By Regenleif
Every day is a new adventure. A new story begins with every sunrise and ends with dusk. This is a tale of adventure, of heroism, and of the power of determination.
I am Cendred. I started as a young sapling, and now I am a mighty oak. All respect my name, as it means both life and death. I can devastate any enemy, and protect any ally. My story is short, and long. Let me start from the beginning.
It was a nice sunny day in the summer of 417AD. My mother was in a pleased and relaxed mood, for I was finally going to enter this world. Only days after my conceivation, she had been messaged by the gods about my coming, and that I would bring peace to the reign of chaos that had ensued for the last seven generations. So as she gave birth to me on the green, sunny meadow of Lirs Reach, neither did she cry nor scream, for she knew I would bring only good. She died thirty minutes later, as soon as I was released into the sun.
As I rolled in the grass, still finding my bearings, the wildlife came forth to see me. At my sight they knew who I was, for their instincts had yearned for this day. The Redmane wolves became my family, the rabbits my friends, and the fairies became my teachers. I had many adventures with the creatures, such as pranking Havgar and watching the Highlanders fight Synak. The animals together raised me as they would their young. These years gave me a deep knowledge and respect for Nature and its creatures, and so when the time came for me to join Lord Maclir's Army, I knew what I would become: a Druid.
Druid was the obvious choice for me, as you could probably guess. I was naturally born with the rare talent for Magic, and my experience with nature had given me a distinct advantage. It did not take long for me to be called to the attention of Lord Maclir himself! The radiant eminent whose name was spoken left and right, the mighty retired warrior who helped capture the mighty Crom Crouch. It was an honor to be in his presence.
As I walked into the castle on that eventful day, I could not help but enter the Hall of Records. This room contained all of the achievements and leaderboards of everyone, everywhere! As I looked upon the names of the great druids Pr1est, DingoSirius, Regenleif, Morphmarfa, and Siobon, I dreamed of one day being up there with them: with my named embedded in stone next to theirs, with a golden crown made from Oak leaves around my name. After this minute of admiration I went to see his majesty Lord Maclir, and he gave me challenges to prove my value and worth to the Empire. I quickly overcame these small quests, and found that I gained valuable experience from them that would be useful later on. I was duly rewarded from my work by means of armor and gold, and found that my rank increased often. At the rank (or as the others call it, level) 30 I was fledged as a full member of the Maclir Imperial Army and was sent to fight alongside other soldiers in the battle against the Connacht invadors.
The Connacht Wars were glorious days. I battled fiercely alongside heroes of new and old, and not once did I rest. I knew that every bolt of lightning I sent, every time I touched and healed an ally, was one less Connacht that could invade my homeland of Lir's Reach. And so I fought and healed, my efforts proved fruitful, and as I surpassed the ranks of my new battlefield partners I found more to befriend. Soon I became known as a fearless druid, who ruthlessly killed the Connachts with the fury of a Wolf and the mind of a Fox, and who always placed the health and safety of his group above his own. I was rapidly promoted for my valor and bravery, and at Rank 50 was given the Golden Medal of Bravery by Lord Maclir. I knew then that the gods had truly blessed me. I was given a Mighty Fur Helm of the Mystic Cave by my fellow soldiers as a thanks for my company alongside them, which I have since wore with pride.
The next day I woke up with the realization that it had been twelve years since I had seen my family in the forests of Lir's Reach. I decided that I should visit them and thank them for everything they taught me, and so I took leave and traveled to my homeland. After three days I finally found the hidden cave underneath the waterfall, and there I found the bodies of my family and friends, all dead. Every one.
I asked Taranis what had happened to them, and I was told that the past year had been very hard to the many creatures of the forests. The Connacht Wars had been very costly to the empire, and to be able to keep up their payroll and food supplies the empire had to kill many animals, turn the greenland into farmland, cut down thousands of trees, and other travesties. Fortunatly the underwater cave had hidden my family from the hunters, but they starved from the lack of grass and trees. I knew then that I was the last true Druid: raised by nature instead of people, wildlife instead of books. I decided then and there that I would not give up until I was the greatest druid in all the lands. I thenforth turned in my letter of resignition to Lord Maclir, and decided to find my true self, find my own adventures, and do good with the power of my deity, Taranis, looking down at me.
And adventure I did. I had figured out how the Empire judged their ranks, and so I kept track of what level I would be in their eyes. I made friends with everyone I found, and undertook many adventures including saving the marriage between a wonderful couple in Stonevale! I spent the next weeks battling the evil Bloodgrove Druids, and at rank 80 I was summoned by the mystical force of the Wardens to receive their blessings.
The Wardens were an ancient race, one that had been almost ruined by Crom Crouch. Their force of 300 was reduced to 6, and it was those six who called me to their circle. They told me of their stories, and of the world ahead. I learned that since before I was born they had been watching me, and they had been impressed by my abilities and dedication. They told me that there was once a mighty druid among them named Goldsong, and that they would be honored if I would wield her armor. I accepted, and was given the legendary armor of Goldsong. The wardens then told me of a place called the Otherworld, where Crom Crouch reigned, producing strange creatures such as flying eyes and massive colorful horses. They gave me a special key that would be needed to enter such this place, and directed me to the realm of Crom Crouch.
