Burning the past away.

[Cibernadie]

"Another one of those days" Thought Pana, as she tried to make her way among the crowd of sailors and workers who filled the tavern. Everything but the tables and chairs was always moving on that sea of sweaty, hairy and rude people, often a mug or a bottle flying by and landing on someone else's head. She gave a group of dwarves the bottles and meals they ordered a while ago while also clearing the adjacent table off plates and emptied mugs. The fact that most people tried to make her fall on purpose or grab her was no help at all, but in the thirsty throat tavern, that kind of behavior from the clientele seemed to be nearly a requirement to be served. Once back on the kitchen, she tried not to look on the dirty plates as she washed them to the best of her abilities, using the chance to rest from all the annoying people who was already screaming out to get what they ordered and starting another brawl. She knew it wasn't the best job, or the best life she had, "But, hey, at least im doing this out of my own free will" she often said to herself. Still, a change of scenery and a change of profession would be very welcome. She was bored of playing the role of a serving wench for people who would rather have her on their bed than paying her any tips. And the extra care of keeping herself on check least she burns another table was very taxing for her mind, specially when the patrons groped her at every opportunity.

Her stepmother had passed away a few months ago, still plotting a revenge against people who Pana never knew and never came looking for them. For what Pana knew, in her young days she was a very powerful Wizard, but something bad happened back home and they had to escape their former home, a very distant place Pana forced herself to forget Her last wish was to burn her body away along with her few remaining possesions, "so that those power-hungry academy idiots wont get the pleasure of desecrating my bones". This was done with a creepy easiness that left Pana wondering if she really felt somethng for the old woman. Sure, she grew up with her, but there were few moments of true kindess between them, and their differences seemed to go further deep beyond the race, as if her stepmother despised the life they had, but had no choice but to accept it.

While searching her home for any remaining belongings of her stepmother, she came across a very old backpack, hidden beneath the floorboards on a hole Pana never saw before, maybe hidden by the old woman with a spell or something. Curious to see what was inside, she carefully opened the thing, and wiping away the dust from its content, she took out a set of strange looking red robes, a large, heavy tome wich was obviusy some kind of spelltome or spellbook, random jewelry, like headbands and rings, and small, leathery journals. Examining each one in order, the robes were apprently of great value in the past, but the cloth was almost entirely consumed by various marks of fire, blood and random cuts on the torso. Opening the Spelltome activated some kind of ward or protection, because the instant she did it, a large flash of light came out and it quickly phased through the ceiling, flashing and flying off on the sky. Not a single line of text on the book was understandable to Pana, as she had zero knowledge of magic and the tome's text was way too dense.

The Journals were mostly about some kind of academy and its classes and courses detailing names of teachers and students alike, along with certain magical creatures, and dozens of references to the spellbook Pana didnt bother to examine. There were entries that were like pages of a diary among the academy nonsense, and they related thoughts about conspiracies, threats and factions among the academy. For what she could read on the old pages her Stepmother was the principal or headmistress on that Academy, until one day some kind of coup happened, forcing her to escape along with one of her students and "their last successful summoned subject". beyond that point, the thoughts of revenge and payback filled the pages with a nearly insane feeling, consuming most of the text and leaving things like her companion's death during an ambush, and their arrival to the sword coast, as mere sidenotes to vengeful schemes and plans full of resentment and hate.

Her mind came back to the present when the tavern brawl she feared finally emerged, filling the air with the sound of broken glasses and insults. Instead of rushing there and trying to calm them down, she just chuckled to herself and found a chair to seat down and organize her thoughts. She had decided to sell all the magical gizmos and jewelry she found on that old bag, and leave the city and her past behind her. With her Stepmother dead, there was nothing left keeping her chained down to the so called "City of splendors", and the prospect of living on that shack all alone and working on that sorry excuse of a tavern for the rest of her life was not even an option. She raised herself from the chair, and as she throw her apron away, she made her way among the crowd, catching whatever blow might come in her general direction, often punching a drunktard on his face as he rushed towards her, or tripping people running by with a knife or a plate on their hands. Once outside she went directly to her house, but in the darkness of the night she couldn't notice the strange, hooded pair who chased her along the street, directly to her house...

