********

Sephria shifted her position awkwardly, both because of the shackles and because of her disgust with the human shell she now occupied. She kept her arms abnormally far from her torso, as if her own body were poisonous to touch.

The soldiers had deposited her in what was both a dungeon and a laboratory. The stone walls swallowed the cavern, blood-streaked and filthy. The large cage in which she was now sitting had enough shackles for five or six other prisoners, though she was alone. The barred doors had been slid open to allow a walkway to her cell from a large wooden desk, cluttered with instruments - some for science, while others, Sephria noted grimly, by their hideous appearance were intended for anything but careful measurement. The only source of light was a fire near the desk that cackled angrily beneath a cauldron.

Only two soldiers stood guard at the moment: one at the cavern's entrance and the other near the "office", as Sephria tried to deem it. The three remaining soldiers had taken leave once she had been shackled; Morgalanth's magical protections would impede prisoner escape as effectively as the three footmen could. Although the wizard rarely worked in the dungeons, having little need for living subjects - unlike his necromatic colleagues - he did maintain command over this one cavern. For this, Sephria was thankful: her master's influence was the only reason why she was not being tortured by necromancers this very moment.

Morgalanth himself was yet nowhere to be seen. Her telepathic abilities were gone; this, she knew moments after her transformation when she'd tried to contact him, and failed. If she could not contact him, she would have to wait. He was likely still preoccupied with authorities, trying to buy them some time to figure out what had gone awry with the experiment, and, most importantly - how to return her to her true form before she was seized and killed for her blasphemous existence.

This was her first moment alone since her capture, though she dared not try to escape. Even if her master's wards somehow recognized her and allowed passage out of the cavern, she could not risk an encounter with the soldiers of the Indigo Brotherhood without knowledge of how her powers would work in this body. First, she would quietly attempt to cast a spell.

Checking that both guards had averted their gazes from her, she organized her thoughts in her mental bookshelf: setting aside her immediate fears of execution, she tunneled deep into her mind and found the core elemental threads that were a part of every being. Ice, she concentrated. Her schooled mind was able to clutch that elemental power, pull it up, up into the forefront of her mind, into her blood, down her veins. Then, she allowed the energy to build into her fingertips... There! Yes, she had it! Now, only to focus the power - she snapped open her eyes, locked her shackles into view, and: Release!

Nothing. Shaking her head in incomprehension, she watched the chain for a moment more. It did not shatter, as she intended; it remained intact. She let out a disappointed breath, feeling much more exhausted than she should. Everything had felt right... the power was there... but why would it not release?

Somehow, she felt, that her last link to her powers was related to her transformation. If she wanted her power back, she needed her body back. And, to get her body back, she needed to re-enact Morgalanth's experiment to reverse whatever had happened.

Hurry, Master. Please!

---

For the second time that day, Morgalanth's boots clapped loudly down the corridor between the Commons and Neriak's Third Gate, though this time in the direction of the Commons. He was able to postpone Sephria's immediate execution - if, indeed, the creature was Sephria. His foremost desire was to communicate with creature to establish what exactly had happened. Was it really her? Had he just imagined her face on that creature's body? Either way, he had already put himself at great risk for sparing the creature and requesting that it be kept in his laboratory. He would have to come up with an explanation: his research wasn't exactly condoned by her majesty and his work would be in jeopardy should the outcome of his request cause her concern.

He extended his mind yet again in attempt to communicate with Sephria, angry that she would not respond. Accustomed to posing questions to her telepathically at his leisure, and the length of time that they had collaborated closely to prepare for this experiment, the separation from her was as if a part of his own mind had been shut down. Although he refused to admit that the situation frightened him, he was indeed vehemently furious.

Citizens, young initiates and soldiers alike cowered out of his path as he clipped towards the dungeons. Reaching the gateway, he paused as a guard nervously fumbled with the gate to allow his passage. Don't lose it, he reprimanded himself as the young guard glanced fearfully as he passed. It would not do to allow rumors of his upset to spread. Collecting his calm, he ran over the experiment in his mind.

Translocation between universes required the ability to lift one's identity from one plane and up into another. Morgalanth had long theorized that life and death were merely gateways to move one's primary identity into the various levels of the universe.

Their neighbouring academic body - the widely-loved Necromancers, were obsessed with transferring life energy from the world of the dead up into the world of the living, studying diseases, torture, suffering, and the art of resurrection - anything that lingered on the borders of life and death. With a god like Innoruuk, the Prince of Hate overseeing the Dark Elven population, it was no surprise that the most widely-accepted fields of study would involve the destruction of life. The Necromancers had long-ago perfected the art of raising and controlling the dead. It was not an uncommon sight in Neriak to see an undead creature in the city streets.

