| Rules | • | Spyragia Setting | • | Monsters | • | Stories |
My mother's name is Anja. This is the story of how she saved us when two orc clans were at war.
A small army was conquering villages and towns. We had heard news of the army coming closer every day. Today it would raid our village.
The village was very empty. Most people had fled. They had left days ago to go live someplace far away. But some families had stayed to fight. My family had stayed.
Last night my father prayed to Laurel. Laurel was a Power that helped brave hunters and fighters be remembered. So my father had prayed to Laurel. "Please help us!" he had shouted. "You teach people to be brave. You teach people to try. I want to fight. I want to protect my family. I want to protect my home. But without help I will quickly die. Please help us!"
Laurel had answered the prayer. The village got twenty bottles of magic drink. People who drank a bottle could make a magic promise to not give up. Even after dying their body would keep going, trying to follow the promise to not give up.
Now sixteen men each held a bottle. They were the brave men willing to die. My father was one of them. They all drank. They shouted their promises. "Keep fighting!" "To war!" "Defeat all who oppose us!" "Kill them all!" They shouted these things again and again.
They ran down the road, over a hill, and out of sight. We heard the sounds of fighting.
My mother stood with me in the middle of town. Next to us was a small table with four bottles on it. We listened to the fighting for a long time. We cried, because we knew those sixteen men were dead. But their bodies would still keep fighting to win the battle.
After a very long time the sounds got quiet. Then we saw my father running back to our village. He held a sword in one hand, and a torch in the other. Not much was left of his body. He was mostly bones. When he got close to the house closest to him he threw the torch onto the roof. He ran at us with the sword.
Six other shapes ran over the hill towards our village. They were mostly bones.
The sixteen men had saved us from the army. But they would keep fighting. They had promised to keep fighting and kill them all. We were their new targets.
My mother drank a potion and said, "I will protect the village."
My mother looked at me, drank a second potion, and said, "I will save the people here."
My mother looked at the village, drank a third potion and said, "I will save our homes."
My mother looked at my father, wiped a tear from her eye, and said, "And I will look fabulous doing it."
My father jumped on her. He stabbed her, but she took the sword from his hand and cut off his head and arms and legs. His parts stopped moving.
My mother saved us. She took the sword and ran out of the village. She leapt and dodged. She stabbed and swung. She was almost dancing. She defeated the other fifteen things that once were our brave men.
Then she walked back to the village. She had lost most of an arm, and a lot of a leg. But her face was unhurt and beautiful.
I heard birdsong. Laurel was there, standing near me.
Laurel spoke to my mother. "Anja, you were magnificent."
I realized both my parents were dead. I began to cry.
Anja bowed to Laurel. "What next?" she asked. "Why do I still stand?"
Laurel told her, "Today I learned a great lesson. I learned about what is worth remembering. Just because something is hard does not make it beautiful. Just because someone keeps a promise does not make them honorable. Just because someone is willing to die for what they believe does not make them magnificent. You taught me what it means to be noble. It can inspire. I am inspired."
Laurel stood still. She looked at my mother. My mother looked at her.
Laurel said, "What do you want? Any reward I can give you, I will."
Laurel stood still. She looked at my mother. My mother looked at her.
Laurel asked Anja, "Do you want your health and life back?"
Anja looked at me. She put her hand on my shoulders. She said to me, "I just killed my husband and friends. I am sorry. I cannot live after that. I love you. We will miss each other. Let my sister be your new mother."
Anja walked toward Laurel. She said, "I could have fled this village with my son. Before I die, I want to know if my choice to stay was the right one. For me. For my son. I don't care if you are inspired. I am sorry. I can't care about you. Not now."
Laurel sighed. "I am sorry, Anja. I do not know."
Laurel paused. She looked at my father's body lying on the ground near us. Laurel said, "I had loved seeing warriors fight. But now that seems empty. What you have taught me will save many lives."
Laurel paused. She looked at me. Laurel said, "I did not consider how small a comfort memorials could bring to those who lost their loved ones. What you have taught me will help many lives."
Laurel paused. She looked at Anja. Laurel said, "But I do not know what future you and your son would have had in a place far away."
Then we all heard the Creator's voice echo around us. "Anja, I know."
Something happened to my mother. She began to glow. She closed her eyes. She relaxed. She smiled.
The Creator's voice echoed around us again. "Anja, I need a new Power. Someone wise enough to know when to stand firm or when to change. Someone kind enough to show people mercy when they make difficult choices. Someone brave enough to represent making a choice and standing firm."
I felt like the Creator was focused on me as the voice said, "Anja, I will give you wisdom and power. But even more important is this promise. You will learn to love those under your care. You will watch and guide them because of your affection and mercy and empathy—not merely because it is a task I have assigned to you. And they will know it, and love you too."
Anja walked up to Laurel, and kissed her cheek. I do not think Laurel was ever kissed before, or has been since. "You have a lot to learn," she told her. "But you are learning. May you have a nice future."
Then Anja—my mother—looked up into the sky and smiled again. "I accept," she said.
I watched the Creator change my mother. She was healed. She was herself, all beautiful. She gave me a very, very big hug.
I watched the Creator change my mother again. She was herself, all beautiful, but a cloud of soot. It was hard to look at. My eyes watered.
My mother smiled at me and said, "Farewell, my little one, my son, my love. Do not be angry about today."
Then she was gone. I never saw her again. I miss her every day. I miss her as she was when I woke up that day: so brave and loving, my mother. But now she scares me. She is no longer my mother. She became something else.
I hope that makes her sad. I know the thought is wrong, but I miss my mother, and Soot Erica scares me.