What do I want:
And yes The Saga of Rajini and the Days of The Night-Wings continues! With the help of the Great "Sorceress Night" the Grand Tale has resumed with Sammani Daughter of Queen Raj! Follow Raj and Sammani as they traverse The Great Lands of Lore, across the Great Divides, and through the Blackened Gates of the Evil Skaash, on their way to seek adventure, deliver justice, and rekindle the flames of the devotion to the Ancient Codes that ruled the Strong Heart of the Land so long ago! The Epic awaits . . .
I say "Childhood because it is what seems like an
eternity ago now. so much has passed over time for
us that the wonderful days from when I made this page
now seem a million miles away.
But getting back to the near original header test of this site:
Although I can't get across my sense of humor
here, I can assure you all I laughed all the way
I once promised that "as time goes on I will post new stories
and bring you all more portents of things to come."
While I am sure you are all still waiting with bated
breath, the changes are liable to be small unless
I figure out how to link you all around to other
free Web Sites I may create thereby allowing me
to post more "visual" images as this page is maxed
out of free-space.
What follows is a massive Feminist Fairy Tale
totally inspired by my Daughter, who has grown up
to be an amazing, strong, young woman despite the
great undertakings of life that have befallen her and us.
I am more pround of her than one can possibly imagine.
Ok! Ok! Here's the Prequel and the conclusion:
Many events had passed in the lands
Far from Raj's Dell
Mysteries found their way to her ear
And cast their potent spell
Who would not fall prey to the song
Sung like nectar sweet
Visions dancing within her head
Of the world at her feet
Rajini was a young Gnomish girl
Strong for her meager size
Cunning as a hunter, quick as a fox
And for her years, wise
The winds of change had shifted for Raj
She'd heard the wild call
And vowed to embark on a great adventure
After the last snowfall
Raj's family wanted her to stay
And learn the family trade
But Raj's path lay far far away
Beyond the Woodland glades
Then there was Shearn, a fine young man
Kind at heart, and strong
With whom she'd passed a summer or two
So well did they get along
Shearn did love her and promised nigh
To make good Raj his wife
Raj did want him but then again
She'd other plans for her life
When the scent of spring wafted sweet
Across the lambent fields
She packed her satchel, traveling cloak,
Scabbard, sword and shield
Striking off to the south she ventured
For worlds in the great beyonds
Discovery the only purpose in her heart
And the road beneath her thongs
Soon the trail scattered, withering away
The further on she went
Ahead of her lay the Lands to the South
And ne'er did she relent
Reaching the Valley of Whispering Souls
She paused in silent reflection
To honor the Warriors of ancient old
Who died in brave dedication
There amidst the crumbling pillars
And dust of the castle ruin
She saw in her mind a tale of the past
In the eye of the crescent moon
The Fighters of the King were swept away
By an evil Sorcerer's spell
The remnants of honor and the Elder Code
Were left like an empty shell
There in the night she saw in this dream
As she camped out under the stars
That Skaash the vicious sorcerer still lives
Deep in the Caves of Kashaar
Within the hills under blackened earth
He shapes his foul speech
Uttering his vile incantations
Extending his evil reach
Deeper in the bowls of his subterranes
In the rottings of his cave
Are thousands of people working and dying
Imprisoned as his slaves
They fuel his horrid machinations
Turning wheel and winch
Whipped and beaten till harder they work
Or cast into the "Trench"
The Trench is a crack within the earth
Running to the very core
Where Skaash ensnares a darkened force
To strengthen his evil lore
This was why the people of her Dell
Would occasionally disappear
Never again to be seen in the Land
Vanished, from year to year
She'd heard the stories in whispered voices
From rooms that were dimly lit
That something wicked lives in the South
And there the earth is split
In this dream the Old Ones spoke to her
And her destiny was revealed
There, within her immortal soul
Was a warrior princess concealed
Like her father's father, and brothers and sisters
Was running through her veins
The blood of the Fighters of the Elder Code
Like the flood of a summer rain
She was the very last of the family now
All were killed in the battle
The great War of the Kings that long ago
Was fought till the forests rattled
Evil King Skaash had gathered too much power
While the good Kings had looked away
So when the fight was waged against them
Skaash swiftly won the day
The bright castle became the ruins around her
The Fighters swept into the night
And Skaash victorious but mortally wounded
Slipped away during the fight
Building his stronghold in the Caves of Kashaar
His magic saved his soul
Convalescent, and rebuilding his power
In his dark unnatural hole
But Skaash had to use a sinister magic
To heal a fatal wound
And it warped and changed him over time
Like a snake under a blackened moon
Now the malignant magic is flowing
Through Skaash's corrupted bones
Taken from the baleful crack in the earth
From emerald glowing stones
Sweeping through Raj's spinning thoughts
She knew what must be done
Skaash's reign of terror must never
Inhabit the Lands again
Waking in a shivering icy sweat
She set off for Glendrandon
To rally the people and saddle a mount
And ride with wild abandon
But the once fearless people of Glendrandon
Had cowered in shameful fear
For Skaash had taken the soul of the town
Little by little each year
All but one refused earnest pleas
To forge a vengeful revolt
The son of the Captain of the Old King's Guard
Nicknamed Thunderbolt
He had seen his father fall in battle
By Skaash's evil hand
And vowed one day to avenge his death
Or make his final stand
Thunderbolt was strong, a cunning fighter
Master of sword and bow
Tall, swarthy, and a ruthless opponent
With eyes of agate stone
Together they set out for Skaash's lair
Their horses heavily laid
Food, weapons, clothes, and plans
Along the way were made
