Born and bred in Leinster, The Realm, my parents left me to be raised by the druids. They left me a sword as part of my heritage as well as my name. Of my parents, I do not remember them as I was only a babe when they left this enchanted land. There were several that knew my parents and they told me that I was named after my mother. My parents insisted that the designation "Atana" be part of my name - thus AtanaBetuana or AB as I was called, stuck. I was told that it meant "warrioress" in my parent's tongue. As I was growing up, the druids saw my potential in both weapons and magic and started training me in both disciplines. Instead of learning the way of the warrior as my parents were, my natural abilities took me to become an adventurer. When I was of age, I bade the druids farewell and set out on my own to explore this land called The Realm. I acquired a home in the town of Leinster with the basic equipment and skills of an adventurer.

Leinster was a huge and crowded town. It was the hub of commerce for The Realm. Most citizens of The Realm lived here, or if they hailed from Kurz, took to coming into town to socialize. Kurz was a little village northeast of town. It was an oasis to and from The Killing Fields which were a series of interlocking meadowns and woodlands, beautiful and lush. Most of the powerful fighters and mages did battle with each other or with the monsters that ranged there. Thieves found it the ideal place to lie in wait for the unwary. As a naive and innocent fledgling, I wandered just outside the town to explore my surroundings. Ratling Run was the area to the east of town, was where all novices started out. It was a beautiful wooded area, peaceful and serene but infested with rodents of unusual size that people would kill as they came across them. It was also populated with fairies, pixies, bats and flying rats. Depending on your point of view, it was a beautiful place or a dangerous one.

Killing rats was fun but after while it palled. To this end, I began searching for more instruction in the trade. With this in mind, I began inquiring around for help. Searching for a willing instructor was not easy as not too many were willing to take a novice out in the field and risk their death in battle. Most preferred to have you struggle on your own and learn the hard way. I searched for days to find someone to help me out. I was about to give up on my profession when I came across one who volunteered. I was strolling through Kurz one day when I met a willing instructor and future friend. Learning my skills was going to take some time and I met and studied under the tutelage of Katzenjammer and UltimateDragon.

I met Katzenjammer outside the Still Water Pub in Kurz as I was strolling down the lane. "Greetings" she hailed me as I walked by the pub. "Greetings my lady" I said smiling back at this tall red headed woman. "You look lost m'lady. Can I be of assistance? I am Katzenjammer." I looked at her and replied "I need some help in the hunt and in my studies my lady, and yes I would appreciate it. I am called AtanaBetuana or AB." She smiled and said "You must be new to all this. Tell me m'lady, are you a mage or a fighter?" "I am an adventurer my lady" I told her. "Ah!" She nodded knowingly. "Lets go meet my husband and we shall begin instruction" she said. I followed her to an armory in the village and met UltimateDragon, a warrior of renown, member of the Asha'man Guild. Together, they took me to the most dangerous place in The Realm - The Killing Fields. UltimateDragon taught me how to wield my sword while Katzenjammer taught me how to effectively cast my spells. For a novice I needed instruction in the basics of everything.

At first I was overwhelmed by the myriad of things I had to remember; be it fighting with my weapon or preparing to cast a spell. Both Katzenjammer and UltimateDragon were patient with me and protected me. After several days, I was able to do either one with equal facility and ease. It became a daily routine to meet up with them, either together or separately to hunt and learn. They became my friends, mentors and surrogate parents. As I grew in skill and proficiency, my confidence in myself blossomed. I met more of UltimateDragon and Katzenjammer's friends and as I was getting out more on my own, I was finding hunting easier and making new friends from all over The Realm.

One such person was Loanne. We met one day as I was wandering through the Killing Fields. I came to Sitting Rock one bright sunny day. She was standing there as if waiting for someone or something. "Greetings my lady" I greeted her. "Hello m'lady" she responded. "Waiting for monster to waylay my lady?" I inquired. "Aye m'lady, I have given up hunting them down" she said with a smile. "Forgive me, I am AtanaBetuana" I introduced myself. "I am Loanne" she said introducing herself. After a few minutes of chatting about inconsequential things, Loanne asked "Would you care to join up and hunt?" I smiled at her and nodded my agreement.

