GwenDilyn

 

Arrival at the Mehadi swamp.

From the east coast a monstrous raft follows them on shore. Many pupas and Ghasts chase them into the plains. A pregnant woman is at the end of her strength, drained by fatigue from continuously running from the group of monsters. A strong warrior drags her along into Mehadi out of the reach of the creatures of evil. While the warrior looks around the area for danger, the woman gets her breath and calms down a little. When she sees the warrior returning from his close patrol she says:

"Thank you very much, noble warrior. I am Anquanthellie, a simple weaver of dresses and tapestry. Our ship from Rucesion to Able got caught in a heavy thunderstorm. The helmsman could not control the ship due to this awful weather. We heard a loud cracking sound and soon our ship was swallowed into the depths of the sea. My husband and I were together, holding a piece of the ship's hull. We survived two days in the rough waters until the next cruel event of fate killed my husband...." she pauses and takes a breath. "...that was about twelve days ago. I miss him very much...." again she pauses and cries a little. "...it was horrible, from out of the wild waves a big fish pulled down Barrian, there was a lot of blood..."

The warrior interrupts her story and tries to comfort her:

"I am Barinlanz, a warrior that hunts and scouts here in Mehadi. I am very sorry about what happened to your husband, the waters east of Mehadi are not safe to be in for anyone. I am glad I didn't skip today’s hunt - I met a nice person. Can you tell me how you are feeling yourself?"

[Anquanthellie] "I am not feeling so good, my legs feel like lead and my vision is blurry. I am very tired."

[Barinlanz] "You should take some rest, it is not good to throw away your sleep when you need it. I am going to stand guard here and keep monsters away of you."

[Acquanthellie] "Thank you Barinlanz, I do need rest, but are you sure you can stay awake that long?"

[Barinlanz] "Sure, no problem. I can go days without sleep."

Acquanthellie closes her eyes with the trust of being guarded by Barinlanz. She sleeps well for a few hours...

A quick awakening.

A sudden shock awakens Acquanthellie from her sleep. She looks with pain at Barinlanz.

[Barinlanz] "What is going on, what happened to you?"

[Acquanthellie] "I... I think it is time..."

[Barinlanz] "Time? Time for what?"

[Acquanthellie] "Time for my child to get born..."

[Barinlanz] "Are you sure, here in Mehadi?"

[Acquanthellie] "Yes, I need help can you help me."

Barinlanz looks around before focusing on the question, while thinking: {What must I do? I never assisted in something like this. This is so new, what if something goes wrong? I...} He looks at her face. {She needs help, I need to help her... but how?} He turns to her and kneels besides her.

[Barinlanz] "Can you tell me what to do?"

While Acquanthellie explains Barinlanz how to help her, the sound of a Ghast breaks the silence. During the birth of the baby the Ghast comes closer and closer them. As the child gets born Barinlanz raises his blade and attacks the Ghast. Acquanthellie covers her child in her dress. Slowly she tries to move out of the field of danger while Barinlanz fights the Ghast. A sudden and quick end comes to Barinlanz as the Ghast pierces his nails through the warrior’s chest. The Ghast pushes him aside and walks forward to Acquanthellie. As the lifeless body of the warrior collapses in the nearby bushes the Ghast gazes at the face of the terrified woman. She gathers all her strength to get up. She stands and looks the Ghast right in the face. A second later the claw of the monster hits her and drops her back onto a cluster of sharp spiky rocks, killing her. An enormously large and long Anala viper slides out of the ground underneath Acquanthellie. The Anala viper scares the Ghast away from the murdered mundanes...

A blessing of Matrika?

A Mukul came to this place of death and looked upon the two dead mundanes. Just as he is about to leave the bodies he sees a baby girl being dragged by an Anala viper. His communication with the snake causes the Anala viper to lose interest in her and it slithers away from area. The Mukul picks up the baby and carries it to his tribe. Quickly he brings the infant to one of the Latika Rishi.

[Kerani Rishi] "Upon my walk I came across this mundane offspring. It was being carried away by an Anala viper."

[Latika Rishi] "A mundane child alone in the garden? How did it get there?"

[Kerani Rishi] "It was not alone, two other deceased mundanes lay in garden."

[Latika Rishi] "...It is a very young mundane...."

A Jivanta Rishi approaches the two Mukul and fills them in some important information.

[Jivanta Rishi] "That lives for almost an hour now. I have seen what happened while I was in the garden. A Ghast killed the two mundanes and was driven of by an Anala viper."

[Latika Rishi] "A Ghast in the garden is not good news."

[Kerani Rishi] "The child was the target of the Ghast. I noticed that on my way here. Some Pupas and Ghasts watched me and followed me until they got lost in the labyrinth."

[Jivanta Rishi] "It could be that Matrika sent it to us, to raise it, to save us of Natesh."

[Latika Rishi] "If Matrika sends someone to help us, she sends an Aisling."