[Cibernadie]

That night was a dark one, clouds blackened the skies and at those late hours there were few lights on the streets. The few people outside on candle lane were hurrying to the local inns or homes. Pana herself was speeding up her way through the dispersing groups of people. She had some kind of bad feeling, but couldn't imagine what could possibly happen. Once she was inside her small home, she inspected the street from one of the windows, but there was nothing out of place. It wasn't until she turned back that she saw the couple of robed men standing behind her. She was about to scream and react, but one of them quickly lifted his hand and hurled a bolt of magic before she could realize what was happening. While loosing consciousness, she couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity with the pain that spell made her feel.


Muffled voices. She tried to reach for her head, wich was spinning like a bad hangover. But she quickly realized her arms didnt move, something was holding them in place. Same with her legs, her head, all her body was paralized, even her eyes and mouth were completely immovilized. As desesperation and fear began to fill her mind, a strange feeling came along with them. "Has this happened before?" She couldn't remember anything like this, but there was something on her mind, some kind of instict, burnt into her brain ages ago and forgotten by force, that was trying to tell her something horrible was about to happen.
The muffled voices got louder as the two assailants moved around the shack
-"It was just the old hag and the firesoul. I cant believe she kept her around like this".
-"Not a sign of Naban.. wait! It says he died on the Graypeak Mountains, roughly 10 years ago."- There were laughs from both of them.-"That's one less problem to deal with."
-"So there's just the firesoul".- She could feel the one talking walking around her, like some kind of examination. -"Can you believe it? Still no signs of any change at all. Its like nothing was done to her. I bet she probably doesn't even remember!".
-"Want to ask her?". -The other voice got closer. -"Im curious as well, after all, she's the last survivor. Both Quarie and Naban are dead, and Quarie's journal doesn't say much. I guess she just gave up."
-"Alright, i'll shake her up a little."
Suddently, the pressure holding her in place dwindled until her eyes opened, and she breathed deeply as if emerging from underwater. She saw everything had been searched into, and all her belongings were scattered across the floor. The two strangers were now clearly visible as well: Both had tattoed faces and shaved heads, wearing robes strangely enough, identical to the old rags she found on her stepmother's hidden belongings. They saw the confusion in her eyes, and a grin creeped out on both of them.

Pana was starting to feel sick. Her home had been broken into by a mysterious pair of wizards, whose words and appareance caused all sort of strange and unsettling feelings on her. She couldn't move at all, and was frozen in the same pose of surprise they caught her. And there was that feeling, deep inside her, nauseas and something more, making her feel completely helpess against the unknowable that was taking place right in front of her.
-"Who are you?!? What do you want from me?!?".- The words could barely leave her mouth.
-"So you really don't remember us, don't you?. I thought your years back home would've left... everlasting memories on you."
-"What do you mean!? I don't understand! Its my stepmother you're after? She's dead!! She dies weeks ago!!".-
-"Quarie? Your Stepmother?. Ah, now it's clear. She probably wiped those memories off your fiery head after the coup."- He motioned his friend closer, while taking a few steps away from her.
-"Allow me, Pana". -The other said with a wicked smile. -"This sure bring back memories, doesn't it? You, completely helpess as i cast spell upon spell on your twisting body... But allow me to push your fogged mind into the right direction!"-
With that said, he grabbed Pana's head with both hands, and instantly felt something akin to a surge of energy travelling through both palms, directly through her head. Her eyes rolled back as she screamed in agony, and a cascade of images and sounds filled her mind. That's when the growing fear inside of her exploded, taking everything inside of her painful head. She could finally make sense of what was happening, but with the feeling realization and understanding, it also came memories, chains of countless memories and events she suddently remembered, like finding a hidden chest inside her own brain and bashing it wide open, spreading its content in front of her crying eyes.

Escalant. A temple. A hidden portal. A man who keep it secret. The portal is just a way out. But somehow she sees it as she is carried away from the temple. Taken far away north. Tyraturos. She's a slave now, but not alone, there're other slaves brought together so someplace. Gnomes, Orcs, Earthsouls, a savage troll. Humans, their long manes of hair a clear contrast from the bald, tatooed people looking at them from outside. Always watching. They're given tasks. She trains and fights with huge, laughing dogs. Her earthsoul friend is taken away, never to be seen again. She's older now, and has seen barracks and streets, crowded with people. One of the orc slaves is also part of the barracks, but dies fighting gladiators in the arena. Of the original group, over half is dead or dissapeared years ago. And they're all brought together from the city, back into the academy. It has been two years. She did many things with the gnolls patrolling outside. Some are unspeakable of. But now they were slaves again. And the Red wizards who owned them had plans. There're rumors among the slaves, rumos of a ritual being researched. And soon enough, some of them are taken, and never seen again. One day pana is taken, she doubted about the ritual, until she sees the bodies of the previous slaves. All are grotesquely deformed, twisted and mutated into nameless abominations. The troll, firsts one to be taken, was obviusly dead, but arms and legs were constantly growing and exploding on every part of its body. A shambling mass of muscles and metallic cords wearing the gnome's boots. A human whose torso had cracked open, and from the inside a deformed copy of himself had died emerging from its own stomach, with tiny arms reaching out of its empty eyes. every one more disturbing than the rest, and now it was her turn.

