Chapter I - Friends...

-Shssst! Lemalian whispered to his friend. You’re gonna get us killed! But Roun continued his low voiced mutter like he didn’t hear at all his friend’s gurgle. Lemalian was accustomed with this kind of behavior as Roun was totally inaccessible while casting his spells. He was entering some kind of trance, ignoring everything around and softly spelling the complicated words of magic.
But this time Lemalian insisted. The two orcs were already under the tree they were hiding into, they were furious to have discovered their mischief and willing to find and punish the guilty ones. And orcs were not famous for their kindness at all…
-Roun! Whispered Lemalian again… but it was already too late. One of the orcs raised his eyes and saw the two elf kids hidden in the foliage of the old oak tree. Lemalian had enough time to see the sharp blade of the orc k’thor turning towards them, when a glittering light exploded somewhere near him. He heard the terrible cries of the orcs and the voice of his companion: -Jump, my friend!
The two elf kids jumped off the oak tree and started to run, trying to get as far as they could from the orc camp. Another orc was already right behind them and they could feel the ground vibrations from his heavy steps. They knew the orc would probably kill them with one hit if he could only lay his hand on them. They were running for their lives. In front of them there was a crossroad. The tiny road to the left led to the forest and that seemed to be their best chance to stay alive. The other one led to a huge waterfall boarded by sharp, hidden rocks. Dark mists were rising from the boiling waters and it was said that there were evil spirits haunting the place.
-Take it to the right, Roun! Shouted Lemalian. We have to split up.
-But it’s a dead end!
-Just do it! And for once in your lifetime, just listen to somebody else but yourself. .. The right one!
It was no time for fighting…Roun knew that the waterfall meant sure death but there was some kind of determination in Lemalian’s voice that made his friend go with his plan. Lemalian turned to the left and disappeared in the shadows of the forest while Roun took the road to the waterfall. The orc hesitated for a moment then followed Roun who seemed now to be an easy catch.
They were getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff beyond which furious water were melting shadow and dust. Roun couldn’t get any further without falling into the depth. He turned around and saw the hideous face of the orc, contorting into a smile of satisfaction. He came slowly, an axe in his right hand, enjoying the horror in the kid’s eyes and starving for the smell of elven blood.
Roun threw a glance at the dark waters.
-By abyss, he whispered, pondering in his mind whether he’d rather die by the orc’s axe or scrambled in the terrifying grinder behind.
But suddenly, with a great cry, the orc turned around. Roun noticed the Elven arrow thrusted in his back; with a sharp whisper, once again in the orc’s neck. And then another in his left shoulder. The beast was bleeding and spitting some kind of bloddy foam, but he didn’t fall. Full of hatred, the orc started to look for his mysterious aggressor.


-Lem…whispered Roun, smiling to himself, he used the orc’s distraction to shelter in the cranny of the stonewall to his left and searched his mind for the right words of magic. He knew a low level petrifying spell, but he only used it for birds in their hunting expeditions. Yet it was the only combat spell he knew how to perform, so he started the soft incantation. Right before going into the trance, he heard as in a dream, Lem’s cry and knew the orc found him and hit him. How bad it was, he didn’t know, nor if his spell was going to work or not. He finished casting it and followed in his mind the blue shade of light hitting the orc. He opened his eyes and saw the huge body of the orc fall into the ground, very much alike the great stones rising from the mists of the waterfall. But he was looking for something else. He was trying to find another body, smaller and thinner, he was looking for his friend.
-Lem, Lem!!!
But there was no other answer than the cold echo climbing the cliffs. Then a soft cry came and hope flourished in Roun’s heart. His friend was alive!
-Are you allright, my friend?
-Well, I had better moments…the orc…is he dead?
-I don’t think so, but you hit him badly, he’ll bleed to death, I’m sure. Can you walk?
-I guess I tried to avoid his ax and he hit me with the iron glove. I lost consciousness. I thought I died. You saved my life!
-And you saved mine! We’re even now. Let’s go. I never used this spell on such big creatures. Let’s get out of here!
The two kids disappeared into the mists. Lem was resting on Roun’s shoulder. His whole body ached, but he fell brave and heroic and he was happy. Roun didn’t share much of his spirits. He knew his first spell uncovered their hiding place in the oak tree. He put their lives in danger for his desire to test the new spell and they almost died both. But on the other hand, the orcs might have discovered them as well without the help of his noisy incantation. And then they would have stood no chance at all. In the end, everything turned allright. Yet something was keeping him from sharing Lem’s exhuberance. The magic sang in his veins a song of power, a song of war and domination. It was a new feeling for Roun-the delicate and seductive dance of well-done magic. A feeling that asked for meditation and analyse, as his master would have said. Yet Lem’s smile and joyful attitude were so catchy, Roun let it go and joined his friend in the sweet caress of victory. They faced an orc and they won! They weren’t ordinary elf-kids anymore. They were heroes!

