Celindriel's Dreams

Written by SirElghinn

Dream 1 - Night of the 8th of Vlaihr, 2272

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You enter into your meditative state, clearing your mind of any outside influence. You begin to reflect inward on yourself, focusing on your breathing. Inhale....exhale....inhale....exhale. The sound of your breathing becomes more pronounced in your head. You hear the rush of breath as it enters your lungs, the beating of your heart as you hold it in, and the long sigh generated from exhaling. Your mind begins to focus on the cacophony of sounds generated with each breath, a combination of tiny whistles spanning different frequencies as the air moves over the vales and valleys of your nasal passages and trachea. Inhale....exhale....inhale....exhale. The whistles become more poignant, now combined with the lower frequency of sounds one hears from within your own skull. You let your mind wander as you fixate on the combined sound. The sound becomes louder....louder...until your mind begins generating images in your mind's eye.

Your mind fades from black into an image of you staring at your legs submerged up to your knees in frothy grey water. The sound of ocean waves lapping a beach permeates your being. You look up, and see the backs of several of your brethren Moon Elves all cloaked in gray garb drudging through the surf to make their way onto an uninviting coastline as a forceful wind whips their hair and cloaks. The skyline is gray, the sunlight unable to penetrate through a dreary overcast day, and you begin to feel light dollops of rain hitting your cheeks. "Telethas" -- you hear your words echo through your mind. You take a step forward to follow the members of your order, but your foot doesn't find purchase, and you fall face first into the water.

A hand grabs the front of your initiate's uniform and pulls you forcefully from the water. You spit water and blink, trying to clear your eyes from the stinging of saltwater. But it isn't salt water, it's freshwater. You are pulled to your feet from the muddy puddle you had fallen into. "WE HAVE TO GO!" The Moon Elf gripping the front of your uniform shoves you forward, a sense of urgency in his voice as he shouts his command. You begin running and look around to see the wastelands that surround the outskirts of the once proud Moon Elf Capital long since lost, illuminated in the night by an unnatural green and purple glow. You wipe the stagnant and fetid water from your face feeling the tinge of panic creeping up your spine. "Don't panic. Stay focused. Keep moving." You repeat the mantra taught to you by your mentors, attempting to keep your wits about you. You take a deep breath, and the sounds of your breathing, the tiny whistles you attempted to fixate on before, fill your head. No, not whistles...screams. Men and women screaming in pain.

You turn to look back, and your vision falls upon your Uncle in a dead run behind you. "DON'T STOP! GO!" Behind him you see dark shadows hovering over the ground advancing rapidly, their shadowy maws agape, their rasping never-ending exhale resonating from a distance. You cover your ears and turn back to run. "Breathe.....breathe". Inhale....exhale....inhale....exhale.

You open your eyes and find yourself in your room within the Grinning Kobold Inn...

Dream 2 - Morning of the 9th of Fosis, 2272

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As you meditate, a mental image of a tunnel similar to the one you and your party now inhabit fills your mind with your point of view floating effortlessly and without control through the air within the rocky structure. You relax your muscles and try to clear your mind of the image, but it remains as your form begins to traverse down the tunnel. Your vision gains in speed and you find yourself being taken further and faster down an ever-increase maze of tunnels losing all sense of direction and distance.

Oddly, you feel unconcerned about becoming lost and find yourself eager to discover what lies at the end of this meandering journey. As the visage continues, you are suddenly thrust into a larger chamber where a carved stone structure can be seen, though only for an instant. You can make out carved pillars supporting structures, walkways, small alcoves carved into the rock walls dimly lit by soft orange, blue, and purple glows. You can tell people inhabit this structure, though you can only make out general details such as their dark skin and pale hair. A soft calming song can be heard echoing through the chamber, a song you imagine that is produced from a large chorus that is ever present regardless of direction as your vision rapidly navigates the various carved stone hallways and stairways. You continue to plunge deeper into what is quite obviously an underground settlement.

The vision comes to a rapid halt within a circular stone room and begins orbiting the circumference. You are able to make out details of a large hearth burning within the center of the chamber surrounded by what appears to be prostrating individuals with joined hands, all with their faces pressed against the floor facing inward towards the fire. Your focus drifts towards an image above the fire, a silhouette of a large female form can be seen hovering above with only her piercing silvery eyes gazing directly at your incorporeal consciousness. The image wavers as if you are attempting to peer through a veil of heat, and though you try to focus on her details, your vision becomes distracted...peering frustratingly off and away from anything of note. As you sense her gaze upon you out of your periphery, you are immediately filled with a sense of awe, and a feeling you can only describe as if a question that was buried deep within your soul had suddenly and inexplicably been answered, though you don’t know the question. You feel her arms reach for you and then move suddenly in an upward direction as if she were grabbing and throwing you. Your form suddenly travels upward through a stone-carved flue leaving the chamber far beneath you as you speed upwards. You watch as the silhouette dwindles from view, though the silvery piercing eyes continue to watch with intent as you ascend. You turn your focus upwards as your speed continues until at least you crest the surface of an unknown mountain range and are rocketed into the sky. Your vision is obscured briefly as you pass through a layer of clouds before coming to a slow hover above them, peering out over a never-ending expanse of soft white illuminated by a full moon.

A form appears -- a young elf woman similar in appearance to you approaches, walking barefoot on the clouds and bathed in moonlight. She smiles as she reaches down and collects what appears to be liquid moonlight dripping from her diaphanous gown into her cupped hands. “Be rested, daughter”, you hear a voice permeate your mind as the elvish woman throws the scooped liquid directly into your vision. You close your eyes as the liquid hits your face. You blink cautiously only to find yourself back in the cavern among your friends as they all rouse from sleep at the same moment you cease meditating. You touch your face to wipe away the liquid, but your face is not wet, yet the skin of your body feels as if you had just bathed in mint and you feel completely refreshed.