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Story Hour
Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5687896" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"> Alaria closed her eyes and smiled at the wind blowing passed her. It whipped her hair behind her and she could feel the skirt of her gown rustling around her legs. It felt so nice. Cooling and energizing all at once, like the power of the orb flowing through her once more. Se was one with the wind….One with the energies of the Mysteries…floating…flying…moving at a great speed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She staggered a bit, almost losing balance. It felt as if she would lose her footing. But she wasn’t standing…or…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria’s eyes snapped open. The wind still blew passed her. She was still moving but nearly lost her balance again as a she looked down in wonder to find she was standing on the back of a giant snow white owl. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She looked around her. The “sky” around her was just a blur of shades of grey. Beneath her, Alaria could only see streaks of browns and greys and greens, an indiscernable landscape whizzing under her and the curious creature on which she now was conscious of trying to balance upon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"> As she balanced and watched in utter shock, the owl’s head rotated 180 degrees to look back at her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">With a “Hoo-hoot”, it pitched at an angle and Alaria was falling off of the bird head first.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She fell through streaks of greys and blue until, suddenly, her feet were on the ground. She was standing in a field. It was…yes…it was the field outside of the gatehouse of Bridgetower. The whole landscape was the same, though all muted in shades of grey. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Looking to her northeast, she saw a huge steep mountain peak that she had not noticed before. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">No, thought Alaria, not “not noticed.” The mountain simply was not there/did not exist in the real world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“What is going on?” she wondered aloud. Where was she?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Scannign the field again, there were no goblins or bodies or indication of a struggle of any kind. Then her eyes fell on a lump of yellowish fur. It stuck out as much for being “in color” against the drab surrounding as it did for being the only object in the field.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">A head popped out of the bundle…a ferret’s black-masked head.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Buttercream! Alaria realized.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">It twitched its nose and whiskers once and then suddenly lurched at Alaria. Its base did not move, but it stretched the length of the field and shoot passed Alaria’s right…then her left.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">In an instant, she was wrapped in coils of yellowish brown fur by the creature whose front half strength stories high to tower above the magess. She was huge! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The ferret crossed its black-socked forepaws and shook its head down at Alaria.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” Buttercream began. Then, with a voice Alaria knew…a man’s voice? The voice spoke in a clear even tone, very matter-of-fact and devoid of emotion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“He’s dead because of you, you know.” Buttercream said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria realized it was the voice of her former mentor, Vertior. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Master Vertior?” Alaria said meekly. “But…but the ogre…”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Before the wizardess from R’Hath could explain herself, the yellowish fur…the whole ferret!... began to morph into a golden scaled form. Its head became that of a dragon and two huge wings spread out from either side of its back, shrouding Alaria from the everpresent light of the “sky” with their shadows.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The length of coils around her turned from fur to golden scales and tightened. Alaria shifted uncomfortably. Her arms were now effectively pinned and her gaze went skyward to the huge dragon’s face. In its foreclaws it head a giant blue diamond-shaped gemstone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The dragon spread it’s fore-arms and the blue diamond hung there a moment before seeming to blur and shift, other gems breaking off from it until four stones hung there, rotating slowly. One was the blue stone (though much smaller), one a n oval bright red and multi-facetted jewel, one was a crystal orb (which Alaria readily recognized as the Air Orb she possessed) and one a grey stone, bespeckled with red and green.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Then, in the center of the rotating stones a light shone, like the sun. When Alaria’s eyes adjusted to the initial glare, another orb floated in the midst of the other four. Much larger than her own and swirling with green and yellow colors.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Before she could bring herself to say anything, the air…in fact the whole landscape around her darkened and she heard a rumble of thunder. As the entire panorama was slipping into the deep grey of a late evening, the dragon’s wings fell off, the dragon head became more serpent than dragon and the scales dimmed until they were the pitchest black.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She was aware that the entire scene was now a flat black, the giant black serpent only barely discernable in the darkness. Its red glowing eyes looked down on her. There were no scales now, only darkness…It was a huge shadow snake, Alaria realized.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The creature opened its huge maw and dove down toward Alaria. Despite herself, she flinched and shut her eyes tight awaiting the creature’s fangs to dig into her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Then nothing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She opened her eyes. She was still in the field, looking as if the snake had never been there….and that high mountain now sat beyond the ridge at the far end of the field.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Then an arm was slung over her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see Braddok leaning over/on her. The handsome swordsman smiled at her with his bright blue eyes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria found herself smiling warming back at the man…and blushing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">The smile turned into a leer, just as when they’d first met and he leaned in close to her face.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Braddok whispered into her ear, “We’re going to be very good friends.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">As she opened her mouth to say…what?...I’m sorry?...Yes we will?...Alaria did not know. What came out was, “Braddok, I….”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Before she could utter a syllable more, the swordsman from Denil’s face melted. His whole body melted before her. Skin, muscle, exposed bone…the man just began dripping, flowing down off of her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria screamed and covered her face with her hands as sobs came wracking up through her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">No! No…I didn’t mean…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Alaria?” came Haelan’s small voice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria removed the hands from her face to see the daelvar standing before her. He held a stone bowl. The same grey bespeckled stone she had just witnessed hovering in the circle of gems.