- Jun 22, 2003
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Introduction
”But I am telling you, she's got talent!” Shandor started to get upset. ”Something's stopping her.”
”Yes, laziness and lack of discipline”, Gurst blurted out. ”Have you seen her during lessons? She fails with everything we try to teach her!”
”Indeed...”, Lyssa added ”...but from what I can see, not due to lack of commitment. She's really trying. She's also an inspiration for and very supportive of her classmates. I agree with Shandor, we're missing something. I think she has potential to master all our three elements.”
”When has she ever shown this 'talent'? Just asking.”, Gurst continued.
”Oh, most of it happened before you arrived.”, said Shandor. ”I think she was eight when her friend Alina fell backwards in the shower and Dina saved her by instantly freezing the water. It took Herman half an hour to carefully chop her out of the ice and me more than than to thaw her up, but at least Alina didn't have to suffer hitting her head on the floor.”
Lyssa continued: ”Or that time two years later, when there was a fire in the dormitory. The other girls said that Dina blew open the blocked door with huge fireballs. And don't forget the bathing incident by the lake three years ago. Mirri jumped from a tree just when Dina had spotted a large shark in the water. She conjured a huge electric shock that paralyzed all the creatures in the water. The whole water was sparking, but Dina managed to stop it before Mirri hit the surface. Not even I can do something like that!”
”What those situations seem to have in common is some immediate danger and that she doesn't use conventional spells but rather pure intuition about the elements.” Gurst was trying to see the logic in the events.
”Not really true about the danger part. She has sometimes succeded in calmer situations. I've heard about amazing light shows in the dormitory”, Shandor said.
Nobody knew where Dina came from, least of all herself. Shandor said they had found her on the stairs to the Academy when she was about five years old. Her raven black hair suggested she came from the South, but noone could know for sure.
She was cared for in the best of ways by the mages, and became liked by just about everyone at the Academy. But she could not learn the simplest of spells. She often said that everything felt right, that she could feel the energy flowing and the few times when she did succeed using some magic, she didn't think it felt differently than during the lessons.
Most apprentices left the Academy at the age of 17-18 years. Dina was now 20 years old and unsure about the future.
Spunky and curious in nature, she was now eavesdropping on the three archmages through an open window.
”Dormitory, shower, lake, dormitory again. Always fails during lessons.” Gurst was trying to analyze the situation. ”Nothing to do with indoors-outdoors. Nor with audience and stage fright.”
”Nudity!”, Lyssa blurted out. ”Or, lack of clothes, if you want to put it that way. Wait here.”
Dina did a double take. Could this really be true?! But right now she had more urgent matters to deal with. Better get back to her room post haste, or it could get complicated trying to explain what she was doing outside this late in the evening. She just made it back before there was a knock on the door.
”Enter. Ah, Archmage Lyssa, to what do I owe the honour?”
”Come with me to my chamber. Now.”
When they got there, Lyssa said: ”Take off your clothes.”
”But...?”
”Yes. You can use my screen there in the corner if you're shy.”
Lyssa threw a light bulb to Dina. ”Light this!”
Dina had tried this many times, each time with a negative result. She held the light bulb and focused. The bulb lit up but just as quickly, went dark again. Dina examined it. The filament had burned apart. ”Oops!”
”Here, try another. But don't try as hard this time!”
Dina got a new light bulb. This time she managed to light it and keep it lit. Fascinated, she stared at it.
Lyssa was excited now. ”Dina, can you light the fire in my fireplace? But please, take it slow.”
The firewood lit up with a furious roar, then the fire calmed down to normal.
”OK, another test. I will now pour some water from this glass. I want you to freeze the jet of water, but take it easy. I don't want any frost damage on my hand.”
Dina managed perfectly, for a short moment. Then her concentration failed and the water fell to the floor.
”We've found my problem!”
”Yes, but not the magnitude of it. Here, put on my little Ring of Light and try the light bulb again.” Dina did as she was told but could not for the life of her light the bulb.
A few tests later, Lyssa returned to Shandor and Gurst. She solemnly declared: ”We've solved Dina's riddle. We at the Academy now have the most talented student we've ever seen.”
The following months became hectic for Dina. After four months she was ready for her exam, something that normally took at least ten years. She was of course helped by already knowing almost all of the theory.
Come exam day, Dina sought out Shandor. It was obvious she was worried.
”How am I supposed to achieve anything with magic in the outside world if I am naked? I'll draw far too much attention wherever I am.”
Shandor had already anticipated this. ”No problem. Mireille, our best illusionist, is waiting for you. Go to her.”
Dina had always liked pretty things, including good looking clothes. So had Mireille, as it turned out. They hit off well. After some joyful talk, Mireille became more serious:
”The illusion I'll cast on you will have two limitations. One: it only works on humans. To all demons, animals, etc., you will look naked. Two: you can only pick one outfit, then you're stuck with that illusion until I undo it, change it, or if any of us should die.
