User:Cyan Light/Main Page/Lore/The Path of Saeya
The Path of Saeya
“In the second era of the Nobelium timeline, a powerful source of energy was shaped to a dimensional fragment. This fragment was used to create a gate into a unknown world, not to say dimension. Not even the creator knew where it was leading to, and there for he did ask for volunteers to explore the endless world which was hiding on the other side. Not many people were brave or stupid enough to take the task, and rumors did spread in the various settlements near the dimensional gate. Because there was no prove that a single volunteer did survive, most stories varied between volunteers shattered apart by the huge energy which was twisting inside the gate and many terrible things that did wait on the other side of the gate, waiting to rip anything apart that entered.
The creator, who was turned to an outcast and a pariah in the wide lands around the gate, saw his experiment no longer as a huge opportunity, but as a terrible monster who destroyed all his dreams. Despite the volunteers who already went it, he did decide to close the gate. Using the last of his magical powers, he destroyed the gate, which resulted in a huge explosion, that was heard in settlements miles away. Months later, some treasure hunters went to the place where the gate once was, determined to find something valuable. The only thing they found was dust and little shards. The explosion did eliminate all life near the former gate and demolished all structures around. Years passed and people seemed to forget the existence of a former gate between dimensions and even the location was no longer at interest. Everything was just fading away.
While more years did pass and the third era did start, the ground started to tremble and things started to move around the former gate. Like it was summoned by the ghost of the creator himself, shards started to get together, forming bigger crystalline pillars. Energy from the air itself began to swirl and created a maelstrom of dust. After time, the dust did disappear inside and a solid gate was created. The now dead creator thought to have destroyed the gate, but the dimensional fragment was something a mere human could not take out. Like a storage device, the fragment takes all energy around and absorbs it. When you don’t destroy all little shards, it will restore to its former power. The thing we learn about this is that there are several sources of energy we still don’t understand in our dimension, not to say outside it. True information is mixed with speculations and gossip. What is the truth and what is a fake? If you want to learn about this dimension and all energy in it, you have to be careful with what you believe and what not. And even question the things you can believe…”
A shiver went through the classroom. Suddenly a hand raised from the second row. “Why are you telling us this? What does it have to do with the study of Arcane arts? And what do we have to do with it?” The little classroom full with students went quiet in a couple of seconds. It took a while before the wise lady answered: “Because you might need it someday..”
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Chapter 1
“Cliff ahead!” Liz shouted the words at the other treasure hunters below her. The land around was twisted and corrupted, and large raptures and mountain ridges made it hard to proceed. Thereby, it seemed like the days were shorter at this damned place. Below her the others had stopped and started to make a camp. It was too dangerous to travel by darkness, and even if they had the courage to try it, the several bones and corpses around would change their mind. Liz jumped of the dead tree which was like a forgotten mark of better times. She landed lightly on her feet and walked to the leader of the crew. Liz managed to dodge all the wires which helped to construct the several hide outs they carried with them on their journey. A huge fire was ignited in the center of the camp and she sat down on a slightly comfortable rock. Liz could see the whole crew working on the camp, a safe place in this madness. Every member in the crew was selected for his or her capabilities, capabilities which were essential for this journey. It was a dangerous land, and the paths were small and unstable. One misstep was a certain death, or even worse. Despite that, nobody would dare to abandon the crew. Contracts were standard business in the world of treasure hunting, and a crew hardly started a journey without signing one. The contracts were bounds for a lifetime, only broken after a successful result or an unsuspected death.
The camp, small but strong, was the only sign of life in this stretched lands. Life lured animals, or worse, undead and other terrifying creatures, so a good defense was essential to survive. On the left Liz could see Riley working on a improvised palisade. The palisade was their first line of defense, only hard to make with a lack of strong logs. Corruption and death tiered widely in this lands, consuming all forest and leaving a shattered and rock covered mix of deserts and mountain ridges. Riley couldn’t care less, using everything he could find, even bones were good enough.
Riley was the first one who did enter the crew, he was no more than a thief, who did spend his life on robbing the elite and the nobles in Divinity’s Reach. He was extremely suspicious on everything and everyone, not sharing any words with the rest of the crew. Despite his past did he mean a lot for the crew, and he already saved them from a lot of trouble. If needed, he used only a sign of his hands for communication. It took a little while before we all got the meaning of the quick hand movements and signs, but there were enough tomes to practise them, danger was all around. Because of Riley's past he knew many tactics to evade danger, based on how he lived back in Divinity. His reasons for joining were unknown, but that was actually very common in this business. A long journey like this could free you from your past, and the reward was high.
