07-10-2008, 12:00 AM
Many moons ago a great war happened upon the usually peaceful and prosperous land of Sosaria. The occasional battle of good versus evil, greedy versus generous had always occurred, as is human nature, yet the magnitude of this war quickly reached epic proportions. The most powerful fighters, rangers, and spell-throwers in all the land were divided and pitted one against all. None could escape the wrath of the great war. Women and children at home were forced to fend for themselves for the most basic of necessities and defend their homes against invading vermin and fiends.
Such great forces there were, one against another, one against all, the land wept and was unable to endure the struggle. Breaking apart as of a great aching heart being rent asunder, Sosaria was divided and two new lands were formed of the old--a dreary desolate land that would come to be called Felucca, and a vibrant bountiful land known now as Trammel.
Two girls, sisters, joined a multitude of children who, though they managed to survive themselves, were left homeless and orphaned. Laia, the eldest by many years, cared for the infant Aura, and both children had an amazing way with animals and a natural flair for the Arcane. Food was plentiful in the new land of Trammel and though Laia missed her parents something fierce, she knew Aura could not understand and therefore it fell upon her slight young shoulders to become mother and father, as well as playmate, to her adored baby sister.
Along with their unusual abilities, the girls were quite striking in appearance. Twins separated by eight years of age, they were nearly identical. Hair the palest shade of platinum with sparkling violet eyes and fair skin, the girls were not overly tall nor excessively thin. Their familiarity with animals along with their inherent traits lent them an easy fluid grace and they could slip silently from one spot to another undetected. Strangers who glanced upon them were sometimes stunned by their beauty and could later be heard telling others of this rare pair of girls who must surely be of High Elven lineage.
Great travelers were they, for by the time Laia had reached 13 years of age toting around the now 5 year old Aura, they had traveled all of Trammel, staying clear only of the most dangerous places in the wilds. Being naturally disinclined to enter caves, they steered clear of those as well. As they wandered the great continent, they came to the small seaside town of Cove. They spent a few days there, and happened upon a gruff, wizened, yet generous man called Xane. He watched the girls, and taking pity upon them offered up a small room in his home near Cove to them in exchange for Laia's housekeeping skills.
Three years passed happily in the little Villa near Cove. There were a great many adventures to be had for young Aura, and many animals to charm and play with. Neighbors came and went, and it was a reasonably safe area near their home, save an occasional stray orc which Laia or Xane would immediately dispose of. The girls had learned new skills and perfected others with the help of Xane, his brothers, friends, and nice passers-by. Laia had grown quite fond of Xane by this time and had decided to stay on with him permanently, but knew Aura was a free spirit and when she chose to leave Laia would not prevent her from going.
In their fourth year at the cottage, Xane had come from one of his numerous expeditions and taken the girls out for a sail in his swift Dragon boat. They all loved being upon the ocean, and Aura always squealed in delight when they came upon a dolphin for her to play with. Though the jaunt began happily enough, they had only finished their picnic lunch of soft boiled eggs, ham, and pale ale when a tragedy occurred.
The happy family retired within the ship, leaving it in the capable hands of the tillerman while they rested. Good food, warm sun, and salty sea air will lull a person quite quickly to slumber. The tillerman hummed a cheerful sea tune as he sailed along, and waved as he steered around a small fishing vessel. The fisherman was throwing brightly colored nets into the water, and he waved back at the passing ship while holding the anchor line of the net.
Suddenly, his tiny ship sped forward, keeping pace with the larger, faster boat! The fisherman and tillerman gaped at each other in awe and shock, as out of the deep blue depths arose a school of monstrous sea creatures that surrounded the two vessels. Giant puddles of spell hurling water, huge blue sea snakes, even larger black sea snakes, and a gigantic red nautilus assaulted the two ships. The tillerman quickly opened the gangplank to try to save the poor fisherman, whose tiny ship was being dragged under by the churning waves, but he was too late, as the man tried to cross over, a massive tentacle of the Kraken swept the frail gent into the sea and among the writhing bodies of the great serpents. Turning his head from the sight, the tillerman yelled for Xane as he tried to escape the pile of bodies trying to sink the larger ship. The smaller vessel succumbed to the onslaught and disappeared from sight under the waves.
Xane reached topside and Laia hurried to join the two men, ordering Aura to stay below with a life buoy about her waist, and not to come on deck for any reason. The little girl was terribly curious, but also extremely frightened by the creatures she could see in the porthole. As she sat huddled and trembling on the bed, a huge monstrous eye peered into the porthole at her, blocking her entire view of the scene. The terrified child tried to scramble under the bed, but a tentacle belong to the huge-eyed creature broke through the porthole and dragged the child with it into the sea, unbeknownst yet to the brave souls fighting topside for their lives and the ship.