Look through my closet, I think we are about the same size.”
”I brought some of my own clothes, too...”
”Good. Take your pick.”
Dina chose a green top with long sleeves, with a matching loincloth. Outside the loincloth a black wrapover skirt with golden lining. She added wide orange arm protectors and leg warmers. Finally some rustic brown boots and an orange diadem.
”OK, now stand still for a minute while I focus. There! Now take off your clothes and stand in front of the mirror.”
”That turned out well.” Dina was more than pleased.
”Only problem is you'll still draw attention, not to mention unwanted suitors. But I suppose you won't have any trouble giving them 'the cold shoulder', hehe.”
The time had come. The whole Academy had gathered. Shandor spoke:
”We have gathered here today to say goodbye to Dina. We will all miss her.
Great things await her. Dina has decided to go east, towards the area around Tristram.
Rumor has it that a lot of trouble has stirred there as of late. We wouldn't normally send an apprentice on a mission this dangerous, but Dina is special, as you now all know.”
Lyssa added: ”It's a tradition than an apprentice making their way into the outer world change their name, as a way to mark their goodbye to Academy life. Dina and I have have come up with a very fitting name for her. What will we know you as from now on, Dina?”
”Nudina.”
There was laughter and cheers all over.
-------------------------------
[2017 note: In the summer of 2002, I started to play a character in v1.09. I took lots of screenshots and wrote a story. It took the form of a couple of .html pages that I burned to CDs and gave my brother and my cousin as christmas present that year.
For a long time, I've wanted to share that story here, but the workload involved has always been putting me off. You see, the whole story and most of the added text in the screenies is written in my native language (Swedish) and translating it takes quite a long time. It's also much harder than writing my usual character reports, because in those I pick words and expressions that I think I can handle. Now I have to look up several words and expressions for every section I translate.
Two things have contributed to the fact that I am now finally giving it a go, more than 15 years later:
* That you can upload to and paste whole screenshots in the forum.
* My decision of not editing the screenies any more, but instead just add translations under those that are in Swedish.
After this week, I will have two weeks off from work, so hopefully I can get the bulk of the thing done during those weeks. I am not putting any pressure on myself, though. It will get done eventually, even if it takes well past christmas...
Next post will lay down the rules etc. of the challenge. Then the in-game story will begin. It will be more hands-on gaming related stuff, but it's still more story in it than in my usual tournamnet reports]
”But I am telling you, she's got talent!” Shandor started to get upset. ”Something's stopping her.”
”Yes, laziness and lack of discipline”, Gurst blurted out. ”Have you seen her during lessons? She fails with everything we try to teach her!”
”Indeed...”, Lyssa added ”...but from what I can see, not due to lack of commitment. She's really trying. She's also an inspiration for and very supportive of her classmates. I agree with Shandor, we're missing something. I think she has potential to master all our three elements.”
”When has she ever shown this 'talent'? Just asking.”, Gurst continued.
”Oh, most of it happened before you arrived.”, said Shandor. ”I think she was eight when her friend Alina fell backwards in the shower and Dina saved her by instantly freezing the water. It took Herman half an hour to carefully chop her out of the ice and me more than than to thaw her up, but at least Alina didn't have to suffer hitting her head on the floor.”
Lyssa continued: ”Or that time two years later, when there was a fire in the dormitory. The other girls said that Dina blew open the blocked door with huge fireballs. And don't forget the bathing incident by the lake three years ago. Mirri jumped from a tree just when Dina had spotted a large shark in the water. She conjured a huge electric shock that paralyzed all the creatures in the water. The whole water was sparking, but Dina managed to stop it before Mirri hit the surface. Not even I can do something like that!”
”What those situations seem to have in common is some immediate danger and that she doesn't use conventional spells but rather pure intuition about the elements.” Gurst was trying to see the logic in the events.
”Not really true about the danger part. She has sometimes succeded in calmer situations. I've heard about amazing light shows in the dormitory”, Shandor said.
Nobody knew where Dina came from, least of all herself. Shandor said they had found her on the stairs to the Academy when she was about five years old. Her raven black hair suggested she came from the South, but noone could know for sure.
She was cared for in the best of ways by the mages, and became liked by just about everyone at the Academy. But she could not learn the simplest of spells. She often said that everything felt right, that she could feel the energy flowing and the few times when she did succeed using some magic, she didn't think it felt differently than during the lessons.
Most apprentices left the Academy at the age of 17-18 years. Dina was now 20 years old and unsure about the future.
Spunky and curious in nature, she was now eavesdropping on the three archmages through an open window.
”Dormitory, shower, lake, dormitory again. Always fails during lessons.” Gurst was trying to analyze the situation. ”Nothing to do with indoors-outdoors. Nor with audience and stage fright.”
