Chapter Five
"Gella?!" Dariana asked, approaching the tall blonde elven woman with an excited stride, pleased to have found her friend at last. Yet when the woman turned to face her, Dari stopped short. "Excuse me," she said. "I thought you were someone else." With a sigh, she hefted her backpack strap and continued on to the Emerald Dragon.
Where was Gellafanda? And the others? Were they together, or all lost singly? Were they searching for her? It seemed so odd that the entire party had disappeared at once, and Dariana had searched for them all. She had some idea where their dwarven cleric had gotten to, but she could never seem to catch up to him. As for the others... they were gone, all gone. It had been so long that Dari had given up the active search, but she still had to investigate every remotely familiar face. She just had to!
Settling onto a barstool in the Emerald Dragon, Dari dropped her backpack to the floor with a heavy thud, and nodded to the bartender; he'd bring her some fruit juice without being asked. Though the only place she called "home" was the woods of the Faydark, she frequented this place quite often. With a sigh, she mused.
Mynerva was a new friend, at least. They didn't know each other well yet, but Dariana felt they could be great friends, given the chance. The poor girl had a story to tell, that was sure, but at the moment Dari was thinking only about what to do to keep ennui from weighing upon her like a wet blanket. Her drink arrived, and she swirled it absently.
Her old friends were gone, she had to move on. She had waited for them for too long, distracting herself with quests and crafting, but even that was growing tiresome. She'd mastered every skill she had an interest in, and was in fact approaching the talents of her pottery teacher. But she was... restless. Restless? Aye, and purposeless, too. Not even a bank full of unfinished quest items seemed to motivate her anymore.
Other friends had invited her to join their guilds, but none of the organizations had interested her. At the time, she had believed herself to be destined for a higher purpose, but now... she wondered. She had lost her focus. Indeed, she had begun to question her convictions, her very destiny. She was even hunting animals now – well, feline types at least. Where was the fanciful girl that loved to pretend she was Firiona Vie, Tunare's Champion, cajoling the nearest forest wolf into playing the part of her Companion Equestrielle?
Her cheeks flaming a bit at that memory, she took a small swallow at the fruit juice before her. A druid. A Tunare-loving, Firiona-worshipping druid turned... bleh. And if the truth were to be told, she knew she was lonely. Adventuring without companionship and camaraderie was just... boring.
She set the drink back down and leaned far back for a stretch, muttering an Elven curse of frustration under her breath. Perhaps her destiny wasn't adventuring, after all. Perhaps she belonged in the Faydark with her mother, ministering there, though even the thought wrinkled Dariana's nose.
It was quiet in the pub; herself, an old mage, and a small group of chatty Halflings were the only customers. Glancing about the room, a notice caught her eye. It was just a small piece of parchment, in the corner of a section of the wall set aside for public notices. "Language Faire," it announced.
"Hmmm," she thought. "It has been some while since I taught a language, and even longer since I've learned one." Her interest piqued, she stood up, crossed over to the wall and examined the announcement more closely. "Faire sponsored by Dark Inheritance," it read.
"Dark Inheritance? What is that, some sort of horrible troll guild?" she wondered aloud.
"Nae, child." The voice came from the elderly mage, seated nearby. "The 'Dark Inheritance' is that destiny to which all citizens of Norrath are set... the struggle of Light versus Dark, and the Shadow that balances both."
At Dariana's thoughtful look, he continued, piercing her with his glittering black eyes. "Which will prevail? Do you know, Druidess? Do you care?" He was leaning toward her now, those eyes – and his questions - grabbing her heart.
"Gella?!" Dariana asked, approaching the tall blonde elven woman with an excited stride, pleased to have found her friend at last. Yet when the woman turned to face her, Dari stopped short. "Excuse me," she said. "I thought you were someone else." With a sigh, she hefted her backpack strap and continued on to the Emerald Dragon.
Where was Gellafanda? And the others? Were they together, or all lost singly? Were they searching for her? It seemed so odd that the entire party had disappeared at once, and Dariana had searched for them all. She had some idea where their dwarven cleric had gotten to, but she could never seem to catch up to him. As for the others... they were gone, all gone. It had been so long that Dari had given up the active search, but she still had to investigate every remotely familiar face. She just had to!
Settling onto a barstool in the Emerald Dragon, Dari dropped her backpack to the floor with a heavy thud, and nodded to the bartender; he'd bring her some fruit juice without being asked. Though the only place she called "home" was the woods of the Faydark, she frequented this place quite often. With a sigh, she mused.
Mynerva was a new friend, at least. They didn't know each other well yet, but Dariana felt they could be great friends, given the chance. The poor girl had a story to tell, that was sure, but at the moment Dari was thinking only about what to do to keep ennui from weighing upon her like a wet blanket. Her drink arrived, and she swirled it absently.
Her old friends were gone, she had to move on. She had waited for them for too long, distracting herself with quests and crafting, but even that was growing tiresome. She'd mastered every skill she had an interest in, and was in fact approaching the talents of her pottery teacher. But she was... restless. Restless? Aye, and purposeless, too. Not even a bank full of unfinished quest items seemed to motivate her anymore.
Other friends had invited her to join their guilds, but none of the organizations had interested her. At the time, she had believed herself to be destined for a higher purpose, but now... she wondered. She had lost her focus. Indeed, she had begun to question her convictions, her very destiny. She was even hunting animals now – well, feline types at least. Where was the fanciful girl that loved to pretend she was Firiona Vie, Tunare's Champion, cajoling the nearest forest wolf into playing the part of her Companion Equestrielle?
Her cheeks flaming a bit at that memory, she took a small swallow at the fruit juice before her. A druid. A Tunare-loving, Firiona-worshipping druid turned... bleh. And if the truth were to be told, she knew she was lonely. Adventuring without companionship and camaraderie was just... boring.
She set the drink back down and leaned far back for a stretch, muttering an Elven curse of frustration under her breath. Perhaps her destiny wasn't adventuring, after all. Perhaps she belonged in the Faydark with her mother, ministering there, though even the thought wrinkled Dariana's nose.
It was quiet in the pub; herself, an old mage, and a small group of chatty Halflings were the only customers. Glancing about the room, a notice caught her eye. It was just a small piece of parchment, in the corner of a section of the wall set aside for public notices. "Language Faire," it announced.
"Hmmm," she thought. "It has been some while since I taught a language, and even longer since I've learned one." Her interest piqued, she stood up, crossed over to the wall and examined the announcement more closely. "Faire sponsored by Dark Inheritance," it read.
"Dark Inheritance? What is that, some sort of horrible troll guild?" she wondered aloud.
"Nae, child." The voice came from the elderly mage, seated nearby. "The 'Dark Inheritance' is that destiny to which all citizens of Norrath are set... the struggle of Light versus Dark, and the Shadow that balances both."
At Dariana's thoughtful look, he continued, piercing her with his glittering black eyes. "Which will prevail? Do you know, Druidess? Do you care?" He was leaning toward her now, those eyes – and his questions - grabbing her heart.