Elkomiir was a world of great wonder. Magic was plentiful, as was beauty and grace. Wonderous ruins of ages gone by were overgrown by plants that, on Earth, would be considered alien. Indeed, it was far from Earth, though some say it was a duplicate of that legend-laden planet, created by homeless, wandering Earthlings. No one ever truly knew for certain.
The forests were still dense. Thick, ageless vines sporting giant blooms of many colors ceilinged the forest. The sun was bright in the day, and the night never became pitch-black, for the stars were large and clouds of luminous gas loomed in the night sky, only barely visible to those keen of sight in the daylight. A swift river swept through much of the land, carving in it a deep ravine. Most of Elkomiir, however, was built above the river, on the fertile cliffs it had left long ago.
The city of Trolick was one of the few that was situated upon a cliff set into the deep ravine of the river's path. Many powerful and skilled halflings came from Trolick, and many more lived there, keeping the city from collapsing into the river. The halflings were part human, part something else, usually, though sometimes they were two parts of two different creatures. One such halfling of interest was named Edrea, a half-faery, half-vampire girl of what would have been Asiastic skin had she been on Earth, and silken, black hair. Like most halflings, she looks almost identical to a human, with only a few minor differences.
Edrea was considered average height, average build, and average weight on Elkomiir. She had dark brown eyes that seemed more black than brown. She was a skilled mage, though she preferred to use her skills with words when given a confrontation. She did not like to fight, but rather explore, much like her friend, Geraldine, a half-dragon halfling girl.
Edrea's magic was very well advanced. She could easilly teleport objects hither and thither, enchant them to perform different feats, and even manipulate people to extract the desired result, though she found this final point abominable. Thus, she attempted to avoid it.
Edrea loved water and land, as well as the harmony the two together produced. She found herself often staring at the river, or flying up out of the ravine to inspect small waterfalls or streams and the rocks within. She loved caves, too; their darkness and emptiness enthralled her. However, most of all, Edrea loved the ruins of Elkomiir.
Long ago, Elkomiir was inhabited strictly by humans. They had reached a height of their technological era, and they edited genes to be able to perform that which they had always wanted: magic. However, those humans who could not be enhanced shunned the newcomers, and war broke out eons ago. All major cities were destroyed; all traces of the powerplants, the telephones, the automobiles, the computers, and the lightbulb likewise vanished. Only that which a Council of Seventeen determined to be absolutely necessary remained. Among this was running water, ore refineries, and similar basic necessities to continue humanistic existance.
After some time, however, the enhanced humans began to change and mutate. They became creatures of myth and legend of days gone by, and the humans, the unenhanced, were yet again afraid. They tried to wage another war, but the enhanced humans and their mutated bretherin were too strong. The humans gave up their pitiful attempts to become powerful again, and most became pacifistic and mellow. Eventually, the magic of the enhanced humans transferred to creatures, creating various mythological animals. Unicorns, dragons, chimeras, and hydras were not at all uncommon within a few hundred years.
However, most of this history has been forgotten with the centuries. No one still alive can remember what it was like to be among the few enhanced humans. No one, that is, except the ruins of Elkomiir. The ruins held the keys to the past, and through them, Edrea learns about herself and others.
Early morning creeps into the sky, staining it with roses. Edrea stirs in her makeshift bed along a metal structure that resembles a stylized bench. Nearby, statues are toppled and broken amidst the large, ornate room. A bird cries from one of the eaves of the building, and Edrea moans. She rolls over, and finds herself rolling off the bench.
Landing with an audible thud on the tiled floor, Edrea shakes the sleepiness off of her. She yawns, looking around and regaining her wits. All around her are beautiful carved people and objects forever set in white marble. She is in the building labeled Mus Am, for she feels safest there when she sleeps away from home. Nearby, deeper into the Class Al section, a bird chirrups again.
Sighing, Edrea gathers together her few possessions she had taken along when she left to visit the ruins. The whole area, once a town, she has been told, is called Was Ton, though curiously, a large space is set between the two words on most signs, and on others, the Ton is so faint it is hardly legible, even when it is ingrained in stone.
The bird chirps again, and this time Edrea is annoyed. She flicks out her hand, turns it in an odd position, and flicks it back in towards her body. The bird is silent.
Outside the Mus Am, Edrea takes a deep breath of fresh air. She is running an errand for an older woman in Trolick, and she needs to reach the town of Chi O soon, before noon, preferrably, as her destination lies far to the West.
Shouldering her pack, Edrea enchants herself with speed and flight. She zooms to the treetops and then high above them and their familiarity. Within moments, she is rocketing towards the west, towards Chi O and then later her final destination.