As we wandered around the Killing Fields and the East Forest of Death, Loanne and I got to know each other better. She was a wizard and was struggling with her studies, trying to reach Grand Master status. Unfortunately she had a few setbacks as I had. Loanne and I were opposites both in looks and temperament. We were both tall women, but she was blue eyed, tanned with long blonde hair. I on the other hand, was pale with dark brown eyes and a short crop of black hair. Wherever we went, the men would flock around her like bees to a flower. In temperament, I was quiet and unassuming while she was bubbly and outgoing. Everywhere we went, Loanne would always be surrounded by the menfolk. Loanne and I developed a close and great friendship. She was the sister that I never had. And with all the attention she generated, I reaped the rewards - meeting other people in The Realm. There was not a day where Loanne and I would not touch base even when we were both busy with other pursuits and hunting partners.

UltimateDragon and Katzenjammer in the meantime had a daughter. Her name Nicki. I was asked to be Godmother to this sweet child. Nicki and I developed a rapport together and as she grew, we became closer. Occasionally, I would get together with the family and hunt with them. I would also on occasion instruct Nicki in the way of the hunt as her parents did for me. Nicki was preparing to join her father's guild. Suffice it to say that Katzenjammer, UltimateDragon, Nicki and Loanne loomed large in my life. We would always get together and enjoy each other's company. As I had no one, they are my family. They were the people I looked up on a daily basis. I needed to be surrounded by people who loved me and who I loved. Most important of all, we always helped those in need and those people who wandered in through mystical and magical means into this enchanted land.

Heading out to the East Forest of Death one morning to take my place in the northeast corner, I spotted a young man looking lost. "Greetings my lord" I said to this handsome young man. "Hello m'lady" he said as he grinned impishly at me. Looking at him quizzically, I introduced myself "I am AtanaBetuana, and you are... ?" "Kalten, m'lady" came the reply. "You cannot fight here my lord" I told him bluntly noticing that he was unequipped to fight in this area of the forest. "I'm new here m'lady" he said depreciatingly. "Yes, I can see that" I remarked. "Come and join me and I shall help you, if it pleases you my lord." I offered. He gave another disarming grin and said "As you wish m'lady."

That started a great friendship. Kalten and I would spend a lot of time hunting and talking. We always had a wonderful time together. I found myself looking forward to meeting up with him daily. The more we spent time together, the more I felt enchanted by him. Kalten was always smiling and disarming. He had a way of charming everyone around him. I introduced him to all my friends who were also charmed by his manner and his sense of humour. I felt myself being pulled closer to him.

We talked about a great many things during our adventures and sojourns together. I found that I missed not having him around on the occasion when he was off with others. One day, we broached the subject of marriage. Kalten and I were discussing marriage in a broad sense. As he talked of it, I felt a twinge. He was preparing me to face my days without his company. I felt sad that a good friend would be leaving my company for another, but happy as well that he found someone to share his life with. Over the next few days, as he talked more on his views on marriage, and asked me for mine, I began distancing myself painfully. I had not realized that I had come to depend on Kalten for a great many things - friendship and companionship being the most important. The separation I was feeling as I distanced myself and moved away emotionally from Kalten, made me miserable. But as a friend, I had to keep my spirits high and be happy for him. I could not let him know how miserable it was making me, and how I truly felt about him. I couldn't really articulate how or what I felt about Kalten. I just knew I was happy to be with him. I never thought to look closely at those feelings. I was content to be in his company and left it at that. I felt that if I wished for more, it could destroy our friendship so I left well enough alone.

Then it happened, I began seeing less and less of him. I consoled myself with the fact that we would be good friends whatever happened. I went back to my daily routine of hunting and meeting up with my other friends. I had my goddaughter to help train for her father's guild and I concentrated my efforts on that. Spending more time with Nicki brought us closer together and she improved with time.

