A NEW WORLD by thirty-three (http://www.tcowen.com/saschak/dw2/index.html) It was nearing dusk as the party approached the tower in the distance. There were three of them, and they truly looked like heroes marching tall in the dim light. One of them, a young Prince hailing from the Castle of Midenhall, wore around him the dark green Cloak of Wind. This was an item that they had journied far for, around a dangerous mountain pass and up a tower taller than the mountains that surrounded it. They were told it would save them if they were to jump from a great height, an attribute that to them seemed somewhat trivial. They wondered why fate had led them to it. Soon enough, their questions were answered. A wise man in the town of Hamlin, from which they obtained the location of the cloak in the first place, told them of two towers far to the north of the sacked Moonbrooke Castle. He told them that the towers were mysteriously dubbed the Dragon's Horn by locals, and that they were identical to each other. He had refused to reveal more, as wise men tend to do. So here they are: the Prince of Midenhall, Arthur, the Prince of Cannock, Orfeo, and the Princess of the fallen Moonbrooke, Kailin, nearing the end of their northbound journey to uncover the secret of the Dragon's Horn. Suddenly, Arthur stopped. "Shhh, " he said as he held a finger to his lips. Orfeo nor Kailin heard a sound. "What is it?" whispered Orfeo. "I think--", Arthur was interupted by a loud rustling in nearby tree. "Magidrakees!" yelled Kailin torwards her comrades, and as she said it two small green dragons flew out of the tree in which they were perched. Quickly, Arthur unsheathed his weapon and Orfeo readied his iron spear, while Kailin started to prepare a spell to block the magic of the Magidrakees. One of the Magidrakees swooped down torwards Orfeo's face and spit forth a small stream of white-hot fire. Orfeo could feel the heat from the flames sear his skin before Arthur lept into the Magidrakee with a well-placed strike of his sword. The Magidrakee fell to the ground in two seperate pieces, it's wings still twitching as it lay there. Kailin finsihed chanting her spell and the Magidrakee's spell was contained. It realized how hopeless a battle with three well trained warriors would be without magic to aid it, and began to fly away... Almost too late. Arthur's lightning-quick reflexes took over and he slashed wildly at the fleeing dragon, neatly slicing it's tail from it. He caught it as it fell and put it into his pocket. "Good luck charm," he grinned. "Thank the light for my eyebrows," said Orfeo, and quite truthfully. The rest of the journey went without a hitch, and soon enough they were at the tower. "A river is blocking our path..." Arthur said, almost to himself. "Perhaps it is here we will find the nature of your cloak, Arthur," noted Kailin. "Well, let us see what lies within," Arthur pulled open the thick wooden door that kept the inside concealed from their eyes. When they stepped in, they looked around the room. The ceiling had a hole in it about 30 feet in diameter that they could look up, about 10 floors, to the ceiling of the tower, on which was painted a giant horned dragon. The tower was lit by periodic torches, and in their light the party could see a man sitting in the middle of the room. "Who art thee, and what brings thee into such a place?" Orfeo asked of the man. "None of your buisness, I tell thee now... Oh! Your comrade posesses the Cloak of Wind! I have much information to tell you. You see, that is the key to crossing this river. I had a vision that 3 heroes would come in this world's time of need. Sensing that the time was now, I made a journey from the northern town of Lianport to this tower to await your coming... Luckily, I had a ship to reach this place with. Here, take this.", he said as he handed Arthur a bottle of fairy water, "it shall come in handy in this tower. When you make it to the top, take a leap of faith torwards it's twin and thou shall land safely thanks to the cloak which you are wearing." "Thank thee, stranger. You have proved to be an important encounter in our journey, a stepping stone without which we could never reach Hargon and destroy him and his curse once and for all. Again, infinite thanks." Arthur sprinkled the fairy water about the party and they began their trek up the tower. When they reached each new floor, they had to walk all the way around the pit in the floor to make it to the next staircase. It took them the better part of an hour to walk all the way to the top of the tower. They stepped out on the roof and took a look around. "Splendid! The land around this tower stirs something