This is the Journal of Atticus O’Sullivan.
by Andrew Haught
The first thing you should know about me is that I am a druid. You may ask why I am a druid, and I could go into a long story about how my mentor who later became my Arch Druid save me from a bad life that was only going to get worse. But it’s a long and common enough tale for a pure blood elf these days in the 1000 Isles.
Though my arch druid was not your typical druid, he was what we would call fixed in his ways, he believed in the old ways. So unlike other apprentices who practiced producing their magic with simple totems I had to take the old path. You see long ago before we devolved ways to make simple totems a druid had to bind himself with the magic we use.
Since we draw power from the earth we had to bind ourselves to the earth.
How does one do this? I would like to say something like mediating in a mud bath or communing with an earth elemental but no, the old way involved a lot of pain. You were tattooed from behind your right ear down to your right foot. The tattoo must be applied using a thorn bush that still was connected to the earth. The ink must be from certain berries. At no time during the process are you allowed any kind of pain killers or magical aid, since it would disrupt the process. And it was a process, it took a little over a month to finish the process with only a precious few days between tattooing sessions. There are benefits to the tattoo, since it is attached I cannot lose my totem and when I grow in my profession and learn ritual casting the tattoos will form the bases of my ritual casting.
“One day O’Sullivan you will thank me for binding you to your magic like this, these newfangled totems only serve as an easy convince to the hard work, pain and endurance, traits you learned in your training. Now stop your feck’n complaining and get back to work, you lazy son of…” Ah warm and fuzzy feelings from my old arch druid as he stabbed deep into my foot with the thorn.
My Arch druid disappeared about ten years ago, my twin sister Granuaile has encouraged me ever since to leave our small Island and rejoin society. She, and if I am truthful to myself I, believe that my Arch Druid must be dead, he was in a panic before he left to shift planes. But truth be told, I was still waiting, holding out hope that he would one day return.
“There is something I need an to find an answer to, it’s bleeding important and I don’t have time to explain it all to you. Now don’t look so feck’n confused boy, your always confused aren’t ya?” Those were the last words my arch druid ever spoke to me.
Three nights ago I had a dream, this was no mere dream, I am sure it was a Vision from a possible future, a message from Gaia herself sent me to help guide me to be her will in this world.
I was drowning being pushed and pulled by the waves that surround our world. As I am pulled under I crash unto a hard surface. The solid mass under my feet was not land, but a hard slippery surface of a while, a mighty creature of the sea. In the way of druids I tapped into my Tattoos, to focus my power and linked my mind with that of the whales, understanding my plight he rose to the surface so that I can breathe the air.
When we broke through to the waves I saw that the world was in chaos, the maelstroms that lingered outside our small Islands have unleashed their full furry unto the 1000 Isles. I knew in the way of dreams that this storm was not natural but caused by some great evil. I it was at that moment I first realized that this was no mere dream, but a vision from Gaia herself.
“Go, find, protect” The words, a thousand whispers in the winds.
When I woke I did not miss a beat, I began to pack. Shifting though my things I found an envelope with my name on it, it was in my pack that I never used on the Isles since it only took about ten minutes to walk from one end to the other. I opened the letter and found a receipt, with no note just a location and an Item number.
It is a mystery I am afraid that will have to wait till later. There was only one man I knew to talk to, Lenny and I must see the old druid at once and deliver Gaia message.
Today I reached his house, but before I can knock a band of Goblins filled from the woods and marched towards the city. I am not one to judge a person based on their race but any group of armed men with that expression marching towards a city is never a good sign. I follow in stealth, I do not know the lay of the land and I do not hope to slip by and warn the city in time, so I followed and readying my bow in case it was needed to defend the townsfolk. I will have to return to Lenny house once this matter is settled.