Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1993 11:02:04 EDT
From: The Dreamer <ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu>
Message-ID: <93209.110204ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [L&S] [New Character] Wraith

ADMIN: This takes place on the night of the [MG] battle with Mar.

Characters Mentioned: Luthor: Half-Golden Elf Shadow Mage
                      Serene: Human Fog Dancer/Barmaid
                      Mista:  Serene's 9 month old daughter
                      Lex:    'Raelf's all-knowing time brother
                      'Raf:   'Raelf's satyrlion time brother
                      Wraith: New Character


It was well into the night when Luthor and Serene decided to walk to the
Dragon's Inn.  Lex had told Serene that she would be needed there
due to an unexpected and unusually large crowd...coming back from an
all-day concert given courtesy of 'Raf's band.

Luthor decided to join her for two reasons.  Primarily because he hadn't
been to the inn in quite some time, but also because he wanted to give
Lex and Erik their privacy.  Now, with Mista strapped across Luthor's
chest, they entered the inn.  It was loud, smokey, and extremely
crowded.  Luthor leaned close to Serene's ear and said, "I think
I'll wait outside with Mista until things settle a bit, okay?"

Serene nodded and watched Luthor leave, then she began looking around
for signs of the inn's owners.

Immediately, Mary caught her eye and motioned for her to come over.
"Serene, dearest.  I hate to ask you this, but --"

Serene interrupted, "I'll work tonight.  I can see you need me."

"Bless you child."  Mary smiled thankfully and handed her an apron.

--OO--OO--

Luthor sat with his back to the wall outside the inn, talking quietly
to Mista.  His BLACK cloak blended into the darkness of the Generican
night making him nearly invisible to all but the most keen of sight.
He watched the patrons enter and leave the inn, looking for a
familiar face, but most of his time was spent looking at the stars.

This was not his world.  The constellations here were unfamiliar, BUT
since this was going to be his home for a while, he decided to get to
know the stars.  He pointed one cluster out to Mista:

                     '   .
                     .
                       o  , .

                     o

"I think I'll call that one the 'Silver Warrior'.  See, there's the body
with the wings stretched out.  And that one:

                      .
                     .
                    o  '

I'll call Rachel and Joshua after my wife and son..." Luthor continued
with the naming, amusing Mista more with the tone of his voice than
the actual content of his words.  Every once in a while, Luthor would
speak the musical language of the Golden Elves, much to Mista's delight.

A glint of golden skin caught Luthor's eye.  I was one of the partons
about to enter the inn.  He called out in his native language, "Ho,
friend, wait a moment!"

The figure that turned in response to Luthor's call was not Elven.  He
appeared to be of human descent, but with golden skin and completely
black eyes that seemed to glow with a dark radiation.  Strange, but
not evil.  Luthor reverted back to the language of humans, "Sorry.
I had assumed you to be one of my kind.  My apologies."

When the man spoke, his voice was young, but it held the edge of
fatigue, "That's alright, most people don't even speak to me.  Your
language is quite interesting though.  Where are you from?"

Luthor got to his feet.  "Excuse me for my rudeness, I am Luthor Anside,
of the Anside clan of Cormyr."  Luthor bowed low, being careful of Mista.

When he rose from his bow, he introduced the stranger to the child, "This
is Mista of the Fog, my goddaughter."  Mista gurgled a greeting.

"You may call me Wraith...everyone else does.  I'm from Magira originally."
Wraith stuck out his hand which Luthor shook as was the human custom.  Then
he continued, "I was hoping to raise my spirits by visiting the famous
Dragon's Inn tonight."

"I'm afraid the inn is a little too crowded for me.  My companion, Serene,
is in there now helping out.  The inn is a little understaffed."

Wraith looked through one of the inn's stained glass windows.  Every
seat and every table seemed to be overflowing with people.  Even the
dark corners seemed to have residents.  He began counting the corners
and then decided to stop when he passed eight to save his sanity.
"It appears so. I guess I'll come back later."

Luthor frowned a little.  "Why don't you stay outside here with me?
It's a lovely night.  I'm sure I could get Serene to bring us a few
drinks if you'd like."

"I'd be glad to."  Wriath sat next to Luthor against the inn's wall.
"Tell me, how did you get your golden skin?"

"I was born with it.  My father was from a race called the Golden Elves,
a long-lived race of beings whose purpose was to dance and sing and
celebrate life.  I am much lighter in tone than my father's side of
the family since my mother was human.  How about you?  It's not too
often that I see a human with golden skin."

Wraith stared at his hand.  The memory of his golden skin bobbed to the
surface of his troubled mind.  "I was at the Magira Academy, testing for
my third spell book.  During the testing I was confronted by another mage
who told me to prove that I was worthy of the power.  To his suprise, I
defeated him with rather simple spells from my first book.  Unfortunately,
I casted too many spells to close together.  I was so weak that I could
hardly stand.

"It was then that my brother arrived.  The defeated mage cast a spell on me
to make me think that everyone was my enemy.  When my brother rushed to aid
me, I drew my golden knife and stabbed him.  At that moment, the spell was
broken.  I saw my brother lying on the ground at my feet, dead by my own
hand.

"I felt a surge of cold go through my weak body and I collapsed.  When I came
to, I was as you see me now.  My skin had turned gold and my eyes dark with
the glow you see in them.  The eyes serve as a reminder that I am only mortal
and should not quest for immortal power...and to remind me that things are
not always as they seem.  The skin is a 'gift' from the defeated mage.  It
robbed me of ALL my emotions except for the love of my brother and respect
for those who respect me."

An odd silence fell between Luthor and Wraith.  Luthor wanted to express
his sympathy toward Wraith's loss, but couldn't find the words.  Just
then, Serene opened the door and handed them each a drink.  "A glass of
apple wine from the finest vineyards in Specifica of the Spices, a glass
of white wine from beyond the Realms portal for the gentleman, and a
bottle of warm milk for my favorite little whisp."  Serene reached
down and touched her daughter's cheek.  Luthor took the bottle of milk
and handed it to Mista, who was *almost* able to feed herself.

"So, Wraith, what are you looking for in Generica?"  Luthor asked.
He took a sip of wine and settled in for a long talk.

Wraith was a little startled by the question.  He paused a moment to gather
his thought and calmly replied, "I am looking for an end to my sight of the
aging process.  When you look at people, you see them as any other man, but
when I look at them, all I can see is them aging, dying, and decaying before
me.  It's not a pleasant sight."

"Then I think you have come to the right place.  There are beings from all
over the multiverse in this city and more than one is unaging.  In addition,
I have heard of a woman who is skilled at breaking curses...she might be of
some help to you.  Cheer up my new friend...and welcome to Generica!"

     Love and Peace and Hospitality,
              -The Dreamer-