An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Kaede.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 80. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a leather bound tome with glowing glyphs on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Kaede' scribed in earth-colored orange ink.

Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Fri May 15 04:46:33
2009
Subject     On her own. 

She had just turned 16 and the small
home she had grown up in seemed to
become even smaller that winter. Her and her
family lived in a small farming
village not far from Neraka. Money was hard to
come by and the best of the
familys crops were taken by the armies gathered in
the area. On her birthday
she had been given a new gown, her parents hope of her
to wed properly, and
a few silver that amounted to her fathers life savings to
be used as a
dowry. Her mother spent hours combing her hair and dressing her in
the long
white gown all while Kaede longed to just get away from it all.
Although she
hated the idea of trying to appeal to a man to take her as a wife,
she
listened intently to her mothers instructions. Her mother explained how
to
keep a mans attention and what was expected of her. Perhaps it would be
of
some use to her if needed in the future. She felt angry that she was
being
pushed to marry but knew her parents wanted better for her. Only her
parents
did not know Kaede had already planned to leave home. She had talent
and
magical capabilities her small minded family would never comprehend.
She
intended to nurture these talents and learn as much as she could. As soon
as
she reached the city, Kaede took her dowry money and purchased a spell
book
for her own use and bought her own choice of clothing. With what
little
money she had left, she rented a small room above an old inn and set her
own
plans in motion for her future. Perhaps even her mothers advice could
help
her find a source of income if needed. 

Author:    Kaede        
 
Date:      Sat May 16 17:28:50 2009
Subject     saving
up

Searching for employment was easier than expected for Kaede. The inn
in
which she was renting a room, had given it's services exclusivly to the
black
dragon armies. It was her first week in Neraka when she was asked to
vacat her
room to make room for a visiting officer. The owner of the inn put
her up in his
personal quarters after refusing to refund her money. Later in
the week one of
the servers in the bar was killed. He had tried to
overcharge one of the
draconian patrons for his drink. The owner offered the
dead girl's job to Kaede
the next morning. It was not long after that Kaede
began making money on the
side. She started meeting with a few lonely
officers who were more then willing
to pay for her time. She would smile to
herself with each coin she was able to
save away. What became surprisingly
more interesting from her nightly
indiscresions, was the amount of
information told to her in passion's most
weakest moments. Kaede stored away
something new to her collection, money and
new found knowledges, knowing
someday it would prove to be benifitial. She knew
she would not have to work
this way long. Her studies had progressed enough that
she knew she would
soon need a proper teacher in the arcane. There was only so
much she could
learn with the tools she had at her disposal. She intended to see
that
changed as soon as was possible. This night, though, she has drinks to
serve
and perhaps a captain as well. She stands looking in a mirror a slight
smile
on her face before exiting in to the crowded bar room. 

Author:
   Kaede          
Date:      Mon May 25 03:57:03 2009
Subject     To
The Tower

The bar was quite that night and Kaede was given the night
off. She spent
it in her room. It was the perfect opportunity to study the spell
book she
was able to purchase with her new found income. It was not much but it
was a
start. After a while of study she closed the book satisfied with the
small
progress she had made. As she reflected on her goals a knock came to
her
door. She opened it half expecting the Inn's owner to be there asking her
to
come clean the kitchen. Or perhaps on of the oficers that she often
found
coming to her door. What she did not expect was an old hunched over
man
dressed in black robes. She sensed power around him almost instantly
and
knew this was no average customer. "Well girl let me in and stop
gawking".
She nodded to the old man and quikly stepped aside to let him enter.
He took
a seat at her desk and glanced at the book upon it. "Your making a
name for
yourself amoung those soliders out there. His gaze fell on her and he
gave a
crooked grin. She sat wondering at who he was but kept her face with
a
plesant smile. The man's brow scrunched up as he studied her. "All
right,
you don't have to act like that now, I am not here as one of your
cutomers.
She raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Now you have a choice, and
I do not
have much time. You can stay here and play with these men's fantasies,
" He
pointed at her small spell book " look say blah blah blah smile nod Or,
You
can come and join others with your gift and gain proper training.  "It
seems
that you know who I am and some of what I want. If it will gain
me
knowledege and power, I will choose study over this any day. She gestured
to
the surrounding room. look say blah blah blah smile nod "Like I said
there
is not much time so ready your things we are going as soon as your
ready.
Perhaps it was the shook of things happening so quickly or the fact
she
wanted to be any where but living in the old run down inn, but
Kaede
followed the old man. While she packed the few posessions she had, he
worked
some sort of transportation spell. With in the hour Kaede was being
lead
through the gates of The Tower of Wayreth. look say blah blah blah smile
nod
{I Well now,  she thought to herself, {IFinally some progress. She kept
her
smile to herself and was happy in the moment that her goals now seemd
more
attainable. 

Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sun Jun
 7 21:36:44 2009
Subject     tasks, study, and travel

The old man left
her to herself and told her she would be summoned when
she was needed. Kaede
waited for almost a week when that summon came. To her
surprise, it was not the
old man who had called for her. 

She walked toward the base of the black
towers. Tarones was there waiting
for her. She bowed and he told her to sit.
With her hands folded in her lap
they spoke briefly and directly to the point.
They accepted each other as
Master and Apprentice and she was set with a task.
Nine useful items she was
to return to him. 

She headed straight for the
libraries, spending time in the towers and then
traveling to Palanthas. Coming
across a spell, she spent days studying types
of and locating items. She slept
seldom unless it was necessary. Finallly
with another week gone, and Kaede
ruuning out of time and money, her long
hours in the city were no longer an
option. 

"Perhaps it is time to call on a few favors from an old friend.",
She
mumbled to herself as she headed north through Palanthas. She would
leave
toward Neraka as soon as the opportunity presented itself.


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sun Jun  7 21:54:11
2009
Subject     a task complete 

Kaede was actually some what happy
to return to Wayreth after spending a
couple weeks traveling. Glad to have
allies with magical transportation, her
return to Neraka had taken not much time
at all. She had only gone to finish
a task given to her. Visiting with an old
friend was the best place to
start. 

She smiled to herself as she thought of
how eager the soldier had been to
see her. He had even offered to pay double her
fee, if only she agreed to
stay. She merely told him she would think about it
and nothing more. The man
was persistent and was soon offering her anything she
asked. Kaede took
advantage of all his attentions, using his connections to gain
access to
confiscated goods. 

The night she had gathered the last of each
potion, wand, and scroll she
found useful, the man again came to see her. She
let him hold her and she
promised the man she would stay as long as he needed
her to. He contently
feel asleep there. She lie ther 

Standing from the bed,
she had watched him sleep only for a moment. Taking
her dagger in her hand she
quickly stuck him in the chest. He did not wake,
only gurgled his last few
breathes. Kaede had cleaned the blade on the
sheets and looked over him.  "See
now you dont need me.. She then dressed
and left quietly before the sun rose.


It was now that she waited, studying her small treasures gained, that
she
waited again for Tarones to summon her. She had in her minds eye
completed
the task set out before her. While she waited she prepared each item
for his
inspection. Reflecting back on all that had happened, Kaede was pleased
with
herself. 

Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Tue Jun 16
06:51:14 2009
Subject     Library greetings

Kaede sat comfortably back
at one of the table in the library. She took a
look around for the first time in
hours. She stood and stretched the kinks
and soreness from her body. A tall man
entered as she began to sit back
down. 

She smiled to herself with slight
admiration for the man. The aura around
him was enough to show that he possessed
a much darker and more powerful
skill than many of those she had already met in
the Tower. His hood covered
his face, but Kaede guessed that he probably had an
intimidating gaze. He
moved slowly to the table and sat across from her.


Wanting to meet the man formally, she coughed lightly. He looked up as
if
caught unaware that anyone had been there. 

In a raspy voice the man spoke,
 "Ah, hello young human magi ."

And with a crooked grin she greeted him in
return.  "It is not often one
with your reputation is seen in this library,
Sir."  

 "Ah, flattery won't get you far in the black robes, human. I often
times
wander the halls of Wayereth merely reliving memories of my past. I
don't
believe we have officially met. " He extended a pale thin hand across
the
table.  "Jendaron Mer-Kel, Retired High Archmage of the Black Robes." 


She stood and took his hand in her own and nodded to him gracefully. She
stood
quiet a moment studying him a bit longer. 

 "And you are called?" 


"Kaede, and I apologize for the flattery, It is an old habit with my past
choice
of profession you'd be surprised what you can accomplish by teasing a
man's need
for lust."  

He gave a polite chuckle.  "This soul has not known lust in
its life.  

 "I sometimes forget the men here do not appreciate my talents
as much as
those in Neraka.  


Author:    Kaede         

Date:      Tue Jun 16 07:00:32 2009
Subject     Report given

He
suddenly looked thoughtful.  " Kaede? I believe I heard Tarones
mention a
Kaede onceYoung Tarones...I have not seen him in a while." 

Kaede smiled and
nodded to him again.  "In fact he is why I am here, I have
just finished
studying on a few items I was sent to gather for him."  

He looked at her
interested slightly.  "What does he have you working on.?" 
Kaede answered
him trying to hide her annoyance having to think again on the
task.  " I was
to gather 9 items and find uses for them all. It seemed to me
a mundane task but
I am sure he had reasons for sending me to do it.