[Jivanta Rishi] "True, but a mundane can become an Aisling. Could it not be that we should prove ourselves by raising this mundane to become the Aisling we need?"

[Latika Rishi] "You take care of this mundane child then. Teach it the way of Jivanta, raise it as your own."

[Jivanta Rishi] "May you become the savior of us..."

The Jivanta Rishi leaves the two Mukul and goes to a quiet location near a stream. She washes the child in the stream with utmost care. {Please Matrika give me a sign that I'm doing the right thing.} She turns the baby in her hands, looking at it from all sides before considering it clean. {You are a cute mundane baby girl. What names fit the mundanes? It is of later importance.} She dries the child with a rough cloth towel and carries her. {Many of our food is poisonous for you, only a few things are good for you to live off of. What should I feed you? Only Sevtibroma would be very good for you.} She walks to the garden to gather some Sevti and Nelsi blossoms and begins to prepare food for them both. Several hours pass in almost silence, the sliding of snakes, the gurgling of running water and the sound of other movement were the only noises that interrupts this silence. At nightfall they were at last able to consume the food she had spent all evening preparing. Although the night was quiet ands silent the sky was slowly turning red...

Return the child.

Surprised and curious the Jivanta Rishi looks at the shapes of the gathering clouds in the sky. Some kind of strong, unknown power drew the clouds together into a giant face. Slowly the face becomes recognizable from ancient legends of darkness. The Jivanta Rishi looks at the countenance of Chadul as it speaks to her:

"Release this child of your caring, Mukul. This child is of no concern or use to your community. Offer it to me."

The Jivanta Rishi looks confused by the words {Return the child, why don't you just get her? Is there something special with her? There must be more...}

[Jivanta Rishi] "I was told to take care of this child by the Latika Rishi, I will not abandon my cause."

Another shape appears to the right of Chadul, the face of Sgrios. Speaking in Mukul to the Jivanta Rishi:

"This child is to be born a champion of death and decay, there is nothing you could do to stop this from happening. Leave the child and flee to shelter before this child takes your life."

More surprised than before she listens to the words of the Aisling god of death and decay. {What would you want of this child? The champion of death and decay, what title is that? Maybe the champion of evil...}

[Jivanta Rishi] "Why would this child be the champion of death and decay?"

[Sgrios Appearance] "It is written in the unchangeable flow of time, let the child go and your tribe would be spared the plague it would bring."

[Jivanta Rishi] "There is no reason I should hand this child over to an Aisling god. Especially not one that lies about the truth. If you are so sure about the evil of this child why is it not possible for you to take the child?"

Just as the last words are spoken a third visage revealed itself, covering the surrounding area with a great aura of fear. The Jivanta Rishi looks up at the face of Natesh, the only one that feels real out of the three of them. {It must be, because of you...You must want this child because you fear she will be able to defeat you. I am beginning to understand it all now, everything makes sense. You think with the three of you together you can take out a blessed child of Matrika?}

[Jivanta Rishi] "What is so special about this child, great Natesh?"

[Natesh Appearance] "No Aislings and Mundanes are allowed to live on the Mehadi ground. Give me the child and I shall bring it to the Mundanes."

[Jivanta Rishi] "What is so special about this child that makes her a danger in Mehadi?"

[Natesh Appearance] "She will be named Dilyn the warrior of death and destruction. She will raid the tribes and slay everyone in Mehadi if you will keep her here."

[Jivanta Rishi] "Is it not the one who raises the child that shapes her into what the future will make of her?"

[Natesh Appearance] "Not this child, she has a future that is already decided."

The three appearance begin to speak an unknown language, raising a ghastly chant. Three bundles of light descend from their images. First a dark emerald beam from Chadul, second a dark ruby beam from Sgrios followed by the third and last beam, dark sapphire spilling from the mouth of Natesh. These beams of light strike the child and burn a sign in her left shoulder, old runic characters spelling out the name Dilyn. For hours the child’s image is bathed by the vile gem colored beams, building an aura of great darkness. A small globe of light appears in the midst of this malign shroud. This little globe slowly began to fade away until it was nothing more than a little silver sparkling dot. A few hours later three inhuman images are born in the shadows and folds of the dark aura: the first is a dark green imp, the second is a dark red pupa and the third is a dark blue kracken. Together they roam among the shadows surrounding Dilyn for almost an hour. Finally, time seems to flow again. The appearances are gone, leaving only the strong aura of darkness as reminder of the phenomenon that had just taken place....

Tutored by a Mukul.