She tried to run, but a red wizard; the same red wizard who was still holding her head, back in waterdeep, flared up his hand and froze her on the spot. Quarie was there, but was more focused on a series of glass vials than on her own fosterdaughter. The group of tatooed people then began to fill her with magical spells, she could feel them on her body, even while paralized on the middle of that room. The spells made her fell stronger, bigger, and filled her body with energy and power, but was still helpessly prisioner of that holding spell. Naban receives a vial from Quarie, who then examinates its content in front of Pana. She saw what it was, but could not understand it. The liquid inside was oozing, and changed colors with a chromatic glare as it tried to leave the glass containing it. She was crying, unable to blink or close her mouth, terrorized as she could feel the vial forced into her mouth, and the twisting goo going down her throat. Over and over, for weeks, that horrendous night would take place. And nothing would happen, no change at all. The Bald, tatooed wizards around her, always puzzled with questions and doubt, as she is exposed to the same horrible ritual night after night. "Why she didnt become something else?" "Why nothing happens to her?" Everyone wants to stop wasting time and resources, but a small group of them insists on obtaining more samples from the planes of chaos. Eventually the diferences evolve into a full coup. The smaller group is overwhelmed, and three of them escapes, One leaves taking with him all the notes and bottles of the changing liquid. The other two take her away. And travel for hundreds of miles, far away, always escaping. Naban Dies as he searches for a portal in the mountains. And Quarie takes Pana Away to Waterdeep, where they finally resign and settle down...

Pana's body hit the floor as the Red Wizard lets go of her head, it has been barely a few seconds, but for her, all her memories danced in front of her eyes for years, her entire life revisited and exposed in a moment that felt like a lifetime. She was trying to get up, but her body felt weak and frail. She was angry, furious as to what these two did to her, now and then. Past and present were one thing now on her mind. Wizards, forcing her to the unspeakable horrors of magic through force, and she unable to defend herself. No, she could do it now, she would stand back now, she was no longer a child, no longer a slave. Her rage was taking form around her, and clenching her hands into fists, her tears evaporated from her now ignited face. Her legs had barely enough strength to raise her from the floor, but that was all she wanted not. Standing in front of the red wizards, who were oblivious of the warmt growing around Pana's body, until the carpet and papers on the floor caught fire. Surprised, both of them tried to cast spells at her, trying to force her into submission again, but she would not leave them do that. A mere thought, and their robes ignited as well, causing them to scream in surprise and back away from Pana, who was slowly shambling towards them, with the entire shack now beginning to burn around them.
-"Sabin! Reman!"- She screamed out their names, now known to her.
-"What happened to her?!? How's she doing that!".-
-" Its... Its impossible to her to cause so much fire!... unless...".- Reman face showed both surprise and fear
-"It works! It finally does! Quarie must be cursing on her tomb!".
-"Our... Our interference has triggered the change! We must leave, fool! before she-" Sabin couldn't finish that sentence, Pana's fury took the flames even further, and the entire shack crumbled to burning wood and debris around the three of them.

The next thing she knew, she was being treated just outside of the burnt ruins of her home. and the City Watch was already waiting for an explanation. She tried to explain, but confused and dazed by the recent events as she was, the excuse of two wizard attacking her and then dissapearing without leaving either charred bones or clear signs of their presence meant nothing. Whatever she gained selling the old trinklets from Quarie's belongings was either lost in the fire or paying fines for the inmense fire that almost spreads to other houses. Either way, as she cleared her head and seeing she needed a plan of action, the only reasonable thing to her was to leave waterdeep and hit the road. Obviusly those two wizards would surely come back looking for her, and with all traces of her former lifestyle burnt away, like the rest of her past, nothing prevented her from starting anew, somewhere else. Picking up a map, Pana decides to go south. After all what's going on on the northern cities of the sword coast, she targets Baldur's gate for her next stop, hoping to leave both her past and her troubles behind, and living up only to do as she pleases, without having to worry about her newfound past anymore.