Morgalanth believed that these dead, when summoned up from the underworld to serve the caster's bidding, may actually be shadows of the casters themselves from the world beneath. Necromancers, unbeknownst to themselves, could gradually be weakening themselves each time they brought forth the undead. Morgalanth took a different view on magic, and was most interested in exploring the furthest stretches of its power in all directions, beyond the mastery of death and disease, which he believed to be skewed and misguided. The Necromancers held that there were only two levels of the universe: that of the living and that of the dead. Morgalanth knew that there were more, but he kept his controversial theories to himself - for now.

Sephria's ability to move her consciousness beyond into multiple levels - without being killed - would interest the Necromancers, indeed. What would they do if they knew that there was more to the world than merely "living" and "dead"? They would finally realize that their narrow-minded shunning of the True arts, practiced in Morgalanth's own House of the Spurned were even more pleasing to the god Innoruuk than was the art of Necromancy. Imagine the glory he could show to his god were he to have access to multitudes more planes to draw his power upon than those pathetic Necromancers. He chuckled. They would have to re-think their precious religion. Even Neriak's nobility, so closely tied to religion that it was, would be thrown into chaos should such a realization be made. Morgalanth's own apprentice was living proof that Neriak's religious and political leaders had it all wrong.

He would have to play his cards carefully. He paused at the doorway, firelight gently escaping into the hall: she would be in here.

He entered the cavern, nodded at the guard and bypassed his own desk to stride directly into Sephria's cell, out of earshot of the guards. She sat in a shadowed corner, shackles clanking as she stood to meet him.

Sephria's eyes glimmered in recognition as he approached. He quashed his feelings of relief that she was unharmed, and at the same time felt the disgust at the prospect of having a conversation with a lightwalker.

"Why is your mind closed?" he demanded, keeping his voice low and out of earshot of the guards. "Is this deliberate?"

She shook her head. "No- I tried communicating with you also, but there's a... a block or something. I can't hear anything." It was unmistakably Sephria's voice, and she spoke the language of the Tier`Dal perfectly.

Morgalanth watched her for a moment, phrasing his next question. She moved her fingers to her temple to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, then snatched her hand away as her fingers brushed her stubby, pink, and distinctly un-elvish ear.

He was not mistaken. It was her. Would she be able to move her mind back into her true form? What link did she have with this alternate form? Could this effect be reproduced? Most importantly: How would he harness this power, and use it to prove his superiority to the Dark Father? The Necromancers would regret their scorn, when Innoruuk named his Tower of the Spurned the true source of magic for their people!

Mwuha ha ha ha ha!!!

Before we start....... some in-game screenshots of some characters!!!

First, here is the character that I played: Sephria, Dark Elf Wizard:

Secondly, here is an NPC who lives in the Neriak Commons in the House of the Spurned.

'May I also recommend skimming over the maps of the Dark Elven City of Neriak. All you really have to know is that the city contains 3 quarters, in order of "holiness". First, there is the Foreign Quarter, where unclean races are allowed entry to sell their wares. Second, comes the Commons, where everyday dark elves live most of their lives. Next, comes the Third Gate, where only the most honoured and respected are allowed: Royalty, nobility and religious leaders only.

Okay, now that you know what everybody looks like, on with the show!!!!

**************

He tasted sharp and bitter grapes in the wine, balanced with a light and sweet aftertaste. Perfect. The brewers of the city of Neriak were as skilled as they claimed.

Morgalanth, High Sorcerer of the Spurned, glinted his wine glass in the firelight of his office. He was pleased at his apprentice's progress. He knew that the Board of the Spurned would be angry when they discovered that he had taken this gifted initiate from them so early in her training. But it would be some time yet before they discovered their loss.

Contemplating the day's success, he traced his long, dark-elvish fingers along the delicate stem of the glass. Despite their evil nature, Dark Elves did indeed have an eye for the beautiful. The Intricate pattern sang its magic in tiny lights thoughout the glasswork; surely, it had taken great skill, likely of a magical Enchanter, to create such beauty. The fragile wine flute quivered in Morgalanth's hand, as if in fear of the horrible power sleeping within his very fingers.

A tug at Morgalanth's consciousness respectfully but urgently made its presence known to him.

"Enter," the socerer allowed, turning to face the doorway to his office.

The doorway revealed an armored soldier, clad in traditional black-blue chainmail of the underground elves and blood red tunic. He'd removed his helmet, revealing a complexion like Morgalanth's own: stark white hair over dark bluish-black skin. His eyes were ice-blue, unlike Morgalanth's, which were violet.

