Microsoft Zone Archive/Player Chronicles/Lu Lynn's Story

Original Link (now dead) - http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall/ASHElulynn.asp

Lu Lynn's Story

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by Lu Lynn

Of my childhood, it is the dream I remember most. That one, horrible dream that kept repeating and repeating, night after night, until I grew so used to it that I was actually able to forget about it most of the time, except for those nights when I would awaken from it dripping with sweat, still trembling. It was then I would call out for my "mu-mu." At least, that is what I called him, mu-mu. I was not raised by my parents, and I know little of them, save that they were very poor. Unable to even feed me, they left me at the doorstep of the Midral temple. I suppose they thought that the priests and magicians who lived there would take pity on a baby girl, all alone in the world. But it was not so. They were scholarly types, much too interested in their work to be concerned with a child. They did take me in, but for the most part they ignored me. All except for mu-mu. His real name was Lendoral, and he was the very least of all the magicians who dwelt in the temple. He was nothing more than an errand boy, really. But his heart opened to take me in, and he cared for me throughout my youth. He even tried to train me in the magic arts, when it became clear that I had an aptitude in that direction, but he was a poor mage himself and I did not learn much. Surrounded by men, I became of necessity very independent.

The dream began when I was very young, just three or four, and it terrified me. I saw a man and a woman, battling some hideous creature. The creature had an insect-like appearance, but it was huge, much larger than the man, and around its feet lay the dead bodies of many other people. Each time I dreamed, it was the same. The man attacked the creature, his war cry filling the small cave-like room. The creature rose up, hissing and thrashing, and in one swift motion impaled the man upon its razor sharp claws. The man's body vibrated for a moment, and then was still. At that point, the woman would cry out in grief and anger, and after dipping an arrow into some liquid, she would fire it from her longbow directly into the creature's eye. The creature would cry out in a gruesome voice, teetering back and forth, and then finally fall, thrashing, to the floor, falling full upon the dead body of the man still held in its claws.

The first time I had the dream, it scared me so badly that I was unable to sleep for several days. When at last I did sleep, I dreamed the dream again, and woke screaming. And so it went, night after night, until I reached the age of twelve. And then, suddenly, the dream came no more. I slept peacefully for the first time that I could remember, and I struggled to understand what it all meant.

It was then that the Archmage sent for me. I was concerned, and not a little afraid, for the Archmage had never taken any interest in me. What could he want with me now? Would he tell me that I was too old to stay at the temple any longer? After all, I was the only female who lived within its walls, and lately my body had begun changing, as I began the transformation to womanhood. For weeks, mu-mu had been dressing me in loose-fitting clothing, and fussing at me about my habit of bathing in the river close outside the temple. There was nothing to do but to answer his summons, of course, so I went nervously down the long hall to his chamber.

"Sit down, Lynn," he said, surprising me by calling me by my given name.

"Tell me about your dream," he said, his gray eyes resting seriously upon my face. I was a bit taken aback, not realizing that he knew, or cared about my dream. I told him the dream, trying to remain calm as I recalled it. As familiar as it had become over the years, it still frightened me deeply.

He listened intently to me, and a worried look came over his face. "Lynn," he said. "I want you to take a little trip. Lendoral shall accompany you. The distance is not far, just a few hours up the road to the northeast. A magical manifestation of some kind is going on there. We believe it is some kind of arcane portal, but where it leads we do not know. I want to know what you think of it. Go see it, and then return and report to me."

I knew better than to question the Archmage, so I bowed and left the room, but my mind was swirling with questions. Why did the Archmage care what I thought of some magical object? What did he mean when he said it led somewhere? Outside in the hall, Lendoral was waiting for me. Apparently, he had already been told for he had a lunch ready for me and our horses were saddled and ready outside the gate.

When we arrived at our destination, there was quite a crowd already gathered around what I assumed must be the object of our interest, a swirling, glowing circle hanging in the air. I dismounted, and as I approached the thing I suddenly began to feel a strange tingling along my spine. The feeling grew, until I felt that my whole body was bathed in some kind of mystical energy. I found out later that all those who watched me saw my body begin to glow with the same swirling, glowing light that streamed from the portal. I guess I lost consciousness then, for mu-mu told me that I fainted, but to me it seemed as though I walked forward into the portal, and saw what was on the other side. It was another world, green and lush, and yet I sensed that it was somehow cursed. I saw mountains and valleys, and I saw monsters. Most I did not recognize, but then I saw them, the same insect-like creatures that had haunted my dreams for so long. A name came to me from somewhere. Olthoi.

That was all. I awoke some time later in a nearby hut, where mu-mu had carried me after I collapsed on the ground. When I felt able to travel again, we returned to the temple. I recounted my experience to the Archmage.

"It is as I thought." he said. "You have been summoned to Dereth."

"Dereth?" I said. "That world that all the Aluvians have been taking about? I thought it was just a story, something to tell children when people went missing!"

"Oh no, child," he said. "Dereth is very real. The great magician Asheron has left signs that we here at the temple have been able to read. He began by calling the Aluvians to Dereth, and now it appears he has begun calling some of us as well."

"Well, I certainly thank you, sir, but I have no desire to leave Ispar. This is my home!" I exclaimed.

"It is not up to you. You have been called. Soon, you will go, whether you like it or not. It will be better for you if you are prepared. I don't know how much longer you have here in Ispar, but you will begin your training at once. See Mage Lear, he will give you the details."

I stood speechless for a moment, until he shooed me out of his chamber. It seemed that I had no choice in the matter. I told myself that I would not leave Ispar, or mu-mu. But I could not turn down the opportunity to train my magical skills. I threw myself into my studies with all my strength, not knowing how long I would have before they realized their mistake and stopped teaching me! As it turned out, I had six full years. When I was eighteen, one sunny morning as I was finishing my breakfast I heard a sound, like strange music, with men and women chanting, and my vision clouded over for a moment. Then, I was moving rapidly though a twisting, turning tunnel, with flashes of purple light going past my head, as I seemed to fly effortlessly forward. And then, suddenly, I was in that world that I had glimpsed years before. I turned around, looking about me, trying to get my bearings. I was alone. I had only my wand, a few spell components, some bread and some cheese, and the clothes on my back. I never got to say goodbye to mu-mu. The Archmage was right after all, I thought. I sat down on the grass to think, but not for long. Like it or not, my path was clear before me. "Dereth is my home now," I told myself under my breath. "I must make my life here now, on my own. The answers I seek are here. They must be. Perhaps I shall finally find out what my dream really means."

I knew I had just begun to answer Asheron's call.

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