Your mother?...
All Albion knows her epic!
But you ask me who she really was, and why she has left?
You must understand, there is a thing like the burden of living like, and even more being called a hero!
"The burden of heroism."
Heroes are normal people, everyone can be a hero, everyone has his or her heroic epic to tell.
And be sure to know, that I know what I am talking about, because this is something what Meredith Sock an arcane fellow storyteller, like me, your dear old dad here, told us about, in his story of the court case against the now forgotten Heroes Guild!
Thus...
Your mother was a child, like any other, something she learned, and tried to pass on.
But a dream brought her to places, which she had to cope with.
In these tribulations she lost & found, friends & family, an experience everyone of us has to experience, to understand it, and life as a whole!
First she lost her parents, and then your aunt, her dear sister.
Everything lost, and utterly hurt, she was seeking refuge, in this, our village of the gypsies, and found a secure and peaceful home, to prepare and dream for and of her revenge!
Blind, but good hearted, she began to venture out, to seek answers & redemption!
On this path, she found friends, which gave her guidance, a helping hand, and faith!
But over the years, the burden that the people around her put on her, being called a heroine, grew stronger, so she decided, after years of hard labour in the prison of the Spire, which sight today still frightens; I fear for a good reason; that she wanted to change her life, and its purpose.
Who wishes, will find what one seeks.
Thus your mother found her first husband, Toby of Rockridge, in a romantic inn, at the mysterious cliffs of Rockridge!
They lived in their beloved home in Old Bowerstone, the old orphanage "Helping Hand", at Sandgoose Street 1. Not an especially luxurious house, but with a kind spirit, and loveingly and richly furnished by your mother.
A house your mother loved, and bought with the money she earned, from being a travelling master of blacksmith craftsmenship, working together with the greatest inventors of Albion, at her time!
But the fame haunted her even there. No day passed by without disturbing praises by the people.
Thus after years of peaceful, caring, but unfulfilled marriage, Toby died alone, while your mother was out on adventure, once again looking for answers and aim, to be able to enjoy simple life, her life, in peace, with Toby and their dreames of children, at their orphanage.
Caught off guard, devastated once again, she bought and settled in her inspiring, remote and eremite Cockerel Cottage in Oakfield. After reflecting on her life and its game, she undertook her final travels, searched for inspirations, for living answers, to experience life and its energetic experiences and frontiers, once and for all.
Thus she travelled even more. Dreaming, of the life in these different places, she travelled boldly further, than anyone before.
By submarine, by ship, and magic, she travelled to islands, awe-inspiring mountains, and into the past, where she found people and items, like her beloved Disharmony, at the beloved "Box of Secret" shop. The lovely shop, of our families friend & your godparent aunt Jessica, which mother met back then at Knothole Island.
And finally she travelled to Bloodstone, the past and Wraithmarsh, where she change and found solitude, from her heroine worship, and its pressures.
There she tasted everything what she didn't dared to allow herself until then, far away from watchful eyes, of fellow people.
Thus she changed her name, to Shadowfiend, by which your mother became ironically known.
There travelling between the harbours of Bloodstone and Bowerstone, and travelling by magic through time, she painted her face white, like a skull, became one of the most famous pirates, and lived a bohemian life.
From that time on, she began to wear that eye patch and makeup, combined with her old clothing’s, which we got to know her with, and for the rest of her life, with us.
She always told me, that she is still wearing all of this, to remember her name, and her tests, her successes and most importantly her mistakes, through which she went in time. To remember the other sides of life, this world and its realities.
"You can always see differently, with the next eye. And when you see, both and one, you will know how to play and dance life and death!", she always said...
... Oh!... How I loved to see her dance!
How I would love to see her dance again!
... being with her, sharing, in love, one bed, filled with music at the camp fire, at our ancestors graves, at the heroes top, from dusk till dawn...
But because of those experience, which she made back then, there at Bloodstone, she wanted to remind herself, and all others of that, and the burden and blindness, which come with heroism.
But my children, you must know the whole story, character, tests and burdens of being a hero; this is your mother’s legacy, which she wanted to pass on.
Thus you must hear every detail and experience she made.
So I will tell you now, about a part in her life, which only some people remember and know, and have ever thought about.
Because some legend of your mother, saves and tells, that your mother had at that time a very dark life.
A time in her life, when all of her unreflected, supressed, hated, and not loveingly and understandingly treated desires, which she didn't allow herself, as hero & espacially as sister of your dead and beloved aunt, broke free.
And as she stood before the shadow court, of the Wraithmarsh, it is said, that a curse was put on her, and transformed her into an undead, only to protect an innocent child like you, from thsi destiny!
It is told, she changed dramatically!