Morgalanth allowed only the highest officers within the Indigo Brotherhood limited telepathic connections to his mind for rapid communication. Officers rarely used this facility to contact him, aware of the ruthless punishment his authority allowed him to inflict, should they bother him with trivialities.

"My lord," said the officer, "We have apprehended an intruder within the Third Gate. A lightwalker."

Morgalanth's eyes narrowed. A lightwalker? 'Hated scum: humans, dwarves and fair-skinned elves who dwelled in daylight: very few were allowed into dark elvish territory. If any, they were restricted to Neriak's Foreign Quater, and, rarely, the Commons. Neriak's Third Gate housed the sacred halls of the Tier`Dal - dark elves - and the Temple of the Dark Father, the god Innoruuk, Prince of Hate. The temple was so sacred that only pure-blooded followers may enter the gate; even some dark elves were not allowed entrance. To have a lightwalker even lay eyes on the sacred Spires was unheard of.

"We would have slain it," the officer explained quickly, "but it bears the energy patterns that you indicated. Perhaps you would have us stow the creature in your laboratory?"

Morgalanth's frown deepened. "No," he commanded. "I will deal with it immediately. Take me there."

The officer nodded and performed an about turn, allowing the sorcerer to follow.

Morgalanth's long red robes billowed like fire behind his long, rapid strides. Could the appearance of the intruder be related to this morning's success? Where was Sephria? He had not seen his apprentice since the experiment; he'd presumed that she'd find her way to her quarters well enough. He reached out his mind to contact her. She was nowhere to be found; either she was sleeping, or dead.

No matter, he thought harshly. I will question her later. He pushed the latter possibility away from his mind.

The officer led him though the corridor exiting the Commons area, where Morgalanth commanded the House of the Spurned, and into the Third Gate. Neriak's most noble and honoured guild houses lay within: The Lodge of the Dead, home to Necromancers and Shadow Knights. Morgalanth's own arts - Wizardry, Magic and Enchantment - were less-respected, even "Spurned", which was why his House of the Spurned was so-named, and its location was in the Commons area. Although his art was not revered, Morgalanth commanded the noblest of blood and his devoutness to the god Innoruuk allowed his high stature among the nobility of Neriak. That, and his deadly skill with magic.

Five officers of the Indigo Brotherhood encircled the intruder. It had been shackled, with a soldier clutching its arms on either side. Another soldier stood behind, his sword drawn and pointed at the prisoner, another similarly in front. The fifth soldier stood guard at a distance, bow and arrow knocked and drawn. The lightwalker was a small human female. Although apparently harmless, soldiers of the Indigo Brotherhood did not take unnecessary risks.

As they drew closer, Morgalanth felt his distain for humans twist at his stomach, and his fingers itched with fire; he would do away with this vermin as soon as possible, as soon as he could determine the source of the energy fluctuations. His eyes flickered over the intruder's features. Fair-haired, young, with bright, intelligent eyes. Wait.

Sephria?

There was no mistaking it. The lightwalker - impossible, but it was her! Her colouring was different: blonde hair instead of white, pinkish-human skin instead of her dark elvish indigo complexion, green eyes instead of Sephria's blood-red eyes.

His eyes locked on hers, Morgalanth strode between the guards, and turned the girl's chin so that he could examine her face. Recognition flickered in her eyes, amid fear and confusion. Then, as always, he could see her thinking behind those eyes. Always calculating, always questioning. His Sephria.

What had they done?

Author woes aside, in the following posts I'll put up some more fiction - also written some 3 years ago, with one of my other EverQuest characters, Sephria my Dark Elven Wizard. (Geez, I wonder how the hell I got any homework done while I was writing all of this!!) The story is sort of a dark, twisted romance. The other character, Morgalanth, is based on the leader of starting Wizard, Mage and Enchanter characters in the game. You talk to him and he gives you assignments and quests to go out and fabricate your starting armor set. A lot of Sephria's adventures are based on in-game experience, but to a lesser extent than Kakari's were.

Also, like Kakari's adventures, they are kind of broken and not completely-written (or even finished). I'll do some cleaning up as I post 'em.

Okay, okay already, on with the show!! 'See next posting.

The heavy drum beats matched Kakari's heart at a slow, deadly pace. A dark elvish man in a dark-violet robe muttered in the deadly language of the necromancers.

So this is how it ends, Kakari thought grimly.

Emotion welled up from her heart to her throat and she couldn't help but let a smile tug at the side of her whiskered feline lips. She wondered what Mignah would think of her now.

