Post by Xelas Stormfeather on Sept 1, 2008 18:46:27 GMT -5
(( As many of you know, I will be joining the Undead Lords in Warhammer. While I will -- by necessity -- be spending an initial period of time working up a character as fast as possible, I have every intention of maintaining a presence in WoW, even though it probably means a leisurely climb to 80 for me.
The story below is my characters' introductions to UDL, and is meant to represent a parallel universe for Xelas. So fear not, and hopefully, enjoy. ))
Xelas closed his eyes and turned his face to welcome the warmth of the sun overhead, as he had done for eons, allowing its rays to kiss his skin to a warm gold. Above him, the dome of the sky was blue and cloudless. The dark-haired elf sat beside a quiet lake, listening to the hum of insects and the playful splashes of Oolaki, swimming in the shallows. The pale wolf emerged from the lake near him and bounded onto the bank. Without warning, her head began the characteristic side-to-side wag that set her entire coat in motion, dousing Xelas generously in the process.
"Ah!" squawked the elf, "miserable beast! No supper for you!" His tone was teasing, and the threat completely idle.
The wolf sneezed, which sounded suspiciously like a snicker. The lines of the wolf began to blur, resolving itself into the shape of a woman. Or troll, more precisely. She wasn't as horrific as Xelas had been taught to expect -- she was strong, with well-shaped limbs, smooth, alabaster skin and crowned with thick, silvery hair that hung to her waist. Her eyes were a bestial gold, and although her tusks could be alarming in a grin, they were little more than fangs set within pleasantly full lips. In her, he could easily see how the rumor of trolls sharing kinship with elves got started.
Theirs was an unlikely friendship though. Trolls and elves had warred with one another for millenia. Finally, though, it seemed that all the old hatreds had been laid to rest. The plagues of demons and undead were a fading memory. The wars were over, and Xelas could enjoy the beauty of the world for the first time in many, many years. In his battles, Oolaki and he had both narrowly escaped enslavement to the dark forces which once threatened the world. But now, they could rest.
The nightmare was over.
Overhead, a second light joined the sun in the sky.
They were free.
It trailed a sickly green-tinged smoke, as the fel-meteor sped toward the earth, impacting with a thunderous roar.
They were alive.
The sky became clotted with smoke as more meteors tore through the air, shattering the land as they struck. The elf couldn't even scream.
It was over.
The dark-haired elf sat up with a gasp, the dream still clinging to his vision, disorienting him. He glanced around the small tent, eyes adjusting to the gloom. A woman crouched near the entry, sitting on her heels, resting her chin on arms folded across her knees. She had been watching Xelas as he slept. She smiled, seemingly unaware of Xelas's distress. She began rocking back and forth, gently crooning to herself. Xelas was accustomed to her insanity.
"I had a dream about you," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "But you weren't yourself."
"Not me! not me! not me!" crooned Oolaki, with an edge of hysterical laughter in her voice. She grinned, showing teeth, broken and filed to sharp points. She might have been pretty, once, but a blade of some kind -- ritual or not, Xelas never knew -- had taken the companion to the orb that regarded him with an almost feverish intensity. The empty socket was often covered by a fall of coarse brown hair, but now she tilted her head, birdlike, until it fell away, displaying the ruin of her face. She lurched forward, crawling on hands and knees until she reached Xelas, and grasped his pale wrist, tugging gently. Her touch was strangely soothing as always, but it had a soul-chilling quality that seemed incongruous to her rough, dark hands.
"Come, come!" she called, sing-song. "Can't you hear them? They want us to come...they want us...." Her the edges of her grin drooped slightly, looking more and more like a rictus of agony, as the mad priestess began to curl over herself with a whimper.
"HE wants us...." she whispered.
The story below is my characters' introductions to UDL, and is meant to represent a parallel universe for Xelas. So fear not, and hopefully, enjoy. ))
Xelas closed his eyes and turned his face to welcome the warmth of the sun overhead, as he had done for eons, allowing its rays to kiss his skin to a warm gold. Above him, the dome of the sky was blue and cloudless. The dark-haired elf sat beside a quiet lake, listening to the hum of insects and the playful splashes of Oolaki, swimming in the shallows. The pale wolf emerged from the lake near him and bounded onto the bank. Without warning, her head began the characteristic side-to-side wag that set her entire coat in motion, dousing Xelas generously in the process.
"Ah!" squawked the elf, "miserable beast! No supper for you!" His tone was teasing, and the threat completely idle.
The wolf sneezed, which sounded suspiciously like a snicker. The lines of the wolf began to blur, resolving itself into the shape of a woman. Or troll, more precisely. She wasn't as horrific as Xelas had been taught to expect -- she was strong, with well-shaped limbs, smooth, alabaster skin and crowned with thick, silvery hair that hung to her waist. Her eyes were a bestial gold, and although her tusks could be alarming in a grin, they were little more than fangs set within pleasantly full lips. In her, he could easily see how the rumor of trolls sharing kinship with elves got started.
Theirs was an unlikely friendship though. Trolls and elves had warred with one another for millenia. Finally, though, it seemed that all the old hatreds had been laid to rest. The plagues of demons and undead were a fading memory. The wars were over, and Xelas could enjoy the beauty of the world for the first time in many, many years. In his battles, Oolaki and he had both narrowly escaped enslavement to the dark forces which once threatened the world. But now, they could rest.
The nightmare was over.
Overhead, a second light joined the sun in the sky.
They were free.
It trailed a sickly green-tinged smoke, as the fel-meteor sped toward the earth, impacting with a thunderous roar.
They were alive.
The sky became clotted with smoke as more meteors tore through the air, shattering the land as they struck. The elf couldn't even scream.
It was over.
The dark-haired elf sat up with a gasp, the dream still clinging to his vision, disorienting him. He glanced around the small tent, eyes adjusting to the gloom. A woman crouched near the entry, sitting on her heels, resting her chin on arms folded across her knees. She had been watching Xelas as he slept. She smiled, seemingly unaware of Xelas's distress. She began rocking back and forth, gently crooning to herself. Xelas was accustomed to her insanity.
"I had a dream about you," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "But you weren't yourself."
"Not me! not me! not me!" crooned Oolaki, with an edge of hysterical laughter in her voice. She grinned, showing teeth, broken and filed to sharp points. She might have been pretty, once, but a blade of some kind -- ritual or not, Xelas never knew -- had taken the companion to the orb that regarded him with an almost feverish intensity. The empty socket was often covered by a fall of coarse brown hair, but now she tilted her head, birdlike, until it fell away, displaying the ruin of her face. She lurched forward, crawling on hands and knees until she reached Xelas, and grasped his pale wrist, tugging gently. Her touch was strangely soothing as always, but it had a soul-chilling quality that seemed incongruous to her rough, dark hands.
"Come, come!" she called, sing-song. "Can't you hear them? They want us to come...they want us...." Her the edges of her grin drooped slightly, looking more and more like a rictus of agony, as the mad priestess began to curl over herself with a whimper.
"HE wants us...." she whispered.
