The Climate, Beyond

“The void darkens everything,” The persistent grey clouds show no hint of clearing out, and never have, for the last seven years. “Truth be told, I’m dead to the real world. The concrete jungle succeeds in its conquest to disturb, damage, and destroy the natural balance.”

One in sixty-two sectors display only thirteen per cent of natural world beauty. The rest dissolves in a slumber of grey, visibility down to a few hundred metres. The planet is beyond saving now, so say most activists, blaming every government and corporate not proactively involved towards preservation.

Outside, smoke brushes against the window, desperate to get in. Everything inside the room appears phased out and shattered, molecule by molecule. And yet, they appear as concrete objects.

The Elemental Philosophy

They wished me unwell, always. Greetings reciprocated with recurrent splashes. I never meant any harm. And yet, they forced me to stay clear. I wished for friendships with the streams, the rivers, the ponds, the lakes, the seas, and the oceans. They seemed to calm me in unimagined ways. The past is a history long gone. But I still see hope on the horizon. The intense clouds had gathered in communion with the endless ocean that spread across the vast surface of the planet. Amid lightning and thunder stood those who would believe in me, in my way of life. And together, we would all live in harmony.

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As I made my way through the blazing lands, burning everything everywhere as the intense heat bullied and disintegrated everything it touched, my family shook hands with heat every time before anything caught fire. Nothing to stop it from dispelling its magic, from objects hugged upon by intense heat, and the unstoppable fires that burned down everything to its ashes, my siblings and cousins welcomed me with open arms, attempting to comfort me with their offer.

The Human Pet

The claws penetrated through the evil black dragon’s thick scales, spilling out black ooze from its long neck, rupturing the spine. Shelamo held himself, watching his fierce archenemy fall through the sky, miles away to meet its final destiny.

No sooner had Shelamo triumphed, the full force of another gigantic beast reached from above, its wings held close in, to intercept with a head-on collision. The red and gold intermingled, diving together as one big lump of meat and scales. The world spun around, as the red beast’s claws pierced in Shelamo’s front left leg. However, the opportunity given was more than enough for the golden Shelamo to bite through the skull, killing it in an instant.

The beast was dead, but its claws had dug deep within the foot. Attempting to release the deadweight failed him several times. The ground now rushed closer with speed towards the mountain cliffs of Dornar. Shelamo knew it was his time to die. But he never gave up. Biting and chewing up the red beast’s leg, he tasted the foul blood sprinkling out all across his golden face. Thrice, he screamed in agony, pushing his limits to save his own dear life.

Only a few moments away from hitting the ground, the bloody red leg broke off, and Shelamo, in desperation, flapped his wings to soften his fall. Nonetheless, the speed of his fall didn’t help him enough. Even though the red beast fell underneath to soften the landing, Shelamo’s now wounded leg crashed into the beast’s skull, fracturing his bones inside. The sheer pain forced him to give up, landing his entire body into the red beast’s gigantic dead body. As the pain reached deep, Shelamo lost his consciousness, and losing his alert status, drifted into a deep sleep, not knowing if at all he would wake up ever again.

Now, that is something to ponder about, Reuben thought. How shall I wake him up, and in what way? Will he have someone’s company? Or should I get a dragon slayer in front of him? Oh my, If I do that, will Shelamo manage to survive the dragon slayer’s death strike? Oh Lord, help me clean up the mess I’ve created.

Greetings from Naturals

It burns. And yet, after a few days, those pieces mend together. Then again, the cycles reiterate, repeating as a poisoned arrow struck through the neck. I care no longer for my three brothers and two sisters; they employ themselves in the interests of our parents. The big, old family business tends to animal slaughtering, cornfield harvesting, and taming different wild beasts. Although that last one is of little interest to me, I’d appreciate watching them break dragons and mythical creatures. Should they ever decide to accept that challenge, I’d roam around the world to see them in their real habitat.

