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Anestacia

04-13-2008, 09:53 PM

/ooc Hello, I have decided to try my hand at the fan-fiction thing and this is my first time posting anything I have written. The characters in the story are either made up by me or are friends/acquaintances I have met in my 8 years on EQ. The bulk of the story takes place in Everquest II but has a strong footing in Everquest Live as well. My tale starts where it all began for our EQ2 universe; the Plane of Time. I hope you enjoy it and without any further delay, here is my prologue to Dreams and Nightmares.Prologue Anastacia’s long, black robe flowed down to the harsh ground bellow her feet as she glanced over to the slain four-headed dragon to her right. Her journey had come to an end; mortals had breached the planes of power and along with her mighty legion of companions, the beautiful white-haired enchantress had defeated the avatars of the gods themselves. The cheerful sounds of her companions had brought a small feeling of warmth to her hardened heart when she noticed her dear friend, Nicolas, standing by himself. She walked gently to her weary Wood Elven friend and embraced his shoulder tightly, careful to not show too much emotion. He peered at his friend through his shaggy hair that covered his tear drenched eyes. The tall Dark Elf released his shoulder and began to brush the blonde strands from his saddened face. “He truly is gone, Anastacia. Everything I have done since his death…things I didn’t think I was even capable of…and for what? I still feel just as empty now as the day he was brutally murdered by the wicked god he once worshipped.” Nicolas said as he tightly clinched the leaf covered scimitar that lay at his side. Anastacia had a strong policy to never mince words, thus it was no surprise to the tanned skinned elf when she answered so bluntly. “Yes; he’s gone. It is unfortunate as he was my brother, less you forget. However, you will have to get past this or you will never be able to move on with your life, my young friend.” “Get past it?” Nicolas looked angered at his friend. “He was the love of my life and that detestable god killed him without even a second thought. If only I could find the person that Innoruuk sent who was responsible for this I would… ” “You would what? Do the same thing to him as he did to Tashir? Or perhaps make his loved ones feel the same pain you are feeling now? If there is one thing I have learned about the prince of hate it is that his followers are often just as manipulated and tortured as his victims are. Just take solace in the fact that you were able to drive your scimitar into the heart of the dark god and let that serve as your revenge. That is why you chose to join this legion of warriors was it not?” “You know as well as I that who we killed was not Innoruuk; it was merely an avatar he created for himself. I will, however, find my way into his hateful plane and destroy him once and for all. Even Tunare herself could not deny me that justice.” “You know your sanctimonious goddess forbids you from needless acts of revenge; even if it is against the dark father.” Nicolas glanced down the long tunnel that lay behind him as he listened to the words of his dear friend. “Then so be it; I care not if she approves. After my years of devotion to her she has still allowed Tashir to be taken from me and I will have my revenge with or without her approval.” He looked at the beautiful Dark Elf before him and embraced her tightly. “Go help the others; the whole reason for this long, unbearable journey lies silently imprisoned in that sphere.” “You have earned the right to hear the secrets he holds as well; come and we will hear them together.” “I am pleased to have seen the end of this journey with you, my brave friend, but I have to take this opportunity; I may never again be as close as I am at this very moment.” “You can not possibly be contemplating on doing what I think you are.” Nicolas ran his hands through his blonde hair to once again remove it from his eyes. “This is where we part. I have no plans to return but I can not live the rest of my life without Tashir; my soul died the moment he breathed his last breath.” “I will not try and persuade you from what you feel you must do. You are strong and I am confident that you can do anything you put your mind to, Nicolas.” The two friends stood silently for a few more moments and with one final embrace Anastacia stood and watched her friend begin down the long hall behind them. She turned her back to the fleeing Wood Elf and walked toward the glowing sphere that had grabbed her other companion’s attention. The round beam of light exploded, briefly blinding everyone that stood near it. From beneath the diminishing light, a tall weakened man sprang forth. The shackles had rubbed his wrists and ankles raw and he could barely limp toward his saviors. Anastacia’s friends had heard rumors of an elaborate plan being developed by the gods of Norrath every since the moment they stepped foot into the Plane of Knowledge after its re-opening. They had learned of the imprisonment of the weak being that stood before them, the un-god Zebuxoruk, by the rest of the pantheon. As a student of Druzzil Ro herself, he knew very well the plans the others had for the races of Norrath and intended to warn the mortals of Norrath. The gods, fearing he truly would reveal their secret plans, imprisoned him in the plane where