deep within...", Said Orfeo. "Agreed," Arthur said as he looked around, "this is a sight not many get will look on in their lives. We should feel grateful." "Look! To the south!", Gasped Kailin as she pointed torwads the plateu of Rhone. A dark black cloud surrounded the mountainous Rhone, making it impossible to see what lay in the dreary heights. The sight struck fear into the hearts of the group. "The horizon of our journey is dark indeed, but remember if we succeed, that we shall experience a brilliant light across the land, moreso than anyone has dreamed. We must fight this darkness without fear or lingering thoughts. It is our destiny." "Agreed", Orfeo and Kailin said in unity. "We best get going, we have not time to waste," said Arthur, as he paused just once more to partake in the beauty of his land. Quickly, and without a second thought, the group made a break for the north end of the tower and jumped. Orfeo's heart was in his throat as he clung tight to Arthur, for they were not gracefully soaring down to the earth, but instead plumeting to what seemed to be their doom! "We must allow the cloak to catch the wind! Quickly, pull the cloak from under yourselves and grab my leg", said a startled Arthur. Both of the other warriors desperately clawed the cloak from in between their bodies and Arthur's. Kailin's gripped failed her and she began to fall away from Arthur and Orfeo, but once again Arthur's reflexes proved to be worthy, and his hand grabbed hers just before she fell out of reach. Orfeo let himself fall to Arthurs leg and then tightly held on. The Cloak of Wind spread out like liquid, and their fall slowed to a graceful float. They watched as the river that had previously barred them crossed peacfully underneath them. The group landed softly as a feather on the opposite shore. "Look.", said Arthur, and in the distance they could see a small village. "We must travel quickly. It looks as if something could be wrong.", stated Kailin. The party's progress was fast indeed as they made their way to the village. Soon, they were standing at it's gates. The brass plate on the wall read simply "Lianport, city of the water." One of the gates was unhinged and creaking in the wind... Something WAS amiss here. Suddenly, a terrible screetching sound was heard from the northern side of the village, followed by the terrified scream of a young girl. The three rushed to the sound, and in between two buildings they saw an abduction taking place. Apparently, three young Gremlins were set on either killing or kidnapping the young blond haired woman... But they knew their plan had failed when the three warriors crept into their vision. One of the Gremlins leaped torwards the party and began to spew forth flames. Quickly, Kailin jumped behind Orfeo's brandished iron shield while Arthur dived torwards the Gremlin, his sword outstretched. The Gremlin did not suspect an attack was iminent, and was taken off guard. Arthur's sword deeply gashed the torso of the Gremlin, and it fell to the ground. It's blood beginning to drain from it's corpse onto the ground in a sickly display. The other Gremlins were outraged with the death of their partner and made their attack even more agressive. Too late, though, the Prince of Cannock mumbled something under his breath and held his arms outstretched torwards the two remaining Gremlins. A bright blue flame flew forth from his palms, leaving but two piles of ash and bone in the grass. "How could I repay you?!", the relieved young girl asked. "We do not seek a reward," Arthur told the girl, "our reward has been paied with your grateful tone." "But you must recieve something in return for saving my life.. My Grandfather lives in this village, perhaps he could help you?" She led them through the town to the port of the city, where an old man stood by the gated entrance. "Grandfather, these brave heroes saved my life from three terrible monsters." "Oh! What do I owe you? I will pay anything you ask, just tell me!", the grateful old man pleaded. Arthur paused, "Well, we would be forever in your debt so we can borrow one of your ships." "Surely! It is us who are in debt to you." The old man opened the gate and the three warriors walked through. A huge ship was docked in the closest port. "It is yours. Use it well. Come by and visit sometime," said the old man. "We wish you well in your travels. May the light shine upon thee," added the young girl. And so, the party obtained a ship, opening the entire world up to their search for Hargon and a means to defeat them. This is the true beginning of their journey... This, looking back, was the most important step in the path of these three brave heroes.