The next months were by far the worse months of my life. I hated the strange and scary world of the Otherworld. The creatures there seemed to have no sense of self identification: it seemed they were made and brainwashed to kill. I guess the worse part about the Otherworld was that I was always confused since never knew what was reality and what was a dream. The monsters there would always haunt my dreams, and there was many a time when I would jump awake and unleash a bolt of lightning at a monster that was not there. The only thing I was sure of was my rank, and after a long time i became used to the nightmares and sights of strange new creatures. Still, the day I reached rank 135 was a relief to me, for it meant that I would be able to finally leave this wretched and cursed place.
I began to realize that it was not only my mother who had been told of my coming, but the rest of the world as well. At times I was summoned to some retired legend or another to receive their blessing and a piece of armor (or sometimes a weapon) as a symbol of their thanks. At rank 135 I was given a set of Frozen Meteoric armor, made specially for me and the Otherworld, as when I wore it I felt a strange tingling in my feet, and found that I could then walk on the lava regions in the Otherworld and remain unharmed. It was with this armor that I was directed towards the Fianna, an unorganized army lost in the Carrowmore Tunnels in need of a brave adventurer to help.
As asked, I sought out the leaders of the Fianna, and received a plead to aid them in their fights against the Boggans, the Firbolgs, and the Trolls. Of course I accepted, and soon found that these creatures were surprisingly tough to fight, requiring a rather large group to kill. It was in these tunnels that I found a group of brave and fierce highlanders who I trained and fought alongside. All this time I kept my journal with me where I would write down the different enemies I encountered, along with my current rank. Once again the mindset of war and healing that I had during the Connacht Wars took over my consciousness, and before I knew it I one day realized that my rank according to the Maclir Empire was at long last 170. I was summoned once more to the Fianna, this time to a Bard who told me of a legendary armor that would allow me to battle alongside other against the Incarnation of Crom Crouch himself: Mordris.
This bard told me that in order to receive this armor I would have to bring him very specific items, which came from the powerful leaders of the Firbolgs, the Boggans, and the massive Trolls. I then decided that I should stop worrying about my rank, and more about helping the Fianna. I asked Taranis, my liege, for help in fighting these bosses, and he gave me two books as I slept: one red and one blue. I read these books, and they taught me how to alter my personality and masteries. In mere minutes I had changed from a happy, loving child to a fierce, battle-hardened Druid. I found that I could take massive hits from the giant hammers of the trolls, that I could summon vines from nature that could eradicate any opponent, and that I could unleash massive storms from my bare hands. And with these new abilities I laid challenge to every Sire of the evil Boggans and Firbolgs I could reach word of. During my conquest for the glory I finally meet my idols: Pr1est, Dingosirius, Regenleif, Morphmarfa, and Siobon in the battlefield.
I could not believe it, I was finally fighting alongside the people I had only heard legend of, including others whom were just as reowned, like Aunjen, PINDAR, Surter, and Immortalius. It was such an honor to be where I was then, but I knew I was not the best. As I continued to gain rank, respect, and the fabled Dragonlord armor, I never once slept without first giving thanks to the gods, without whose help I would be a poor farmer subject to the Empire. I become well-known throughout the lands: as someone who had risen from the ashes of a poor family who could not even afford a doctor to a mighty War Druid. I did not bath in my mild amount of glory, nor did I brag about it and show off as others did. Instead I stayed focused on my goal, and I would not rest until I achieved it.
It was not long before I had finally reached rank 180. I had at last done it: I had become one of my idols, and would forever rest a legend. I received the last of my Dragonlord armor, the mighty Dragonlord Robe. Now I was truly one of the legends I had been told about since my childhood, but that did not stop me. I continued to train my skills and increase my rank, until the day came when I at last surpassed the rank of Morphmarfa, rank 185. Then I knew my journey was complete. I was the greatest druid in the world, and I knew that my purpose was complete. I had been born to show the world that the determined surpasses the wealthy if the wealthy are not determined, and I had acheived that goal. At that moment I knew that my time in this realm had come, and I would soon retire.
Now, as I am writing this, i am lying down next to the waterfall, on the spot where I was birthed into this world. I have swallowed the seed of an Oak Tree, and have just completed enchanting it, speeding it's growth. The seed shall grow from my body, and shall be nurtured with the blessings and elements contained of my body. This tree shall represent my body and spirit, and using me will grow just as strong as the trees around it. For as the gods blessed and helped me, they shall also bless the lives of all who use me for the good of others. For I am the last of the true druids, born of wildlife and nature. Even when times were tough, I never gave up. Now I am a hero, and shall die a legend. The gods shall remember my name, and my story will be passed down for all eternity. I am the spirit of the Druid. I am Cendred.
I hope you enjoyed this story, and that it inspires you to do greatness