They traversed the mountainous Pass of Tears
Where many lives were lost
Scaling the cliffs of the Battle of Threnndor
Where the Kings paid the final cost
As they drew ever nearer to the vile lair
The stench of death became strong
The plants and trees were corrupted with evil
All stretched and twisted long
There before them as they reached the gates
Lay the blackened mountain domain
Washed in an ashen, intangible pall
Seething with portents of pain
Withered growths and the rotting of flesh
Permeated the air
Warped, slithering, reptilian creatures
Infested the mouth of the lair
Skaash's experiments with the innocent fauna
Scampered with agonies' gait
With only a prayer for the mercy of death
And naught to do but wait
Skirting the entrance, and rounding the mountain
They search for a secret door
Discovered by one of the aging villagers
Who fled life as Skaash's boor
The pestilent vapors fade in the winds
And the sounds of wailing stops
As they reach the fields behind the mountain
Where Skaash harvests his crops
Finding the entrance, grown over with bramble
And caved in on one side
What now would barely admit one soul
Was described as gaping wide
Clutching the Amulet, a gift from her father
And muttering an ancient prayer
She and thunderbolt dropped through the passage
And entered the deadly lair
Creeping in the dark over slimy rock
The passages cold and dank
Closer they came to the center of the lair
And the air grew foul and rank
The sounds of great, powerful machinery
Thundered in their ears
The smell of death was overwhelming
Playing upon their fears
In a rush of vertigo the passage opened up
To a cavern enormous and wide
And there in the pits below their vantage
Were the slaves that toiled inside
Looking high upon the great rising wall
Thunderbolt gasped with fright
For there was Skaash directing his slaves
With a black magic of the night
Long black robes fell from his shoulders
A hood covered what was his face
But now there were only serpentine features
Writhing in its place
His arms were outstretched, fingers splayed
They danced in the foul air
As if he were conducting an orchestra
In his evil theater lair
Below his vile crack in the earth
Glowed of emerald green
And fumes of specters like wisps of smoke
Emerging could be seen
They drifted up towards the wizard
And blackly entered his chest
There to be absorbed into his mortal soul
And breathe within his flesh
A perilous evil had Skaash here unearthed
From the bowels of these earthen deeps
It was a corruption the Ancients imprisoned
To here forever keep
"Something must be done here Raj"
Thunderbolt whispered nigh
"Skaash's power will kill us all
And scorch the very skies"
So Raj drew forth her mighty bow
Silently nocked the arrow
Pulled back the string and then released
And it flew like a streaking sparrow
There on the ledge it found its target
Piercing Skaash's heart
He let out an eerie unearthly wail
As he fell from his rampart
Striking the floor of the cavern below
The slaves stared in disbelief
At the smoking body of the evil wizard
Laying on the rock in relief
A cheer went up and the guards fled the cave
The slaves removed their shackles
But there amidst cries of the purest joy
Was a lunatic's maddened cackle
And all eyes tuned in shock and horror
Skaash's body rose from the floor
Crushed and broken, warped and ruined
Bleeding from every pore
The evil that had gathered deep within
Was bringing his corpse alive
Glowing of a cool, seething emerald
Possessed of demonic drive
Filling the air with fear and dread
The form grew twice its size
And beneath the black hood shining out
Were glowing crimson eyes
It lets out a wail 'cross the cavern walls
That echoes off the dome
An earsplitting shriek that shook the mountain
A voice not quite alone
Multiple venomous beings pronounced
The words within its throat
A sickening sound of dark evil power
Came horribly pouring out
"You! Have the blood of the Ancient Ones"
It wailed in Raj's direction
"You who imprisoned us so long ago
Would prevent our resurrection!"
"We'll not go back to our prison Night-Wing
Filth of the Elder Code"
"We shall rise to claim this Land in right
As our seers have foretold"
Then holding one hand over the crack
And the other out to Raj
It drew a black power from the earth
And began its awful barrage
An emerald glow rose up from the crack
And into the being's form
Gathering strength and horrid life
A wicked power born
Then from its misshapen outstretched hand
A bolt of fire emerged
Racing towards Raj's precipice
Like an evil magic surge
Striking her body with awful force
It lifted her up in the air
Holding her high above the cavern floor
As the slaves looked on in fear
"Now you die Night-Wing of the Old Code
With you the legacy ends"
"Your brethren are gone, you are the last
We'll not be imprisoned again"
And with that the spirit gathered its force
As Raj was suspended high
It sent a great surge along the beam
Letting out a frightening cry
The ball of power traveled up the shaft
Striking Raj in the chest
But the force somehow was completely absorbed
By the Amulet at her breast
The Amulet flared as it drew the power
Burning of purest white
Engulfing Raj in a heavenly argent
Like starfire in the night
The being sensed its power being drained
And tried to disengage
But the Amulet held it in powerful check
Filling it with rage
Then Raj's body began to change
Suspended above the floor
Her form was bathed in a ghostly light
That from her body poured
And as the cowering slaves looked on in wonder
They saw an amazing thing
Raj transformed into a great White Wolf
With enormous spanning wings
With a sweep of her wings upon the air
She dropped to face the being
With a howl she broke the magical link
That prevented the spirit from seeing
That Raj was truly the last of the Night-Wings
Those changeling wolves of light
That had sworn a oath to protect all people
From evils of the night
"So it would seem I am not quite done"
Said Raj to the being of fright
"I shall send you back to your vile den,
Now let us stage our fight"
Growling low Raj bared her teeth
Stalking the demon black
It backed away with a aura of fear
Stepping towards the crack
Suddenly Raj in a white blaze of fury
Leaps upon the evil power
It stumbles and they both fall into the Trench