-what are you thinking of? Astara asked in her soft, velvet voice. She had a way of asking this question that seemed to oblige to an answer. Roun always felt uncomfortable and a little tensed when she was doing this, because he felt like he should have a smart and profound answer to her, and somehow, it never came.
-Just dreaming away..
-Roun, the dreamer! When did you grow soft?
-Since I changed my heart of stone with one of steel, young lady! The merchant said it’s faster, it weights less and it’s gonna work better. But it turned it also has some side-effects, as you can see.
-Ha!Ha! So you also grew funny! Tell me, what were you thinking at?
-I was thiking of the old times when we were kids, me and Lem.
-You’re still kids! But you love playing adults, both of you.
-Well, young lady, there’s a sharp tongue you’ve got there! I believe it’s the bad influence of the katara lessons. But you too…you love playing, don’t you? You just love pretending you’re a boy.
-I’m more of a man than many of your wizard friends, Roun, and you know it! I prefer to hold a sword rather than spend my days learning by heart that bird language of yours.
-Hey! Don’t insult the magic! It’s gonna get angry and maybe turn you into a frog.
-You wish!
-Actually, I wouldn’t…You couldn’t practice your katara anymore and I wouldn’t have so much fun.
-You’re turning evil, you know that? I miss Lem…he was cute and you laughed a lot together. Now you only make mean jokes like these. He was taking me seriously.
-He was well educated and polite.
-You!!! And she hit gently his shoulder with a scheme of katara punch but with no intention to hurt.
-Yes, Astara, I miss him, as well, and soon I’ll have to leave, too.
-But you’ll both be back by the end of the year, won’t you?
-Yes, but, still…it’s hard for me o leave Qualinesti and live among humans. I heard they are much alike orcs, only they don’t have their phisycal power, but they are rude and dirty, they enjoy violence and they have little respect for others.
-So, why are you leaving, after all?
-They have the best masters of magic.
-Better than Tartas?
-Yes, even better than Tartas!

Experience Ceahlau!

Am multe cuvinte despre munte, prieteni, ras, spice aurii si stele, care acolo au parut a fi mult mai numeroase decat de la mine din balcon... si despre descoperiri, despre tinerete si libertate... Dar, pentru ca nu sunt emo enough sa imi intretin cu simt de raspundere blogul, am sa las doar imaginile sa vorbeasca. Enjoy! Am fragmentat filmuletul in doua pt ca era prea mare sa-l uploadez in intregime... asa ca avem Day 1 si Day 2...

At the Beginning...

The world as we know it was not always the same... There was a time, at the beginnings, when the three old races lived in separate lands, holding hostile relationships and fighting the wars of hatred and intolerance. Orcs were a powerful and violent race, their lust for blood being equalled only by humans' lust for power. Us, Elves, we never got along with the others because of their wickedness and disrespect for life. Since the beginning of time, we were thought to see the sacred hand of Demius in everything that lives, to respect and protect the fragility of life since this is our mightiness in front of the tenebrous tentacles of Chaos. But the others, creatures of Norbus and Rubshi, hold in their blood the poisonous sting of evil.
At the beginning was the Life... and the Life exploded from the Chaos and fought to exist... Life curdled into being and became aware of it. And life named itself Demius, the first one and the one who is. Demius looked into the chaos and felt its cold nothingness. Rubshi, he named it, and the evil goddess of desolation appeared from the depth of the abyss. Her heart was cold as ice and her mind vicious, as she was the essence of the chaos: the terrible hatred for life. From the first moment she tried to spread her evilness into all beings. When Demius named the ground and the sky, and they came into being, Rubshi named the darkness, and darkness invaded the new born world and started to devour it as a hungry wolf. But Demius threw arrows against the darkness and pierced its coat in millions of places. Then he named the light, and put it above the darkness. Through the holes let by Demius' arrows the light shone joyfully in the world. But light was still shy and fragile. So he took a piece of his own heart of fire and threw it on the sky to travel around the world. He called it sun and the time of the sun he called it day. And seeing it all, Demius spoke the name of the third god - Norbus, the equilibrium. All three of them created races: Demius created us, the Elves. We are the mirrors that reflect his essence of goodness and majesty. We are the oldest race of the world and we have solar hearts, as our creator. Norbus created the Humans, a slippery race, with short and desperate lives, waggled by devastating passions. Norbus created them from contrasts that contradict and equilibrate each other, as a demonstration of his eternal neutrality. They would have been a fascinating race if it wasn't for their restlessness and need of change. Rubshi created the Orcs. Her powers grew weaker when she gave birth to them, since it was not in her nature to create. But she had no other choice but to subdue, as she could not stand to see the world not carrying her evil shadow. Orcs are heartless and violent; they starve for the pleasure of destruction and death... They kill for pleasure... even their own kind... They have great physical power but they are disorganized and selfish, being difficult to be lead in battles. Orcs lived in Gundharosh and extended to the western islands. Humans populated the Middle Lands, the plains of Rurpia and the mountains. From all the races, they seem the most adaptable to any land type and various conditions.
And us, we settled in our homeland in Neemahnesti, the most beautiful of all lands, the sacred ground where Demius pointed his holy finger. We grew and we raised glorious civilisations, we extended in Qualinesti, sweet land of lakes and waterfalls and even to the shore of the Emerald Sea. The misty Silvanesti, land of wonders and deep woods became the home of the Forest Elves. And in all places, since the age of fire, our supple and elegant palaces, our prodigious gardens, our serene eyes glorified the beauty of life.