Jendaron seemed to take
more interest in her task and Kaede soon found
herself giving her report to the
man right there in the library. Three
potions, three wands, and three scrolls,
all which she had to obtain and
identify and find the usefulness of each one.


She was able to prove herself to be self sufficient. She was also able
to
prove she understood how to identify and show knowledge of the magics
each
item possessed. She gained an insight in to Jendaron with each of
his
responses to her report and found his company very interesting. When
she
finished the evaluation of the items, she placed each of them away safely
in
her pack. 

 "I will pass this report on to Tarones, and perhaps I can come
up with
something else for you to do until then." 

 "Did you find my report
satisfactory?" 

 "Certainly, and I found your item selection both eclectic
and interesting.
You traveled near and far to find all of those things." 

She
smiled at him.  "I shall be honest with you sir, I did not have to
travel far.
I stayed with in the rules of the task but was lucky enough to
find most of them
in one location." 

He began to speak of gates and she shook her head.  "As
I said before, I
Have in the past used mens urges to my advantage.  

 "Yes,
something I still do not understand. I have never allowed a woman
close to me.
 He paused for a moment.  "I will be in contact with you about
your next
assignment, Kaede. Until then my dear, Nuitari be with you."  He
stood and
headed slowly for the door. He stooped a moment and looked back at
her. 

 "I
could not have been the reason you came, your leaving already?"  

 "You are
not the reason I came, no, but you are the reason I stayed.
Nuitari be with
you."  

 "And also with you. Thank you Jendaron."  He left then leaving
her again
with her books and the quiet of the library 

Author:   
Kaede          
Date:      Sun Jul  5 20:26:57 2009
Subject     TEST
part 1

Kaede sat in the towers shrine to Nutari, reflecting in a
quiet
meditation. Tarones came to her late in the evening. As he walked to
her,
she watched his determined look. He held a bag out to her. 

""It is time
for your test Kaede. Do you realize the consequences of
failure?" 

She stood
watching him and placed her hands with in the fold of her robe.
Her test all
ready? She gave her master a soft grin.  "Good evening,
Master,"  She then
calmly added,  "Yes I do.", answering his question. 

Something about the
dark aura radiating from the man and she kept to herself
the nervous feeling she
felt. She put on her most confident front. And said 
"I am ready."  She
Pushed away any room for doubt. 

He nodded to her as he spoke again. 
"Failure means death I'm afraid. Do you
wish to continue with this?" 

 "I
would no the here If I did not" 

 They simply nodded to one another as he
withdrew three items from a bag.
One a deadly looking dagger caught her eye at
first, then a staff, and
lastly a simple looking satin black robe.  "I want
you to choose an item
Kaede, and choose this item well. It may very well
determine the difference
between life and death"  

 " May I study each one
or is it to be a blind choice?" She glanced over
each item that had been
placed on the altar. He allowed her a moment to
study each one. After casting a
spell to identify, she found nothing
revealed on the three items. Tarones waited
patiently as Kaede studied each
item. 

 "It is now time to choose my
apprentice." She glanced again at each item
feeling a sudden pull toward the
robes. Without hesitation she took the
robes up. A twisted grin played on her
face. Something about the robes
pulled at her curiosity, she only hoped it would
not also lead to her
death.

The next moment, with her choice made, the ground
began to fall away,
leaving her to fall freely in to a dark void


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sun Jul  5 20:37:11
2009
Subject     test part 2

 {I She finds herself sprawled on the
ground unsure of her surroundings.
She realizes she has no idea where she is. It
appears to be a small town.
She quickly moves to stand. She is alone. As she
stands completely she runs
her hands over the robes fitted to her body. Yet only
moments ago they were
in her hands. 

A crowd has begun to gather and a small
child emerges.  "Are you all right
ma'am? You hit your head pretty hard there.
Here why don't you come to my
Pa's inn we'll fix you right up." {I 

 " What
is this place? Where am I" {I She once again tries to study the area.
Annoyed,
she looks down at the small girl and demands,  "Just answer me
child"  {I


The girls hurt look seems only to annoy her further.  "You don't even
know
where you are ma'am? You must have hit your head pretty hard. This here
is
Estwilde."  {I 

While the girl speaks Kaede has noticed a figure near one
of the buildings.
He reminds her of her master. Holding her tongue that she had
never before
been there she looks again at the little girl. With a disinterested
tone she
asks  " Your name child what is it?".  { I 

 "My name is Sue,
what's your name ma'am?"{ x {I 

The figure is watching her carefully and a
sense of urgent need comes to her
Kaede takes the moment to brush off the robes
she is wearing. She takes a
mental note of anything in pockets as she gives a
less then half hearted
smile to the girl.  " umm I It is Kaede" {I 

The
robed figure approaches her, pushing the kid to the side. He notices the
robes
she is wearing as he asks,  "Are you magi? I may have need of
your
services..." {I He slowly states, still something about the man reminds
her
of, Tarones. 