The dark elf turned towards her, his silver eyes glowing; oblivious to the natural world around him. Looking at Kakari, he did not see a white-furred Vah Shir, nor did he see the crowd of ogres, trolls, dark elves, gnomes, erudites and humans present at the ceremony. Instead, the dark elf was seeing the world of the dead, and Kakari was the shining sacrifice to Innoruuk.

As the jagged knife plunged into her heart, Kakari's mind flashed of her friends, allies, her mother, her past loves, of the people she'd killed and of the people she'd saved. The Taruun and her King Raja Kerrath of Shar Vahl would miss her, eventually. Kakari thought of the missions she'd never completed, of the mysteries of the deaths of the fathers of Laveaux and Kirrmarr, of her work in Kenkaishin's secret organization of the Shadow Hands of Norrath, of her new allegiance to the Norrathian- and Lucinian-wide organization Dark Conquest. She thought of herself, how she learned to find herself somewhere between the emotionless wisdom of her mother, and the loyalty and bravery that, as with her father, were both her strength and demise.

I know who I am, now, Kakari realized suddenly. So here I am. So here it ends.

Her last breath slipped from her lungs and she thought,

So be it. It was a good run.

Kakari Jahladar -- Al'Kabor server, 2003-2004
R.I.P.

Check out the photos from the rescue mission that ended in the discovery of Kakari's demise. A heartfelt thanks to all my friends on Al'Kabor, and to Laveaux who originally said "it was a good run" in reference to the end of our shared epic in our roleplaying guild 'The Companions of Norrath' -- it was, indeed, a good run; I had a lot of fun. =) Thanks also in particular to Kenkaishin ShadowWalker, Xilkorika Periannath, and Kirrmarr Kherrai... co-authoring all of those interactive stories together was sure fun!!

Kakari gets kidnapped -- honestly I forget why and how --and so her friends organized a big rescure mission.

This, in fact, was the last major thing I participated in among this great group of roleplayers.

Screenshots - Crypt of Dalnir Rescue Mission

It is actually kind of sad. The next entry is the last I ever wrote of Kakari, and, in fact, the following conclusion to her story was never published until now.

** sniff ** Ahh, memories!

This next part of Kakari's story takes place much later than the previous entries of chapters #9 and #10. That is, Chapter 10 ends during Kakari's Eighth season, but now in Chapter 11 she is at the beginning of her Twentieth. Apologies again, I no longer have record those parts of her life, but I do have a couple screenshots. :-)

We pick up here in Chapter 11 after Kakari has been introduced mother. Kakari grew up as an orphan in the underground rogue society of Shar Vahl. In the game EverQuest, a character is allowed to take a surname at level 20; this is Kakari's story of her surname. We enter when Kakari is questioning her mother, Shasaeba, about her father, Rubais.

This was written at the end of January, 2004.

********

"The last time I saw your father was during his trial," Shasaeba began. She took a small sip from her steaming tea.

Kakari's tea sat untouched on the floor in front of her. She shifted her position on the floor pillow. "His trial?"

Shasaeba inclined her head affirmatively. "For the murder of one of Shar Vahl's finer scouts."

Kakari said nothing. Her knives glimmered in the candlelight.

Shasaeba continued, "Rubais was a mid-level Taruun officer stationed near the grimling forest. As one of the Taruun, Kakari, you should know about the distributed network over which information and supplies travel from all over Luclin to Shar Vahl."

Kakari nodded.

Shasaeba continued, "Your father's outpost was one of the more dangerous ones. His cunning and slyness kept him alive for longer than his predecessors in that area. However, in Rubais' later days of service, the scouts sent to pass information and supplies through his contact point would have trouble fining Rubais. At first, the Taruun believed it was a mere miscommunication. So, your father was brought into Shar Vahl to review the protocols. He understood them well enough, so they sent him back into the field. You were very young during all of this, Kakari."

Shasaeba shook her head sadly. "Not long afterward, one of Shar Vahl's scouts was killed. Ambushed by grimlings. It's believed that he would have survived if only Rubais had been there, as agreed, at their rendezvous point. But alas, he was nowhere to be found. It was concluded that since Rubais was not directly responsible for the scout's death, he would merely be banished, not executed. No one has ever offically even given him the news of his sentence; as he hasn't been back to Shar Vahl since, but it's just as well."

Kakari frowned. "Don't you miss him?"

Shasaeba's eyes were foggy and distant. She slowly closed her eyes. "A little. But I know he's okay. That's all that matters."

My mother is a space-case, Kakari thought. "What could have possibly kept my father from his duties to the Taruun?" she asked.