The cold, soft breeze of the Mehadi winds recovers the Jivanta Rishi from the strain of the event that had happened just a few hours ago. She looks questioningly at the mundane child. {They so eagerly want to have you for a life in darkness. What a terrible thing to do to a gift of Matrika. It is decided, written in stars and soon in legend. You shall become the Aisling that will end Natesh's evil on us. You have no parents, no friends, no home. You are cursed by the gods who want to stop you from removing Natesh from our lives. All of this in your first day of life...} Slowly she looks back to the location in the sky where the images had appeared. {Nothing is left of these apparitions, but they were here. It was no vision. This aura of darkness is too real for just a vision.} The Jivanta Rishi takes a seat near a rock along side a bend in the river. Leaning her back on one of the sides of the cube shaped rock she stares at the water while taking some rest. {I will raise you as my own child, you shall not feel alone in Mehadi.} She stands up and walks back to the tribe, little Dilyn sleeping in her arms. Big drops of warm rain fall down from above, making small pools in the swampy ground. The Mukul looks up in relief. {Let this rain wash you away cruel Natesh.} She continues her walk to the tribe. Not expecting much of her return she was surpised. The people of the tribe were waiting for her and rejoiced upon her arrival. All were curious to see the mundane child put in her caring by Matrika. After a long day of talking they leave her with Dilyn. This was the first day of a long six years of basic education in the ways of the swamps and the Mukul society, the first day of the rest of her life...

Dreams and wishes of true faith.

A bright beam of light shines trough the tops of the trees where the little Dilyn sleeps. Slowly her skin is warmed by the heat that the beam brings to her. She opens her eyes and looks around, her eyes spying the Jivanta Rishi. {She sleeps still. I want to play.} Dilyn stands up and walks out from under the natural covering of their sleeping area, looking for someone to play with. After a few steps outside the hidden nest she looks around to find herself in a quite bright part of the swamp. She jumps and runs through the wet fields of the swamp, looking for a person to play with. She makes a sudden stop, looking down at the body of a slain frog. She kneels before him and feels if he was still alive. {Why did they do this to you, I do not understand. You did nobody harm and yet they killed you.} Sad and confused, she continues walking through the swamp for a while. Finding no other friend or young Mukul to play with Dilyn sits on a small rock to rest. {Why? Why do they kill frogs?} She wonders about this for hours until an Aisling warrior passes by. Brandishing a long sword he slays four Anala vipers who were lazing peaceably in the sun near her. He looks at her a bit strange.

[warrior] "Hey, little girl, what are you doing in such a dangerous place?"

[Dilyn] "I live here... Why do you kill Anala vipers?"

[warrior] "They are dangerous, that is why they must die."

[Dilyn] "Did you kill a frog?"

[warrior] "Not anymore, they are much too easy to kill."

[Dilyn] "Not anymore? Why did you kill them? They are good. They never hurt anyone."

[warrior] "I need something to train my skills on, so I have chosen these frogs."

[Dilyn] "You are heartless and cruel."

[warrior] "You are foolish to think that these beasts are worth anything in life. They are born to be a warrior’s training dummies, so easy to kill."

[Dilyn] "Leave Mehadi, you monster."

[warrior] "You care about slimy cold blooded disgusting worthless beasts? The swamp must have poisoned your mind."

The dark aura that had remained hidden for almost six years reappears with a vengeance. She looks at the warrior full of anger. The warrior returns her his gaze of anger.

[warrior] "You are evil yourself, that darkness around it proves you love these beasts. Let me relieve you of this cruelty. May you rest in peace."

The warrior storms at her, thrusting his long-sword through her stomach. In the shock of the pain she slowly loses her vision. Tears drop like a swamp rain as her life blood streams from her like a river. As the warrior wrenches the sword free of her she drops to the ground, losing consciousness. He turns around to find himself cornered by the Mukul. He smiles at them.

[warrior] "It was a good thing I passed by today, this child could have caused you a lot of trouble. You don't have to thank me, it was a great pleasure to be of help."

[Lataki Rishi] "You have no idea of what you have done. You attacked Dilyn... If she is still alive you should be lucky, if you killed her, Matrika will punish you."

[warrior] "What? This kid is a Mukul?"

[Jivanta Rishi] "That is my child, insane Aisling"

Suddenly the Mukul step a paces backwards. The warrior turns around to see a great, dark colored trio of monsters. He draws his long-sword again and enters battle with these monsters. The veteran warrior succeeds in slaying the pupa monster and it falls to the ground and breaks in pieces. As the pieces crumbles to dust the warrior is engulfed by a dark flare, cursing his soul and body. He gets twelve scars of Sgrios as a reward for killing the pupa. His anger raised, he thrusts several blows at the imp, the imp blows him Chadul's kiss and hits him on the head with his trident. The warrior passes out, reappearing in Sgrios' realm. It took half a year for Dilyn to recover from the injuries she had. In that time she studied more and more about the things she likes most, letting the knowledge mend her deeper wounds. Light, Nature and Love...

Light gives hope.