She raises her brow to the man  "and You are who?"  {I
She studies him
cautiously. 

The man speaks quickly,  "It does not matter who
I am nor what my name is. I
am in need of a favor. Would your services be
available?"  {I 

 " I only offer my services, if there is something of
value in it for me. Is
there?" {I She begins to think there might be more to
the man then she had
first thought. Perhaps. 

He quickly continues with his
tale.  "There is a man here who possesses
something. He does not even realize
what he has, nor the power of the
artifact. It is said that whomever is in
possession of this is granted even
greater power."  {I So that was it! The man
had to be a fool of sorts to think
she would help him, but this perks her
curiosity. She will play along. 

Her brow raises  "And you want the item I
take it? Very well tell me more".


 "I want this more than you could
imagine... You will be rewarded handsomely
for this..." {I 

 "And Your
asking me for help because you can not get the item yourself?"  {I
She begins
to get agitated with the possibility of being over heard, she
rushes him to
speak.  "Well details, man what is it?"  {I 

The man nods toward an inn not
too far in the distance.  "The man has a room
within the inn there. He has
grown suspicious of me, that is why I will not
grab this myself. Are you willing
to get this item?"  {I She thought a moment
about the possibilities that she
was loosing her mind considering it. Then
before she said anything, other
possibilities formed in her mind. Who said
she had to help him? She could
possibly have it for herself. 

Kaede mutters quietly to her self while waiting
for the man to answer
"Helping you obtain this item better be worth more then
a night spent with
an officer back home." {I 

 "I will meet you behind the
inn when you obtain the item. It is a necklace,
you cannot mistake it for any
other. It is as black as the abyss."  {I She
turns to see if the small girl
was still out in the area playing. The girl
too notices her, luckily the man has
left. She calls out from the girl as
she walks further from where the man was.


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sun Jul  5 21:23:43
2009
Subject     Test final

 "Umm, Sue?"  {I She quickly scolds
herself for not listening better and
hopes she has the name right. She smiles to
the girl with a false sweetness.
 "I guess that I really did hit my head
pretty hard. Could you show me to
that Inn?" {I The child, so full of
ignorance agrees and leads her in to the
common room of the Inn. The child
leaves just as quickly, glad to return to
her outdoor games. 

As she sits,
Kaede reaches in to the fold of her robe. She finds nothing but
the spell
components in the pockets of the robes. She remembers her choice
now and smiles
to herself. She would have to use her own blend of magic and
skills to finish
this task with no weapon. 

She notices a man and knows by the necklace on his
neck he is her target.
She watches him for a while. He is the same kind of man
all her lovers had
seemed to be, greedy and willing to throw away good sense for
a roll in the
sheets. She would use that to throw away good sense for a roll in
the
sheets. She would use that to her advantage. 

After he has gone in to a
room she buys two glasses of wine and follows him.
She notices a letter opener
sitting on a table near the door and passes by
it. NO, she thinks to herself,
you were given your tools. She gently knocks
on the door the man entered. 

He
was slightly taller then her and she could not tell if he was drunk or
not. 
"And what is it that you want?"  {I She notices now how extremely
nervous the
man is. He continues to look over her shoulder, barely paying
attention to her.


She waves one of the glasses in front of the mans face. As he glances down
at
her she opened the top of her robe partially to show a part of her
breast
peeking out.  " Some pleasurable entertainment Sir? I noticed you in
the bar
earlier and you intrigue me" {I 

He steps back and pulls the door
open fully. He grins slightly as she enters
.  "It seems the gods have
answered my prayers tonight." 

She forces a giggle and smiles seductively at
him. Kaede winks at him as she
closes the door behind her. " Perhaps they
have."  {I She glances at the man
trying to study the necklace without being
obvious. 

He takes a glass of wine from her and begins to turn from her. While
he
seems to be undressing, his back is toward her. With out hesitation,
she
pulls a small pinch of whatever she could find from her robe.
Sulfur!
Quickly she chants the incantation for lighting and directs the bolt in
to
the mans chest. The arc continues through his dead body. 

The presence of
another is in the room, and the man now dead on the floor.
The dark figure from
outside enters the room " And now I will take what is
rightfully mine. The
power I will possess!" {I He is running at her with a
dagger. She swears to
herself as her hands go numb but she concentrates to
force the arc of lighting
in to the other man before the spell dies.  

 The room shifted and she
stood looking again at the altar and Tarones.
Kaede places a hand on her head to
push away the dizzy sensation. Her hands
felt num and the smell of sulfur and
burning flesh made her gag. It was
over. 