time does not exist and guarded him carefully. Anastacia, Nicolas and the rest of their many companions fought their way through all of the planes and killed every god’s avatar that stood in their way and now the answers they sought were about to be revealed to them. Zebuxoruk stood silently for a few moments peering at the men and women that had just saved him and then began to speak to them. “My thanks to you; I am surprised to see you have made it here. We must get back to Norrath. The time has come for me to share my knowledge. Something is coming, a threat to us all, and the sands in the hourglass are thinning. Make haste and take me back the way you came.” Anastacia glanced down the hall at these words and watched as her friend continued toward his destination. She looked back toward the man she had just helped to free and listened as he continued his tale. “I am surprised at the gods for taking such drastic measures, though I suppose all of the creations of the Nameless are capable of displaying poor judgment and irrational behavior. These gods are burdened with powers and responsibilities beyond our comprehension, yet at times even they do not understand the eventual effect of their actions. I am compelled to share the knowledge of the gods with the populace of Norrath, so that I might save their creations. They do not realize that if mortality ceases to exist... if they are not worshipped and held aloft by the beliefs of those that they now have grown to fear... they will fall from power and a new age of darkness will wash over existence as they know it. I did not seek to interfere with them or their realms, only to free them from a fate that awaits all of us. It is this fate that now stands ready, greedily gathered on the edge of the void, ready to test the will of all mortals. If they have taken measures these extreme I must rethink what I have done, and what I will do. If there was this much cause for conc...” He had been interrupted; but by what, Anastacia thought as she looked around the room. She began to see why he had paused from his speech. A goddess they had not encountered on their journey stood before them. This was neither an avatar nor an illusion; Druzzil Ro, the mighty goddess of magic, stood before them silently. Anastacia could hear her begin to talk yet her lips never once moved. The mighty goddess spoke directly to the freed prisoner as if completely ignoring the couple dozen mortals that filled the room. “Zebuxoruk, my student I cannot allow this to happen. If you were to escape from another prison the will and power of the gods will have been compromised.” “Druzzil, I have missed you. Wasn't it you that taught me in your own realm to seek knowledge and share it in all forms?” “That I did, but I also taught you not to share your wealth of knowledge if it would affect the fate of others. I cannot allow this to happen. I must set things back to how they were before you and these mortals arrived here, I believe that you cannot understand this and I am sorry.” With her final words she began to speak an incantation to herself. The mortals in the room became dizzy and one by one fell upon the floor. Anastacia too fell to her knees as she tried to focus on what was happening around her. She looked back down the long hall and she could see an image through her blurred vision; it was Nicolas. He had reached the room they had recently left and he peered toward the swirling portal in front of him. Hearing the screams and commotion from his friends behind him, he paused briefly. He looked down the corridor he had just come through and saw an array of multicolored lights filling the hall, quickly moving toward him. A split second of doubt washed over him but realized now he had no choice. The Wood Elf placed his hands onto the portal but that one moment of hesitation had caused him his failure. Just as he was about to be engulfed by the swirling dark lights, the room was filled with Druzzil’s magic, causing him to loose his balance and fall to his knees. Anastacia could no longer focus on anything so she closed her eyes in hopes of stopping the spinning in her head. She curled herself into a balled position and tried to block out the pains in her head. Then, for a small brief moment the pain ended and she drifted silently into a deep slumber. Druzzil Ro had turned back time itself in her efforts to keep the dark secrets of the gods from being revealed. She returned the adventures to the moment in time before they ever entered the plane in which to free the imprisoned un-god. However, something had happened she did not intend. While sending Anastacia and her friends backward, she created a rift in the time stream; a rift that created an exact duplicate of the world but that now existed on an entirely different plane of existence. Druzzil had saved one world but in doing so she had doomed another; one that would see the end of the gods, the sealing of the planes and many natural disasters. From that moment, the two worlds continued on very different paths from one another. One would move onward, remembering nothing of what had happened this day but the other would suffer the consequences of conquering the planes of power and was in for a long period of hardships for their betrayal to the gods. This is those poor unfortunate souls tale.Side note:The dialogue from Druzzil and Zebuxoruk was not made up by me. I wanted to keep that event as accurate as possible.