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Haelan. Didn’t mean to…” the wizardess managed to get out before the halfling interrupted her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“We have to go, Alaria. You have to come back.” The Halfling said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“What?” she responded, utterly confused.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Instead of responded, the daelvar began to grow and shape and melt and rise above her. The Hilltender morphed into a huge form that coalesced into a giant version of the ogre with the battleaxe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Then it was away at the far end of the field from her. It began to roar and charge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Instinctively, Alaria reached for her spell component pouches. They were gone, fading away even as her hand reached into them. The pouch with the orb! She got the same result. Her staff!....Where was her staff?! She had no defense and the monster was barreling down upon her. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Its thundering roar and earth-shaking footsteps blocked out all other sound.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria threw up her arms as the creature was about to pound her to mush…or slice her in two…Alaria knew nor cared which. But it was what she deserved, she heard from somewhere…was that Vertior’s voice again?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">All at once, the huge ogre burst into a cloud of bright green butterflies and passed harmlessly around the terrified and defeated magess.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">As she watched the fluttering creatures “pop” out of existence all around her, a bright green light across the field caught her attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">There was Rhea standing upon the far ridge in her high-collared cloak and bright green gown. Elegant. Statuesque. The diadem on her brow glittered brightly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Enough of this Magess Alaria of Ablidon. You are needed.” Rhea’s voice thundered through her consciousness though the woman’s mouth did not open.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Rhea. What’s happening? Where are…” Alaria began. Again she was cut off.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“You must awaken. Wake up NOW!” Rhea commanded.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria again threw her arms up in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the explosion of bright emerald green light.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Alaria’s eyes snapped open. She bolted to sit upright in…a bed?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">She looked at the room she found herself in. She was in a comfortable bed with soft down pillows and linens. A length of white fabric lay across her lap, indeed the whole length of the wide bed. It was stitched with patterns of thorny vines and roses in various states of opening. White roses. There was a large armoire against the wall. Light from a multitude of candles placed on the small table beside the bed and a dwindling fire in a mantled fireplace cast the room in flickering oranges and shadow. A plush deep chair sat beside the fire. An old woman in light robes and a veil embroidered with a similar pattern of twining thorny vine and rose motif sat in the chair. She calmly set down the stitching she’d obviously been working with into her lap and looked at her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"></span> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">“Ah. Praise Gilea. Welcome back to the land of the living, child.” The old woman said with a wrinkled smile.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5687896, member: 92511"] [FONT=Verdana] Alaria closed her eyes and smiled at the wind blowing passed her. It whipped her hair behind her and she could feel the skirt of her gown rustling around her legs. It felt so nice. Cooling and energizing all at once, like the power of the orb flowing through her once more. Se was one with the wind….One with the energies of the Mysteries…floating…flying…moving at a great speed. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She staggered a bit, almost losing balance. It felt as if she would lose her footing. But she wasn’t standing…or… [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria’s eyes snapped open. The wind still blew passed her. She was still moving but nearly lost her balance again as a she looked down in wonder to find she was standing on the back of a giant snow white owl. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She looked around her. The “sky” around her was just a blur of shades of grey. Beneath her, Alaria could only see streaks of browns and greys and greens, an indiscernable landscape whizzing under her and the curious creature on which she now was conscious of trying to balance upon. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana] As she balanced and watched in utter shock, the owl’s head rotated 180 degrees to look back at her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]With a “Hoo-hoot”, it pitched at an angle and Alaria was falling off of the bird head first. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She fell through streaks of greys and blue until, suddenly, her feet were on the ground. She was standing in a field. It was…yes…it was the field outside of the gatehouse of Bridgetower. The whole landscape was the same, though all muted in shades of grey. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Looking to her northeast, she saw a huge steep mountain peak that she had not noticed before. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]No, thought Alaria, not “not noticed.” The mountain simply was not there/did not exist in the real world. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“What is going on?” she wondered aloud. Where was she? [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Scannign the field again, there were no goblins or bodies or indication of a struggle of any kind. Then her eyes fell on a lump of yellowish fur. It stuck out as much for being “in color” against the drab surrounding as it did for being the only object in the field. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]A head popped out of the bundle…a ferret’s black-masked head. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Buttercream! Alaria realized. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]It twitched its nose and whiskers once and then suddenly lurched at Alaria. Its base did not move, but it stretched the length of the field and shoot passed Alaria’s right…then her left. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]In an instant, she was wrapped in coils of yellowish brown fur by the creature whose front half strength stories high to tower above the magess. She was huge! [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The ferret crossed its black-socked forepaws and shook its head down at Alaria. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” Buttercream began. Then, with a voice Alaria knew…a man’s voice? The voice spoke in a clear even tone, very matter-of-fact and devoid of emotion. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“He’s dead because of you, you know.” Buttercream said. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria realized it was the voice of her former mentor, Vertior. