. Outside, there was the tranquil sound of birdsong accompanied by the rustling of the leaves in the gentle northern winds. Raising from bed, dressing only in a loose pair of pants I step outside and let the sun's rays fall onto my bare chest, the heat warming me instantly. Looking out upon the beauty of Laurelin from the canopies I marvel at what we as a people have been able to achieve in our long years, and find it hard to imagine any evil prevailed in this world. That there existed any darkness seemed far-fetched and it was then that I realised this is what I was fighting for; what I had dedicated my life to - preserving and safeguarding this simple peace. Ever since that fateful night I have sworn my allegiance to this fair city and to maintaining the peace and order thereof. The people here took me in after my parents were slain and I will forever be in their debt. After the incident in the woods, I took it upon myself to grow strong and able, to be able to protect myself, but also to protect those less in need. There were shadows looming around every corner and you never knew when danger could strike. I taught myself the ways of the blade and bow, honing my skills in almost every spare moment. I spent years training and perfecting my proficiencies, all the while performing odd jobs for the townsfolk. At the age of 19 I began working for the local craftsman, gathering materials and bits of equipment and aiding him with small tasks as best I could. At the age of 21 he took me in as his official apprentice. Furiously eager to learn more, he taught me most of what he could in the space of a few years, ranging from how to use basic crafting components right through to the application of powerful Elven runes. After another five years, my apprenticeship was complete. My master saw fit to dismiss me from his service to offer my work to the many distant lands. Banding together with Garrett, a bright young Human merchant with a flair for natural remedies, and the she-Elf Mira, a wandering sorceress of little fame yet extensive power; we quickly became close friends. Travelling the lands with a caravan of goods was often a dangerous business, and there certainly was a fair share of danger along the roads. Aside from the untamed beasts of the wilds, highwaymen, bandits, and thieves were common sightings. Fortunately, a skilled craftsman and a sorceress are not easily defeated. Garrett, while knowing some basic skills with a sword, much preferred to avoid conflict altogether, and if he could not sway the minds of any assailants with his silver tongue, then he would often lay hidden amongst his wares. ( ) One night however, while travelling north along The Kings Road, we were set upon by a group of well trained foes clad in dark robes, their faces almost completely covered. There must have been about six of them and they seemed to appear out of nowhere. Mira trapped two of them within a ring of fire, and I managed to knock out one of them while then confronting the other two, blades drawn. Nimbly dodging the blow of one, I parried and slashed at the other’s chest and barely made contact - they were unbelievably fast. Eventually defeating one, and drawn into close combat with the other, Mira still maintaining the blaze, I didn’t notice the assassin I’d knocked out earlier crawl aside and lunge at Mira. Fortunately, Garrett had. With his keen senses he predicted the foes’ movements and as he sprang at Mira out leaped Garrett with a small dagger, stopping what would have otherwise been a fatal blow. He struck the assassin’s arm, who fell to the ground unable to then deflect the stabs at his chest. As Garrett had lunged at the assassin however, the latter’s blade missed Mira’s neck and struck her side. Her concentration faltered as she let out a shriek to pierce the night, and her spell faded as she collapsed to the ground. With Garrett now in the fray, and my earlier opponent slain, it was two on two. I charged for one opponent, swiftly stooping to pick up a fallen enemy’s blade at the same time, which surprised him. I swung my off hand at him, which he guarded against and eventually faltered. I pushed back against it and slashed deep down his chest with my main blade releasing a steady spray of blood. With two against one now, the last assassin dropped his weapon, placed his hands behind his back and ever so slowly backed up, eyes closed. All too suspicious, and with eyes of a hawk, Garrett realised he was casting a spell - a powerful spell. As we’d travelled with a sorceress for so long we knew an incantation when we saw it, even a silent one. He could have finished this fight any time he wanted. His eyes flickering open they flashed with an immense blue light and lightning crackled all about the field, centred around him. Rapidly building in power he pointed an arm at the two of us, and let out a piercing shout. As the lightning began crackling at his fingertips, I noticed the slightest flash of silver fly past my face and when I looked to see Garrett throwing his dagger, with noted skill, my head span back around to the mage. He had evaded slightly, yet it still struck deep in his check and would leave a hideous scar. His attention slipping, the focussed energy and lightning flew off wildly until it faded. Amidst the chaos came a deep voice threatening that he would one day return for our lives. A brilliant flash of light, and a moment later he was gone. Falling back to the aid of an unconscious and heavily bleeding Mira, Garrett applied what healing herbs and medicinal aid he could. We loaded her up into the wagon, staunching the wounds as best we could while also quickly attending to our own injuries. With that done, we sped off towards the closest town, which was a small settlement on the outskirts of Oren.

This is where I shall record select entries of my journal. It will cover subjects regarding my way of life, upbringing, many adventures and misadventures, the places and people I've seen, and the accomplishments I've achieved, among much more. Most entries will be accompanied by pieces of music, so I encourage you to click on the musical note icon "(-♫-)" when reading the associated text, and in the event of more than one musical piece, if the first one is still playing, simply close it and click the next one "(-♫♫-)". (Yes there is a trend there). I will try to update these as regularly as I can, but obviously once we're in the server playing the game, I will have much more material to work with. For the time being it will likely be all about me and how I got to where I am now. So please bear with me. When I do update these posts I will edit and add to what I have already published, but I will also create a new post detailing any and all changes. I hope you enjoy your time reading these entries as much as I enjoy writing them. I also hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit more of the woodland Elf, Ezáreth.

It is truly an honour to learn more about our great and revered Prince. Tenna' ento lye omenta. Until next we meet.

ooc: I haven't played either of those games, but you have inspired me. I was thinking, well, trying to think of ways to implement music into story-telling to go with what I've written for my journal entries, but I like what you've done here. I hope you don't mind if I borrow the idea?

Splendid reading, friend. Your tale is an intriguing one to be sure. ooc: Is there anything Golden Sun cannot be mixed with to make it more awesome? I still stand by that both game's soundtracks provide some of the best video game music to date.

Mighty indeed is the strength and dedication of the Dwarves. I marvel at the creations made by their hands. All due respect my vertically-challenged friends.

Please see this thread> viewtopic.php?f=19&t=159&start=0

What?

Oh I know Elves are long lived (not that I would go that long lived) because I don't know how that'll clash with any lore or whatever, but I just mean those giant leaps in time seem so drastic considering the events that are taking place. It's like putting toast in only to wait 20 years to eat it.

I'm going to try and be as helpfully critical as I can be here. So for 288 years he was training to be a warrior? For 50 years his family lived on the outskirts of the city he lived in? And it's taken him 162 years to realise he wants to exact revenge? O_o' I'm sorry, but these digits are a little extravagant in my opinion, to say the least.