Anestacia

04-15-2008, 01:31 AM

Chapter One The cold, brisk air rustled through the high tree-tops of the woodland kingdom of Kelethin. Night had fallen many hours previously and most of the inhabitants were fast asleep within their large acorn style houses. One of the residents, having been stirred from his deep slumber, stood outside of his home and starred at the blue wisps that filled the dark night sky above him. Almost entranced by the lights, he concentrated so intently on trying to make sense of the weak voice that had just called out to him that he hadn’t even noticed the small Fae that had just fluttered by his side until it spoke out to him. “Yuki,” the small, blue winged fairy spoke softly, “What in the world are you doing out here at this time of night?” The blonde High Elf jerked around as if someone had just punched him in his side. “Vany, you scared the life out of me! I didn’t hear you sneak up on me.” The small, boyish creature simply smiled and asked his friend once again, “Why aren’t you inside fast asleep?” “I was in bed up until s few moments ago, but something aroused me from my slumber. A voice called my name softly but I could not make out where it was coming from.” “Oh, Yuki, that was nothing more than a dream. Let’s get you back inside and…” “It was more than that. I had never heard this voice before yet it felt so warm and familiar.” “Well what did she want from you? Did she say anything to you besides merely calling your name?” “No; that was it. I quickly got up and looked around inside and out of the house but there was no sign of anyone except for you downstairs, still sleeping. I guess…” A small whisper came upon his ears once again and he stopped speaking for a moment as he looked around in a panic. “What is it? What do you hear?” Vanyar asked. “The girl is calling to me again. She sounds as if she is calling from the old Kelethin lift.” “That is impossible, Yuki. There is no way you could hear anything from that far away.” “Perhaps, but that’s where I hear her and I am going to find out what’s going on.” The handsome elf and his winged companion ran briskly through the wooden ramps of the city. Yuki had spent his entire life growing up in Kelethin and knew every shortcut there was. He grabbed onto the branches and hoisted himself upward, ignoring the strong gusts of cold wind that were determined to blow him off. It took everything Vanyar had to keep up with his agile friend but in the short distance ahead of him he noticed Yuki had stopped in his tracks. After finally catching up to the thin elf, he fluttered up to his ear and looked concerned. “Is…is this where the voice was calling you from?” “Yes; inside that house right there,” Yuki pointed to the old house in front of him. The house stood in remembrance, as did the whole small section of Old Kelethin, of a time when the Wood Elves ruled this peaceful city. “We really should be heading back. I mean it’s probably not safe to…” Before he could finish his warning the door to the small house in front of them swung open. A dark figure of a woman stood silhouetted in the low candlelight that emitted from inside. The same voice that had been calling to him since he awoke now spoke to him in person, “Please, young druid, come inside. It is imperative that we speak.” Vanyar pulled on the long sleeved shirt that Yuki wore and pleaded one more time, “please don’t do this; we don’t know if this person can be trusted. It could be a trap.” “Calm down, Vany. I have always protected you and I will do so now if it is necessary, but I just don’t get an aggressive feeling from this presence. Now, come along.” Yuki beamed a warm smile to his winged friend and proceeded toward the opened door. The elf and the fairy walked into the house and as soon as they stepped their last foot inside the door behind them quietly shut on its own. “Please take a seat, Yuki.” The shadowed figure’s voice said to him. “How do you know my name? How do you…” “I know all about you. I know about your past…and your future.” “I don’t have much of a past to speak of and I imagine my future will be just as meaningless,” Yuki responded. “On the contrary, my friend; you have been chosen to keep safe the most precious gift this world will ever receive.” She stepped from the shadows that had concealed her and entered the candlelight. Her skin was as pale as snow and her hair was a dark shade of brown. She wore a beautifully stitched white and blue robe that touched the floor of the old house. “My name is Vallandra, and it is now time for me to leave the avatar of dreams under your protection. This is the gift I of which I spoke.” She turned around and pointed her long, thin arm toward a sleeping Dark Elf on the small bed that lay in the corner of the room. “Her name is Anastacia and she has been asleep since the day she arrived in Kelethin almost five hundred years ago.” “That…that’s impossible. How could anyone survive that long without the ability to eat or drink?” Vanyar asked. “She has been in a suspended state of dreams for all this time. Within that suspension everything a normal mortal might need to survive was not necessary and she has not aged one day since her coma was induced. The mighty Morell-Thule sent me to watch over her and keep her secure and now his avatar is about to awaken and she needs a new guardian.” “But why me? Why was I chosen for this?” Yuki asked softly. “Because it is your destiny. It is why you were born and why you were brought to Kelethin all those years ago. I know you must feel completely confused and I apologize for that but time has grown shorter than we antcipated and so the avatar must awaken. I wish you luck on this journey and I pray that you succeed else this world will truly suffer. Good-bye, Yuki.” With her final words, the room filled with a blinding blue light before diminishing, revealing she had disappeared from sight. “What was that? She wishes me good luck on a journey yet she gave me zero details,” Yuki said. “I say we leave and forget this night ever happened, if you want to know my opinion,” Vanyar responded. “You know good and well that isn’t an option. The welfare of this girl has been left to us and we have to keep her safe.” “Tell you what. We will watch after her long enough to get onto her feet but then she’s on her own. You and I don’t have the means to take care of ourselves with the rising prices in this city much less take on another mouth to feed.” I hardly think that the god of dreams left this ‘precious gift’ in my hands to merely ‘get her back on her feet’, Vany. I guess we just wait for her to wake up and go from…” “Hello,” the Dark Elf’s soft voiced called from across the room. The thin boy rushed over to her side and knelt down so they could speak face to face. “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. My name is Yuki.” “I…I am…hmm. I’m sorry, I am afraid I’m a little confused at the moment.” “The woman that was here with us a few moments ago told us your name was Anastacia. Does that ring a bell?” Yuki asked sympathetically. “Yes; that is my name…Anastacia.” “Well if you don’t even know your name then I guess it’s useless to hope that you know what ‘journey’ we are supposedly going to be heading out on.” Vanyar asked sarcastically. With a smile, the elf looked over to the fairy and responded, “oh, that is as clear as crystal and I will be happy to explain as soon as the final member arrives.”