Tarones spoke to her  ""Your test
is complete. With this you will now follow
Nuitari, and wear his black robes."
 She stood proudly and smiled . She had
not only passed but she had come out
with a knowledge of her own limits. She
She hoped the feeling would return to
hands soon enough. She also knew then
she was luckier then others who had come
out much more scarred for their
efforts. 

Author:    Kaede         

Date:      Tue Jul 28 22:27:20 2009
Subject     History and Returning
to Neraka

 " At sixteen years of age, I left my family farm and came
to live with
in the city walls of Neraka. For the want and hope for higher
learning, I
took a job in one of the local inns famous for service to the dragon
armies.
Thinking back on my mother, she meant for all her lessons and teachings
of
mens desires to help me find a suitable husband. The poor woman
would
probably fall over dead if she knew how well that knowledge really
has
helped in my own personal endeavors. Many of my more prominent
customers
were in fact part of the dragon armies. One officer particularly,
seemed to
rather enjoy my company and entertainment."  

Kaede paused,
almost thoughtfully for a moment while the woman near her
listened. It had taken
her some time to even begin to speak. Towering over
her was the powerful form of
a great blue dragon. The woman, had introduced
her self as Ayasana. Kaede forced
herself to continue talking as she
concentrated her will to push aside the fear
that emanated from the dragon.

 "My arcane abilites lead me later to the
tower of high sorcery in wayreth.
For the past 4 years it is there I have
studied. I returned from time to
time to Neraka. One such task given to me by my
master, had me welcoming
another visit from my favorite officer. Perhaps you
know of the man, Keats?
Anyway He was easy enough to manipulate and it suited my
purpose well. He
began to bring me gifts he claimed had been confiscated by the
dragon
armies. He intended those gifts to persuade me to remain with him. The
items
were perfect for the task I had to complete for my master then. So, for
a
while I lead him to believe I would stay for him. My last night here
in
Neraka, I killed him. I only hope that his death was not too much of a
loss
for your ranks, lady. Although, he was pathetic and needy and also he
was
stealing many things from your warehouses. Perhaps in a way, I did us both
a
service. From that point on I have spent most my days in study and research.
I
felt compelled to return to Neraka after passing my test at the towers."

The
woman and dragon looked her over critically. Ayasana spoke after taking
time to
reflect and size up the young magus . 

"So you now come to me, having
returned to Neraka. You admit to me that by
your hand one of our officers was
killed. And what reason Compelled you to
return?"

 Kaede was again forced to
swallow and push away the dragon fear. 

 "I am a Magus of decent talent.
Nutari willing, I could be an asset to your
organization. I have come to offer
my services to the dragon armies."  

Author:    Kaede         

Date:      Fri Jul 31 20:47:31 2009
Subject     Before a first
meeting.

Kaede stared down at the pile of garments in her arms. Moments
late, she
sighed as she placed them in to a locked trunk. The fabric of the new
robes
issued to her was made of stiff wool. It had taken almost a week for her
to
wear them without cringing with every movement. 

Pushing thoughts about the
Drragonarmies' choice in clothing to the back of
her mind, Kaede quickly left
her room. She had yet to meet with her
commanding officer but she would make it
a point to check in with him. She
also wanted to meet again with the woman who
had brought her to the armies
in the first place. 

So far things had been quiet
for her. She had plenty of time to study and
practice a new spell she had found
before leaving Wayreth Tower. As she
walked toward the offices she looked again
at the parchment with her orders
written out on it. She could not believe her
luck. Scribbled in rough
handwriting were the words, "{IYour assigned commanding
officer is Emperor
Luerk Trell." She had heard some about the man. Being a
fellow mage, it
would beniefit her to watch him carfully. To learn all that she
could. 

As she reached his office door, smiling again to herself, she
knocked
softly. 

Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sun Aug 
2 23:26:24 2009
Subject     A visit

She stood waiting for anyone to
answer at the door. When no answer came
she sighed. What now? She had no desire
to sit and wait to be seen by
someone who was obviously too busy for the
moment.

A sudden notion came over Kaede. A newly perfected transportation spell
sat
at the front of her mind. But would her chosen target be open to a
visit
from her? She was surprised to find she missed the old man's company
and
stories. It was decided she was going to try if for no other reason then
for
something to do for the rest of her day. 

The words of her spell uttered,
the scene shifted before her eyes. She was
surprised by her own success at
first. Then looking around she saw the man
she sought to find knelt in a quiet
prayer like pose. She quietly approached
him waiting patiently. He did not move
but he turned to her. He prayed to
Nutari and she paused to bow her head at the
mention of the god they both
worshiped. He then stood slowly, having hearing her
approach and without
turning around spoke softly. 

 "Ah, the Nerakan female
has found her way to my tower. How have the studies
since after the test of
sorcery treated you?" 

Kaede raised her head and studied him. She answered,
"They have gone well. I
have found a new interest of sorts to entertain my
curiousity." 