A long pause. "Nobody knows. And no one has ever seen him to be able to ask him."

Kakari sat in silence, absorbing the story. Her father had abandoned the Taruun and his family. Something had kept her father from his duties. Something strong. Kakari bristled. "Did you abandon me because my father abandoned you?"

Shasaeba stared out the window into the starry sky, breathing slowly and deeply, almost as if telling the story had exhausted her. "Time is a fleeting thing. I never abandoned you, Kakari. I've always been here."

A bitter laugh escaped from Kakari's throat. "How in hell was I supposed to know that? Even if you didn't care to pull me out of the streets, Master Taruun Rakutah knew you were my mother. Why didn't he do anything?"

"I asked him not to," Shasaeba said simply.

"You what?" Kakari exploded.

"It is who you are, dear. You lived the life of a rogue. I would not have taken that away from you."

Shasaeba's quiet stare caught Kakari in a gentle, but firm trap. "My daughter," she said strongly. "Take your family name. Bring honour through your services to the Taruun, Kakari Jahladar, and become a stronger person than your father was."

Anger, confusion, hope and purpose entwined Kakari's heart all at once. I will become stronger, indeed. But my father isn't the weakling. You, mother, are a futile wisp of nothing.

Kakari decided that it was time to forget Shasaeba and move on with her life. One day, Kakari would find out what had pulled her father away from his family. But above all, she would devote her life to the Taruun and its ultimate purpose to keep the Vah Shir people alive with hope, bringing stories of courage and bringing food for strength.

Kakari Jahladar stood and bowed before her mother. "Thank you, Shasaeba," she said cooly. She still couldn't bring herself to refer to the woman as 'Mother'. There was so much she still needed to discover. Her parents. The Taruun. Herself. The mysteries behind all of these, she would disover in time.

And such is the story of Kakari Jahladar. Join her and her friends in the storytelling and the adventuresof the Companions of Norrath.

Unfortunately I don't have copies of a lot of this group stuff, however I do have several screenshots of our adventures:

Serious Organizational Meeting in Shadow Haven pub

Rescue Mission in the Oasis of Marr

Arena Brawl

Firiona Vie

Kenkaishin roared viciously over his enemy's body, and Xilkorika, her new Halfling ally, leaned resting against her spear. Kakari eyed her new comerades. The were both formidable allies and she was fortunate to have been on their side of the arena.

The three rogues left the dead in the arena. Kakari followed her new friends wordlessly, keeping her questions to herself, for now. She would listen and learn.

(Kakari, eighth season).

"Shhh, dear," came a Vah Shir woman's voice. "She will be tired."

Kakari moved her wrist to shield her eyes from the bright lantern light. She was in a warm bed, and she felt wonderful. She could smell fresh bread.

Her eyes adjusted to see a tall woman in a house dress, with a kitten poised on her hip. A second young one was pulling on her tail. "Mama!" he wailed. Three other kittens were noisily chasing each other around the rug in the centre of the large room.

The woman watched her tenderly. "Kreethaw," called the woman. "She's awake."

A tall Vah Shir man entered the doorway adjacent to what Kakari guessed was the kitchen. His full plate armor clinked as he approached. His gate was unsteady, as if he had just woken up himself. Kakari's thoughts were still cloudy. Where was she? Who were these people?

"You," his voice was unreadable. He shook his head back and forth. "I don't know how it happened, but you got us out of the Hollowshade moor." He knelt at her bedside.

Suddenly it hit her. Kakari was choked. They were both alive! She killed this man, and here he was, thanking her for it! She couldn't speak.

"I understand what you did," the man continued. His eyes glimmered. "[i]The only way out of the Hollowshade Moor is death[/i]," he recited. "And, indeed, it was. I shall be eternally grateful to whatever power of King Raja that gave me a second chance to be with my family. And I shall also be thankful to you, Kakari, for committing the act you did." He stood.

His wife stepped forward. "Dear Kakari. You are welcome in our home for as long as you need to recover. I am forever indebted to you for how you helped my husband."

Kakari's eyes followed the scampering kittens as they rolled around and playfully bit each other's ears. "You have beautiful children," she said.

The woman smiled. "Aye, we're very proud. They're three weeks old."

Three weeks? Kakari glanced at Guard Kreethaw. "I thought that you were gone for far longer than that, Kreethaw."

He nodded. "Aye. By what magic I do not know, but it seems that time in the Hollowshade trap is frozen."

"We didn't even know that he was gone," his wife continued.

Interesting. That would definitely explain why her teacher didn't know about the curse. Kakari had to warn him, now, before any other trainees fell into the same trap.