In her eyes a victorious glower
The crack erupted with the fierceness of battle
The people began to flee
The cavern walls shook with the fury
Of Raj and the evil being
Thunderbolt dropped by rope to the floor
To lead the people away
Lest they be caught as innocent victims
Within this unearthly fray
Barely making it past the Black Gates
He turns as the mountain falls
Hanging his head in sadness and shame
As Raj answers the final call
But Thunderbolt was born of the Elder Code
He'd not turn from this fight
If there is a chance that she survives the day
He will search for an endless night
After leading all the rescued to safety
He returns to the battlefield
Finding her broken body among the rocks
Her wounds he begins to heal
Camping out 'neath the summer stars
Raj is too sick to move
Delirious and feverish with an unearthly cold
That no salve seemed to soothe
People came to offer their strength
And bore her to Glendrandon
And Thunderbolt sat for nigh a fortnight
N'er did he abandon
Then one morn the black fever broke free
And Raj rose to her feet
And the people cheered and honored them with
The Queen and King's seat
There was a great and wondrous celebration
That lasted all summer long
But could not compare to the love that grew
Between Raj and Thunderbolt strong
The Land knew many decades of peace
To which none can compare
And centuries proved the wisdom of their Court
That fell to all their heirs
And of course, the Legends, the Battle, the Tale
Of the fall of Skaash's lair
The stories they tell at school bench meals
And the lakeside Summer Fairs
This was the Legend of the Night-Wing Raj
Once the last of her ways
But time will remember her great deeds of valor
And the children of the Night-Wings Days
The dreams of tomorrow had passed into night
And a morning of splendors arose
While off in a courtyard of Paladin Kings
A tale of yore was told
A tale great and old of the oldest Legends
From the bard’s lips sprang the lilting tune
Of the Valley of Night, and the land beyond
And the Dragons of the Crescent Moon
Magnificent wings that stretched out far
So great, each tip touched mountains
And wisdom so vast that it far exceeded
The depths of any man encountered
In a dream the Bard sang of the greatest one
The Dragon of Sayerneersah
Her lair was open to all those of honor
And to those who’d traveled afar
Legend has it that Dragons were fading
Fading from this promised land
The days were past, long long ago
As if by the wave of a hand
Once their great power, a magical blessing
Could be felt in wondrous deeds
All ‘round the land they did give to the people
Sowing in wisdom a seed
A seed of compassion, and of great desire
To survive the winter’s deeps
The storms and struggles of life in the Land
Where the slumbering night sleeps
But this fantastic legend, this jigsaw puzzle
Was missing a vital piece
That the Dragons could never fade fully away
Till their greatest of hearts was released
So somewhere within this the greatest of worlds
One last Dragon survived
Keeping a vigil, watching over man
And their short and fragile lives
Sammani knew the old Bard’s tale in part
But whispers of the last Dragon came
Upon winds in summer and snows in winter
To her ears like falling rains
She knew of the path to the Cragged Mountains
Where the lairs of the ancient lay
Fallen into ruin, the apocalypse long passed
Into dreams of the Elder Days
Seeds of wisdom sown deep into men
Kings of the Lands in trust
Heralded the dawning of the Warfare Era
And the Land reeked of bloodlust
The Dragons had fought, standing with man
Side by side, as brothers
Against their common malevolent foes
The dark ones called the Others
Black, with a festering putrid hate
Like a living miasma they rose
Out of the vile, corrupted marshes
From the gate that would never close
Dragons and humans had emerged victorious
Sealing shut the black gate
Casting the minions of darkness down
Ridding the Land of hate
‘Twas a glorious battle with Dragons awing
Breathing fire into the skies
Scorching the lands from where the Others
And their minions would arise
Now the fields are of soft flowing grains
That catch the westering suns
As the shadows lay claim to endless Lands
And daytwines are undone
The proud Dragon Lilith, last of her kind
Has seen the hatchlings fade
As they emerge from their cracked and broken shells
Where their little lives were made
A curious spell over all of Dragonkind
Had emerged at the Era’s end
Foreshadows mingling with the Eastern Dawns
Say the Dragon Queen will ascend
Lilith dreams at night of the lands
Where Dragons will find peace
Where valor and battle are no longer needed
Where all the wars have ceased
It is said in legends that the last to fade
Will be the Dragon Queen
For she must watch over the Dragon’s passage
Through which they cannot be seen
The hatchlings now enchanted are taken
To the great lands of Dragon Lore
Though the portals to the Land of Sharra-Trell
Through the finite door
It has been millennia since Lilith has seen
Another of her kind
But the tales of yore like strings of gold
Around her soul ever wind
She knows naught why her life has been spared,
Extended all these years
Why is it she must keep this vigil
And through her doubt she fears
That she will be the last Dragon left
Alone in the world of man
Till time itself falls from the hourglass
Filled with Desert Sands
Atop her lair in the Misted Mountains
She dreams of festive days
When bells would ring in village greens
And child and Dragon played
But the bells were real, and her reverie was broken
Shattering her daydream vision
Cutting through the airs of a lumbering dusk
Like an audible pealing incision
There on the edge of her cave on the mountain
Stood a figure clad in mail
Sword in scabbard, and shield in hand
Visage, resolute and pale
"Who are you that visits me" spoke Lilith
"Atop this mountain high
The way here is filled with many a peril
The ascent a formidable climb"
"I am a but messenger sent to seek
Audience with Lilith the Wise
Dragoness, and good friend to my Queendom"
Said the figure with fiery eyes
"I have traveled long to bring you word
News of the Great War’s barrage
I am called Wolfheart, but in truth I am
Sammani, daughter of Raj"
To be continued . . .
