TMD | Tue 15-Jul-03 02:07 AM |
Member since 15th Jul 2003
3 posts
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#33, "Iachegao (Battle felar warrior, Jacynth's tattoo)"
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-= Author's Note =-
The rest of this role is told in the first person. It also follows a mosaic time scheme. In other words, the entries are not in chronological order.
-= The Dream Time =-
I met a very old and wise fela on one of my rangings through the frozen wastes. It was an especially cold night, and I knew she would not survive it unless I permitted her to partake of the spoils of my hunt and share the warmth of my fire. No one should die like that. We dared not sleep for fear that the blaze would die out unwatched, and we soon after it. To pass the time, she told me of ancient days, of sorcery and how our people came to be.
Our cousins in nature, she said, from the fiercest jungle cat to the most harmless domesticated kitten, live in the Dream Time. To them, the world is much like an eternal now, unfettered by the memories of the past and unblemished by the fear of the future. For their own gain, the sorcerers who created the first of the felar from the great cats bestowed upon them the gift of sentience. They elevated the felar above the status of beasts, giving them speech, intelligence, and the ability to tell right from wrong.
The price of these gifts was the Dream Time. We live with the guilt for the sins of our past and we live with the dread of what the future may bring. These things creep into our present and burden our consciousness. Further, we are cursed of the Gods; while other races have been made sentient and lost the Dream Time, they lost it by the will of the Gods. We lost ours because some men--great, powerful men, but still, just mortal men--were lazy and wanted some servants. We are hubris incarnate, a lingering reminder of slothful blasphemy and arrogance. The Gods turn their faces from us; they do not bless the felar with the gift of their power as they do the holy of other races.
Sometimes, when I lose myself in euphoria of a drunken revel, I can feel it in the rhythm of my heart. Sometimes, when I lose myself in the pure innocence of a moment of careless play, I catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. Sometimes, when I am consumed by the thrill of the hunt, I can smell it wafting on the breeze for a fleeting instant. I taste a hint of the Dream Time.
-= Vagrant Child =-
I get asked sometimes how I ended up with the gypsies. I can't remember life before wandering with them, growing up among the colorful wagons, sharing in their nomadic, festive existence. They didn't seem to think it was important, and so neither did I. If you want to know the truth, I didn't realize I was any different. You might think the fur and claws and tail should have made it plain, but things weren't like that.
Looking back, it seems as though every night was a party, and we never worried about whether the bounty for another such feast might come. Every day was a journey through unfamiliar terrain, with bright and wonderful scenery to behold. It was like an idyllic eternal summer, and in the midst of that carefree wanderlust I never thought to question where we were going or why we never seemed to arrive.
I know now where they were going, and where I am going even now. I wish that it were not so.
Why, you ask, did I stir from that life of contentment? It all started when we crossed paths with some cousins of ours, a group of Vistani. One of this band's number had the Sight, and what she had to tell me was quite remarkable.
-= Passion =-
If there is a goal in my life, if I am driven by anything beyond the pleasures of my flesh and the pursuit of my own happiness, it is this: I want to do all that I can to ensure that no others are ever ripped from the Dream Time again. It makes me melancholy to do this, for in attempting to atone for the original sins of our birth, in attempting to prevent a future I dread, I slip a little further from the Dream. Even so, I feel that it is the rightful burden of the cursed to spare the others that they may. Those responsible for we felar have long finished their journey, but what is done once may be done again. I will redeem all who start down that path.
-= Weapons =-
A young warrior asked me today why I had chosen the spear; meaning, why among all weapons did I seem to favor the spear. He asked this question because he sees with his eyes and not his heart.
I am gifted with a spear, this much is true. I have trained with it for long hours, studying the attacks that may be executed with it and learning how these attacks may in turn be countered by other styles of fighting. I spent hours beyond counting fighting with the masters in Blackclaw, learning of the styles of my people, lost in that rush of burning muscles and beating heart. In time, the techniques of all the warriors I had encountered were merged with the carefree dance of the vagrant into a style that was graceful, effective, and all my own. The spear became like an extension of myself, a fang of superior reach, and even when too drunk to see straight the dance of claw and fang was not lost to me.