"Thank you both!" Kakari untangled herself from the bedsheets and stood. "I must be on my way." She hurried towards the doorway. Before she left, she turned to face them both once more. "May Raja's hand guide you both, and your young." The couple nodded, smiles in their eyes.

Kakari sprinted her way out of the residential quarters towards the Registrar's office to find her mentor. He was usually seated just outside.

Kakari blasted full speed around the corner and hit a hard, solid obstacle. She barely regained her balance as she skidded in the dust, turning to face the dark object. ... Kenkaishin ShadowWalker...?

"You." He spoke urgently. "We need help, now. Come with me to the Freeport arena." He wasted no time, and turned to leave. A Halfling woman stood quietly next to him.

"Come, if you are allied with the Shadow Hands," she offered a hurried clarification. "One of your Vah Shir has been severely wounded. Kenkaishin is rounding up our forces to crush the culprit." She turned and hurried after Kenkaishin.

"But, I have to warn--" Kakari wanted to explain her odd experience with the Hollowshade curse, but Kenkaishin was already halfway down the street. The halfling woman offered one last inviting glance before hurrying into the shadows.

Kakari stole a glance at her mentor's usual spot. He wasn't there. Kakari barged into the Registrar's office. Also empty. Where was everyone? And, a Vah Shir had been attacked? Kakari's eyes flashed angrily.

She would join the Shadow Hands and defend her kin, then return to Shar Vahl to do something about the Hollowshade curse.

(Kakari, eighth season.)

"Lord Raja, forgive me," she whispered.

Eyes clouded by tears, she did not see the guard's face as her dagger plunged into his back. Despite his crazed condition, his reflexes had not suffered. As she expected, the guard's sword swiftly cut her down in response to the backstab.

The two cats shared a brief moment of peace together before the guard's eyes rolled back and his body crumpled to the ground, dead. Kakari fell to her knees in the growing pool of her own blood.

Everything went black.

(Kakari, eighth season.)
_________________
[8 Rogue] Kakari (Vah Shir)
A Companion of Norrath

/ooc Well, I said that the only way a player could get out of this zone was to die, didn't I? =) I sure wasn't going to let one of those scarab beetles get me, so I figured I'd set the terms on my own and attack the guard, knowing he'd kill me back. =)

"Take comfort, young one," the guard shook his head. "Very few on the outside know of the Hollowshade curse until it's too late and they step through the tunnel into their doom. I'm not surprised that word of the curse hasn't yet reached your teacher."

Kakari didn't understand. "But -- I thought that this passageway was routinely used for business routes and by travellers," she persisted.

The guard's eyes moistened. "Many seasons ago, I would freely travel each day between Shar Vahl and the Hollowshade Moor to go home to my wife and family." He began to say more, but clamped his jaw tightly with emotion. "I know that they have long since mourned what they believed to be my death."

Kakari thanked him gently and left him on his own. Well, no matter how conviced this guard was of his fate, Kakari was not going to give up. This didn't make any sense. There just had to be a way out.

Kakari picked her way down the mountain side, searching for a place to climb through. More than once, she was attacked by an odd creature and soon became too exhausted to both continue her search and defend herself. When it became too dark to continue her search, even for her excellent cat eyes, Kakari decided to set up her camp.

The days passed, then weeks. Kakari soon began to lose track of how long she'd been trapped. Months? Was time also passing at the same rate outside the Hollowshade Moor? Kakari shook her head. She was starting to become lost in her delusional wonderings.

Kakari circled the entire moor again and again. She became intimately familliar with each creature, each plant, and each person. Many of them, including Sergeant Tylah, didn't seem to understand her panic. Didn't they ever try to leave the Moor? Were she and the tunnel guard the only ones who understood the gravity of the curse? Maybe she'd gone raving mad. Was there really a curse? To make sure, Kakari once again tried to pass through the tunnel. She laughed when she stepped out into the Moor for the thousandth time.

Death traps were not good for one's sanity.

Kakari was sure that her eyes now shared the same haunted look that the tunnel guard had shocked her with on her first day in the Hollowshade Moor. She paced the sparkling green pastures and sent an accusing glare at the looming view of Norrath in the sky. It was taunting her. It looked so huge and so -- free -- and here she was, trapped.

Suddenly, her breath caught in her throat. Kakari gulped. Her mouth had gone dry, her heart rate accelerated, and her hands began to shake.

She knew what she had to do.