A little scowl furrowed Lilith’s brow
Replaced by a softened eye
"Come in young Sammani, long has it been
Since a visitor has climbed so high"
"I remember well the brave deeds of Queen Raj
And her battle beneath the mountain
How she delivered the Lands to the South
From Skaash’s evil fountain"
"Tell me Sammani does she still rule the Land
As Queen with a king in name?
A strong and wizened ruler was Raj
A warriess worthy of fame"
"Yes, she rules the Southlands still
Said Sammani, her voice like steel
She is the reason I have sought you out
For we have a grave appeal"
"Do you know the nature of my family Great Lillith
Mayhap you’ve heard of the power
Deadly as the Winter’s long frozen depths
Afore it, foes will cower"
"Like all of the Dragons of the Crescent Moon
We have the ‘Future Sight’
Able to catch glimpses of what is to be
And peer into day and night"
"My Queen and I have had such visions
For nigh a fortnight past
We’ve seen a nightmare to chill the soul
That leaves us both aghast"
"Far to the North in the Frozen Wastes
We see great walls of stone
Monstrous spires of black steel and rock
Minioned by enslaved drones"
"Drones that once were wrought of human flesh
Are now but enchanted forms
And deep within the great walls of rock
We hear the cries forlorn"
"For there in our dreams through the iron doors
Rides a carcass laden wagon
That thrice a month brings food and drink
To the Last imprisoned ‘Dragon’!"
To be continued . . .
"That’s the key!" Roared Lilith the Great
She suddenly rose to her feet
Her voice exploding in frightening fury
As the valley echoes repeat
"Now I know why I have remained so long
In this land of fading spells
That Dragon is not just the last of our kind
He is the Guardian of Sharra-Trell"
"For you do not know the whole truth Sammani
The tale of our resting lands
Sharra-Trell is the Land of our final destiny
In the ‘Valley of the Dragon’s Hand’"
"In order for us all to pass beyond
He must take his place at the pass
Which leads to the Lands of Sharra-Trell
Where Dragons will rest at last"
"Our true Legend was falsified unto all Men
To protect this Dragon through time
For Men would surely have hunted him down
To steal his magic sublime"
Lilith leapt to the cavern’s jutting mouth
And perching upon the ledge
Spread her great wings and released a scream
That surely would wake the dead
Thrashing her giant, finned, serpentine tail
She turned to Sammani and said
"Who has done this to my fine winged kin?
My wrath they now will dread"
"The goblins of Kreel of the Frozen Wastes
Hold your brother forlorn
Great armored chains do hold the noble beast"
Said Sammani, "as he suffers alone""
"I understand this for the goblins know well
That when magic fades from the land
They’ll cease to exist for they’re made of pure magic
And will turn to dusty sands
"I must release him Sammani," said Lilith,
"My path lies apart from you
I go to war to fight for Dragonkind
To win or die as true"
"No! You must take me, for I have seen my future
And wish to stand at your side"
Sammani pleaded, "and if I should fail
Beside you I will lie"
"No brave Wolfheart, Lilith said softly,
This battle is not your task
The way is a long and dangerous one
Of your fealty I cannot ask"
"My mother said that I should present this to thee"
And reaching beneath her mail
She handed her Rajini’s amulet of power;
Sammani told her tale
"My family holds the last of the bloodlines
Of the Night-Wings of Elder Days
We are sworn to uphold all truth and justice
And the Codes of the Ancient ways"
On its face, the symbol of Queen Raj’s Great House
A Wolf-crest crossed with wings
And as Lilith turned the old amulet over
It began to softly sing
‘Twas a gilded melody in a lost Ancient Tongue
From beyond all time and space
A magical tune that sang of a great power
With which the medallion was laced
Then suddenly the Amulet glowed warm and bright
In the Dragonesses’ hand
And as tendrils of magic crept round her claws
She began to understand
For there on the back in fine magical script
Was a strangely carven rune
And glowing in white was the Great Ancient Symbol
Of the Dragons of the Crescent Moon!
To be continued . . .
Lilith closed her eyes and murmured
Hung her head in thought
And an ancient language came crystal clear
As for the words she sought:
"Ellannin Nerrshaa, of the very oldest ones
The sign this amulet bears
One of the first to visit this world
And with humankind to share"
"He shared the essences of his inner self
With the noblest one of this world
That one day truth might prevail for all time
With flags of peace unfurled"
"He forged into this amulet of your house
A power of other Lands
A gift so rare given you young Sammani
So hear and understand"
"This symbol is of the Dragons of the Crescent Moon
But the rune is older still
It is from a time when Dragons were first born
A time we worship still"
"The rune glows different hues for each holder
Responding with magical light
Only for the bravest, most honored, and noble
Will the rune glow in white"
Then Lilith rose high upon the precipice
And spread her mighty wings
And as she speaks her voice rounds the valley
In an endless echoed ring
"Our Legends reveal that a One will come
To reunite Dragon and man
That Dragons and humans will fight one last battle
Side by side again "
"Come forth young Sammani, daughter of Raj
And kneel before me now
For the day is here, and the time has come
For you to renew your vow"
"By the power of revelation this amulet bears
You are The One to send
Into the maw of peril, and grave danger
I pronounce you Dragonfriend"
"With that Great Lilith reached out to the Swordmain
And left upon her head
A tiny white star of deep magical light
Halloed in crimson red"
Suddenly the thoughts in Sammani’s head
Began to spin and whirl
And slowly a vision formed in her mind
Of an armored Dragon Girl
"Can you hear me Sammani, Swordmain of Raj"
Lilith spoke aloud
"Is my voice now clear, or does it appear
As if covered by a shroud"
"No, I can hear you," said Sammani in thought,
And suddenly in her mind
"You now have the gift to communicate
With all of Dragonkind"
It was Lilith the Great who had spoken thus
The words within in her thoughts
For this was the way that the language of Dragons
Long ago was wrought
"Now our thoughts will be linked,” said Lilith
“That we may in silence share
A hope, a dream, or a grave battle scheme
In mind, from anywhere"
"But beware young Warriess for we are joined
Not only in mind but soul
This is a gift of the Great Ancient Ones
From the days of yore, of old"
The people in the Valley, the Mountains, and beyond
All saw the spectacle in the sky
Great wafts of fire streamed through the clouds
In argent, reaching high
And the thunderous echoes rebounded across
The Lands to the South and North
The old battle cry of the Knights of Kings
The call to now come forth
The era of Human and Beast was complete
Their forces now allied
The humans of Earth who walk the Lands
And the Dragons from the skies
All paused to look and listen in wonder
As the heavens opened wide
And long remembered will that day be
The sight of Dragon-Pride
It stopped the blacksmith in the town
It stopped the little shoe maker
It stopped the, stitcher, the merchant, the bards
The butcher, and the baker
All gave pause to gaze aloft, including
The farmer and his wagon
For high in the sky was the daughter of Raj
Upon the back of the Winged Dragon!
