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The sands of Qalia have seen the rise and fall of many ambitious empires. Intrepid adventurers tell of fantastic ruins that stand as silent witness to the power and knowledge of the ancient Qalians. The Mordebi and Qaliathari empires have sunk beneath the seas and sands; but their memory and their accomplishments still resonate in the hearts of the nomads and city dwellers alike.
The continent is one of extremes. Fierce sandstorms. Harsh sun-blasted deserts. Titanic mountain ranges that loom over the deserts. These define the landscape of Qalia.
Qalia is a land of legends, myths, and ancient superstitions. Tales of great wars, gods, monsters, and heroes have been passed down since before the cataclysm. Many of these tales are woven with threads of truth; while others are pure imagination Minor heroes have been elevated by the legends, while great artifacts of power have been dismissed as mere myths.
Outrider Incarnate (Part I)
I drifted, neither awake, nor asleep... neither in body, nor in mind.
I couldn't see, but then worlds and stars took shape about me and I knew they were there. I could feel them… almost reach out, had I an arm and a hand, to touch them.
Where was I? And who was I? And, for that matter, what was I doing in this place?
I tried to speak, to cry out, but I had no voice; instead I was surrounded by an empty cold.
And so I drifted still, with no concept of time or duration. Suns and their worlds came and went, some nearer and some far. But, all the while, I felt myself drawn to something... or somewhere. Perhaps someone?
Then another world came nearer... closer, I think, than any had come before. It was as unfamiliar to me as all of the other worlds had been, yet I felt a kinship to it. Something was alive there, and then I too remembered a little of what it was like to be alive. I was no longer merely curious, and no longer was I unable, or even unwilling, to guide my journey.
It was glorious. To be alone, for so long, but then to feel others nearby. I could reach out, and I could perceive them. What a busy world it was, full of hustle and bustle, of small creatures and great beings. Some I knew to be mortals (though I could not remember why or how)… men, dwarves, and elves. And others were what mortals called gods… entities of greater power, some with a desire to interfere and to meddle, while others benevolent. And yet, still, more were indifferent - uncaring towards one another, and to those both above and below, yet still seeking something... something very important, something vital.
At that moment I began to drift again. "No!" I began to cry, but of course, there was still no sound, and no tongue to make a noise, nor even lips to pretend a whisper.
But did my panic and desperation slow me, or was it something else? Again, I reached out and I embraced this unfamiliar world, for even the unknown was preferable to the void I did know.
And so my body took form… my spirit faded, and the sense of floating left. I could feel the cold earth beneath me, and I was lying upon it, face down.
"Ho, what is this?" thundered an unfamiliar voice. "What have I caught as though a fish swimming in the ether?"
I gasped, taking my first breath… but was it my first breath?
I slowly rose, first to my knees, and then, just barely, to my feet. I found myself leaning against something smooth, but made of stone - a pillar perhaps. My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. Rays from the sun illuminated a fog enshrouded temple, and though the ground under my feet was dry, the air was humid, almost alive.
"I know not from whence you've come, strange one, but I am in need. You shall be my emissary."
I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but to no avail. I was alone. And I was very afraid, but not because of the voice, nor due to my unfamiliar surroundings.
I was afraid because I remembered then who I was: Aradune Mithara, the Ranger, the Outrider.
But that name, that answer to my question, only brought a flood of new questions -- questions more unsettling and terrifying than anything my fragmented memory could recall...
To Be Continued... |
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