Not only humans were attracted by adventure. Sanna, a young Norn, was eager to join and in her vision the idea of rejection could not possibly exist. A treasure hunting crew was just not complete without a Norn, was her slightly reasonable opinion. A statement like that was only confirmed with prove, and Sanna delivered prove, loads of it. Sanna was the complete second defense line. She was
busy setting traps, placing them at strategic locations . She let her companion search for eventual weak spots in the strong defense of the camp and covered them up with nasty traps using invisible tripwires and deadly spikes. Besides that Sanna had a huge knowledge about wildlife and plants. Although the lands were almost dead, wildlife was roaming around and plants were available, though extremely hard to find. With her experienced senses and assisted by the good nose of her companion she was able to collect consumable herbs and plants. Her companion was quick, and moved around with a stunning grace, balancing on mountain ridges and howling at possible danger. The black, elegant wolf, was named Saeya, a name chosen by the spirit of Wolf himself, whispered to Sanna in the cold winds of the Shiverpeaks.
Treasure hunting was a business all about money and adventure, but the third member of the crew used the journey for other purposes. Experiencing life in all forms and circumstances was not a common reason to join a journey with loads of danger involved, but Liz heard the words by herself back in Divinity’s Reach. Eleri was a Sylvari, and at the start it was not entirely sure if she was able to join the crew or not. She had no experience is surviving rough lands and her knowledge about surviving itself was below average. Despite that, Cyan, leader of the crew and treasure hunter extraordinaire, saw something in the young, innocent Sylvari. Eleri was the only crewmember without a contract, able to leave anytime. While on track, her capabilities became clear and also very valuable. Her will to explore and experience new things did motivate the other crewmembers to keep going in the harsh circumstances. Her optimism was like a cure against the darkness which was crawling around the camp and she was able to gather information about survival like a fourth grade student at the school of arcane arts.
At the moment, Liz heard her singing in the back of the camp, phrasing her pure voice in mysterious words. Binding robes together, Eleri behaved like she was on a hike in the forest around the Grove, like the corrupted lands were not even impressing here. But that wasn’t true at all, because Eleri was deeply impressed by the difference between this lands and the flourishing lands of the Tarnished Coast. At the same time frightened but also eager to learn more, she continued her way singing, and laughing, like a piece of eternal purity. But Eleri was more, way more. In one of the terrifying situations, Eleri saved the entire crew when twisted undead creatures attacked in a narrow passage. By using multiple powerful spells, aligned with death itself, she managed to overwhelm the deadly foes, finishing with a stunning spell summoning great claws sprouted from the earth and dragging her opponents beneath the surface.
The leader of the crew was managing the whole organization, using all her experience and knowledge about treasure hunting and the corrupted lands of Arah. Cyan was widely known in Divinity’s Reach by her stunning adventures and risky operations, although opinions did differ about how great they were. First taking quests as a free rider, balancing between the world of legal and illegal business, she managed to get a large clientele in multiple layers of the population. Later on Cyan took quests from larger organisation like the Seraph and the Vigil, proving them how valuable knowledge about relics and treasures could be for the war against many forces. But all that business was important in the past, and today it didn’t even matter. No longer taking quest, Cyan followed her own goals, using her own rules, limitless. She is no longer a citizen of Divinity, no longer part of any society. Only a month ago she came back to Divinity, visiting all taverns searching for adventures willing to explore the unknown. Cyan personally selected all crew members, searching for unique and powerful capabilities. She knew where to search and who to contact, using her old clientele to the maximum. Liz was almost certain that Cyan knew all the crew members personal, although there was no trace to confirm that. And despite the dangers ahead, Liz heard never any complaint.
Unexplored territory and knowledge brought mysterious creatures on their way. Already at the start of their journey mystic beings tried to join them, lingering to the possible wealth and knowledge at the end of the road. The crew had a clear policy for those people, and weapons or magic could clear the road in a second. That’s why Liz got a little irritated by a happening last week, before entering Orr, and before the actual hunt started. While a destructive thunderstorm was terrorizing the crew in the Dragonbrand, a person covered in black clothes and a black hood approached. Instead of preparing their defenses, Cyan ordered to hold back while she moved forward, careful evading stone formations. The hooded creature was still moving, negating the danger of lightning shooting down left and right. Suddenly a large flash lighted the wide lands and a huge and blistering lightning bolt came down from the sky, searching for a place to land. It found a location, not caring about the hooded person passing by. But just before the impact, Cyan reached a higher spot and moved her arm in an elegant swing which forced the lightning to change direction. Leaving the hooded person with no harm, they approached each other and just with a few words things were settled. Under protection of Cyan’s skilled magic, the two joined the other crew members, who were ready to leave as soon as possible. After settling a camp, Liz could finally observe the new crew member, who didn’t care to help on the slightest matter. Even names weren't switched, and eventual questions were left unanswered. If you didn't know better nothing happened at all.