As quickly as the mass of creatures had arrived they disappeared, leaving no trace but the damage to the ship, the weary sailors, and a mound of bloody froth all about the boat. Bone tired and immensely relieved that the horrifying escapade was over, Laia retreated below deck to comfort and reassure Aura.
Such great forces there were, one against another, one against all, the land wept and was unable to endure the struggle. Breaking apart as of a great aching heart being rent asunder, Sosaria was divided and two new lands were formed of the old--a dreary desolate land that would come to be called Felucca, and a vibrant bountiful land known now as Trammel.
Two girls, sisters, joined a multitude of children who, though they managed to survive themselves, were left homeless and orphaned. Laia, the eldest by many years, cared for the infant Aura, and both children had an amazing way with animals and a natural flair for the Arcane. Food was plentiful in the new land of Trammel and though Laia missed her parents something fierce, she knew Aura could not understand and therefore it fell upon her slight young shoulders to become mother and father, as well as playmate, to her adored baby sister.
Along with their unusual abilities, the girls were quite striking in appearance. Twins separated by eight years of age, they were nearly identical. Hair the palest shade of platinum with sparkling violet eyes and fair skin, the girls were not overly tall nor excessively thin. Their familiarity with animals along with their inherent traits lent them an easy fluid grace and they could slip silently from one spot to another undetected. Strangers who glanced upon them were sometimes stunned by their beauty and could later be heard telling others of this rare pair of girls who must surely be of High Elven lineage.
Great travelers were they, for by the time Laia had reached 13 years of age toting around the now 5 year old Aura, they had traveled all of Trammel, staying clear only of the most dangerous places in the wilds. Being naturally disinclined to enter caves, they steered clear of those as well. As they wandered the great continent, they came to the small seaside town of Cove. They spent a few days there, and happened upon a gruff, wizened, yet generous man called Xane. He watched the girls, and taking pity upon them offered up a small room in his home near Cove to them in exchange for Laia's housekeeping skills.
Three years passed happily in the little Villa near Cove. There were a great many adventures to be had for young Aura, and many animals to charm and play with. Neighbors came and went, and it was a reasonably safe area near their home, save an occasional stray orc which Laia or Xane would immediately dispose of. The girls had learned new skills and perfected others with the help of Xane, his brothers, friends, and nice passers-by. Laia had grown quite fond of Xane by this time and had decided to stay on with him permanently, but knew Aura was a free spirit and when she chose to leave Laia would not prevent her from going.
In their fourth year at the cottage, Xane had come from one of his numerous expeditions and taken the girls out for a sail in his swift Dragon boat. They all loved being upon the ocean, and Aura always squealed in delight when they came upon a dolphin for her to play with. Though the jaunt began happily enough, they had only finished their picnic lunch of soft boiled eggs, ham, and pale ale when a tragedy occurred.
The happy family retired within the ship, leaving it in the capable hands of the tillerman while they rested. Good food, warm sun, and salty sea air will lull a person quite quickly to slumber. The tillerman hummed a cheerful sea tune as he sailed along, and waved as he steered around a small fishing vessel. The fisherman was throwing brightly colored nets into the water, and he waved back at the passing ship while holding the anchor line of the net.
Suddenly, his tiny ship sped forward, keeping pace with the larger, faster boat! The fisherman and tillerman gaped at each other in awe and shock, as out of the deep blue depths arose a school of monstrous sea creatures that surrounded the two vessels. Giant puddles of spell hurling water, huge blue sea snakes, even larger black sea snakes, and a gigantic red nautilus assaulted the two ships. The tillerman quickly opened the gangplank to try to save the poor fisherman, whose tiny ship was being dragged under by the churning waves, but he was too late, as the man tried to cross over, a massive tentacle of the Kraken swept the frail gent into the sea and among the writhing bodies of the great serpents. Turning his head from the sight, the tillerman yelled for Xane as he tried to escape the pile of bodies trying to sink the larger ship. The smaller vessel succumbed to the onslaught and disappeared from sight under the waves.
Xane reached topside and Laia hurried to join the two men, ordering Aura to stay below with a life buoy about her waist, and not to come on deck for any reason. The little girl was terribly curious, but also extremely frightened by the creatures she could see in the porthole. As she sat huddled and trembling on the bed, a huge monstrous eye peered into the porthole at her, blocking her entire view of the scene. The terrified child tried to scramble under the bed, but a tentacle belong to the huge-eyed creature broke through the porthole and dragged the child with it into the sea, unbeknownst yet to the brave souls fighting topside for their lives and the ship.
As quickly as the mass of creatures had arrived they disappeared, leaving no trace but the damage to the ship, the weary sailors, and a mound of bloody froth all about the boat. Bone tired and immensely relieved that the horrifying escapade was over, Laia retreated below deck to comfort and reassure Aura.