That much, that she went back into the town of Bloodstone, and slaughtered dozens of poor people, after she had freed the harbour from a wraith. Some say the curse controlled her, some say she did it for fun, or declared herself as judge, or even followed some sort of mind mongering believes!
But your strong mother woke one day, from her maybe selfimposed curse!
She told me once, that in these dark times, one morning she looked out of the smashed window of her house, which was smashed in the previouse nights brawl, in Bloodstone.
She looked through Bloodstones thrilling harbour, and recognized and saw once again the Spire, and how it grew, far out, disturbingly, on the sea, behind the sails of the seemingly unimpressive pirate ships.
So she went, through the crowed of themself prostituting women, men and transsexuals, which lived from your rich mothers nightly activities, up to the top of the hill, to the landlord of Bloodstone, facing her mirror, of what she had become, the anti-hero, her final test, as hero.
Entering the mansion, she saw one gunfire shot!
With this one shot, with one flash of guilt, she remembered all her friends, and the life’s of each of them, which she left behind and forgetting their faith in her, when the landlord killed in that moment one of her oldest friends, and great inventor, who worked intensively with her, and who even knew your aunt!
Thus she, an undead, formed up, once again to fight, shoulder to shoulder, side by side, with her friends, for all of their life’s, no matter which story they could tell, valuing and understanding each and every one of us as heroes, not as gods, and not alone, transcending the burden of being the chosen hero, but rather as free, loving friends and peers, trusting and understanding, that each and everyone can take part in being a hero, not needing to feel alone and being pressured to fulfil a holy prophecy and messiahism.
Because it is impossible to be without mistake, only together, we can forge a better life and reality.
Thus history took its cause, Lucian killed your mother’s oldest fellow, her Dalmatian dog "D", and thus in revengeful return, your mother killed and defeated Lucian, without second thought and hesitation, gifted markswomen as she was, with the rifle, with one shot, and threw him with the blast of the shot, into the abyss of the Spire!
She saved the workers of the Spire, and let her loved ones part, especially your aunt, friend and monk Hammer, to their own life’s and meditation!
In this new future, without duty and burden, she went to, and bought the freed Fairfax Castle; issued the new emancipating conclusion of her epic, to be told and taught all around Albion, without giving names other than the names of the listeners.
In Fairfax Castle, there in these arcane walls, she had her final revelation, and encounter with death, one last challenge and test, at the castles tombs.
The final test of her life, her game, the test of ancestry, gender and worlds, the test of Lion Head, by which she found her new way, world and life... US!
Thus she took her final rite and passage.
Here she found her youth & life, lifting all those curses from her.
Finding again her tomb, castle, world and bed, from which she rose to step on this new born youthful path.
Playing spinet in the empty, lonely halls of castle Fairfax, saying goodbye to this part of her life, to her rule at the castle, and the story as hero.
She left all those worlds behind and gave birth to Rob, her first and precious child, our son.
Creating a new world, in which she learned, how to pass on, what she has experienced, which worlds she has crossed and connected, what she has travelled, lived and died for, again and again.
For that she went back to her childhood.
To me! An old childhood friend and fantasy filled follower, of her tales and life’s!
Meeting up one stary full moon night, to unite, next to her friend’s grave, at the top of the hero’s hill, giving each other’s hands in marriage. A night and day, celebrating the magic which merged the worlds, and formed the seed for a new life, for our beloved Rob.
We, your parents, knew of all the stories, possibilities and tests you will have to face, fail and succeed; in your life, in your way!
But because of that, we wanted to give you guidance, in your tribulations; a home, so that you will not need to live through the burden and trials of heroism, the poisoning pressures, which come with it, and all the other experiences you do not want and choose to live through, and rather choose to be told of, of similar experiences we made, so that you can undertake a different story of adventure, and beeing your loves hero.
She exactly knew all of this, and we shared all those stories, to pass them on, for you!
Your mother loves you!
Know that!
She will,... always!
She lived through all her mistakes and experiences for you, so that you can listen & judge by yourself, her experiences and herself.
Because she was dead several times!
She learned, that creating life, and passing on, is the final test to be able to live all those worlds, and to be able to pass them on.
Thus she died for you, all those times.
She lived all the errors of her life for you, so that you may live differently, your way, deciding your own path, with the knowledge of her, and knowing to be loved, to love and live anew, and not like her drama of killing, taking life, versus giving life, by dying & giving birth.
Your birth!
Thus your dearest mother woke,
from her travelling of the worlds, to give
Birth to
thy! ...
... thy worlds of life’s!
(Worlds of birth & death, of dynamics, and love!)
A true heroine and inspiration, peer & parent (mother)!
In remembrance of Shadowfiend of D & her most faithful fellow D.