The unforgiving heat of summer forces us all to endure the most. The fields all lost to drought, almost all bred animals now dead, and there are no more wild beasts left for training. Each year, all except my mother and aunt, go away during these harsh months to live in the dangerous cities headed by powerful, influential individuals. Most belong to kings within their castles. Groups of individuals lead the rest, awaiting opportunities to ambush innocent lives. They hunt them in a chase, of mental death cause, exploiting them of their mind, strength, influence, and reputation.

Void of Existence

I’ve crossed the boundaries of existence. There is no sign of it, more like extinct, it doesn’t exist. It’s no longer a perspective, and there is no view, neither light nor darkness. It only seems void of all matter. Unable to recall my past, something has cleansed me of whatever I seemed to have known. I don’t even know how I exist in this realm of meta-existence, I presume. Questions are all I have. Did I have a past? Will I have a future? Am I supposed to question the existential void? Is there anyone watching me? Or even my progress of what’s happening to me? Am I in some phase of transition, or did I die in my previous life? Have I been created afresh from nothingness? Am I in heaven or hell? I fight to speak up, but the syllables never commence.

Doubt

“We are, without doubt, a black spot on this planet. We are responsible for what we’ve done. We cannot go back in time to repair the damage we’ve done so far.”

A crowd of people surrounded the young woman who gave the speech on a stage. She was in her late 20s, almost as if she had bloomed out from a university degree with great success. Sara was a true inspiration for everyone, leading her way to provide justice towards climate crisis. Most people attending today’s speech had followed Sara ever since she started silent protests towards climate justice.

“Why do we suffer from what others have done before us? Aren’t they worthy of our blame on them? And yet, we lie here on the brink of an irreversible point where out climate shall never turn its tide again. Our planet’s mercy was laid in front of us long ago while we waged war amongst ourselves. And we never thought of the future consequences. Why is it we survive all of these threats? And most of all, why is it that when it comes to natural disasters, we start blaming the planet, or even some of the gods to have performed something to make us realize what we’ve done to put ourselves in the first place?”

Day Four

It’s day four. The living legends have crumbled to ash and dust. Not a soul lives around. Not a day goes by.

I’m all alone…
… And it’s already day four.

Nature is all crushed and withered, and so are the clear blue skies that seemingly crack out lightning and thunder all day. Even the foggy dark nights shower us with ashes that erupt from volcanoes across other continents. Every morning, the ground cracks from rapid temperature changes, a sudden drift into the oncoming heat of sunlight. These are our final days, the days we always predicted would come eventually.

Lestaari – A Pathfinder Character

Here is a character backstory & background I’ve created for the Pathfinder RPG for the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. The locations mentioned are from the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition – Player’s Guide. I’ll be modifying and/or adding more stuff as I delve deeper into the game.

Character – Lestaari

Backstory:
Galadril (an elf male) from the Mierani Forest found Milith (a human female) who had happened to have lost her way. Galadril escorted her all the way towards Riddleport. But the thieves and pirates ambushed them. That was when both Galadril & Milith realised who each other was; they teamed up together quite well to settle down their problem at hand. After that, Galadril felt and saw her love for him, and they got married.

Galadril was an elven ranger, adept & agile in his ways across the forest. Milith had always been a lone wolf adventurer. But soon after they were married, they decided to adventure and explore the world.

When Milith went with Galadril back to the Mierani Forest, he was exiled from the elven lands, banished forever. Milith knew the only place they could get help settling down for the time being, Nybor.

Restart

Gabriel noted the place as if filled with innocence, the last and only light visible appearing from a crevice in the small opening at the top of the cave high above. Behind him lay the path where he come from to explore these caves. Wishing for his sole purpose to getting lost for a few days, a vague and confusing thought, yet with an understanding to come down and enjoy the solitude.