A beautiful and calm morning dawned as the result of a tired ritual to please Natesh so he will not hurt the Mukul. It is a time eight springs after the birth of Dilyn. On this quiet and gentle morning she awakens in the secret garden. She looks around, but finds nothing other than darkness and shades. {What is happening to Mehadi? Matrika are you still with us? Have you left us alone? It is so dark} She stands up and walks to the river. {What happened to my reflection in the river? She could not, she must not. Please Matrika bring us light, bring us the sun.} She sits next to the river on a slippery rock just as she hears her life long teacher approach. Dilyn looks up at the Jivanta Rishi with questions in her eyes.

[Dilyn] "What happened, why is there no light?"

[Jivanta Rishi] "The light has been stopped by a cosmic shield. We call such an event a solar eclipse. Matrika is still with us, she always is."

[Dilyn] "Why? What are these shields for?"

[Jivanta Rishi] "The cosmos has many objects floating around. There are times that these objects block the way of the light Matrika sends us. It is only a temporary effect. Soon it will be over, the shield travels on and the light can find us again."

[Dilyn] "But... Why are these things floating around?"

[Jivanta Rishi] "I can not tell you this, it is a secret that maybe only the gods know of."

Dilyn sighs, looking for just a spark of light, but fails to see any source of light within view. {How can it be? Floating objects blocking our light. I wish they will go away soon. Light please come back.}

[Dilyn] "I will pray for the light to return, I do not wish to live in this darkness."

[Jivanta Rishi] "If your prayers are true and you believe strong in the light it will return, refilling you with renewed strength and love."

[Dilyn] "I will pray now and forever. I want all my actions to be in the name light. Whoever brings it, light... please return to us..."

The little Dilyn crawls to the dense bushes nearby, kneeling in front of them as she starts her prayers. For over nine hours she prays to restore the light in the world, but still no sense of the light returns. {Why do you not return to us? I want you back. Please, come back. Please...} She dozes off into a deep slumber, her body tired from all the prayers she has made, tired from not seeing the light for a whole day. In the morning a warm shower of rain awakens her. As she opens her eyes she stands up and jumps for joy.

[Dilyn] "You have returned! Please stay with us forever."

[Jivanta Rishi] "As long as you believe in something there is always hope."

[Dilyn] "I believe in the light, the light is my hope then. Yes, light you are my hope."

Dilyn devotes more of her time to learning the secrets of what light gives. Many things she begins to understand about the light and the balance of light and dark....

Nature gives understanding.

The seventh day of the tenth summer after Dilyn's birth is a very hot summer. A few clouds floating in the sky make small shadows on Mehadi's ground. Little Dilyn looks up at the clouds that slowly trace their shadows over the ground and river. The warm water of the river makes her feel very comfortable while she swims. As a shadow passes the ground and continues on the river, she swims into the shadow. She stays with the shadow until it leaves the river again. When she turns around she was eye to eye with a frog. It seemed that he followed the shadow as well. He looks at her a little while before jumping out of the river to stay in the shadow. She looks at the bottom of the river at a sparkling little object she saw out of the corner of her eye as the frog jumped. {What could that be? So shiny, so nice looking.} She dives to get the items but failed. {It can move?} She comes back to the surface and looks again. {But... now it is back in the same place again. I know, you want to play a game of tag.} She dives again. Looking at the object she sees it move slowly. {Tired of running from me already?} She grabs her prize and surfaces again. {What is this?} A strange vial with a blue fluid inside. She puts it at the side of the river and searches for more of these. Hours pass but not even one more was found. Tired of swimming she leaves the river and takes a seat on a rough rock, studying the vial she had found several hours ago. {What could this be? What could you do?} She returns to the tribe with this object and shows it to the others. A Kerani Rishi mentioned he had seen an object like that one before:

[Kerani Rishi] "Aislings use these things as cures or elemental nodes." he removes the lid and takes a sniff at the vial.

[Kerani Rishi] "It smells like water. This is what they call fior sal, a potion with water."

[Dilyn] "Why do they trap water in a potion?"

[Kerani Rishi] "That is something that you may discover someday."

[Dilyn] "Me? How would I do that? Why can you not do it?"

[Kerani Rishi] "Yes, you. You can travel outside the swamp to the rest of Temuair. Aislings usually do not give us a serious answer on such a question."

[Dilyn] "Trapping water in a potion, how strange."

[Jivanta Rishi] "Aislings trap more elements of nature in potions. Like air, earth and fire.'"

[Dilyn] "These things are plentiful around us, why trap them in a potion?"

[Vibha Rishi] "It is a special kind of air, earth, fire and water. It is an element with wisdom."

[Dilyn] "They trap wise elements, now I understand. They trap it to learn from them later."

[Vibha Rishi] "Not quite, they are trapped to restore their will."

[Dilyn] "Nature must be very wise, if they want to trap little parts of her in potions."

[Jivanta Rishi] "Nature is wise, all her parts are all over Temuair. She learns every day everything that all the inhabitants of the whole world do."

[Dilyn] "Then nature understands everything. I want to be just as wise as nature."