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Master Vertior?” Alaria said meekly. “But…but the ogre…” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Before the wizardess from R’Hath could explain herself, the yellowish fur…the whole ferret!... began to morph into a golden scaled form. Its head became that of a dragon and two huge wings spread out from either side of its back, shrouding Alaria from the everpresent light of the “sky” with their shadows. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The length of coils around her turned from fur to golden scales and tightened. Alaria shifted uncomfortably. Her arms were now effectively pinned and her gaze went skyward to the huge dragon’s face. In its foreclaws it head a giant blue diamond-shaped gemstone. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The dragon spread it’s fore-arms and the blue diamond hung there a moment before seeming to blur and shift, other gems breaking off from it until four stones hung there, rotating slowly. One was the blue stone (though much smaller), one a n oval bright red and multi-facetted jewel, one was a crystal orb (which Alaria readily recognized as the Air Orb she possessed) and one a grey stone, bespeckled with red and green. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Then, in the center of the rotating stones a light shone, like the sun. When Alaria’s eyes adjusted to the initial glare, another orb floated in the midst of the other four. Much larger than her own and swirling with green and yellow colors. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Before she could bring herself to say anything, the air…in fact the whole landscape around her darkened and she heard a rumble of thunder. As the entire panorama was slipping into the deep grey of a late evening, the dragon’s wings fell off, the dragon head became more serpent than dragon and the scales dimmed until they were the pitchest black. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She was aware that the entire scene was now a flat black, the giant black serpent only barely discernable in the darkness. Its red glowing eyes looked down on her. There were no scales now, only darkness…It was a huge shadow snake, Alaria realized. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The creature opened its huge maw and dove down toward Alaria. Despite herself, she flinched and shut her eyes tight awaiting the creature’s fangs to dig into her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Then nothing. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She opened her eyes. She was still in the field, looking as if the snake had never been there….and that high mountain now sat beyond the ridge at the far end of the field. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Then an arm was slung over her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see Braddok leaning over/on her. The handsome swordsman smiled at her with his bright blue eyes. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria found herself smiling warming back at the man…and blushing. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]The smile turned into a leer, just as when they’d first met and he leaned in close to her face. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Braddok whispered into her ear, “We’re going to be very good friends.” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]As she opened her mouth to say…what?...I’m sorry?...Yes we will?...Alaria did not know. What came out was, “Braddok, I….” [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Before she could utter a syllable more, the swordsman from Denil’s face melted. His whole body melted before her. Skin, muscle, exposed bone…the man just began dripping, flowing down off of her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria screamed and covered her face with her hands as sobs came wracking up through her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]No! No…I didn’t mean… [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Alaria?” came Haelan’s small voice. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria removed the hands from her face to see the daelvar standing before her. He held a stone bowl. The same grey bespeckled stone she had just witnessed hovering in the circle of gems. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Haelan. Didn’t mean to…” the wizardess managed to get out before the halfling interrupted her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“We have to go, Alaria. You have to come back.” The Halfling said. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“What?” she responded, utterly confused. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Instead of responded, the daelvar began to grow and shape and melt and rise above her. The Hilltender morphed into a huge form that coalesced into a giant version of the ogre with the battleaxe. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Then it was away at the far end of the field from her. It began to roar and charge. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Instinctively, Alaria reached for her spell component pouches. They were gone, fading away even as her hand reached into them. The pouch with the orb! She got the same result. Her staff!....Where was her staff?! She had no defense and the monster was barreling down upon her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Its thundering roar and earth-shaking footsteps blocked out all other sound. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria threw up her arms as the creature was about to pound her to mush…or slice her in two…Alaria knew nor cared which. But it was what she deserved, she heard from somewhere…was that Vertior’s voice again? [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]All at once, the huge ogre burst into a cloud of bright green butterflies and passed harmlessly around the terrified and defeated magess. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]As she watched the fluttering creatures “pop” out of existence all around her, a bright green light across the field caught her attention. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]There was Rhea standing upon the far ridge in her high-collared cloak and bright green gown. Elegant. Statuesque. The diadem on her brow glittered brightly. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Enough of this Magess Alaria of Ablidon. You are needed.” Rhea’s voice thundered through her consciousness though the woman’s mouth did not open. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Rhea. What’s happening? Where are…” Alaria began. Again she was cut off. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“You must awaken. Wake up NOW!” Rhea commanded. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria again threw her arms up in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the explosion of bright emerald green light. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Alaria’s eyes snapped open. She bolted to sit upright in…a bed? [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]She looked at the room she found herself in. She was in a comfortable bed with soft down pillows and linens. A length of white fabric lay across her lap, indeed the whole length of the wide bed. It was stitched with patterns of thorny vines and roses in various states of opening. White roses. There was a large armoire against the wall. Light from a multitude of candles placed on the small table beside the bed and a dwindling fire in a mantled fireplace cast the room in flickering oranges and shadow. A plush deep chair sat beside the fire. An old woman in light robes and a veil embroidered with a similar pattern of twining thorny vine and rose motif sat in the chair. She calmly set down the stitching she’d obviously been working with into her lap and looked at her. [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]“Ah. Praise Gilea. Welcome back to the land of the living, child.” The old woman said with a wrinkled smile.[/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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