To be continued . . .
Long they flew, and ever so high
As the oncoming Northwinds blew
Shredding her clothes, and chilling her bones
Its fury relentless, and cruel
The Lands beneath them like a patchwork quilt,
Passed by like colors below
Finally swept up in the arms of the Mountains
Of the Lands of The Northern Snows
And then they saw it, rising up from the white peaks
The horrid black spires aloft
A festering wound ‘gainst the pristine backdrop
Of the snowy landscapes soft
A blackened, crumbling, ruthless structure
With an aura of evil it glowed
Rising up from its cruel, earthen footholds
Like serpentine tendrils they flowed
A sickly green, mixed with frozen blues
Cold and unforgiving it stood
With a stench like a seething, intangible pall
Pulled over it like a hood
Circling once, the great Lilith turned away
A sickening feeling in her heart
The sight of the fortress along with fatigue
Had torn her soul apart
The mere thought of her brethren inside that place
Chained in their dungeon hold;
The Goblins would pay with their lives for holding
This prisoner for centuries untold
Long did the pair sleep in grave recovery
Rising late to lay their plans
And there in the snows the Great Lilith did vow
To reduce their fortress to sands
Resting ‘neath an icy, outcropped cliff
Warming themselves by a fire
‘Twas there with a black mood hovering in the air
Sammani and Lilith conspired
“Their hold on magic is weak,” said Lilith
“And grows more fragile with time
Gone are the days when their Great Kings revered
Basked in powers sublime”
“Yet we must not misjudge the old Goblin King
He still holds the Scepter of Kerrl
A vile, corrupted, evil weapon of great power
Created in the Underworld“
“We must trick him into using his accursed Scepter
Therein lies the source of his power,
And with its destruction his great icy fortress
Will crumble from the highest towers”
“Crush them we must, for both our kind
We must remove the yoke
That binds our worlds, and locks our fates”
In thought, Lilith spoke
“Their fortress lies deep in a valley,” said Sammani
“With only one way out
You will be seen on your way to the Gates
The guards need but to shout”
“Boldly will I approach his gates,” said Lilith
“And Krellst, the King, will know
This Dragoness will have an audience with him
Or I will melt his castle like snow”
Late into the night, exchanging thoughts as speech
Telepaths devising a scheme
They sealed their thoughts with an Ancient Vow
And then escaped to dreams
All the next day they gathered their strength
Making ready as night time fell
And with steel in their hearts, and dawn at their backs
They made for the gates of Hell
Deep in the bowels of the vile Goblin lair
A tremor shook foundations
A fear that made the twisted Lords tremble
Could be heard beneath incantations
Slowly it grew to a thunderous quake
Silenced their cacophonous spate
As out in chasm their harbinger of doom
The Great Lilith approached the gate
She let out a roar that could shake the heavens
As it echoed off the canyon walls
She lifted her voice, and in old Dragon Tongue
She set her challenging call
“Dhharab Mortha daleeh nome, spoke Lilith
I call Lord Krellst to my sight
To seek vengeance for the misdeeds of Goblinkind
And set what is wrong to right”
On the ramparts the lesser ones cowered in fear
At the speech upon their ears
Echoes of the Ancients like a voice from the past
Stirred their long dormant fears
None could begin to understand the old tongue
But Krellst knew well the speech
This would be a final battle to the death,
Once more into the breach
The challenge was made, the gauntlet thrown down
Screwing his warped visage into frown
Krellst stepped out upon a balcony of stone
On a spire, and shouted down
“I hear you Dragoness, but know not why you’ve come
Begone and leave us to die
We have no quarrel with you, Ancient One
So take to your precious sky”
“No vile Krellst, I will not”, said Lilith,
“And between us there can be no peace
And war will be waged upon these cursed walls
Until the Dragon you hold is released”
A sudden hush of surprise swept through the fortress
As they realized their secret was known
And thousands of eyes peered out from the walls
As if etched in the very stone
The blackhearted King knew his hold on life
In this world was tenuous at best
And his minions could swiftly extinguish the life
Of their captive, at his behest
But the aged King was still wise and crafty,
He thought he could call her bluff,
And threaten great harm to his captive Dragon,
If he felt he’d taken enough
The silence was broken by a roaring flame
Erupting from the gates below
As Lilith amassed a great argent of fire
And her thunderous battle cry flowed
Her head raised high, her wings at full span,
Her thrashing serpentine tail
Sliced through the air as she leapt into the sky
And the Goblins began to wail
Spiraling high above the long black spires
Lilith turned in mid air
And dove out of the skies, flames bursting ahead
She swore that none would be spared
Below her the Goblins scattered in chaos
Screaming as they ran
This day will be long remembered thought Lilith
And so, the Last Battle began
To be continued . . .