Setting up his base camp in the centre of the cave where he could only hear his own voice echo as he whispered with subtle lip movements. Going towards the cave’s entry point, he used a white-coloured spray to identify where he had come from. Tired from travelling, he decided to take some rest. Daylight would still be for another twelve hours. After leaving for his trip at dawn, it had taken him around three hours to reach here. He had challenged himself to keep all of his technological gadgets back at home where he was obsessed with using them in his daily life. Now, he had decided to pull it off. Determined to get a detox for a few days to stay away from them, he had packed food supplies worth a week, a small tent and some clothing into a rucksack.

The Loyal Doorway

Life is a bowl of mixed ingredients filled with our best and worst fears. Think of it in terms of anything. Can we just let go all that we possess? Do we anticipate and worry too much?

This is my story. Although I’m deprived of sight to see what lies around, I continue to listen and feel the wind. There are certain moments when I’m forced to concentrate deeper on topics I may not have any interest at all. Nonetheless, this is my life, a door, passing information from one outside to the inside. I am the only passage for your exposure to the timbres that envelope and send you towards a release of blissful emotions.

Offence vs. Defence

Following are two images I clicked while I went on a trip to South India:

Image Credit: Shlomo Reuben

Here’s one perspective of dialogue which came to my mind, and couldn’t stop without writing it:

“Give up, you fool.”, the lioness growled. Her sharp teeth showed the strength that could tear the flesh of any creature that would come within its grasp.

An Apple’s Delight

The days are bright and clear. Sunshine bathes the world with infinite blessings, grounds blush as flowery buds sprout to display vibrant colours of dashing beauty, spread across to reflect the water beads glimmer. Feathery friends live in enduring lives over evolving matter. Interwoven between all such matters are invitations from species of the inexhaustible creepy crawlers, which dress up among territories and secure grounds to provide an endless nourishment towards sustenance.

Inside the Chamber

Dear Reader,

Following is the pile of letters I have written since the beginning. If there is anyone out there who could communicate with me, please forward them to the Chamber of Thoughts for my consideration. I would appreciate if you give your voice for any one of my letters I have composed so far.

Gaining Grounds

Note: This is the second part in the series. Please read the first of the three-part series: The Shock of War.

It felt like a hundred years. It was an endless battle no man had ever experienced before. Our enemies defended their territory fiercely. We could not gain an inch over them. Glowing rocks embedded with gemstones, blasted twenty metres above our heads, shredding the rock to shrapnel.

Myth of Days

NOTE: Some of the following text can harm the psyche of individuals. Readers below the age of 18 are advised not to read it.

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“Everyone knows about it. We have to live with it.”

“I know. But why?”

“We cannot reason their beliefs. It would lead to death.”

Tortured Soul

I bleed myself to death. However, death does not come and grant me my freedom. I hope the angels watch over me and everyone else. With each passing day, the experience worsens. There is nothing called life.

An Evil Feast

NOTE: Some of the following text can harm the psyche of individuals. Readers below the age of 18 are advised not to read it.

I cannot tell you much. Our principles forbid sharing our experiences with mortals who dwell in this world. I shall try to be brief as possible. Some information could be vague and general in the matter.

Protect, Defend, Attack

General Plot

In a forest, a butterfly flies in front of a man. A gust of wind passes and throws the butterfly off-balance. The spider’s web takes control of the butterfly. The man attempts to free the butterfly before the spider can feed on it. When the spider’s minions defend the huge network of web, the man falls back in shock and becomes unconscious.

The Traveller

I did not move, but it felt otherwise. When I opened my eyes, the beauty of the cosmos manifested into my vision. The vast blackness of space surrounded me in all directions. In this vast universe of a trillion stars, I was lost in deep space.

Brushing Dragons

“We shouldn’t be here, Master.”, the dog communicated with a yip.

“Do not fear, Slade,”, Herondal comforted him. He knew whenever they came to unknown places, Slade would act like a coward. He bent down to him, “Can you see anything moving out here? These are simply the caves of the ancient world.”