(Kakari, eighth season.)
_________________
[8 Rogue] Kakari (Vah Shir)
A Companion of Norrath

Nothing could have prepared her for the impact of the massive sight of the planet of Norrath in the sky. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

Kakari didn't even beg the guard for money as she walked, dazed, into the vast openness of the Hollowshade moor. Even the ground beneath her feet seemed to shimmer.

"Sergeant Tylah," she reminded herself. In her paw she tightly clutched the pack containing the rockhopper eggs. Her eyes caught sight of some rooftops in the distance. She'd look for the Sergeant there first.

Kakari explored the moor. She loved the amazing sights and odd creatures. She was so glad to finally be out of the messy training pit!

At last, she located her target. "Hail, Sergeant Tylah!" she called.

His eyes filicked in her direction. "Good day to you Kakari." he sniffed the air. The rockhopper eggs did indeed give a distinct odor.

"Would you happen to have any boiled rockhopper eggs for sale? I'm so very hungry and they're my favorite food," the Sergeant continued.

Kakari grinned. "Indeed, Sergeant Tylah! I've come a long way to give you these." She presented her delicious creations to him.

The Sergeant, very pleased, handed Kakari some acrylia flakes. "For your troubles," he said. He'd already shifted his full attention to the four eggs. Kakari bowed and left him to his lunch.

Things couldn't be better! Here she was, finally out of the pit, and in the wide open Luclin, ready to take on the world.

Kakari took one last stare at the looming planet in the sky before turning back to the tunnel that would lead her home to Shar Vahl. She had to report her successful delivery and then receive her next assignment.

The tunnel's guard quietly watched her walk into the darkness. Kakari looked back at him once, then twice. Why was he watching her so strangely? Was the tunnel off-limits or something? No, the guard would have stopped her. Kakari shrugged and continued her way into the mouth of the tunnel.

Kakari continued walking until it became pitch black. She wasn't in complete darkness for long until she saw a faint light appear ahead of her. She couldn't wait to see Mignah and gloat over her success!

To her dismay, her first step out of the tunnel met the sparkling pastures of the Hollowshade moor. Kakari blinked and looked behind her. The cave -- had she somehow gotten completely turned around in the blackness? It couldn't be. She had an excellent sense of direction. But....

She gave a startled glance to the tunnel guard, who was still watching her. She shrugged, then turned to go back into the cave. This time, she was careful to walk in a perfectly straight line.

Moments later, she stepped out into Hollowshade again.

What in blazing hell was going on?

The strange tunnel guard's steady gaze made Kakari turn to face him. She cleared her throat. "Pardon me, good sir, but do you know if there's anything special about this dark passageway?"

Kakari stepped closer to him to hear his response. As she approached, her breath caught in her throat. She'd never seen such haunted eyes in her life.

"Child," his voice was worn and tired. "The only way out of Hollowshade Moor is death."

(Kakari, eighth season.)
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[8 Rogue] Kakari (Vah Shir)
A Companion of Norrath

/ooc For those of you unfamilliar with the Al'Kabor server EverQuest circa 2003-2004, there was a bug in the game where any player who entered the Hollowshade Moor would be eternally trapped in that zone. Attempting to leave the exit would cause the character to get warped back into the middle of the grassy field. Those lucky enough to have high-level Wizard friends could use the wizard's portal spells to escape, but those like me who did not have any high-level friends could only leave by getting yourself killed and then waiting for the game to ressurect you to the place where your soul was bound. The cost is that you'd lose all of your armor and any money and items that you were carrying. This, of course, was a cause of many complaints to customer service at Sony Online Entertainment -- So, while we were all wating for the programmers to fix this bug on our server, I decided to write it into Kakari's adventures. The stories, after all, are supposed to be based on in-game experiences, whether they be intended by the designers or not!!!

"That's right, just a little closer..." Kakari murmured.

Kakari stiffened, then pounced on her prey, plunging her dagger into its small body. It was dead even before its squeal had silenced. The rockhopper's dead claws clutched Kakari's prize -- the last rockhopper egg. Finally!

Kakari bounded across the pit and used all four limbs to scale the crater wall. She wasted no time on her way to the ovens.

At first glance, there was no one in sight. Kakari began to unpack the precious ingredients from her backpack.

"I see you've brought everything," said a voice behind her. Kenkaishin. Right on time.

He brushed past her and expertly flipped open the oven door. He looked at her from over his shoulder.

"Do you have much experience baking?" he asked.

Kakari shook head.

"Allow me to demonstrate, then," he said. "Grilled cheese sandwiches, my specialty."

Kakari watched his practiced paws fold the ingredients together in his frying pan. Already, she noticed a couple things that she'd been doing wrong in her own baking. For one, she'd been setting the oven much hotter than Kenkaishin had it now. No wonder she burned everything.

