Contest Entry – My Journey

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KELANDRA OF EUROPA

Character Name: Kelandra of Europa

My Journey

 

My name is Kelandra. My home is Europa. I am a warrior fighting against the many hordes of evil in Britannia. Undead, demons, dragons, even some humans are my enemies. I never intended to be a fighter, but when Fate’s cruel hand singled me out, I had no choice.

I was brought into this world 19 years ago by my mother Kaldea, and my father Flapjack. My father was a blacksmith in the City of Britain and my mother was a tailor, they lived out their lives peacefully, serving the other citizens of Britannia, selling their wares at the local bank and only asking in return for enough to ensure our family could live happily and healthily.

It was a week after my 17th birthday when my life changed forever, my father was killed by a marauding band of Cyclopes, Earth Elementals and Lizardmen on his way back to our Barrier Isle house. My world crashed down around me. I couldn’t understand how or why he had been taken away from me. We had an armed escort to my father’s funeral but it still did not ease our fears. My mother and I did not return to Britain for many weeks after that, too scared to step outside. Some brave citizens came to our humble abode with food and supplies for us, for which we will always be eternally grateful.

It was almost three months after his death before I braved the outside world once again. I jumped on Silhouette, my loyal steed and together we galloped through the town, not stopping until we reached my father’s workshop.
I left Silhouette in the care of a nearby stablemistress while I went into the workshop to look at what my father had been working on, to see if I could make any sense out of what had happened.
Inside I found a piece of parchment pinned to a wooden post on which a letter was scribed. It read:

To my daughter Kelandra, The invasion is becoming more hostile and I fear for the safety of you and your mother. I know it is only a matter of time before they reach this area of the city and I want to make sure you are safe. Indeed as I write, I realise that, if you are reading this note it means that I am already dead.

Inside the red armoire is a sword which I have been working on for quite some time, it is forged from a rare metal and is faster, sharper and more accurate than any weapon I have ever crafted before.

A good friend of mine has imbued the blade with powerful magic so not only will it occasionally strike with the heat of fire, but it will always stay with you, no matter what may happen.

Use it to protect yourself and fight for the side of good. Learn the art of the warrior that you may never suffer the same fate that I have.

Take care, Kelandra. I will be with you, always.

I crossed the room to the armoire and opened it. True to my father’s word there, inside, was a weapon of great magnitude. I removed the sword and held it aloft. The Britannia light was quickly fading, but as it shone through the window it caught the edge of the blade causing it to glint with a fiery intensity. I lowered the weapon and looked back into the armoire. Laying inside was a shield bearing the maker’s mark of my father. Placing it on my arm made me feel greatly protected.

Looking around his workshop I found little else, my father never liked working on more than one or two projects at a time so that he could devote all his skill to crafting exceptional weapons and armour.

With the moons of Trammel and Felucca now glowing eerily in the sky I felt it unwise to try and travel home so I headed to the Sweet Dreams inn, sword and shield in hand, to rest for the night, for I knew that the next day was going to be mentally and physically exhausting.

I woke early the next morning, the events of the previous day were still running through my head. I rose, dressed, and bidding farewell to the innkeeper I claimed Silhouette and headed to the Jhelom Duelling Pits to talk to some of the fighters there about learning the art of being a warrior. I paid one of them 6 gold pieces for a day’s training. He showed me how to hold my weapon, how to swing, how to parry. We trained for only a few hours but he soon decreed that I had learnt all that he could teach me and so set me up in the duelling pits to challenge a more experienced warrior. This was my first lesson in physical pain! No sooner had the battle commenced before I received my first wound, a slash across my left arm where I had failed to use my shield correctly. I fought back straight away but just as quickly I was floored by a cut to my legs. I had to concede the fight. My opponent removed his platemail helm and helped me to my feet and led me to the nearby healers. On the way he introduced himself as Leo the Fighter and went on to explain how he could train me to be a much better fighter once my wounds were healed.

Elsie the Healer greeted me outside the healer huts and took me inside. Taking just a plain bandage so healed my wounds in such way that the bleeding was instantly stemmed and all the pain was gone. Her technique was so great that I felt able to fight again in just a few seconds. I asked her how it was that she managed to perform such an amazing task without the aid of magic. She smiled and began to explain to me the secrets of healing.