Those who examine with their hearts may realize my true weapon in this war: the Dream Time itself. The works of holy men and women are miraculous indeed; if I put my fang through a man's heart, he may rise up again. If I leave him for dead a hundred times, a hundred times he may return from the grave and continue to work towards ripping another untimely from the Dream. I believe that if I can show another a glimpse of the Dream Time, be it in the thrill of battle, a passionate embrace, or a moment of irresponsible joy, they will forever find it harder to move towards sundering another from that bliss. Even if I err and they are moved to cruel passions, this will be better for the world in the long run.
-= Born of Sorcery =-
Today, a young wizard took a bestial form and attempted to bring my journey to its end. When my fang had torn the life from him, he paused to ask me why it was that I hated magic. The query seemed a strange one to me given that it was he who began the dance of rushing blood, and yet I know I must be developing a reputation of that kind.
Hatred is a spice best used sparingly in life. It quickly overwhelms all else. I do not hate magic. While I am saddened that we felar have been ripped from the Dream Time, the reality of life in the present is that we have lost it. We are ourselves creatures in some sense of the word created by magic, and no amount of hatred for that magic can change that. I do not despise myself, and I will make of my life the best that I can. I do not hate the workers of magic either, though I will battle them whenever I may. It is unfortunate that this causes others to try to fit me into a narrow stereotype.
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Calling all role contest winners!
[View all] , Arvam, Fri 11-Jul-03 03:03 AM
Mogrin - favorite role in theory, but never took off.,
Lightmage,
21-Nov-10 08:03 AM, #24
One question...,
TMNS,
21-Jan-11 09:11 AM, #25
My favorite- Crulvane-Scion Chancellor,
Lightmage,
21-Nov-10 08:04 AM, #23
Fiene,
Rayihn,
18-Nov-10 06:34 AM, #22
Punblinpo (winner 2003ish),
Hutto,
25-Feb-10 02:33 PM, #21
Duule (Runner up June 2007),
Malcolm,
17-Jul-07 08:29 AM, #20
Meagara (long),
Twist,
26-Jan-07 10:43 AM, #16
Gmuer Sabourin(Muouk),
Odrirg,
26-Jan-07 09:04 AM, #15
Any recent winners want to post theirs here?,
Valguarnera,
21-Feb-06 11:25 AM, #11
Here's a lot of the stuff I wrote regarding Flumpel sta...,
Lhydia,
22-Feb-06 07:42 AM, #12
Aputo Gemthumb...,
Saith,
28-Feb-06 07:39 AM, #13
Rhaguel the Feral Shapechanger, Pariah of Hillcrest- Ju...,
Aodh,
28-Feb-06 12:28 PM, #14
Tiatan's Role and Death Echoes,
Tiatan,
11-Feb-07 11:32 PM, #17
RE: Any recent winners want to post theirs here?,
v_vega,
11-Feb-07 11:32 PM, #18
Caragwyn (winner, 2001ish),
Beladorizid,
26-Mar-04 11:45 PM, #10
RE: Caragwyn (winner, 2001ish),
Snarf,
15-Feb-07 12:55 PM, #19
what about honorable mentions?,
permanewbie,
25-Mar-04 04:24 AM, #8
Sure. (n/t),
Valguarnera,
25-Mar-04 04:24 AM, #9
Onilyn (Entropy Bard Mayesha Follower),
Lhydia,
16-Jul-03 05:13 PM, #6
Xalthelir (Scion drow A-P),
TMD,
15-Jul-03 02:29 AM, #5
I would like a book with this onset. Shame you lost the...,
Soren,
24-Aug-03 04:48 PM, #7
Kiaspiflas (Scarab arial assassin, Cyradia's tattoo),
TMD,
15-Jul-03 02:29 AM, #4
Iachegao (Battle felar warrior, Jacynth's tattoo),
TMD,
15-Jul-03 02:29 AM #3
Rafkut's role: (Short!),
Rafkut,
11-Jul-03 11:59 PM, #2
Here is Iriogam's (Entropy Orc Astein follower), I'll s...,
Lhydia,
11-Jul-03 11:49 PM, #1
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