The delicious cackle of the grill caused a growl to emanate from Kakari's stomach. Embarassed, Kakari put a paw over her middle in a futile attempt to silence it.

Kenkaishin's ears flicked. "Here," he handed her the sandwich.

"Thank y--" Kakari hadn't finished speaking before she hungrily swollowed the first bite.

Satisfied, Kakari was better able to concentrate on Kenkaishin's advice about the skill of baking. Before the end of the afternoon, with Kenkaishin's help, she'd cooked all the rockhopper eggs into healthy snacks.

She couldn't wait to deliver them to Sergeant Tylah in Hollowshade moor. Her mentor would be proud when she brought back news of her success!

Kakari turned to thank Kenkaishin for all of his help, but he was already gone.

(Kakari, eighth season.)

/ooc In her "real" life, Kakari hasn't actually gathered all the eggs yet... (Next time I see you in the pit, Kenkaishin, we'll have to go hunting!) But, I didn't want this minor detail to hold up the rest of Kakari's adventures. So, in the next episode, she continues with the four boiled rockhopper eggs to continue her mission in Hollowshade moor!
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[8 Rogue] Kakari (Vah Shir)

Kakari took her usual route down the crater wall and scanned the horizon for young rockhoppers. Another Vah Shir trainee, several seasons older than herself, stood to her left, his orange fur glowing in Luclin's morning light. His whiskers twitched as his gaze moved steadily over the sea of critters.

"Hail, Comrade." Kakari stepped closer to him.

He nodded a quick greeting. "How goes it?" He shifted his leather shoulder pads. Kakari judged that they were brand new.

"Fairly well, thank you," she replied. "Although, I do wish that the young rockhoppers were more plentiful."

He grinned. "Me too. I'm after their hides."

Kakari smiled. Perhaps the shoulder pads were of his own making.

"You know," he turned to her, "someone told me once that if you kill the needle clawed hoppers, then the young rockhoppers start to come out of hiding."

Kakari cocked her head to the side. "Really? Well, then, thank you for the advice!" She usheathed her dagger. The trainee nodded at her again before jogging off into the pit.

Before she knew it, Kakari had already gathered four more rockhopper eggs.

Things were certainly looking up today.

(Kakari, seventh season.)
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[7 Rogue] Kakari (Vah Shir)

----

Kakari peeked over her shoulder to ensure that she was alone, then she gave the oven a good, swift kick.

Nine rockhopper eggs! All ruined. She'd been meticulously gathering them for nearly a week. Out of her ten, only a precious one had survived into a finished snack. Why did her mentor instruct her to bake these, anyway? What was the point of it all?

Kakari wiped the matted fur out of her eyes and took a deep breath.

The training was important, she knew, but she was becoming restless with this part of the lesson. The once-dreaded scorpions she could now kill effortlessly. The pit was beginning to bore her. She itched for more.

She wearily trudged her way down the street towards the gate bordering Shar Vahl's city walls and the lip of the crater. Her eyes focused on a city guard. Perhaps he'd brighten her day with a few spare coppers.

"Jasir!" she stepped up to him expectantly. She didn't even have to ask anymore, Jasir had gotten so used to her asking for coppers every time she walked by. He'd become equally accustomed to refusing her request. A stern look was all that was needed to send her on her way.

Kakari was beginning to believe that all her training in the art of begging was completely useless.

Discouraged, Kakari struggled to muster up the drive to enter the pit for another hunting session. Her usual thirst for action was dwindling.

Suddenly, Kakari's fur prickled from the back of her neck down to the middle of her shoulders. Cat eyes widened, she listened and watched for danger. But the street offered nothing but an eerie silence. She continued a cautious few steps along her way. She started to relax when she was convinced the coast was clear.

"You are collecting young rockhopper eggs." The mysterious voice came from nowhere!

Kakari's tail fluffed. She hated being caught off-guard. "Who's there?" she demanded. Her sharp eyes could still find nothing. The shadows consumed the streets.

"A proposition," said the voice. It was not until he stepped out of the shadows that Kakari's eyes could decipher an outline of his tall form. "Collect your remaining eggs, plus four more for me. I'll cook them."

Kakari squinted. She still could not clearly see his dark face. "Consider it a deal," she spoke. "But, who are you, stranger?"

The shadows were already beginning to disappear. "Kenkaishin ShadowWalker," said the fading voice.

"How might I identify you once I find the eggs, stranger?"

There was no reply. He was gone.

(Kakari, sixth season.)

( /ooc I hope it's okay that I wrote you into the story, Kenkaishin. )