[imported_Cailey]

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.

[imported_Cailey]

The men were trying to repair the ship and clean the debris-strewn deck of the boat, when a heart-wrenching wail arose from below deck. Xane tore down the steps to find out what had caused such a horrible reaction from Laia, and found her tightly clutching one of Aura’s light blue sandals, sobbing and moaning as she rocked back and forth on the floor in her grief. He quickly searched the room and found the broken porthole, a scrap of Aura’s favorite dress had snagged on a piece of the broken glass and after he carefully removed it, he went to Laia. He drew here into his arms and held her while she cried for her lost sister, child, and best friend.

When Laia’s sobbing had subsided, he gently picked her up and carried her to the deck. He sat on the cushioned seat, cradling her in his lap while he stroked her hair. He hugged her close to him, thankful they had made it, heartbroken for the loss of Aura. He quietly ordered the tillerman to return home, promising himself they would somehow find Aura.

The years passed and he searched and searched, never giving up hope that Aura was still alive. Laia remained with him but was no longer the vivacious, happy girl she had been. She became a shell of herself, a completely different person. No one who knew her before the accident recognized her anymore, and she spoke to none of her old friends and acquaintances. It was a long time before she would even leave the Villa, and then it was only to surround herself with animals. She had already lost so much her parents, her home, her entire homeland, and now her precious Aura, she just gave up.

Xane, however, never lost hope. He had vowed to himself to find Aura, and he would, if it took him the rest of his time on the earth.

What had begun as a glorious, fun-filled day for a happy family became a life-altering event for a woman grieving for the loss of a sister she had cared for as her own child. Laia became a bitter woman as the years passed, and Xane could no longer provide her comfort. She abandoned all she had known and took up residence in the murderous lands of Felucca, heaping her pain and misery upon others.
Xane searched for Aura for several years after her disappearance, despite having no trace, no leads, no clues at all. Laia continuous spiral into dark oblivion left Xane heartbroken and weary, for he had failed. He had not found Aura, the child he believed with all his whole being was still alive, nor had he been able to prevent Laias self-destructive ways or comfort her in their loss.

Xane withdrew from the circle of friends he had been such a part of, closing himself off from everything and everyone. He scarcely left the villa, leaving only to sail upon the waves or slip into Felucca to see with his own eyes that Laia was still alive. Though he truly thought Aura had somehow survived, he was fast becoming a tired, lonely man who had seen and lost too much in his lifetime.

Living alone on a quiet, uninhabited island in a faraway land, a young woman grew. She had no real memories of a time before waking in the shallow waves upon the shore of this unusual place, only a salvaged image of a happy family an older girl with a ready smile, funny eyes, and white hair, a smaller version of the young woman, and a man with kind eyes who looked strong and gentle. Faint ghostly images filtered through her mind in dreams, but the wispy figures vanished in the rays of morning sunlight.

The girl did not know her own name, yet she knew the names of all the animals on the island. She knew the dolphins that played with her in the gentle breakers off the coast. She knew the names of the occasional monsters that wandered too close to her palm frond hut and forced her to climb one of the nearby swaying trees for safety. Having no identity troubled her greatly, but even more troubling throughout the years she inhabited the island had always been stumbling upon the remains of another nameless soul such as herself. This always reinforced her dire chance of escaping the predicament in which she found herself. She would carefully cover the body and mark the shallow grave in some way, lest she forget them.

The passing years were good to her food was plentiful and she had adopted the skills for survival that were innate abilities of her ancestors. Though she did not know it, the quiet grace, humility, and resolve she had developed upon the island transcended her already beautiful features into a radiant peaceful countenance. As Aura had grown more lovely and gentle in her solitude upon the island, Laia became a dark and cruelly magnificent presence from the pain and bitterness residing within.

Aura had been on the island for so long, she was accustomed to being alone and with animal companions her only comfort, yet she yearned to be among others like herself. More frequently the images of the happy people in the picture haunted her, and she wanted to find out if they still existed.

One evening as she walked along the shore, loneliness overwhelmed her and she began to cry. The dolphins, following her in the nearby waves, became saddened to see their beloved human so melancholy and lost in her tears. They knew they could no longer keep her here with them. Aura would never know that as the great Kraken drug her below the surface of the waves that fateful day, it released her when she no longer struggled to free herself. The dolphins, who always watched over her hen she was on the sea, quickly came to her aid and carried her far away to the lost island in Ilshenar so they might watch over their friend always.

The dolphins quickly foraged along the ocean bed and found a large mass of seaweed. They frolicked about the weary girl until she sat upon the proffered bed. It sufficed well as a makeshift float for her to rest upon during the long journey back to the oceans of Trammel. The dolphins carefully towed the raft behind them and deposited Aura safely on the shores of Moonglow where they knew other humans would find her and care for her. They quickly retreated into the receding waves and returned home.

After being alone for so long with no civilization whatsoever, Aura was bewildered and a bit frightened by the dwellings and establishments she could see across the expanse of land before her. Seeing a person emerge from one of the peculiar buildings heightened her fear yet also piqued her curiosity, and she crept slowly towards the buildings and into town.

She stood in the shadows, a silent, hidden observer as she listened to the soothingly familiar sounds uttered by the strangers. Some words she recognized and she tried to remember their meanings and absorb all she could of this land she felt she must surely have once been a part of.

She began to feel safe in this strange place and wandered about. She studied how others were dressed and their mannerisms. She paid special attention to their speech and she caught on to this rather quickly. She emerged from the shadows and began walking among the throng of people bustling about, many an eye paying a second glance, some even a third, to the beautiful girl scantily dressed in beggars rags.

