Legends of Belariath

Lucia Renaxi

On an average night much like any other in the small inn near Valencia’s border, the innkeeper heard a knocking at his door. Upon opening it he saw perhaps the strangest sight he had ever seen in his seventy turnings: A platinum white Drak’sen holding what appeared to be a human child. The Drak’sen held out the baby to the innkeeper who upon receiving the child heard the Drak’sen speak to him.

“Keep this child safe, from danger, from corruption, from harm. She is important to me.” The male dragon kin then left without any more words. The Innkeeper had so many questions as he gazed at the azure eyed infant. Why was she special to the dragon kin? Who were her real parents? And why on Belariath was she brought to him? But the child was smiling at him and giggled a little bit. Such a lovely child he couldn’t just leave her so he closed the door to his small tavern and brought her inside. First he thought she should get some clothes but he didn’t have anything for her, upon unwrapping the cloth the child was in yet another shock to him. The cloth was actually a Shimmering Spidersilk gown that was thin but not see-through. It was much too large for the child but looked like it would fit a grown woman of small stature. He decided that since there was no woman he could give it to he would use the cloth to fashion clothes for her. The dress tore surprisingly easily and even more to his surprise, the dress reformed and repaired itself almost immediately. This dress must be meant for the girl but he resigned himself to the fact he was charged with taking care of her. So he would, he would do his best to keep her safe and not let the natural state of Belariath corrupt her.

The innkeeper raised the girl well having her learn the tavern work, waiting on the patrons and operating the bar. It seemed that with each day she grew more lovely. The innkeeper found another interesting thing about the young woman. Around her 8th year a bar fight broke out and he worried about her. As the fight intensified, the girl got scared and holding out her hands colored light sprayed from them knocking out the men and getting the gaze of others. By Ishtar the girl had magical talent! The innkeeper quickly ushered her away.

The girl grew to an absolutely startling beauty by the age of eighteen. She worked on the side as a performer with her magical talent at creating lights in the tavern. But this day was to be a sad one. The girl aptly named Lucia for her talents with light was called to the innkeeper’s room.

“You asked for me sir?” The girl spoke, her voice as sweet as wine. The innkeeper was laying in his bed, he looked terribly ill. He didn’t say a word just held out a note and pointed to a chest at the foot of his bed. He then closed his eyes one last time. And for the first time she could remember, Lucia wept.After she paid her respects to the man who took care of her for so long she decided to open the note and read what it said.

“Lucia my dear, I have raised you these past years and never once asked much of you. You helped out my tavern and entertained my customers and now it is my last wish to repay you for that which you have given me. I have never married but always had wanted a child, you know already you are not my daughter, but I always thought of you as my own. I have left you a few things for you to find your way in the world which I so sheltered you from. It is a dangerous place as I have told you but I feel you are old enough now to take care of yourself. In the chest in my room is a few things which you should take with you on your travels. Also with the items is 100 mhl take these things and head out to discover this world which I hid you from. Head for the Tower of Unigo in Nathalion, there you can study the natural talents you have for magic and perhaps attain a sense of self and place in this world. Goodbye Lucia, my daughter. Ramzus Renaxi.”

Smiling a bit she opened the chest to find a simple leather belt with a pouch with the money in it, and a small dagger. Beneath that was a sky blue spidersilk dress that when she put it on, fit her perfectly, it conformed to every curve of her upper body, and tapered into a skirt reaching to her ankles. It was beautiful and she decided she would wear it as a momento of the man that raised her. Also, never having a surname she decided it would be fitting to take his as her own, him thinking of her as her daughter.

After gathering her things and burying the gentle man along with the help of some of the regular patrons, she set out for Nathalion to find this tower he spoke of.

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