She showed me how to apply the bandages to have the most efficient results, she showed me books on human anatomy and explained how not only could it help me heal more effectively but it would also help me deal more damage in combat by knowing my enemies weaknesses.

Shortly after another wounded warrior entered the huts and Elsie instructed me on how to heal his wounds. My first few bandages barely helped but soon I had succeeded. She told me that I could also heal myself in combat and gave me some clean bandages to take with me. I expressed my gratitude and gave her some gold as a thank you for all her help and teachings, then I returned to the Duelling Pits and practiced my healing arts until sunset.

Confident in my ability to heal I decided to call it a day and retired to the Morning Star Inn to rest and recover before continuing my training the next day.

I was in the Pits by seven o’clock waiting for Leo so I could resume training. He arrived shortly after and we begun almost immediately. He started teaching me about fighting tactics which would help me increase my damage output whilst fighting. I gathered the basics of it fairly quickly but knew that it would take a lot more fighting and experience before I would truly master the arts of the warrior. He taught me how to focus myself in battle to block out the pain of my wounds and keep my stamina up during long fights. I must have been sparring with him all day without even realising as once again the sun was beginning to set. He told me that I was almost a grand master in the arts of the warrior and he suggested I should head out into the nearby dungeons to hone my skills to perfection, but first he told me to go to the city of Luna and seek out one of the Keepers of Chivalry so I could learn more about fighting for the side of good.

I gave him my most grateful thanks and left the Pits for the nearby moongate for transportation to Luna.

Once there I found the Keeper of Chivalry and he instructed me to tithe some of my gold to the city shrine to prove my devotion to the chivalrous arts, which I did willingly. When I returned he handed me the Book of Chivalry and began to tell me how the words contained within could be used by those of reputable standing to enhance their fighting skills, heal their wounds magically and travel great distances instantaneously. He gave me some basic training which ended just as the moons came out, at which point I left and headed to the inn.

The next morning I headed to Ilshenar, land of the eight virtues – Compassion, Honesty, Honour, Humility, Justice, Sacrifice, Spirituality and Valour – to find evil foes to battle and vanquish. Armed with my weapon and shield I stepped through the Luna moongate and into Ilshenar. I was greeted on the other side by a stone gargoyle, the battle did not last long and I was the victor. As I had been told the night before by the Keeper of Chivalry, the victory over this foe had raised my karma which in turn, he had told me, would make my powers more effective.

I continued to slay a few more creatures, feeling the karma surge through my body when suddenly in front of me appeared one of the most feared creatures in the whole of Britannia, a sight so tremendous and awe-inspiring that for the unprepared warrior, certain death would follow. Fortunately I was fully alert and ready for this creature. A Balron. The Lord of the Abyss stood before me. The wingéd daemon looked straight at me, fire burned in his eyes, the smell of brimstone radiated from him. I knew where this foul monstrosity had come from, and I knew that I must send it back! I screamed out “Forul Solum”, declaring the creature as my mortal enemy and charged towards it.

The fight begun.

The Balron lashed out at me with its huge claws, balls of fire shot out of its eyes towards me knocking me off balance. As I fell it flew towards me, hoofed feet pointing straight at my head. I quickly rolled to the side and clambered back to my feet, bringing my sword down hard across the back of its leg. The daemon faltered, but maintained its composure summoning a great bolt of lightning from the sky above me. I dived out the way and landed another blow, this time to the creature’s side, I followed it with one to its arm and another to its body. The Balron writhed in agony but continued to cast against me, a column of fire shot up from where I was standing, the immense heat burning my armour. The creature stopped to breathe and I seized my chance. I ran towards it, sword held out in front of me, when I was less than a yard away I jumped, getting as much height as I could, and thrust my sword at the creature’s throat. The blade tore through its pale silvery skin and sunk itself in deep. I knew then that it was over.

As the beast fell before me I felt an overwhelming sense of peace descend upon me, I felt my karma rising and my chivalrous abilities growing stronger. I knew then that with my skills, weapons and armour I would forever be able to uphold the eight virtues of good in my father’s name.

My journey continues.

Last modified: March 28, 2011

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