Difference between revisions of "Storm of Amber"
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| − | + | "I will never forget the first I saw of him. He was a true horselord, all pride and bright colors; his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu hanfu] cut in the fashion of his people and colored a bold red, with a darker green pattern embroidered into the cloth and a gold sash tied around his waist. He was handsome, with a broad face and high cheekbones, and was tall and strong as a pennon in the breeze. He had only just grown in the short goatee and mustache that dot his chin and upper lip and bristle when he smiles. His hair was long and dark as fresh soil; he did not tell me until later that the braids were to guard against knots while he rode. The gold pinfeathers he now ties into his hair, those were yet a few days in his future. | |
| − | + | "He was fresh in his glory and smelled of a summer afternoon. I had never seen one of his kind before, as I was only born with the founding the Realm, but I recognized him instantly; no words had ever before stirred me as his did. That's why I called to him. That's why I kept him." | |
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| + | -- ''The Fate of Flowers Cast in Bronze, '' | ||
==Dreams of the First Age== | ==Dreams of the First Age== | ||
| − | + | "Of course I was there when the others came for my lord, blessed be his mercy. I was his seneschal: head of his household and keeper of his records. I carried his maps, may their ink never fade, as he led his armies against the foes of Creation. I copied his words, may they echo through eternity, as he delivered the judgements of the Deliberative. I would do no less than witness his end. | |
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| + | "Understand that my lord, honor be upon him, is not to blame for what happened. The Lawgivers were proud in their glory and would brook no interference in their affairs, even from one of their own. And my lord's heart, may it ever be praised, had grown so big by then; I once saw him throw a man to the side rather than see him trod upon a flower, and then weep for days at the sight of that man's artlessly broken neck. Can you imagine how much worse it was when he saw the Twilights twist a man's bones into starlight, the man screaming in pain all the while? A city fell, that day. | ||
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| + | "So they came for him, in all their glory and rage, and my master, peace be his prize, could not steel his heart enough to cut his brothers down. When he was no more they built for him a far-off tomb, they sealed away his spear, they tore apart his servants and erased the memory of his name. I alone they overlooked, as is a seneschal's lot. | ||
| − | + | "His Essence returned, of course. Right into the heart of the Usurpation. He died before I could seek him out; he was again but new to his power and never really stood a chance. I will miss him, for he was kind to me, but I do not think I will ever see him again." | |
| − | + | -- ''Nabu, Ifrit, Servant of a Nameless Zenith'' | |
==Records of a Floating Life== | ==Records of a Floating Life== | ||
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[[Heaven's Mandate]] | [[Heaven's Mandate]] | ||
Revision as of 23:39, 3 June 2006
"I will never forget the first I saw of him. He was a true horselord, all pride and bright colors; his hanfu cut in the fashion of his people and colored a bold red, with a darker green pattern embroidered into the cloth and a gold sash tied around his waist. He was handsome, with a broad face and high cheekbones, and was tall and strong as a pennon in the breeze. He had only just grown in the short goatee and mustache that dot his chin and upper lip and bristle when he smiles. His hair was long and dark as fresh soil; he did not tell me until later that the braids were to guard against knots while he rode. The gold pinfeathers he now ties into his hair, those were yet a few days in his future.
"He was fresh in his glory and smelled of a summer afternoon. I had never seen one of his kind before, as I was only born with the founding the Realm, but I recognized him instantly; no words had ever before stirred me as his did. That's why I called to him. That's why I kept him."
-- The Fate of Flowers Cast in Bronze,
Dreams of the First Age
"Of course I was there when the others came for my lord, blessed be his mercy. I was his seneschal: head of his household and keeper of his records. I carried his maps, may their ink never fade, as he led his armies against the foes of Creation. I copied his words, may they echo through eternity, as he delivered the judgements of the Deliberative. I would do no less than witness his end.
"Understand that my lord, honor be upon him, is not to blame for what happened. The Lawgivers were proud in their glory and would brook no interference in their affairs, even from one of their own. And my lord's heart, may it ever be praised, had grown so big by then; I once saw him throw a man to the side rather than see him trod upon a flower, and then weep for days at the sight of that man's artlessly broken neck. Can you imagine how much worse it was when he saw the Twilights twist a man's bones into starlight, the man screaming in pain all the while? A city fell, that day.
"So they came for him, in all their glory and rage, and my master, peace be his prize, could not steel his heart enough to cut his brothers down. When he was no more they built for him a far-off tomb, they sealed away his spear, they tore apart his servants and erased the memory of his name. I alone they overlooked, as is a seneschal's lot.
"His Essence returned, of course. Right into the heart of the Usurpation. He died before I could seek him out; he was again but new to his power and never really stood a chance. I will miss him, for he was kind to me, but I do not think I will ever see him again."
-- Nabu, Ifrit, Servant of a Nameless Zenith