As I was strolling through the East Forest of Death one afternoon, I spotted Kalten. I waved to him and called out "Greetings my lord Kalten!" He turned at the sound of my voice and broke into one of his impish grins. The sight of him tugged at my heart. "Greetings m'lady" he replied as he walked towards me. It was then that I noticed a woman following him closely. I kept the smile pasted on my face as I said "It has been a long time my lord." Coming closer to me he replied "Yes it has Atana." I flicked a look at the young lady beside him, he turned to her and said "Atana, I would like you to meet my fiancee Tikiri." "Greetings my lady Tikiri." Looking at him I said "Congratulations and best wishes to both of you." Smiling at Tikiri I added "You are lucky my lady, Kalten is quite a catch." Tikiri smiledand said "Thank you Atana." An awkward silence followed and I said "It was good to see you again Kalten. And a pleasure to have met you Tikiri." Tikiri smiled and said "You too Atana." "I wish you much happiness, and I am truly happy for you" I said congenially. "Thanks Atana" was the reply from Kalten. "Well I'm off. Have a pleasant day" I said as I started off towards the north.

Once out of sight, I dropped the smile and headed for The Killing Fields. I accosted and killed every monster that crossed my path fighting barehanded. I kept my sword sheathed and refused to use it. People who saw me fighting and killing unarmed gave me shocked looks and stayed out of my way. I was hurt and wanted to hurt someone or something. The reality of Kalten and Tikiri's engagement stunned and hurt me to the core. After a few hours of killing, I vowed that no man was to ever capture my heart again. Tired and dejected, I went in search of my friends. I found Loanne at the Battling Mage and we went to my house.

Since I had never admitted and spoken of my feelings about Kalten to anyone, I felt the need to share them with someone now. Loanne bore the brunt of that confession. She listened patiently to my malcontented diatribe and pointed out what she had observed. She told me that we were both in love with each other and why in the gods name could I not have seen it. I told her that we were only good friends and nothing more. She gave me an exasperated look and said "I hate to tell you this AB, but you're wrong. You have been in love with him for a long time and he with you, if you'd only admit it to each other." Loanne pointed out bluntly. I was shocked. I hated forcing myself to face that truth but with Loanne's declaration I had to. "Well, it's too late Lo... he's engaged and since we've never really talked about our feelings for each other it's also a moot point. Besides, he never asked me to marry him." Loanne sighed shaking her head "You're not going to do anything are you..." She waved her hand and me and continued "don't answer I know, you're not." I shook my head and replied "No, I'll be the friend he knows Lo and that's the end of it." Loanne shook her head and said "Well, you're decision hon. You're wrong, but you have to live with it." And that was the end of the conversation. I never talked about him again to anyone. Weeks later, I saw Kalten at his wedding. Outwardly, I was very happy for him and Tikiri but inside I was crying.

After Kalten wed, I kept myself aloof from everyone. With the exception of my closest friends, I would not let anyone get close to me. Thus it went on. Life became dull after that. I still saw my friends, made new ones, helped newcomers and aspiring young adventurers but the life and joy seemed to have gone from me.

She stops writing for a moment and notices her hand shaking. Overcome by sadness and regret she gently put the quill down. Tears silently course down her cheeks as a wave of loneliness owverwhelms her. The memories come back to haunt her and tear at her heart. The hurt she thought had gone away came back afresh. Sobs wracked her body as she tried to contain the grief of her loss. She buries her head in her hands and lets the tears flow freely. After her crying had run its course, she pulls a handkerchief from a pocket and wipes away her spent tears and blows her nose. Feeling closed in, she looks out the window and notes that it is dark out. She casts a teleport spell to the village of Murias and heads out to the lake.

As I grew in skill and prowess, I became renown. Not so much for my fighting skills as my generosity. I made sure that I repaid all the kindness that many did for me when I was fledgling. I met many friends wandering the Forests of Death and The Killing Fields, many of whom have become life long friends and companions. Other than Loanne and the UD Clan who I spent a great deal of time with, my group of friends consisted of Elven, Kayli, Loser, Peach, Methus, Esbet, Chev, Poledra, Jethro, Lofar, Grenseal, Klael, SyanLyn, Kenneth, Tori, Chickie and StrangeBrew. We would hunt or just spend time in the tavern enjoying each other's company. They were the people I spent much time with and we got to know each other very well. Ajita, a great and close friend told me recently "You made me want to stay here Atana." At that time I had met Ajita in passing and helped her out with sage advise and offering her friendship.

