The portals of fate affect each of us differently. One effect we all share to
some degree however. A distortion of some sort, affecting our memories. It has
been two or three years since my meeting with the fates took place and until
very recently I could not recall much of my past life. The name 'Narses' for
instance, I cannot say if indeed this was the name I received upon my birth,
maybe it was the first thing I could come up with. I did know a few things
however, a list of cold facts, And that's exactly what it was, a list, bringing
no associable memories with it. I knew I was an Elfen, My parents were not among
the living and it was someone's fault, I knew not who. I also knew that they
were the last of many things I came to lose. These past few nights however,
brought with them visions of the past, visions of the events that lead to my
entry to the portals of fate and possibly, finally answering why I chose the
place in which I am. A ray of light pierced the veil that clouded my mind only
to reveal the shadows of my past. And in order to remember and never again
forget, I am writing this down.
Kind images and recollections swarmed my mind as Serenwilde's image formed
before me. Thirteen years old at the time I was raised by two friends of my
deceased parents. I was happy, as happy as I could be considering what I have
endured, losses I still cannot recall and quite possibly never shall. At the
time those losses still hurt and burdened me. The story picks up to form the
chain of events at night, as casual as any night could be. I was at home,
waiting for the return of Envill and Tamara. I've been playing with my friends
most of the day and just recently finished bathing when they came in. Tamara
was a beautiful Elfen, green almond eyes and long chestnut brown hair framed
her delicate face. She was rather tall but not as tall as her husband. Envill,
her husband, had a fierce look to him, long black hair and green eyes adorned
his sharp-lined face, his body was broad and masculine and they were both
honored denizens of the Serenwilde commune. The fates, it seems, have a taste
for the ironic. Looking back I guess they loved me, to their own fashion. But
it was not the love I once had, the love that was snatched away from me. At
that night they spoke to me of their a pland they formed. They talked of a
diseased forest, crawling with the taint… The forest of Gloriana, so they told
me, was once like the Serenwilde, as green and as beautiful until the wretched
civilization unleashed Kethuru and with it the tainting of the Gloriana. They
came up with a way to restore it to its former days of glory, and so they
decided to go and make the attempt. Despite their obvious attempts to sway my
mind to think as they do, I couldn't help but feel sorrow, for the tree of my
life was being uprooted yet again, and I had a feeling that this uprooting,
will prove even less pleasant then those that came before. My choice on the
matter, of course, was close to non-existent and so our departure was scheduled
to the following week. And indeed after the passage of a week I found myself
treading the Alabaster highroad, traveling south and away from Serenwilde.
The journey was quite pleasant and enjoyable, I have yet to travel so much in
my life and found the fresh air and new sights refreshing and intriguing. I
also remember the looming mass of shadow that seemed to grow and spread as we
made progress. When I saw we were not changing course I decided to ask Envill
about this odd, foreboding place. Envill twitched slightly when I spoke his
name… these days he seemed very aloof and disoriented and a troubled expression
adorned his face at all times. He smiled a fake, small smile as he composed
himself and answered my question "This is the Gloriana forest, this is what we
face and this is what we shall restore". A loud cawing sound rose from the
shadowy depths of that place, the sound was dreadful to the ears and yet, I
could feel a sense of mockery in it, and without intending it I asked: "How are
you intending to pull that one off?". Envil blinked in surprise and smiled
softly, "don't worry about it child, leave these matters to us". When we turned
eastwards on the great pass we drew close to that cloister of shadows , which
was the Gloriana, too close to my liking. I tried to look into the forest but
the veil of shadows was too thick to penetrate. Canopies of ancient trees kept
the rays of the sun at bay. Shadows leapt from one place to the next and even
though there was a strong breeze, not a single leaf stirred within that place.
Dread filled my gut, yet I kept silent throughout the journey. The gods saw fit
to grant me my wish and we finally turned away from that place north, to the
village of Stewertsville. Stewertsville looked like a pretty pleasant place to
live in, and indeed the villagers greeted us with open arms. But I was not
fooled, something was a miss, Envill and Tamara both looked anxious and tense.
I also noticed that they had removed the symbols of Serenwilde which adorned
their garments. I understood then, the name of Serenwilde was not to be uttered
here.