”Nudity!”, Lyssa blurted out. ”Or, lack of clothes, if you want to put it that way. Wait here.”
Dina did a double take. Could this really be true?! But right now she had more urgent matters to deal with. Better get back to her room post haste, or it could get complicated trying to explain what she was doing outside this late in the evening. She just made it back before there was a knock on the door.
”Enter. Ah, Archmage Lyssa, to what do I owe the honour?”
”Come with me to my chamber. Now.”
When they got there, Lyssa said: ”Take off your clothes.”
”But...?”
”Yes. You can use my screen there in the corner if you're shy.”
Lyssa threw a light bulb to Dina. ”Light this!”
Dina had tried this many times, each time with a negative result. She held the light bulb and focused. The bulb lit up but just as quickly, went dark again. Dina examined it. The filament had burned apart. ”Oops!”
”Here, try another. But don't try as hard this time!”
Dina got a new light bulb. This time she managed to light it and keep it lit. Fascinated, she stared at it.
Lyssa was excited now. ”Dina, can you light the fire in my fireplace? But please, take it slow.”
The firewood lit up with a furious roar, then the fire calmed down to normal.
”OK, another test. I will now pour some water from this glass. I want you to freeze the jet of water, but take it easy. I don't want any frost damage on my hand.”
Dina managed perfectly, for a short moment. Then her concentration failed and the water fell to the floor.
”We've found my problem!”
”Yes, but not the magnitude of it. Here, put on my little Ring of Light and try the light bulb again.” Dina did as she was told but could not for the life of her light the bulb.
A few tests later, Lyssa returned to Shandor and Gurst. She solemnly declared: ”We've solved Dina's riddle. We at the Academy now have the most talented student we've ever seen.”
The following months became hectic for Dina. After four months she was ready for her exam, something that normally took at least ten years. She was of course helped by already knowing almost all of the theory.
Come exam day, Dina sought out Shandor. It was obvious she was worried.
”How am I supposed to achieve anything with magic in the outside world if I am naked? I'll draw far too much attention wherever I am.”
Shandor had already anticipated this. ”No problem. Mireille, our best illusionist, is waiting for you. Go to her.”
Dina had always liked pretty things, including good looking clothes. So had Mireille, as it turned out. They hit off well. After some joyful talk, Mireille became more serious:
”The illusion I'll cast on you will have two limitations. One: it only works on humans. To all demons, animals, etc., you will look naked. Two: you can only pick one outfit, then you're stuck with that illusion until I undo it, change it, or if any of us should die.
Look through my closet, I think we are about the same size.”
”I brought some of my own clothes, too...”
”Good. Take your pick.”
Dina chose a green top with long sleeves, with a matching loincloth. Outside the loincloth a black wrapover skirt with golden lining. She added wide orange arm protectors and leg warmers. Finally some rustic brown boots and an orange diadem.
”OK, now stand still for a minute while I focus. There! Now take off your clothes and stand in front of the mirror.”
”That turned out well.” Dina was more than pleased.
”Only problem is you'll still draw attention, not to mention unwanted suitors. But I suppose you won't have any trouble giving them 'the cold shoulder', hehe.”
The time had come. The whole Academy had gathered. Shandor spoke:
”We have gathered here today to say goodbye to Dina. We will all miss her.
Great things await her. Dina has decided to go east, towards the area around Tristram.
Rumor has it that a lot of trouble has stirred there as of late. We wouldn't normally send an apprentice on a mission this dangerous, but Dina is special, as you now all know.”
Lyssa added: ”It's a tradition than an apprentice making their way into the outer world change their name, as a way to mark their goodbye to Academy life. Dina and I have have come up with a very fitting name for her. What will we know you as from now on, Dina?”
”Nudina.”
There was laughter and cheers all over.
-------------------------------
[2017 note: In the summer of 2002, I started to play a character in v1.09. I took lots of screenshots and wrote a story. It took the form of a couple of .html pages that I burned to CDs and gave my brother and my cousin as christmas present that year.
For a long time, I've wanted to share that story here, but the workload involved has always been putting me off. You see, the whole story and most of the added text in the screenies is written in my native language (Swedish) and translating it takes quite a long time. It's also much harder than writing my usual character reports, because in those I pick words and expressions that I think I can handle. Now I have to look up several words and expressions for every section I translate.
Two things have contributed to the fact that I am now finally giving it a go, more than 15 years later:
* That you can upload to and paste whole screenshots in the forum.
* My decision of not editing the screenies any more, but instead just add translations under those that are in Swedish.
After this week, I will have two weeks off from work, so hopefully I can get the bulk of the thing done during those weeks. I am not putting any pressure on myself, though. It will get done eventually, even if it takes well past christmas...
Next post will lay down the rules etc. of the challenge. Then the in-game story will begin. It will be more hands-on gaming related stuff, but it's still more story in it than in my usual tournamnet reports]
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