 "An interest you say, child? Something I should know about?"


 "Only because I respect you enough to tell you, I considered you as much
a
part of my learning as my master, Tarones." 

As she finished saying this,
he led her in to his tower. She accepted and
followed him feeling honored by the
invitation. He lead her in to a glorious
library enough to make even a humble
mage cry out in envy. Jendaron very
apparently spent much of his life gathering
the grand collection. 

They spent the afternoon talking. She left him with more
to think on. He had
given his blessing for the decisions she had made. Those
blessings of course
had come with a warning and many questions. 

She had only
one thing she would always remember in her mind. Her magic was
a gift given to
her by Nutari. By the dark moon god's will and her own she
must never forget
that. Her loyalties would always and foremost be firstly
to her magic. Always.


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Sat Aug 15 19:11:46
2009
Subject     While in Basic Training Part 1

Kaede pulled herself
from the warm water. She shook her head and tried
again to wake herself more
fully. She had snuck out of the barracks assigned
to her to sneak a moment to
bathe. She had to wake earlier then the rest of
the soldiers there, but the
private time had been worth it. It became a
morning ritual. She would bathe then
spend the hour before role call
studying her spell book. 

Kaede had never felt
so numb and tired in her life. Work on the family farm
had been much simpler.
She had to remind herself daily that this was only
temporary. Surely she could
find a way to understand the ways of military
disciplines. Soon she would be
back to refining her own arcane abilities. 

She stood looking at her image,
reflected off a polished steel . If nothing
else her figure was stunning. The
extra work outs were defiantly helping
there. She sighed reluctantly as she
pulled on her clothing and the stiffed
robes assigned to her. 

She scowled at
her reflection then. She hated the uniform she wore. She was
not built to fight
and she was beginning to wonder why her god could
possibly want her in this
army. With a deep breath, she pushed the thought
aside. This was a great
opportunity to study various areas of her abilities.
She walked back toward the
barracks to study until the others began to
wake.

She smiled feeling a bit more
relaxed. After all today they were scheduled
to have weapons training. Perhaps
honing her skill with spear and dagger
would not be so awful after all. She
settled back on to her bunk and reached
for a text on her bed entitled {I"Arcane
Combat". She opened the book to a
chapter and began to read. "Weapon
enhancements through enchantment.." No
this would not be a bad thing at all.


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Tue Aug 18 01:08:30
2009
Subject     While in Basic Training Part 2

The numbness in her
hands eased away as Kaede continued to massage in the
sour smelling ointment.
She had thought the numbness would be only temporary
but since her test, it had
persisted. She hoped only now that she could make
it through a sparring session.
If she could she would be near the end of
this part of her basic combat
training. And the sooner that was completed,
she could fully return to her
magical practices.

Kaede stood, slipping a pair of simple black gloves over her
hands and
ducking to avoid hitting her head on the bunk above her own. She
grabbed the
spell books on her bed and placed them carefully in to a small
trunk. With a
simple incitation locking the chest, she pushed it under her bed.
She was
confidant no one would bother it. The enchantment placed on it those
here
training with her would never see the chest let alone try to open it.
Other
enchantments would protect her belongings if the first failed. 

Standing
once more, Kaede reached for a dagger and spear issued to her upon
arriving at
the training camp. Crude as they looked, she was sure they would
be enough to
get her through this last week. Heading out of the barracks,
she made her way
across the camp to the practice grounds. 

She gave a simple nod a familiar face
a past customer. She remembered him to
be one of the least pleasurable and
disagreeable men. She winked teasingly
at him while the company gathered, and
they were paired off. She almost
laughed when the same tall man was placed
before her. 

"Now aint this something, I gets to spar with a simple street
corner tramp
now?" He gave a small sneer in her direction as others behind him
laughed at
his joke. She found herself smiling at him as well. She now
remembered just
how dense the man really had been. 

They were given order to
spar using spears. Kaede tucked her dagger in to
her boot . As she stood and
straightened her robes, she saw the idiot brute
move in to place a few feet away
from her. "Come now little whore". He
continued to sneer down at her. 

She
kept her temper as they separated from the rest of the group. As his
taunts
toward her continued, she reminded herself it would be a shame to
murder the man
when he was obviously a decent fighter. They were soon
circling one another and
she waited patiently for him to make a move. 

"If I win today you should give
me a free night with you." He laughed at his
own joke this time and quickly
advanced on her. He moved to thrust the spear
point at her and she clumsily
blocked it. Taking advantage of his shocked
look, she turned her own spear on
him, smacking him below the knee with the
butt. 

Kaede quickly stepped back in
a ready pose. She smirked as he said, "So you
got lucky." He stood up and
quickly went to thrust again. Again she blocked,
a bit less clumsily, swinging
the butt of her spear to his groin. He yelped
out then and dropped his spear.