And now, pondering around the fire, Liz though about her own history, her story. She travelled a lot through various lands, and her knowledge made her a valuable scout. Estimating where saviors might lured combined with knowledge about weak spots in nature, she was able to lead the crew past the dangers, constantly searching for a quick and safe path to take. Liz enjoyed the journey, feeling the air around her and experiencing the wild lands. If you look behind the corruption, Orr was a land with impressive mountain formations, not recently affected by human hands. On top of a mountain ridge she could discover old ruins, the only prove there were once humans here. She was young and naïve when she searched desperate for her family, a family who abandoned her as a child. When she grew older Liz realized it was only logical that there was no trace of them, they left her on purpose. On her hournies she learned valuable history and information about the various parts of the world. Despite her quick feet and hands she rejected the life of a simple thief and started to work in taverns to finance her study of Tyrian history. Because of her connections in multiple taverns, she heard about a phenomenon called treasure hunters. Learning more about them, she was more and more interested in that specific profession, lured by the adventures of that way of life. On her first real tresure hunt she met Cyan. Cyan was not like the other treasure hunters around, she wasn't bragging or shouting about her huge accomplishments, but enjoying her drink, amused observing the other treasure hunters who want to spring in the picture by local quest givers. They were both members of a crew which was planning to explore the depths of the jungles in the west. They became good friends, having conversations about their experiences. Because of their good bond and by coincidence same last name they declared themself family. After that trip they both followed their own feet, but meeting up from time to time to talk about the various adventures they experienced. After some months they managed to once again get in a crew together, excersizing their combination of skills. Becoming a strong combination, they decided to do something nobody succeeded before. To find the hidden treasures of Arah, and to deliver them to the palace of historical matters. Although Cyan disliked any organisation, never showed any interest for history, and was most important not an offical citizen of Divinity's Reach (which was needed to do any job for every organisation in Divinity's Reach), she never showed a sign of rejection and was fully agreed with the plan. Cyan formed the crew, while Liz took preparations for the long journey. That Cyan managed to create a crew full of capable but questionable members was most likely her own little sneer to the officials. Not without any comotion and protest they left the walls of the big white city behind them, with a quest only known by themself and their cliënt. And now, after some weeks, they were in the lands of Orr, finding their way to where the wealth could be, it wasn't even sure. But a lot was on their way, and not only things they could forsee.
Chapter 2
A storm was approaching. Sanna could see it in the air above, how the clouds wirled in a chaotic patern. They just made a new encampment, in the middle of a desolated wasteland. Not an ideal place, but they simply had to stop moving. It was too dark to continue, and however there were no cliffs around, it was just not a clever thing to do. The wasteland was enormous, and without a clear view or orientation point was it most likely that they would lost their way. But this storm was a unforseen factor. The crew was very vulnarable in this wide open lands and Riley wasn't able to construct the outer defense line, because there was no usable wood, or even bones. There was nothing, only arid, dry lands with here and there some dead plants. They were lucky that Sanna could shoot some wildlife before they entered the plains, but she wasn't sure if it was enough to survive the days left. One positive point was that they couldn't possibly die because a lack of water, Cyan could find it everywhere. If needed she extracted it from everything was could have water in it. But the food and shelter weren't the only problems for the crew. Some crewmembers became impatient because of the long and harsh journey. Not that they weren't used to it, but after weeks there wasn't any trace of the city of Arah, and sometimes it was just like they walked in circles, the surroundings were all the same. Sanna could experience the irritation by all the crewmembers, all did it show in different behaviour. Riley became extremely quiet, even more then normal. She couldn't remember what his last spoken words were, or when they were. Liz showed her irritation in her movement, she tried to motivate, or even command, the whole crew to move faster and faster, and everytime they stopped to set up a camp, she did it with a lot of protest. Masha was the same as always, she moved in their shadows, never lending a hand in tight situations, and cared only about her own business, whatever that could be. Sanna herself tried to behave as always, but she felt like everyone made it way more difficult then needed, and sometimes she urged to step out and manage the whole organisation. She had a lot of respect for Cyan, but she was so damn easy about everything. She didn't share a lot about the specific things they could possibly find, or most important how many days it would last to even get there. Strangly Cyan didn't show any sign of irritation about the changed behaviour of the crew. She handled like always, on her own laid back way. The last member of the crew was curious as ever, sometimes leading to more irritation by the others. Wondering about many things and questioning things they encountered, Eleri was just like herself.
But now, Sanna had to leave her irritations behind. The wind tried to shatter the whole encampment, and the various clouds full of thunder approuched suprisely fast. Quick preparations had to be made. If they wanted to survive they had to fortify the camp, fleeing was no option, there was no way to go. But extra wires couldn't help, there were no fixation points. The only option was Cyan's earth magic, but to speak in her own words those skills were rather dusty. She almost never used them, as she favored air and water magic. But there was another option, although Sanna found it extremely risky. As a ranger she certaintly used magic, but she always combined them with skills, het pet and her bow. She was sure that Cyan was skilled, but to stop a storm was not a task that often happened. But Cyan was determined about this method, as she took her place in the center of the camp to do the impossible.