Streaking down towards the seething courtyard
Lilith burst out of the sky
And as she readied herself for a searing blast
She saw from the corner of her eye
A small shadowy figure clad in pale snow-greys
Crept down the farside wall,
Slipped into the courtyard of the evil fortress,
And disappeared down a darkened hall
Sammani creeps along the dank stone passages
As outside the battle rages
This day will be long remembered thought she
Written upon history’s pages
“Sammani!” Lilith’s voice whispered in her mind
Through her telepathic eye
“Find where the underground river runs through
It is here where my brethren lies”
Deeper and deeper into catacombs went Sammani
As the stench rose up from below
Choking the breath, and cinching the chest
From the vile depths it flowed
Then the sounds of Goblinspeak filled the air
And echoed through the halls
A harsh, broken, and guttural language
As it bounced off the tunnel walls
She was close, she could feel the Dragon’s presence
When suddenly in her mind
A voice spoke, “welcome to my prison young Sammani”
At once commanding, and kind
“Who are you,” said Sammani, “and how is it you speak
In my mind as only Lilith can
Are you of the Goblin world, a wretched creature,
Speak, that I may understand?”
“I see that the journey here has taught you caution
My brave Warriess from afar”
Said the voice, “I am the Dragon for which you search
My name is Ellannin Nerrshaa”
“But that Dragon was one of the Ancient ones
Long gone now, into the past”
Said Sammani, “it is not possible for you to be he
His life force could not last”
“He was my ancestor, I am named so”, said Ellannin
“I am to be the final one
But listen carefully to my words Daughter of Raj
This day is not yet done”
“I lie three levels below, in great chains
Guarded only by a Goblin pair
They beleive that no one can come this far,
This deep into their lair”
“You must defeat them, and release me to the skies
I will show you where they are
Go to the end of the passage ahead of you
On the floor you’ll see a great star”
“Each tip of the star points to one of five caves
You must take the one on the right
And continue down, as deep as you may stride
Till the darkness takes your sight”
Sammani dropped deeper into the chasm’s despair
And a feeling gripped her soul
A hopeless kind of weakness filled her mind
Like falling in an endless hole
“Beware young Warriess, it is the enchantment you feel
It can take away your will
You must try to keep yourself from giving up
Try and fight the spell”
Ellannin went on to explain that the Goblins
Had cast magic to keep him there
And taken his Amulet to prevent his escaping
Into to the open air
Heavily the potency of the spell increased
And with each step grew worse
Stronger it came in great staggering waves
As she neared the center of the curse
Then suddenly she heard it, the rush of the river
That ran like a serpent ‘neath the earth
Wending its way, on a dark slithering journey
From the depths of its vile birth
It once was a crystal clear spring of cool water
It fed the lands so green
But then the goblins polluted the pure source
With deathly things unseen
The sinister curse like a nightmare moved in
And overpowered her sight
She had to hang on to the threads of her self
And not give in to the night
The treacherous curse nearly blinded her now
She slumped against the tunnel walls
Covered with slime, they oozed a putrescence
In her mind she felt herself fall
Out of the darkness came a voice, no, two voices
Falling gently upon her ears
One with a sense of urgency and passion
The other allaying her fears
One voice reminded her of duty and honor
While the dark voice soothed her soul
The voice of light spoke of warmth and peace
The dark voice spoke of cold
Suddenly Ellannin’s voice blared “Sammani!
The guards are on their way
They hear your labored breathing in the passage
Beware, you will be slain”
Leaping to her feet, she reached for her scabbard
And drew her Broadsword forth
In waylay as the guards rounded the corner
She struck with incredible force
The forms of the guards lay crumpled on the floor,
As Sammani strode into the cave
And there by the river, held by huge iron chains
Was the Lord she was to save
On bended knee she bespoke the Dragon,
“My Lord I am yours to command
I shall use my life to effect your release
Or die by the enemy’s hand”
“Rise young Warriess”, commanded the great Ellannin
“The final hour draws nigh
Release my bonds so that we may fly aloft
And out into freedom’s skies”
“You almost fell under the enchantment Sammani
It was clouding your weary mind
The darkness is a trap for the weakened soul
And your death would not have been kind”
Looking up, Sammani saw that this enormous cavern
Was a monstrous cylindrical well
Far above in the Courtyard, a sloping steel Dome
Covered the great mouth like a shell
The walls rose sharply, impossible to scale
And then there were the chains
Ellannin’s scales were now bruised and yellowed
Where the shackles had left stains
“My Lord”, said Sammani, “I cannot break the chains
Their size is beyond my strength,
And we cannot fly out to reach the land surface
They are not of sufficient length”
I will fly out to Lilith for help, thought Sammani
And drawing her amulet out
She closed her eyes to begin the transformation
Her heart was filled with doubt
“What is that in your hand?” asked Lord Ellannin
Sammani handed him the piece
“It is a gift of the Ancient Dragons,” said she,
“With the power of a changeling release”
As Ellannin held the piece it glowed a white light
Like a star in the nighttime sky
A sly, crafty grin crept slowly ‘cross his face,
And a twinkle within his eye
For there on the Amulet of the Great Queen Raj
As it sang an Ancient Tune
Was the Crest of his Ancestors of so long ago
The Dragons of the Crescent Moon
Boom! Went the tower as Great Lilith’s hot breath
Fireballed it into rubble
Thunderous explosions rocked the fortress’ foundations
And the Goblins were in trouble
On the surface in the courtyard the fight had continued
Smoke plumed from every spire
A massive shuddering as the armory detonated
And burst into crimson fire
The fires of Dragon’s breath filled the skies
And the goblins went screaming wild
Perched on a turret, the great Lilith roared
From the walls she was reviled
The battle had gone poorly for the Goblins today
Their bodies lay strewn about
Mangled in the cold, icy snows they expired
A race now dying out
Krellst knelt down in the castle courtyard
Beside the great steel Dome
And surveyed the massive destruction that Lilith
Had laid upon his home
His brothers dead, his great fortress in ruins
His fury welled up inside
With a black look he raised his eyes aloft
Up to the smoke filled skies
His evil eye found Lilith the great Dragon
Perched upon the turret on high
And bringing himself to his feet he vowed
Today this Dragon would die
Here it comes, thought Lilith, he’ll use his Sceptre now
The evil Scepter of Kerrl
The Underworld’s greatest source of power
Will before me be unfurled
Then Krellst said, “Filthy creature of scales and skin!