Crimsonfyre and I met quite by accident. Wandering through The Killing Fields, we ran across each other. Both stopped to lie in wait for monsters to cross our paths, we talked. Crimsonfyre is a warrior and quite good looking. He was also a big flirt and always caught the ladies' eye. I enjoy his company when chance would throw us together. We occasionally ran into each other and chatted when the opportunity arose.

Chavez was another friend I met in The Killing Fields. He was a good looking man, funny and charismatic. He and I would occasionally hunt and enjoy each other's company. Chavez eventually married and we rarely saw each other after that.

As with many male friends and acquaintances, I kept them all at arm's length no matter the attraction. My heart was broken once and I vowed to never let that happen again. With the exception of Loanne, I would occasionally hunt with some of my trusted male friends - usually Klael, SyanLyn and Kenneth. There were others but I made sure there was always a third person around to discourage pursuit. My other friends I would meet at the tavern. Having shied away from most men's company, I began to develop a reputation of being cold, aloof and standoffish. To many that knew me, they sensed a distancing and quietly respected it.

UltimateDragon and Katzenjammer had a second daughter named Kitra by this time. Both girls were my goddaughters. Nicki was a sweet, soft spoken girl, shy and needed attention. I loved her dearly but fretted over her as did her mother. All three of us were overprotective towards Nicki. Kitra on the other hand was a very strong individual. She was bold, daring and would accost anything that crossed her path. She had no fear and was the total opposite of her older sister - assertive, aggressive and tough. We seldom worried over her as she was capable of taking care of herself.

Sadly, Katzenjammer and UltimateDragon divorced due to extenuating circumstances. I remained in contact with my friends after the dissolution of their marriage. After a time, UltimateDragon met and courted a beautiful woman named Athyreal. In time they married and Athyreal treated the girls as they were her own. Once again all was well with the family.

Since I had been helping train my goddaughter for her father's guild, I was being noticed by the officers of the Asha'man Guild. There were talks with them and hunting parties. It was also around this time that other guilds began to take notice of me namely The Companions of The Realm, Amazons and a few others. My fighting skills were in great demand, my firm stand on not killing or meting out retribution but finding a peaceful means to justice and my generosity in helping anyone without question earned me a reputation which preceeded me. Many guilds courted me for these qualities. Although I admired many of these guilds and their ideals, I politely declined and remained on friendly terms with all of them. Occasionally, they would request me to scrutinize a prospective candidate, take him or her hunting and judge their character. In time, I was respected for this as well.

The woman stops writing for a moment and re-reads what she has just written. Slowly, tears fill her eyes as she reminisces through the words written there. Taking a deep breath, she blinks the tears away muttering "What's wrong with me? I should go out and look up my old friends, hunt and socialize." She turns and looks out the window and see's that the sky is turning a purply pink color. Silently she incants a spell that lights the cnadles in the room. Momentarily blinded by the candlelight, she waits until her eyes adjust, then looks down at her writings. Turning the page, she ponders momentarily before dipping her quill into the inkwell then resumes her writing.

Then one day, with no warning the god Duach rained holy fire on Leinster. People were scrambling to get out of town in order to avoid his wrath. The death toll was staggering, homes and businesses gutted. When we went back to the town, there was little to salvage. Leinster was split in half since most of the fires could not be quenched. Thus East Leinster and West Leinster was formed. The mists had lifted and we found nine other towns and villages within the demesne of The Realm. Along with Kurz, East Leinster and West Leinster, the other new towns were Arimathor, Caer Fandry, Murias, Silverbrook, Drune, Usk, Asgard, Wen and Monmouth. A new age had begun in The Realm and we weren't prepared for the changes in the land.

With the lifting of the mists, many moved away from Leinster and Kurz to establish new lives for themselves. Some of the towns and villages now within The Realm had other races as well. Now giants and elves, as well as humans abounded in The Realm. Some of the towns and villages were enclaves specifically for each of those races while others had a mixed population. Other changes weren't so abrupt and as evident. After the passage of time, people found that they had been mystically transformed into other races. Loanne and Athyreal went from human to elven women. Their magical abilities were enhanced by this physiological change. UltimateDragon was transformed into a giant and sprouted horns. His warrior skills were enhanced by this change as well. Some people like myself remained human with no changed at all.