We were led to the very southern outskirts of the village where a wooden cabin
stood. The cabin had two floors, the lower floor was consisted of a large
living room, Envill and Tamara's bedroom and the kitchen, none of which were
out of the ordinary. My room was on the upper floor, adjacent to the den. The
room was placed directly above the entrance to the cabin, it held nothing
unique, the only thing I liked about it was the large round window which was
fixed to its southern wall, overseeing our front yard and door… but the view
was not as welcoming when I gazed further to the south, the shadowy outskirts
of the Gloriana loomed there, like a black cancerous growth upon the land.
For a while we simply took the time to settle in and get to know our neighbors
and the village around us. Those were happy times, both Envill and Tamara
remained at home mostly and I was beginning to think they gave up their plans,
I hoped they did. Tamara and Envill insisted upon a certain set of rules I
found odd, I did not link them to the impending danger though, I should have
really, I think I simply chose to disregard them. Runes of some significance
were carved along the walls of the house I was also ordered to lock and seal
all doors and windows on a daily basis before nightfall. Light was ever present
within the house, candles were lit at all times, even during the night. I found
it a bit hard to sleep with all those candles at the beginning, but one gets
used to such things eventually. The routine took root and I took it for granted
without question. Those pleasant days were to be the last. Envill called me to
him in the den one night. He seemed rather excited so I reckoned he had some
good news. "sit down please" he asked me, and so I did. "what is this about?" I
asked, not being used to be alone with the warrior, especially not in the den.
"The time for planning has ended and now it is time for doing, son, beginning
tomorrow morning you will see us less frequently and so I think it is time for
you to learn how to watch out for yourself". I was disgruntled to hear that
they have no given up on their plans. His reference to me as his son was
moving, but I could not see him as my father, I felt bad because of it. A
slight smile of reminisce tugged at his mouth as he rose from his seat. He went
to the nearby closet and from it withdrew a simple-looking scabbard. With his
back facing me he said " This was made for me when I but a child, I want you to
have it, dangerous times are a head and I think you deserve to know and have the
means to defend yourself". With that he turned to face me, his hands held the
scabbard as the hilt was pointed at me. I understood his meaning and I got hold
of the hilt and withdrew it. The blade was far more exquisite then the scabbard
which held it. The hilt was of pure silver, around it, a metallic green vine
was coiled, forming a handle that allowed a better grip of the hilt. The blade
itself was made of steel, glistening in the flickering candle-light, it was
extremely sharp. "Thank you Envill, I know not what to say". "Now is not the
time for thanking, now is the time for acting, steel yourself!", and with that
he drew his own blade. We practiced for hours, well into the night, before he
dsimissed me.
The next morning I woke up to find that both Tamara and Envill already left. I
haven't been around the village much and so I decided to go about and explore a
bit. As I made my way around, the villagers seemed to be acting strange. Nasty
glances were thrown at me from people who thought I wasn't looking. those who
walked by me seemed to hasten their pace, as if to gain as much distance away
from me as possible. What could I have possibly done that I was treated so, I
wondered. My mood in wreck, I started to make my way back to the cabin when I
noticed an outstretched hand, making a beckoning motion towards me, the hand
was attached to a body of course, but it was hidden in the shadowy space
between two houses. I hurried to that place, happy to see that at least someone
was willing to speak with me. When I entered that alley I recognized then man
who called me, it was Virmen. Virmen was an elederly man, with kind brown eyes,
beak like nose and nearly no hair, Virmen was a welcome sight. I met him every
now and then and he always asked how I fared. He smiled kindly and we started
talking about this and that, he kept asking about my parents and when he saw
that I didn't know much he seemed to become more and more tense, his feet
shuffling with unease. "listen carefully lad, I like you and therefore I will
leave you with this warning, if you value your life, tell your parents to stop
their actions. The Glomdoring cannot be undone, and it does not forgive nor
forget" and with that he departed, leaving me stunned and confused… what in the
name of Nil is Glomdoring? And why did that crazy old man think we had anything
to do with it?.
Shaken and disturbed, I made my way back to the cabin. I lay in my bed and
sleep crept over me. When I awoke, Envill and Tamara were already back. They
were sitting in the living room. They were a bit pale and bruised but in good
spirits. They talked quietly amongst themselves and when I cleared my throat to
announce my presence, they stopped. Tamara smiled at me "How was your day
child?", I told her of my encounter with Virmen and his words. Both Envill and
she seemed deeply disturbed, the color draining from their face. "You are not
to leave this cabin for the next few days until we say otherwise, is that
clear?" I was too shocked to retaliate. I simply nodded and turned back towards
my room, I stopped besides the staircase leading up and asked "What is this
Glomdoring anyways?" Envill stood up so fast, I thought he would strike me.