"My dear man, a healers services might be more advantageous to you
then
another night with me." A call came out for partners to rotate. She began
to
move away from him. His face read and furious, the man grabbed her arm.


"Well see about that." 

He moved to trip her as a spell formed from her
mouth. Soon the idiot was
sleeping face down in the dirt She laughed out loud..


"Youll have to do without my services, you can no longer afford me."


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Mon Aug 24 21:16:01
2009
Subject     What has it got to do with Kaede....?

Kaede stood as
a loud knock shook the door to her room. She looked around
even more annoyed
realizing she was alone in the barracks. If it had been an
officer she doubted
they would have taken time to knock. With no on else to
answer the door, she
sighed and walked toward the door. 

She had been about to sneak in an hour of
study before she was disturbed
This bothered her even more then having to wear
the drab material of her
woolen robes. Whom ever was behind that door had best
have a decent excuse
for the interruption . Opening the door revealed the
unexpected sight of a
small goblin. She glared at him as he looked her over.


 "What could you possibly want?" 

The sniveling being smirked slightly
down at her for a moment and began to
say something. She waited impatiently as
he stammered.  "I take you to
Athkanar" . He nodded his head firmly as he
said this. 

 "No, I dont think you will. I am busy and he is not a priority
of mine nor 
responsibility of mine."  She turned to close the door only
to find the
goblin had stepped forward to block the door way. "Your not very
bright are
are you? I will put it in easier terms for you to understand, . GO
away." 

Kaede held her temper at bay as the oaf shook his head at her. 
"I have
orders get you to Athkanar."  She blinked at him. She could not
believe she
was being ordered to do anything from anyone who actually ranked
lower then
her. And that was not saying much. 

 "You have until I count to
three to leave, before I blind you and send you
to some desolate place far
from my door." 

 "Yes I will go but I tell you Athkanar asked for you. He
asked for  I tell
you Athkanar asked for you. He asked for your help. If
you want to help him
he is in stockade ."  The goblin turned and pointed
across camp as he left,
grumbling.  "That way".  

Kaede stood for a moment
looking in the direction the goblin had pointed.
Apparently Athkanar had gotten
in to some trouble during the meal time. Of
course she was only guessing, but
with her study time interrupted she found
herself walking across the camp to
find the minotaur. What ever this was all
about left her questioning what it had
to do with her. 


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Mon Aug
31 17:59:41 2009
Subject     What's wrong with the drinking
water....

Athkanar had been right, the sniveling little goblin had gone
in to
hiding somewhere. Kaede sat on her bunk studying pages of her spell book.
If
the sneaky creature would not come out of hiding willingly, she would have
to
try another approach. After an hour or so had passed, she felt confident
with
what she found and held the spell to memory. 

She tucked her spell book away
and stood. She began to pace as she thought
through how to best execute her
plan. She mentally made a list of what she
would need to get the spell perfect.
Trying to think of where to obtain it
all, she was interrupted. A low rumble
rose from with in her stomach.
Annoyed that she had no memory the spell to
create a decent meal for
herself, she decided to head toward the mess hall.


The mess hall was surprisingly quite when she arrived. Only the kitchen
crew
moving about cleaning up from the morning meal. Kaede shook her head. It
was
later then she had thought and she was running out of time. Athkanars
trial
would be starting soon. She walked to the counter and asked for bread
and
water. It would be enough to calm her hunger. 

She ate quickly and went to
drink from the small metal cup she had been
given. A sudden thought came to her
and she placed the cup on a table in
front of her. Pulling a pinch of silvery
powder from with in her robe, she
sprinkled it in to the water. Carefully
reciting the incantation she had
studied, the water bean to shift. 

She held
her focus on the liquid swirling in the cup, as the weasel looking
face of
Mogruk began to take shape. She forced herself to concentrate
further in to the
liquid. She needed to see where he was. He was the only
witness to what had
happened other then Athkanar himself. And he also had
the only evidence that a
dragon army sergeant had indeed been killed by an
elven arrow. 

The liquid
shook as she pressed her mind in to the vision. Suddenly the cup
tipped and
ended the spell abruptly. Angry, Kaede threw the cup across the
room and stormed
from the room. She was not sure why she was even helping
the minotaur in the
first place. She reminded herself that Athkanar would
best serve the army on the
field and not in the stockade. 

She had almost run out of time and could not
try to cast again. That would
take more time in study then she had. Thinking
over her mistakes, she
concluded that the water had either not been a large
enough amount or it was
the quality. If it had been the quality, she was glad
she had not been
drinking the camps water. 