The sky is clear with very few true Harpies, Gryphons, and dragons searing the skies on their majestic wings. Edrea makes good time, landing in Chi O before noon. She is glad to be ahead of schedule. It is a few hundred klicks to Chi O from old Was Ton, and the land between the cities is so difficult, it would have taken her weeks on foot. Double charmed as she is, however, the trip is quick and easy.
The forested plains of her childhood zip onto foothills. These hills, in turn, swell into rocky mountains and craggy cliffs. Smiling down at the scenery below, Edrea keeps a hand on her pack and its contents and her eyes open not only for the conduits that pipe water to Chi O, but also for creatures that may wish to do her harm.
Within the hour, Edrea catches sight of the markers that announce the proximaty of Chi O. Large pipes had been used long ago, before Enhancement took hold, to filter mountain streams into the valley city of Chi O. However, they have long-since been abandoned.
Chi O had been the city that focused the Unenhanced against the engineered Enhanced so long ago. It is where Edrea had found her friend, Aldi, mourning the abandonment she had suffered at the hands of her adoptive tribe. The mining town had once been world-renowned, but now its rich dikes of ores are useless; simple copper can be enchanted to be as strong and as versatile as steel.
Soon, Edrea spots the ruined buildings of the city. She begins to set down to land, but before she can, a large shadow passes above her. Looking up, Edrea notices a Harpy. Luckily for her, it is alone. Unluckily, however, Harpies are immune to much magic.
Hoping against hope that the Harpy had not seen her, Edrea allows herself to nearly free-fall to the surface, applying a buffering levitation spell only when she is within a dangerous range. As she lands, she rushes to the nearest building, and then realizes, to her dismay, that it has a hole in its roof. What good is that against an aerial attack?!
Then she sees it: the open dike at the far side of the town. If she sprints, she can probably make it without attracting the Harpy. Gathering her courage and chancing a glance upward, Edrea prepares to run. However, before she decides to go anywhere, she notices that the Harpy is not where it had been.
Cursing herself for losing sight of the bird-person, Edrea begins to lose valuable time searching for its location. She hears a wild cry and lets out a groan, completely and totally disgusted that the creature could have gotten so close to her. Indeed, it is perched upon the nearby rooftop of a had-been shoppe. Edrea pales as she stares at its talons.
The Harpy caws out a deafening screech, yet Edrea thinks she hears words in it. "C-Come again," she manages, pressing herself hard against the building she had initially sought.
The Harpy shouts again, and this time, the words are clear enough. "It's not safe to travel across mountain ranges alone, child," the rough, scratchy voice proclaims.
"I can manage. I managed well enough before, and I shall do so again!" Edrea's words are like fire, melting the cold fear that had settled upon her heart.
The Harpy laughs. "Coh, cah, cah, cah!" It lifts one heavilly-taloned foot. "Not if I tear you to ribbons, you won't!" As if to demonstrate its power, it peels up the stone of the building in chips and curling strands.
"You think you frighten me?" Edrea demands, nearly shouting, only bravado allowing her to speak. "You're wrong!"
"Am I?"
"You are!" As if to prove it, Edrea chants a spell, and focuses on the Harpy's feet. Soon enough, they begin to gray and to become heavy. Within a moment, the Harpy can not remove its feet from the rooftop, for they have become stone and bonded to the building in that manner. "What reason have I to fear a flightless bird?" Edrea retorts, her tone more relaxed now.
"You forget one thing, child!"
"Oh? What would that be?"
"Stymphalian Harpies can shoot their feathers if their talons are inaccessable." The Harpy smirks before spreading its wings. It folds them in front of its avian face and flings them outward, a rain of steely feathers fly towards Edrea.
Edrea flings up a protective barrier, and the feathers fly off to either side of her, embedding themselves in the stone walls of the building. She holds this up until the Harpy crosses its wings again to begin another barrage. "Hold!" Edrea cries. "I yield. Promise to refrain from attacking me, and I shall release you!"
The Harpy seems to consider this for a moment before shrugging and relaxing its arms. "I find that to be agreeable. Release me, child. I sought you out not to fight, but to talk."
Edrea nods, chants the counter spell, and frees the Harpy. Sighing, she sinks to the ground afterwards. "What did you come to talk to me about?" she asks.
"Far away, there is a place called Fallen Tower. I doubt it to be on this world, though it is famous throughout the Harpy clans. At Fallen Tower, marvelous creatures called Hakens live. However, they need bondmates, people whose minds they can share, to remain alive. I have found a Haken egg, and I beg you to take it and nurture it."
"But why can't you take it? You're the one who found it, aren't you?"
"Harpies are bound by a code that says if we should bond our minds with others, we will lose our wings. I would prefer to keep my wings, if it is at all possible."
"I see," Edrea says before continuing with more resolve. "I will take your egg. I will care for it. It will not die."
Background by Backgrounds 2000.