Tamara reached for his arm and took hold of it. "He doesn't know what he is
saying, let it be". Envill turned to me and said "You will not repeat that name
again, am I being perfectly clear?". "Crystal" I muttered as I made my way up. I
crashed down into my bed, my mind reeling with questions… What's Glomdoring, and
what happened to make those two act so irrationally? And I drifted to deep
sleep… and I dreamt.
I was heading back towards our cabin, it was dark outside and it suddenly hit
me. I am not supposed to be out after nightfall!. Panic gripped me, my gut
twitched as I started to make way to the trail that led back to the cabin. When
I stepped on the trail, everything darkened, I glanced back and Stewertsville
was no more. A wall of massive skeletal trees loomed over me, blocking all else
from sight. I turned back to the trail, only to find more such trees, I was in a
clearing, surrounded by a forest that looked like, no, it was, the Gloriana
forest. The only path leading out was the trail that led back to the cabin. The
trees started to stir slightly as cold, faint voices started whispering with
increasing intensity 'Glomdoring, Glomdoring'. The canopies became alive with
many red eyes. I ran down the path, feeling the forest closing in on me, from
the corner of my eyes I saw the stirring of vines, their thorns gleamed with
the poison that oozed from them, occasionally one would thrash wildly at the
air, missing me by a bare inch. After what seemed like hours I finally reached
the cabin. I was soaked with the mixture of sweat and tears, my gut convulsed
with intense fear, unlike any I have ever faced, my heart was beating so fast,
I thought it would explode. Panting hard, I gazed at the cabin and let out a
cry of utter terror. The round window above the entrance, the window to my
room, was no longer a window but a huge red eye, the eye gazed at me and I
could feel its rage, its hunger...unquenchable thirst. I had to flee, I tried
to run but my muscles did not register my attempts. I found myself drawing
nearer… The door swung open and within I saw an inferno of black flame,
consisted of shadows. I felt my skin being pilled off of me when the vines
finally caught up with me, wrapping me in a deadly shredding embrace. I was
being flayed alive as the vines continued to push me onwards, towards the
flames. I let out a scream and found myself in my bed. I was soaking wet, sweat
trickled down my face and neck, but I was alive, I was fine and it was all a bad
dream. I turned over to my side. My eyes registering the vine that lay beside
the bed, yet my mind was too numb to respond with fear, or at all. The drapes
stirred in the morning breeze and I immediately tensed, breeze? The window is
supposed to be locked. I got up and made my way to the window, the lock was
broken. I heard a soft flapping sound as a crow landed on the window's frame.
He seemed to be blind, as the eye that faced me was missing. The crow cocked
his head slightly, as if registering the details of the room before he turned
his head again. I came to realize that the crow was not blind at all. A
malevolent red eye peered at me, drinking in my essence. The crow reared his
head and cawed, darkness took me.
When I woke again it was late noon, I was yet again, in my bed. There was no
sign of any vine, but the window's lock was indeed broken. I dismissed it all.
It must have been a bad dream, a really bad dream.
It was not long before Tamara and Envill returned, in an even worse state then
the day before. I tended to their wounds in silence. I couldn't bring myself to
tell them of my dream, I couldn't run through it again, what was the point?. I
knew now that they were lying, or to be more exact, they were not telling me
everything. They went to rest and I went about lighting the candles around the
house. As I glimpsed outside of my window I realized with horror that the
Gloriana forest seemed to be much closer then before. I had to make sure, I
sped down and out of the front door. I fell to my knees and started to cry like
a helpless child. The cabin's front yard was now bordered with looming skeletal
trees. The Gloriana and all its might was knocking on our front door. I went
back in and locked the door. I ran to the master bedroom where Envill and
Tamara slept. I woke Tamara up and told her of what I just saw, my words making
a very vague sense as I found it hard to speak coherently. Tears were running
down my cheeks, and all attempts to compose myself failed. Tamara woke Envill
and with speed I had thought impossible in their current state, they started to
go over the runes etched on the walls, weaving and reinforcing their strength.