[Jivanta Rishi] "If you want to be so wise Dilyn you need to learn more of Temuair."

[Dilyn] "Then I will learn more of Temuair. Where do I start?"

[Latika Rishi] "Learn as many things as you can of Mehadi before you leave to learn more of Temuair."

[Dilyn] "I will learn. I will study very hard. I want to understand everything."

For 2 years Dilyn studies hard to learn the secrets of nature’s understanding. She learns about the good side of nature, she learns about the horrors, the bad things of nature and the circle of life ...

Love gives control.

Six moons have passed after the twelfth birthday of Dilyn, a shivering cold day welcomes her as she awakens from her nice night's rest. She looks at the chilly terrain around her. {Why is it so cold? What is all this white cold dust. Could this be that snow stuff I heard of?} She looks up to the sky with questions in her eyes. The sky is colored dark and light blue with small spots of white clouds. Slowly she looks down to the rest of the surroundings. All the flowers, trees, rocks, grass and sand were covered by this dust. The river seems to be silent, very silent, but yet not frozen. She touches the water of the river. {Warm, all seems so cold and yet the river is so warm. How strange, but nice.} Slowly she lowers herself into the river, her body warms as the soft waves lap over her. Swimming and drifting she travels a long way along the current. Suddenly she hears a splash and a wave of water overwhelms her, pushing her underneath the surface. Quickly she swims back up, but strikes cold on the surface. She swims as fast as she can along this blockade of the surface, but all was blocked by this invisible layer. Slowly she is losing her breath. {What happened? Where can I get out?} She feels her lungs burn, rage and pain raising her strong dark aura to wrap around her. As she swallows a breath of water she becomes completely enraged. The aura of darkness radiates a bright red light, which slowly boils the water around her. Steam rises from the surface and gradually collects into low altitude clouds. Nearly losing consciousness she swims up to the surface once more, but fails to get through the invisible barrier on the surface. {I feel so weird, what is happening to me? Is all of this alright with nature? What am I doing?} She closes her eyes and shivers as terrible pain travels throughout her whole body. She opens her eyes slowly and sees a vision of a phoenix, sinking away into the river’s depths, slowly dying. She watches it until the phoenix was totally absorbed by the water. {What does this mean, dying phoenix? Dying bird of rebirth?} Once again she swims along the underside of the surface to find a place to exit. {What causes me to breath underwater? What is going on?} A small globe of light emits a faint light in the sand on the bottom and Dilyn dives deeper to this light. {What is this light? The remaining phoenix? I must save it.} Quickly she grabs the globe on the bottom, swimming back up with it while sand drops through her fingers. Surprised she looks at her legs. {What is happening to me?} Her body is changing slowly into a mermaid. Once more she swims to the surface with quite a bit more speed than before, but no. The barrier would not go. Trapped in the river, below the surface she swims, looking and feeling different towards all the things in the river. {I have no choice but to remain here, this cold and hard barrier, this must be ice, strong ice. This keeps me here for now, but I will return to the surface. The vision? The bird of rebirth? The globe of light? What does this mean?} She calms down a little, the dark aura diminishing as well. {I have no choice but to accept my new life. I have to learn a lot now all over again. But it is worth it. I would have otherwise drowned...} Looking to the barrier she swims to a small hole in the side of the river. She examines the hole before she enters. {Nice place to live for a while. Just big enough for me and some things. I am thankful that you helped me Matrika. I understand now, as I become angry and have pain, I...cause this aura. Love is the opposite of the aura... As long as I believe in love I am safe from them....} She prays to Matrika. A few minutes later she sees a vision again, a rising phoenix from the depths of the river, but this phoenix is very dark and gray. Dilyn swims to the phoenix and as she comes closer the globe she holds begins to radiate more light, the closer she comes the brighter the globe. She looks in the blinding light of the globe towards the phoenix that slowly surfaces. The globe drifts out of her hands tumbling towards the phoenix. Sparks of fire and lightning come free from the impact of the globe with the phoenix, coloring the phoenix back to its original colors. Light blue light covers the entire river as the phoenix flashes away. Seconds later there was no sign that this all really happened, that the phoenix was even there. She looks at her body - still she is in the same shape in the river trapped beneath miles of ice. After a tiring day she falls to sleep in the hole she found earlier that day...

Caverns and tunnels leading to fate.