Your time is coming soon
You will fail Dragoness, and I shall win the day
Prepare to meet your doom
Looking across the great metal Dome in the courtyard
Krellst uttered his spells
And an argent of flames crept up from the ground
Like harbingers of hell
Ghostly wisps mixed in with the erie flames
Winding themselves 'round his form
Rolling his eyes back into his warped visage
From his lips, a scream was torn
Holding the Scepter of Kerrl out before him
A sickly green power arose
Gathering around the emerald sphere at its tip
Where the vile power flowed
The ground beneath them began to shift and tremble
The walls began to quake
The canyon echoed with spectral screams
And the turret began to shake
As the mounting power rose to its furious pinnacle
Krellst’s eyes turned fully black
And with a howl like the voices of a thousand dead
He launched his fearsome attack
The green sphere at the head of the Scepter exploded
In a great blinding surge of power
Traveling ‘cross the courtyard and over the steel Dome
Heading straight for Lilith’s tower
Suddenly the steel Dome exploded into shards
And out flew the imprisoned pair
Sammani and Ellannin had broken the great chains
And escaped into the night air
But as they burst through the steel Dome from far below
With Sammani atop the beast
They’d flown into the path of the Scepter’s power
That the evil Krellst had released
Almost in slow motion did this collision occur
The Dome shattering as the pair emerged
Through the shaft, the Dome, and coming between the foes
They were hit by the powerful surge
The great power of the bolt struck the pair full on
And immediately engulfed the two
But it did not stop there, it evil path continued
Towards Lilith, sure and true
But Lilith’s form did not crumble from the blast
She held her place on the tower
And the great bolt struck her outstretched claw
Exploding in eruptions of power
All across the canyon where the great battle raged on
There emerged a powerful tune
For there in Lilith’s claw, an amulet which bore the symbol
Of The Dragons of the Crescent Moon!
Suddenly the battle scene, was held in fiery check
Like a moment frozen in time
The magic which Krellst had called forth from the depths
Was captured by a power sublime
Krellst’s eyes returned as he realized his strength
Was being governed by a greater spell
And a fear of death crept over his twisted face
As he watched his great empire felled
There the four were, two suspended in mid air
One on the turret, one the ground
With a great, crackling arc of frozen magic in between
And suddenly there came a sound
It was the sound of Lilith the Great’s soft voice
It echoed in Sammani’s ear
And through the white magical fire which held her
Lilith’s voice Sammani could hear
“You have done it Great Warriess, Swordmain of Raj
Krellst’s world will fall to dust
I have trapped his magic with our exit spell
And now, leave you I must”
“The time has come for Dragons to pass on to that place
Of which I have spoken before
To Sharra-Trell, our last resting place of time
We shall pass through to the nether door”
But what of our union together,” said Sammani,
What of Dragonkind and man?
How will the Great Legends be carried on in time
For the children to understand?”