Then other races, young races appeared... dwarves, kenders and minotaurs were imperfect attempts of the minor gods, although they don't like to admit it. Goblins and gnomes came as an experiment of Rubshi. But if goblins do indeed incarnate the wickedness of their creator, gnomes turned out to have a good essence, despite their unhealthy curiosity and dangerous taste for innovation, which drove Rubshi totally mad. She would have destroyed them immediately if Demius and Norbus hadn't intervened and taken them under their protection.
Those races populated the resting territories in the East, the desert and the Highwoods. They build their cities and laboured to gain their living, they fought wars and greeted times of peace; they played their songs and raised their art to the gods.

And after all creation was done, magic appeared in the world. Magic came from the heart of the land, as a mysterious spirit of all things, slippery and changing and alive... It connected the heart of man with the heart of being and with the heart of the abyss, allowing he who could master it to bend the rules of the universe. Even gods feared the deep mysteries of magic and tried to control it or destroy it. Yet, magic came only to man.

And time has passed... After the age of fire came the age of shadow – a doomed time of war and destruction. But it passed away, and it was followed by the age of light. And it is now that our story begins, with a young elf, day dreaming under an old cedar.

To my dear friend, Lemalian, from the Misty Woods of Saligredan

I find, my friend, deep into my soul, the seeds fear and discontent. The magic they are teaching here is both amazingly powerful and vicious. Humans have an evil daemon that leads their ambitions and desires. Most of them are obsessed with power. And when they reach it they use it to get more... That makes them so good in magic, especially the Dark robes, those who raise their eyes to Nuitari, the dark moon of mystery. I'm practicing spells here that I never dreamt to even set my eyes on in Qualinesti. I'm getting better and better, but sometimes I feel the magic flowing like a poison through my blood, trying to take over me, to drown my spirit in its waves of power, like it does with humans. The best of them are totally committed to magic; it took over their will, their lives; they became one with it... It's strange, and frightening, and glorious, and a little sad... Elves could never reach this level of passion, nor could they sacrifice that much for the lust for power... But, on the other hand, I have never seen such mightiness of magic, not even in Tartas, most skilled of Elven masters... Well, of course, he is a little bit disputed in Qualinesti, but you know that I have great consideration for him even after (or especially after) those controversial events.
Living among humans changed my perspective. Us, Elves, are too stiff... we don't improve, we guard... we don't change, we preserve... we don't adapt, since we believe we are perfect... and in a way we are close to perfection, blessed be Great Demius, our Creator. But these humans, with their tiny lives, seem to compensate their lack of time with their ambition... they grow in power and they are sick with power... and there's some kind of intensity in their passion that pushes them forward and leads them to incredible doings. I somehow despise them, and somehow admire them... and I know you'll get worried about me since I speak of such confusing emotions. I know how strange this paradox must seem to you ...
Soon I will take a trip to Middle Lands, to Korkoto, with some business and I hope to meet you on my way back. Let me know if you could come somewhere near... I feel that I could use a good hug and some Elven wine drank with an old friend. I also heard some bad rumours that I hope you will refute.

Maranatha, dear friend, and may the good fortune guard your steps.

Roun.


Thosz Rounrianthas of Parthanasti,
White Robe Apprentice