A soft tinkling feeling on her cheek awakes her from her sleep. Slowly she opens her eyes and stretches herself while floating in the cave. {So it was not just a dream, it is true. All of it did happen. Where should I go now? I am hungry, what can I eat?} She swims out of the hole into the calm river. Relaying on her instinct and courage she looks for food. For the first time in her life she fights for survival in the food-chain of the river. After swimming for hours she finds a nice cavern full of river life. Following her instinct she finds a few fishes to eat as well as some plants that grow on the cavern walls. She reorients a little, getting her bearings{a tunnel where would it lead?} She swims into the tunnel just as she finishes her meal. The darkness rises as the tunnel goes further away from the light, but even in total darkness she feels quite oriented, not by the means of sight but of feeling. {I wonder... Where would this tunnel lead? Maybe an exit? Maybe a beautiful place to be.} Totally confident Dilyn swims, her pace quickened as she speeds through the tunnel. After a few minutes she exits the tunnel to come upon an intersection of tunnels in a very large cavern. Two lead straight forward, one downward, three left and the one back. Following her heart she takes the one downward. Swimming cautiously into the depths of Temuair makes her feel adventuresome. Dilyn could not see anything in these new tunnels she swims through. The tunnel downward brings her into another cave with more tunnels. Again she follows her heart and takes the middle of the three tunnels straight forward. She feels she is descending even deeper into the depths of Temuair as the pressure builds heavily on her body. A few minutes later she arrives in another cave, with the only other exit than the way she came an opening upward. Catching her breath and concentrating a little on her orientation, Dilyn thinks back on the entire route she swam to this place. {I know the road back and this one up must be special. What would it bring me? Please Matrika lead me to something beautiful.} She swims upwards, but very slow. Feeling the pressure diminish she raises her speed a little. A beam of light lightens the cave ahead. With a heart filled with happiness she swims quickly up towards the light. The flickering stars of the heavens above give Dilyn hope, a hope that after darkness there will always be renewed promise. For almost eight hours she stares at the stars in heaven to see them being replaced by the sunrise, a beautiful sunrise that colors the sea around her many shades of red. From her position on top of the hollow rock at the tunnel’s head she looks towards the mainland, towards Mehadi, the snow covered swamp. She dives from the rock into the sea and swims back to Mehadi. Even with calm seas it takes her a few hours to arrive at Mehadi. Entering the first river she finds, she searches the sides to find a Mukul who could help her. {Where did everyone go? Is there anything I can do? Maybe I need to go on all by myself.} Just as she wanted to leave the river for the sea a Mukul shows himself.

[Kerani Rishi] "You look a lot like Dilyn of Gwen. Are you her?"

[Dilyn] "I am Dilyn, yes."

[Kerani Rishi] "They are worried about you. They started looking a day after you left."

[Dilyn] "Is whole Gwen looking for me?"

[Kerani Rishi] "Not all, but most were looking for you. You have been missing for five days by now."

[Dilyn] "Five days? It felt like less to me, maybe two."

[Kerani Rishi] "It has been five days, we of Eunn were asked to look for you too."

[Dilyn] "I have changed a little. The bird of life changed me to survive the seas."

[Kerani Rishi of Eunn] "Would you mind that I draw a picture of you in the river?"

[Dilyn] "Not at all, go ahead."

[Kerani Rishi of Gwen] "Dilyn, there you are. You are a long way from home."

[Dilyn] "I guess that is true."

[Kerani Rishi of Eunn] "I was about to draw a picture of her, why not join me?"

[Kerani Rishi of Gwen] "I shall wait until you are done."

Dilyn swims more to the center of the river to let them both draw her. The Kerani Rishi begins to draw her while the other Kerani Rishi watches them both. Many hours pass and still he was busy with drawing her. Finally when it was deep into night time he successfully finished the picture. He shows it to both of them and asked their opinion.

[Dilyn] "It really looks good, it looks so real."

[Kerani Rishi of Gwen] "It is a good picture, you have done well."

[Kerani Rishi of Eunn] "Thank you both for keeping me company and liking my work."

[Dilyn] "You are kindly welcome."

[Kerani Rishi of Gwen] "It is was a nice time to be here."

[Dilyn] "What should I do now?"

[Latika Rishi of Gwen] "Maybe it is time for you to explore the rest of the world."

Surprised, Dilyn looks towards the direction of the voice.

[Dilyn] "Good evening.... Time to explore the world?"

[Latika Rishi of Gwen] "Yes, you are a mundane child and we hope that you would become an Aisling to help us someday."

[Dilyn] "The time for departure is today?"

[Latika Rishi of Gwen] "It is best today. You have the adventuring spirit within you now. Use it to explore the world and find a way to help others. But please do not forget about us, because we would never forget about you. That is why I think you could represent our tribe. That is why we name you GwenDilyn as title from this day on. You are worthy of this name. I hope you can live up to it well."

[GwenDilyn] "Thank you kindly, I... do not know what to say."

[Latika Rishi of Gwen] "Dilyn, use this title only at official or formal conversations. I wish you all the luck in Temuair and all its blessings on this hard and difficult quest. It is perhaps the quest of a life time, but try not to lose hope. Try to be victorious over all that troubles you, your friends and all you wish to protect."

[GwenDilyn] "I will do that. Thank you kindly for your kind words."

[Latika Rishi of Gwen] "Light love and nature be with you forever. Goodbye Dilyn."

[Kerani Rishi of Gwen] "May you be always safe. Fare well Dilyn."