[imported_Cailey]

As Aura explored this fascinating place the strangers called Moonglow, she passed a finely dressed woman riding atop an enormous, brightly colored insect. She stared in awe at the bug, and Cairn noticed the young beggar woman gazing at her giant beetle as though she had never seen one before.

Can I help ye, lass? Cairn asked softly as she shrewdly examined the girl from the top of her dirty white head, over her tattered rags of clothing that barely covered what it must, and down to her tiny feet covered with scratches.

Aura started and raised bright, violet eyes to the lady on the amazing creature. She spoke slowly and carefully as she uttered her first word in years, Please?

Cairn smiled broadly at the girl and offered her a hand up to share the great insects broad back. Here, child. Come with Cairn and we”ll fix ye right up.

Aura smiled shyly at the kind stranger and climbed aboard. No sooner was she seated than the lady uttered Kal Ort Por. Calell was suddenly enveloped in a cold black nothingness, unable to see the lady in front of her, yet able to feel the cool, sleekly ridged surface of the insect beneath her. Almost as soon as the feeling began, it was over, and she was once again on the back of the beetle behind the woman. To Aura's astonishment, they were no longer in Moonglow!

All around them, snow covered everything the ground, the houses and buildings, the trees...Even the animals here seemed to be covered in snow. As Calell looked around wondrously, Cairn urged the beetle forward with a few softly spoken commands onto the porch of a small white house. The little marble workshop was nestled under the wing of a great stone tower and was sheltered from the harsh winds sweeping over the arctic lands.

Ye’ll stay with me, ye will,? Cairn stated in a tone that let the girl know she expected no argument. Cairn quickly rummaged through some chests until she found what she was looking for attire appropriate for one so beautiful. Come along little one. We’ll get ye clean an warm an properly clothed, then it’s off ta bed with ye.?

Cairn led the girl upstairs to a large washtub and got her settled into it as she poured in water that she always kept warming on the hearth before the great oven. She threw in some fragrant rose petals, and the girl ahh ,ed in pleasure, looking up with those vivid purple eyes to Cairn in gratitude and supplication. I must be dreaming, thought Aura as she rested in the warm tub while Cairn carefully and thoroughly scrubbed, washed, and rinsed the waif from her head to her toes.

Satisfied that the girl was clean, Cairn urged her out of the now cooling water, wrapped her in a thick, plush fur, and led her to a chair in front of the great oven that also doubled as Cairn’s fireplace. Brushing the girl’s hair, she asked, What’s yer name, child? Where are ye from?

Aura spoke slowly, her voice new to her own ears, and replied, I am sorry, I am unable to answer your questions, for I do not know the answers myself. She frowned slightly and reached for her clothing, rummaging through the rags for what she sought. She reverently withdrew a small pouch that was miraculously intact, as it had been carefully tied and hidden within her skirts when she was pulled into the sea. She looked thoughtful as she withdrew a tiny trinket that revealed an even tinier portrait of three smiling people. I think that is me,? she said, pointing to the child in the picture. And this girl,? she pointed to the taller twin image in the photo, she looks like me, too.?

Aye, that she does, young un. Ye look identical now to the older lass in that photo. Carefully taking the locket from the girl, Cairn inspected it as she did all things...thoroughly. Here, look, Cairn said, indicating the signs of faint engravings on the side of the locket opposite the portrait. Can ye read, child? Aura slowly shook her head and replied, No, maam.

Thas alright girl. See here? It says Aura, Laia, and Xane." Cairn slowly read each word, indicating who in the painting the name corresponded with. So yer name is Aura. A funny name fit for an odd waif such as yerself.? Cairn nodded, smiling. Aye, it suits ye.?

Cairn continued to study the photo as she fussed about the girl. She stood behind Aura absently yet reverently brushing the white silken mass of the girl’s long hair, the memory that had been nagging her finally reaching the forefront of her mind. Master Xane...of Cove! thought Cairn. Why, it can nae be...He has grown old so quick! She continued brushing Aura’s hair, the both of them thinking their separate thoughts. Aura could not believe how much her life had changed in one day, nor could Cairn believe what extraordinary luck she had in finding this girl.

After assuring herself Aura’s hair was thoroughly groomed, Cairn helped the girl into a comfortable dressing robe and then into bed for some much needed rest. She tucked her gently but firmly into bed, instructed her to make herself at home when she awoke, and told her that under no circumstances was Aura to leave the safety of the shop until Cairn returned.

Cairn quietly laid out the set of clothing for Aura she had chosen earlier downstairs some clean undergarments, a dress she had recently sewn of special fabric, and new sandals. The color and sheen of the fabric was that of the icy glacial passes in these parts, bright with a slight bluish tint, and was smooth and cool to the touch. The sandals of the same special hue of the dress would be fitted upon Aura’s dainty feet and gently laced up her shapely calves.

Waiting until she was sure the girl was sleeping soundly, Cairn began her mission. Quickly uttering the words Kal Ort Por, she was at the Cove docks and beginning the short walk through the forest to the villa on the southern coast, completely unsure of what repercussions her hasty trip might bring.


RP Items Request
(A black staff hue 2569)

[imported_Cailey]

Contact me ingame My name is Aura

Thanks

[imported_Tabion]

A very good story, though the dolphins should have saved that poor fisherman too. I am wondering though, will your character, Aura, fit into this story at any time? I hope you continue it either way as I enjoyed reading it.

[imported_Shade]

Your story has been accepted and your watch time begins now.
(When you have a chance please respond to the pm I sent you)

[imported_Cailey]

*done sir*

[imported_Shade]

Thank you, appreciate it.