The adventurers drew near the Portal,
weary and worn from their many adventures. But at last their quest
was over and it was time to return home. With a sigh they moved to
step forward. Priestess stopped.
“I don't want to go back,” she
said.
The party looked back at the receding
Enchanted Kingdom behind them. Warrior spoke up.
“I don't want to either. I don't
wish to leave this place.”
He looked to Priestess and they both
smiled. He would not have spoken up had she not. She had always lent
him strength he didn't know he could find.
The Old Wizard emerged from a passing
fog. He puffed upon a long ornate pipe and grinned.
“Hail my young friends. You have
accomplished much. But your quest is not over,” the Wizard said
softly.
Sorcerer spoke next.
“But we have completed all our
quests. We have conquered the Long Lines. We have had all our tomes
signed by the Elder Ones. We have fashioned our garb for all the land
to behold, and even found seating at the Mead Hall,” he replied.
Wizard puffed quietly for a few
moments.
“That is but one quest. Your next
quest lays beyond this portal,” he said.
“But that returns to the Banal
Kingdom. The lands of Drudgery and Routine! What possible quest could
exist there?” Priestess demanded.
“The quest of Magic. You found it
here. You embraced it and shared it. Now you must carry it with you
into the Banal Lands, and care for it dearly. Nurture that Magic,
keep it alive! And share it with others. Over time, you can create
Enclaves of Magic with the Banal Lands. And the Mundane Lords will
try to stamp it out of you and destroy your Enclaves. That is when
you must bolster one another. You much recharge your energies by
sharing your magic with each other.
You may do it with a shared thought. A
conjured image. A meeting to build your magic back up when it feels
low. But you have the strength within you. All of you. And the quest
lies before you.”
The Wizard finished speaking and held
his hand toward the Portal.
The Party looked from one to another.
Priestess, Warrior, Sorcerer, Barbarian, and the one party member
that couldn't make up their minds and decided to 'Multi-Class'. They
nodded to each other, held hands, and stepped through the Portal into
the Banal Lands.
The Wizard folded his hands and his
smile faded. He knew what his young companions would face in the
Banal Lands. In his hands he summoned two spirits; Dream and Hope.
“Go with them. Follow them. Guide
them,” he whispered to the spirits.
“They will need you more than the
air they breathe at times. Stay with them, and pull them together
when times are dark,” the Wizard finished. He opened his hands and
off they flew.
So the Adventurers began their next
quest, followed by Hope and Dream, and empowered by Magic within
their hearts.