With a heavy sigh she slowed her
footsteps. She calmed her anger and decided
she had one other option. She could
try to speak with the one man in camp
she knew could cast the spell properly.
She headed toward the far end of
camp toward the officers area. A special
barracks had been given to the most
recent visitor to the camp. Kaede only hoped
Emperor Luerk Trell would be
willing to see her on such short notice.


Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Thu Nov 12 04:51:41
2009
Subject     A real calling

 Kaede had settled back in to her life
behind the gates of Wyreth again.
She was glad to have her comfortable silk
robes upon her again. And, at the
first chance, she had burned the uniforms of
the Dragonarmy. Oh she had
learned pleanty while in their ranks. Serving
Takhisis and the dragon armies
was not where she belonged. 

The calling she had
mistaken before, was now clear. She belonged near the
tower and her fellow
mages. She would learn from them all she could. The
time came now that she felt
it her turn to pass on what she had learned in
return. She had passed her test,
taken time for study, and although she was
younger then some with her skill, she
felt prepared to take an apprentice. 

Kaede sent a messenger to Jendaron in
hopes he might have time to speak with
her. The man was busy, she knew full
well, so whe would continue her own
studies and wait patiently. Even though he
was not the master to teach her,
she had come to value his council of things.
She felt that they shared a
deeper appreciation for their Lord, Nuitari. 

Kaede
truly felt if she could gain the conclaves blessing in taking
apprientices, then
perhaps she could help to guide other young mages in to
the same understanding
of their god as well. If for no other reason then to
keep magic preserved in the
will of the moons, she knew she would take the
responsibility seriously. 

She
smoothed her hands over her robes, and left her room that evening. She
made her
way to the library to wait. She figured the tie would let her brush
up on a few
potion recipes. Her letter requesting the permission needed to
take a
apprentice, had been delivered that day. Waiting would not lead to
idle mind and
hands. 

Author:    Kaede          
Date:      Mon Nov 30
20:20:19 2009
Subject     To trust what can't be seen? Part one

An odd
chill ran over Kaede as she looked to the sky. Something was
wrong. Very wrong.
It was a night where Nuitari should have been full and
looking down on Kyrnn.
For some reason, Kaede could not see the black moon.

She paced in front of the
alter with a hand lightly rubbing at her temple.
Her prayers seemed to go
unheard as she asked for an answer to the strange
puzzle before her. Since her
return to the towers, so many things had
changed. But why? 

She had heard no
other black robes mention the disappearance of a moon, and
had come to the
conclusion that only her lacked the sight. This more than
anything made her
question if she fully understood the calling she had
received when she set out
to learn from the Dragon Armies. Perhaps there was
work left undone. 

Kaede
again left the tower, feeling cold and unwelcome there. Was this a
punishment
for some form of failure? For another night in almost a month,
Kaede would spend
her night in research hoping for an answer. It seemed a
better solution then
waiting for a god to bend from silence. 

Author:    Kaede         

Date:      Wed Dec  2 02:19:53 2009
Subject     To trust what can't be
seen? Part two

Hours, perhaps days, had passed as Kaede continued her in
depth study.
Questions had flooded her mind, causing throbbing pains in her
temples.
Quite possibly, it was not the inquests creating her discomfort, but
the
revelations she had come to. 

First, what had lead to the sudden departure
of Nuitaris influence over her
prayers, plans and her way of life? The answer
was clear there. Kaede had
defied his will. She had left the dragon armies
without his guidance or
blessing. 

She found herself disagreeing with the
fickle nature of Takhisis. Some how
this had displeased Nuitari, her son. The
evidence of this had been clear.
It became known to her when she could no longer
see the black moon clearly.

But other changes had begun to happen with in Kaede
as well. She had been
thinking so long on things, some of her thoughts
progressed to regret. Parts
of her past shamed her while some she still easily
shrugged off. Her actions
in the dragon armies, fell in to some of those
misgivings. And this brought
forth emotions she had long ago forgotten how to
feel. Maybe it was more
that she had refused to feel them. The events of the
past weeks had carried
doubt to the surface of her mind.

Kaedes hand shook. Her
head pounded. The words on the page before her
blurred. Her powers and abilities
had not suffered from Nuitaris punishment.
She wondered if they would. She
questioned if the god would one day accept
her back. 

She realized that she did
not want him to. All that had ever mattered was
her magic. If Nuitari wanted to
please his mother, Kaede wanted no part in
it. Even if that meant giving up her
magic. The sacrifice would be worth it,
wouldnt it? 

She closed her eyes as
indistinct words became too much. She prayed, knowing
it would go unheard. 
"It is not a sacrifice I want to make but I will if
there is no other way. 
Kaede fell in to a deep slumber. As her head fell to
the work table, a whispered
female voice came to her. 

 "There is always another way.  The voice faded
as a full moon formed in her
dream. A  blood-red moon.

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