[Kerani Rishi of Eunn] "Dilyn of Gwen may the enlightening be always a guide for knowledge to you. I wish you best."

[Jivanta Rishi of Gwen] "I just made it on time..., please protect yourself from all evil. Do not let the past turn you down. Let the future guide you. Find your faith in the things you truly love and have utmost faith in. Follow your heart to make decisions. Follow your instinct and intuition to react and let your faith bless your actions. I wish you the best my child. The very best for the nicest child I had ever raised. My hopes and love go with you always. Take care my daughter and fare well."

Slowly more of Gwen arrived, each giving their words and blessings in departure, filling Dilyn full of courage and strengthening her adventurous spirit. Sad but courageous she leaves the river that night for the city to the north...

Departure of the swamp to learn of Temuair.

The time for Dilyn had finally come, the time to go into the world. The time to learn of the new and mysterious secrets that the world has hidden for all young adventurers. As a lone mermaid she swims through the large sea northward within a great distance from the coast. Minutes became hours, hours became days. Her trip northward looks almost endless. The only proof she was actually moving were the changes of the coastline in the far west. The silence and safety of her voyage comes to an end as a galleon approaches her. A sailor on the ship’s port side looks at Dilyn with utter astonishment. {A girl here in the sea? I need to get her out. She needs help.} He takes a few paces and looks back at her before running of for help. He runs into the cabin of his friend.

[Sailor] "Dherick, I have seen a girl in the sea, she needs help."

[Dherick] "There are no girls in the sea here. None would survive such a swim! There are enough monsters in the sea that would eat any who would try. Are you drunk?"

[Sailor] "No, it is true! Follow me and I'll show you."

[Dherick] "Sure, Pailin, but you might want to make a bet first."

[Pailin] "A bet? What for?"

[Dherick] "If there is a girl or not. Let the loser clean the deck."

[Pailin] "I wish you good cleaning."

They run of to the spot where Pailin had seen Dilyn. They both look at the sea, but neither of them see anyone there. A minute of silence passes. Pailin begins to wonder if he was alright. {I have seen her, I am sure about it. Maybe she just swam away. Or am I just dreaming? Why don't you show yourself again? I don't want to clean the deck just because you hid to give me trouble.}

[Pailin] "I'm still sure I have seen her here."

[Dherick] "*Snorts* Not likely! You just try to talk your way out of it. Admit that you lost the bet."

[Pailin] "Next time I will fish her out of the sea and rub her in your face."

Angry he leaves the spot, walking all the way to the other side of the deck where he sees the girl again. Carefully he steps back a little without drawing her attention. {And now I will show you Dherick.} He opens a small chest on the deck and takes out a large fishnet and a few stones. Dragging the net with a sneaky pace he walks back to the girl. She was touching the hull of the vessel. {Now I got you.} Pailin stands right above her and drops a few stones down. The first of the four stone miss their target and make Dilyn look up. The second stone hits her right on her head. She dives to avoid the other projectiles. Even more surprised than before Pailin looks at her tail. {A mermaid or a siren! Dherick would never believe me without proof.} A few minutes later Dilyn surfaces again looking at the sailor that dropped his stones on her. {He should be more careful - those stones hurt. Would they know anything about the sea? I hope so. Maybe they could teach me a few things.} Slowly she approaches the side of the vessel again, looking up to the guy with rope and shield. She waves hello to him. The sailor calls for Dherick but his call remains unanswered. {Fine Dherick, I will fish this fish out of the sea by myself.} The sailor hurls a stone behind Dilyn and got the reaction he hoped for. She turns around, and at that moment he quickly drops his Talos shield, blessed by Sgrios, on top of her. He smiles as he hears the shield hit her head from behind. She loses consciousness instantly. The heavy talon shield drags her into the depths of the sea. Slowly but surely the shield forces her to the bottom of the sea, covering her up completely. Days pass like that without any motion from Dilyn...

A bit to much of a guardian.

The soft waves of the sea calm her nerves as the warmth on the bottom of the sea keeps her spirit alive. She awakens after twelve days beneath the shield. {You are nice to protect me all the time. But you are so heavy, could you please move off me so I can swim again?} The shield does not answer her question and remains unmoving in its position. {Please, I want to learn more of the world. Can you let me leave?} Again her question remains unanswered. {I guess we can not speak the same language. How do I get out of here? How can I free myself?} She moves her free hand and tries to free her other hand, which lies buried beneath her body in the sand. But even with all her effort, the situation remains unchanged.

[Dilyn] "Please I beg you, get off me."