As I gazed through the common rooms windows I saw shadows stir and move about
the forest as creatures of nightmare started to make their way towards the
cabin. Humanoids made of earth, fiends of thorns and all manner of
grotesqueries advanced towards us, moving about yet keeping their gaze fixed
upon the cabin. They simply encircled us and kept their distance. To this day I
do not know what made them hold back, was it the runes? I have a feeling that no
force Envill or Tamara could conjure stood a chance against these things. They
chose to wait, and so did we. "We must get out of here, you were lying! This is
no forest in shambles! Please, don't make me stay here, I don't want to die!" I
could barely speak now, my head pounded with fear and pain… I could not stand
it. Tamara took me in her arms and embraced me. "it's ok son, don't worry, they
cannot harm you here. Tomorrow is our last day here, for tomorrow the final
steps of our plan will be taken and we will be able to get back home. Imagine,
being back in green Serenwilde, sheltered and safe from all harm". Eventually I
could no longer stay awake and sleep gripped me. This time, thankfully, I had no
dreams. I woke to see that yet again Tamara and Envill were gone. On the table I
found a note "Dear son, we have gone out to settle the few things that need to
be settled before we can depart. Please make sure to pack our belongings and
some food for the road. Love, mom and dad".
I was thrilled and relieved at the same time. The day raced by as I packed our
things into three packages we could easily carry. Time passed by as nightfall
settled over the land. And yet there was no sign of Envill or Tamara. I started
to worry, I re-lit all candles and locked all the doors when I heard a crashing
sound coming from the front door. I ran for the door and opened it, I will
never forget what I saw then. Tamara had stumbled in, her face seemed as though
it has been melted away, one of her eyes was missing and she was bleeding
heavily from many deep wounds that covered her entire figure. Followed by her
was Envill, his face too seemed melted as if scorched by some intense flame.
His eyes remained in their sockets but he sported a broken hand, like Tamara he
too was bleeding heavily. They made their way to the common room and collapsed
and at that all the lights within the house flickered out simultaneously,
extinguished by the might of the forest. The front door burst into splinters,
shadows started creeping in as thorny vines snaked down from the ceiling
towards us. We were surrounded and the ring kept getting smaller, like a
tightening strangling cord. A huge crow then appeared at the entrance. Larger
then a wolf, the crow had oily black feathers and sharp talons which seemed to
be stained with dry blood. The crow's single red eye came to rest upon me. He
opened his beak and cawed what seem to be the physical manifestation of fear.
Oblivion gripped me and I was overcome by darkness.

I woke up, eventually, the sun was up… I could easily say that, seeing that
there was no longer a roof, or any other supporting wall for that matter. Only
the ruins of the common room remained standing. The once beautiful Envill and
Tamara lay shattered and broken on the floor, nothing more then two bloated
carcasses. Vines were attached to their skins, vicious looking thorns dug deep
into their flesh. I couldn't feel anything, couldn't bring myself to move, to
cry or to feel, I went numb. I know not for how long I sat there, but it seemed
like hours. The sounds of footsteps made me snap out of my trance, who managed
to get so close without my notice? Was I indeed so dazed?. I pulled out my
blade then, I was not going to meet the fates empty-handed, I was not going to
die without having my say!. The steps stopped and a harsh, dry voiced cracked
like a whip, "Put that twig down Elfen, you know it will not serve you now,
even though I appreciate the attempt". I stood up to face this odd being and I
came to realize he said what he did. He was wearing heavy robes of thick black
fabric, his face was hooded and I couldn't spot a single piece of exposed skin.
An aura of power radiated from him and I knew that no blade could undo this kind
of might. He then took a step back and bowed, I was taken a back and knew not
what to do. "What do you want?" I asked, "I have nothing to give so robbing me
would be pointless". "I bow to those who receive a word from Crow. Know that
your life were spared because he so chose. You have paid the price of blood,
you have earned the right to live. Know that these two corpses sought to undo
that which is beyond them, that which was never theirs. You have paid the price
of blood, you have earned the right to seek vengeance… But the question is, do
you really wish it?" He then gestured towards an ethereal archway that appeared
out of thin air. "It is now time to decide and weave your own fate. Go, and if
you wish it, seek me, Brennan Stormcrow, of Glomdoring". I could not resist the
power of the archway, and as I stepped through, darkness took me.
My decisions are now made clear, Nothing matters but Glomdoring!
Narses, of the Blacktalons.