“Brave Sammani,” said Lilith, “the Legends will live on
It is up to you now to recall
The march of time will forget our Great Tales of Valor
It is something you cannot forestall”
“Dragonfriend, you’ve restored my faith in Humankind
And repaired the embittered rift
That has plagued our two races, Dragon and human
I leave you with this gift”
Strange sensations then coursed through her veins
As with Lilith she breathed as one
It changed her being, her spirit, and her soul
And then, was suddenly done
“I shall send word to your homelands in the South, Sammani,
With news of what happened today
Queen Rajini must know of our fates here and now
And how Krellst was made to pay”
Though the fire surrounding Sammani burned brightly
Tearing her body apart,
Tears of sadness filled her eyes, and her thoughts,
She bid Lilith farewell from the heart
Then Lilith the Great forced the evil green power
Back down through the magical arc
And a ball of White Power made straight for Krellst
Igniting the Scepter like a spark
Then the great magic power that had held them together
Exploded the Scepter of Kerrl
And Sammani was thrown into the icy Frozen Wastes
Which was to become her world
The Scepter had killed the Blackhearted King
And all of Goblinkind
With the destruction of the Scepter and escape of the Dragons
The magic began to unwind
The Goblin bodies faded into the snowy landscape
Blown away like flurries in the winds
And the walls of the fortress faded slowly away
Erasing those spires of sins
The canyon was returned to what it once was
An icy snowscape again
Never again would it be used as a cruel prison
Or an evil Goblin’s den
Sammani lost consciousness in these icy Northlands
Only to awake from a shiver
She was alone, freezing, all her powers gone,
No weapons, and an empty quiver
She was cold, beaten, and too far from the Southlands
To survive the journey back home
So Sammani lay down to die in the freezing snow
And the amulet’s final glow
It was Spring in the Southlands of Great Queen Raj
And she stood looking towards the West
From her rooms in the turrets of her castle strong
As the Sun donned evening’s vest
She strode from her bedroom, and out into the hall
Past the winged wolf statues of stone
That guard her boudoir like great sentinel bookends
When nighttime finds her alone
She felt something terrible had happened towards the North
Where the Lands grow cruel and cold
A Land of dangers where evil lurks in the shadows
Of which frightening tales are told
Out in the courtyard the sun embraced the horizon
And upon it a tiny mark
That grew in size as its silhouette drew nearer
As if someone had ignited a spark
A tremendous wingspan formed out of this great shadow
That flew out of Horizons Bold
And when that unmistakable shape could be discerned
The bells began to toll
The Dragons are coming! The frantic call went up
And the village square came alive
All had known of the Legend that one last Dragon
Somehow had survived
All watched as the creature swept out of the skies
And landed in the village square
All gasped in amazement, for no one had ever seen
Another one like this anywhere
For there before them stood a Great Winged White Dragon
Who spoke in the Ancient tongue
Of a tale that would be written in the Tomes of the Citadel
Where Legends and Songs are sung
It said, “I bring news of the Land, and of the Future
Of the Battle of the Northern Wastes
Of the Goblins who trapped the last Dragon of this world
Their crimes have now been erased”
“The Dragons of this world have passed to Sharra-Trell
To rejoice with their own kind
The magic that they brought will soon fade from these Lands
Save this one gift left behind”
Then suddenly a hush fell over the townspeople
As they witnessed a wonder unfold
A vision that would live within the Archives of Legends
Forever to be retold
A white whirling sphere had surrounded the White Dragon
Like a vaporous enchanted mist
And a rainbow of tendrils like fingers splayed outward
Like the colors of a Magical tryst
As these colors coalesced the townspeople could see
A magical form was concealed
And when this metamorphic transformation was complete
A young woman, who now spoke, was revealed
“That being which I once was, I am now no longer
I was a Winged White Wolf, in part
But from this day forward, let the Legends renown,
I am called, Sammani, DragonHeart.”
The End.
Slow and steady in the dank grey night
The great creaking Galleon swept
Great bow slashing at the sinister waves
As the Gods above them wept
Worn, weather beaten, encrusted with growth
Clinging to its aging hull
Lost in the rains of the Great Sea's storm
Riding low, cargo hold full
And somewhere down in this musty old ship
A dim lantern swinging slowly in a room
Illuminates the two bearded old men
At a table they sit in the gloom
One is a wizened sorcerous elder
His eyes ablaze with a fire
The other, is the one armed gin soaked captain
Eyes burning with ardent desire
In trembling hands the old Wizard holds
A crystal of dark magic power
Beautiful, scarlet, glowing with energy
Stolen from the Great Council's tower
Floating the stone above long bony fingers
The Thaumaturge utters a spell
And visions of light in smoky plumes flow
Like an argent from a well
Colours of every conceivable hue
Emanate from the stone
Filling the cabin with thick swirling vapors
And an eerie light of its own
The walls of the cabin are now clouded, obscured
As are the ceiling, and the floor
The old captain panics, and rising up
He reaches for the door
But the door, the walls, and the room are gone
No waves, or rolling ship
And filled with an uncontrollable terror
His mind begins to slip
"What have you done you crazed old fool"
His voice laden heavy with fear
The sodden captain with one arm swipes
The Wizard upon the ear
With a howl the Wizard crumples to the ground
Dying with a horrible scream
The stone lies shattered near his hand
The end of a broken dream
Breaking the trance and breaking the spell
And the breaking of the stone
Had torn the old Wizard's life from him
And the captain stood alone
And looking down in startled horror
At the Wizard's lifeless eyes
And the glowing pieces of the broken stone
He suddenly realized
He had destroyed the only route home
By killing this conjurer man
That could bring him safely back to his ship
And with a trembling hand-
He desperately scoops up all the pieces
And as they turn to sand
He screams, "No please, take me back"
But he came to understand
For just before they'd faded away
To dust, upon the breeze
He heard a sound that brought him sobbing
Down upon his knees
A voice that chilled the blood in his veins
He'd remember forever after
For there from the stone as the glow flickered out
Came a mocking, hysterical laughter
Galphir.
OK ! Let's get on the Links Bandwagon !
Mr. Mystery Link . . . click here ? ?
My school. . . .
Always loved those Dixie Dregs!
Alan Holdsworth - still kicking !
Jazz, Jazz, Jazz at Ryles!
More Jazz, Jazz, Jazz at Scullers!
Site of the disgruntled = too funny!
Our State's website - any help???
Ahh, fun, fun, fun with Anagrams ! !
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I would like to dedicate this page to Ana. One of
the most wonderful people I have ever known and loved.
She taught me how to love, and laugh again when I thought
I would never be able to after my first Love.
Now it is the two of us, my daughter and I; the rest of life awaits
like the promise of new fallen snow. We are here and, alive
with the days ahead; I know that's what she would have wanted.
For us to go on to live a happy life; to try and believe once again.
This is what we have, I am all she has in this world now,
so I will promise to do my best to help her through the rest of my time,
and try to believe that her Mom was taken from us by God's will alone.