Her calls of freedom are ignored, every attempt at freeing herself fail and there was no one around to help her. Tears merge with the water of the sea as she finds herself in a hopeless situation. A day passes without any efforts to escape her heavy life guardian. {I am hungry, what should I do?} She tries to dig a hole with her free hand. But even that was no escape as she finds a rocky bottom a short depth beneath her. {I will never be able to get out of here, at least never by myself.} Four days later the situation was still the same but now she was starving due lack of food. Most of those days she spent fast asleep and when she was awake she had to bear the pain of hunger. Another two days later a great storm makes the sea go wild around her. Whirling currents rage on the sea bottom, throwing little object all around. Dilyn heard the metallic clanging of the pebbles, scrap metal pieces and shells against the shield. The strong shield blocks of all the attacks but is itself damaged as well. Dilyn feels the time passing slowly, her hunger not allowing her to sleep anymore. She is terrified of the noises of things banging on the shield. {What kind of guardian are you? I need to eat. Please let me go now. It hurts, it hurts so much.} A few minutes later a hard hit on the shield pierces a rock through it, hitting Dilyn in her tail. She screams from pain, causing her to unleash the dark aura within her. The shield is slowly consumed by the aura of darkness. Totally lost from reason or common sense she lets her instincts guide her efforts to survive. As a monster herself she hunts on fishes to eat. For days she roams around angry and totally lost from herself and her own faith, guided solely by instinct and a will to survive. Slowly she learns a song, a song that raises from her heart to her mind, a song that controls her instinct and rages. This song of self control finally makes her come to her senses. {This song, it is special... It leads me. It draws me to my faith. I will sing it whenever I feel drawn away by chaos. Please song keep me sane.} In the wild seas of a thunderstorm she arrives at the coast of Abel. Looking at the docks she feels her will for knowledge and learning return. {How can I be among the Aislings and Mundanes in this shape? Bird of life, please help me.} The bird of life speaks to her mentally.

[Phoenix] "Your song will be the key, it gives you the strength to choose either shape. But remember you need to remain in a certain shape for at least two hours. It would kill you otherwise."

{Thank you bird of life for helping me in my life. I promise you that your name will be honored.} She takes a comfortable position on a square shaped rock and sings her song of self-inspiration. She concentrates on her birth shape and slowly changes to her old self again, but remains with a little of her other shape. Her ears are permanently changed to the shape of a mermaid's ears. She leaves the rock for the docks with what few possessions she has. She climbs onto the docks and finds herself in the middle of attention of the other people around. She was standing naked with her mermaid's clothes on hand. A little globe of light appears somewhat ahead of her. Curiously she follows the now moving globe of light, ignoring all the comments of the people around her. The light guides her through Abel to the road towards Mileth...

Answers to the holy call of Aisling.

The road was long but not dangerous, giving her chance to learn about new flora and fauna along the way. The globe of light stops half way along the road, showing its true form. A little faery appears out of the globe of light.

[Faery] "You have been chosen to become an Aisling, young mundane. You must take the trial however to become a true Aisling. I will send you to the hidden ground of trial. If you would succeed in this trial you will live on as an Aisling. If you fail you will remain a mundane forever"

[Dilyn] "I take the challenge, for all the Mukul who have faith in me. I need to succeed - it is a mission that maybe could take a lifetime, but I will be do it gladly, for they are worth most in my life. It is thanks to Gwen that I may call myself alive."

[Faery] "I will send you to the trial area. You have a great wish in your life. I wish you the best that you may succeed."

The faery casts a magic spell, teleporting Dilyn into a small area. An unknown voice speaks to her, teaching her the basics of being an Aisling. She receives a few pieces of clothes from a mysterious cloud. Dressing herself and walking around a bit she learns a little more about navigation. She continues the path to find a piece of raw wax. She takes it with her and drops it aside the well, just as this mysterious telepathic voiced told her. She takes an apple from under the tree and receives a stick from out of another cloud. She continues the road and equips the stick. Curiously she examines the barrel at the corner of the path, but it was not really an important barrel at all, so she continues her path northward to meet an old man somewhat off the road. She walks to him and introduces herself. The old man begins to teach her a few things. She learns a secret to discover time and learns a little about attacking. She continues her path into the house that stands nearby. Again she introduces herself, this time to the woman behind the counter. Even she had something to teach her. After conversing a few moments, she told Dilyn to go down-stairs to meet a young boy. She follows the instructions and finds the young boy in the basement of the building. He asks her to kill a rat for him to get some small mold. Dilyn took her stick in hand, impaling a large rat with its sharp end, and by doing so learned a little of the ways of combat. She sold the mold to the boy and left the basement again. On the road she meets a faery priestess. The priestess explains to her how to use the boards in Temuair before sending her through to the last of the teachers. Dilyn follows the road to a river with an old wizard next to it. This wise man told her a lot about paths, life and community. After the long lesson she was rewarded for her patience with a small spinal ring, a small emerald ring, a pair of boots, a dirk and a large sack filled with 1000 gold coins. After giving her the items he wishes her a good life and sends her to the inn in Mileth. It is here that Dilyn awakens as if from a long sleep and receives the holy blessings of an Aisling that the faery promised. It is here where Dilyn's life as an Aisling begins...