Anestacia

04-17-2008, 01:46 PM

Chapter Two Vanyar looked over to his companion and gave him an odd look. He then turned his glance back toward the Dark Elf that still laid in the bed of the small home. “So, let me get this straight just so I am clear. You have been asleep for roughly five hundred years, you just now wake up after all that time and you know another person is on their way and you know the details of a journey that we have all but been forced to do yet you didn’t know your own name until Yuki here just told it to you?” “That is pretty much it, yes,” she responded with a sly grin. “I don’t remember anything of my past but while in sleep I have seen visions. Visions of what must be done to prevent this world from suffering any more hardships than it already has.” “How do you know what hardships Norrath has undergone if you have been asleep this whole time?” Yuki asked. “As I said, I will explain the best way that I can when the other arrives,” she responded. The room then grew silent and the three sat motionless as they starred at the reflections of the flickering candles that looked as if they were about to be extinguished. Only a few moments had passed, yet it felt like an eternity in the uncomfortable silence, when the door to the small home slowly creaked open. From the dark shadows outside, the small framed boy walked inside. He was a very tall and lanky human with black hair and small framed spectacles on. “He…hello,” his low, soft voice said to the three companions. “I hope I am not extremely late, but I ran into some difficulties finding the place.” “Not at all, young Jeremiah. Please come closer and be sure to shut the door behind you.” Anastacia motioned her arm, instructing him to sit on the end of the bed beside her. “This is Yuki and his friend Vanyar. I have seen your face in my dreams many times and it is an honor to finally meet you.” “The honor is all mine, Anastacia. I too have seen your face in my dreams and I have longed for the day we would meet.” She beamed another smile in his direction and turned her focus to the other two that remained standing. “I will start at the beginning, as much as I can remember anyway. My memory reaches back five hundred years though I am much older than that I’m afraid. The first thing I noticed, beside the hard ground I was laid upon, was the destroyed pedestal that stood before me. As I laid silently contemplating where I was and what had happened, I managed to rise to my feet and look around. I was in a huge forest with foliage so thick I could not even see the sky above me. I followed the sounds of cheering and laughter until I reached a city built entirely into the tree tops. I walked to the lift that would have taken me upward but the armored men stopped me from proceeding. They told me that my kind was not welcomed into their kingdom and I would have to go elsewhere.” “Discouraged and confused, I turned away and started heading back up the path. Before I knew what had hit me, I felt a strong embrace from behind me. I turned around and had come face to face with a handsome Wood Elf who apparently knew me very well but I had no clue who he was. He explained to me that his name was Nicolas and that we had known each other for a long time and he had been searching for me for the past few months. Under his protection, I was allowed into the city and he brought me to his home, the home we sit in at this very moment. At that time it was filled with many vials and chemistry tables. The smell of sulfur was strong and I remember small, unusual symbols painted upon the walls. The windows were boarded up just as they still are and the poor boy looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He told me that finding me was the first joy he had had since he had lost someone very special to him. Over the following days, the more I tried to rest the more tired I would become. Finally the day came that I fell asleep and I never woke up.” “I don’t know what happened to Nicolas or where all his stuff has gone or how I was able to survive in a dream state for five hundred years. All I know is that within that dream I saw many things; disasters that had hit this world and ones yet to happen. Perhaps the most devastating vision I had was the unlocking of the hidden Orb of Nightmares. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would re open the Plane of Nightmares but there would be no safeguards containing it. The portal would open and the world would be consumed by the minions of Terris Thule and all of Norrath would be cursed in forever darkness. I was to lay in slumber until Morell’s wicked sister had discovered the location of the orb that he had hidden away so long ago. The fact that I am awake means she has discovered enough information on this orb to find it and eventually use it.” “How in the world are we going to be able to stop a deity with just the four of us?” Vanyar asked. “The gods have made a pact with one another. They would no longer interfere personally with this world.” “Right, I remember learning about that in school. The Tome of Destiny covers that,” Jeremiah added. Anastacia nodded at the thin boy. “So the gods will face severe punishment if they were to try and interfere, however they have each secretly chosen avatars to do their work for them. I am the avatar of Morell-Thule and I am convinced that Terris too has chosen an avatar and that person is on the move as we speak.” “So we are to find the orb for ourselves and then what?” Yuki asked. “We will destroy it,” she replied. “Then why ever hide it in the first place? Why didn’t Morell just have it destroyed instead of hiding it?” Vanyar asked, becoming more and more aggravated. “Terris had cast a curse on it that would not allow its destruction, but the seal has weakened over the centuries with her absence and should be easily destroyed now.” “Well let’s go to where it’s kept, bring it out and get rid of the damned thing and get back to our normal lives.” Vanyar responded. “It’s not quite as simple as that, little fairy,” Anastacia responded. “It is magically sealed in a small temple in the Ocean of Tears. Before the door will budge, there is a stone tablet in front that must have fifteen different artifacts inserted; artifacts that were rare five hundred years ago and I imagine are close to impossible to locate now.” “Which I assume is why the woman that came to see me in my dreams chose me to join you. Over the past hundred years my family has researched the whereabouts of these so called ‘epic’ weapons and we have uncovered just about all of their locations except three. My father passed his findings to my brother and myself before his death and last summer my brother fell ill to disease, leaving me the sole surviving member of my family. Everything my great, great grandfather started over one hundred years ago is in this journal and has been updated throughout that time by my grandfathers, father, brother and myself. I offer these findings in the service of the great god of Dreams and hope that it will be enough to save this world.” Jeremiah handed the journal over to the weakened Dark Elf. She took it from his hand and thanked him graciously. “Well, Yuki and Vanyar, you should head back home and do some packing. We will be leaving as soon as the sun begins to rise. Thank you again for your trust and your sacrifices. Jeremiah, I assume you have all your things packed already?” “Yes, the trip from Qeynos was a long one so I was sure to pack plenty of supplies and clothes.” “Excellent. Well, you two, I will see you back here in just a few short hours and then we will be off.” Anastacia stood from the bed for the first time since they had met and shook Yuki’s hand. The High Elf and the Fae left the house and the girl turned to face Jeremiah. “Thank you again; with your help that boy will finally be able to see his destiny and fulfill it once and for all.”

niko_teen

04-17-2008, 04:25 PM

very intresting. This story brings me back to the early days of the Traveler's Tales when a good portion of hte stories envolved people's movements from EQ1 to EQ2. I'd liek to see where this goes