I moved to Kurz and established my home there. As the lifting of the mists had opened up the land, I found myself traveling extensively to get to know the land beyond the familiar boundaries of the old Realm. The monsters were more numerous, more dangerous, and caverns, dungeons and caves abounded. Aside from the new races, there were also newer monsters that roamed the land never seen before.

My friends and I found ourselves relearning skills in both magic and weapons. Newer weapons had to be forged and magical spells had to be enhanced to face the newest threat to the citizens of The Realm. We hunted these new threats down. They were more powerful than we were. We took to hunting in groups to destroy the menace. Alas, they were prolific and profligate still to this day. Newer armor had to be forged as well to protect us from these evil beings. Much time was spent enchanting armor and weapon to give the advantage to the fighters.

As in the old days, we always met at the tavern to discuss the events of our lives, meet new people, gather in fellowship and enjoy the camaraderie. Many of my friends wed, formed families and divorced. Because of the vastness of The Realm now, it was hard to keep track of friends as they drifted towards separate lives, towns and villages. Occasionally, they would come into the tavern where we could all renew our friendship or, I would run into them in my travels abroad. Sad to say that many of them left for distant lands outside of The Realm and we lost touch completely.

I ran into Kalten and Tikiri every so often during my travels. I kept those meetings short and congenial as I did not want to intrude on their privacy. And I still hurt from Kalten's defection. As they were always together, it was easy to smile and be congenial. I never had a chance to get to know Tikiri as we had not spent time together. And I had surmised that she had no interest in getting to know me either. So, these meetings no matter how congenial were always strained due to that. One day, I ran into Kalten alone and we talked. He informed me that he and Tikiri were leaving The Realm to explore new lands. He sought me out alone so we could talk and say goodbye. Kalten and I reminisced a bit. I wished him and Tikiri luck in their new adventure. We parted and I headed home to console myself. I was sad but there was nothing to be done and I had my life here.

With the lifting of the mists, the UD Clan expanded to include an elven wizard by name - Ordrevel. UltimateDragon had met him years before and had traveled together in search of his family. Ordrevel found his sisters LadyGamina and Alissande in The Realm. The "twins" as we called them were inseparable. They did everything together and would not be parted. They weren't twins. Ordrevel was the eldest, Alissande the youngest with Gamina being the middle child. Gamina was a wizard and Alissande a warrior. Together they made a formidable team. In looks and temperament they were complete opposites. Gamina was a platinum blonde almost silver haired and very fair. A quiet unassuming girl. Alissande on the other had was blonde and darker complexioned like her brother Ordrevel and always had a pert remark and an impish smile hovering over her lips.

In time, Loanne and I achieved Grand Master status and Expert Level ranking in both our respective disciplines and we cut a swath of devastation in the land. There was not a place we could hunt that the evil in this land could stand against us. As I had achieved Grand Master ranking in my weapons and fighting, I decided that I would also work toward Grand Master ranking in magic. My friend Loanne has helped me in this endeavor to this end.

Loanne and I were out in the field stalking prey when she spotted something. Her elven sight gave her the advantage of sighting things well before I could. "Over there AB" she said pointing to a depression on the valley floor. I followed her as she lightly walked over to the spot. Coming closer, I saw an elf woman lying on the ground. She was tan with light brown hair. I saw Loanne waving her hands over the woman. She blinked her eyes and squinted against the bright sunlight.

"Are you alright?" Loanned asked her. She propped herself on her elbows before coming up to a full sitting position. She nodded at Loanne that she was fine. She looked a little pale as she took in her surroundings and settled a confused gaze on both of us. I spied some packs ahead and addressed her. "Methinks those are your packs my lady" I said as I pointed to them. "I shall retrieve them for you." I said as I walked towards them, picked the bundles up and returned to where she and Loanne were sitting. "I lost my horse when the fog rolled in" she said in a soft musical voice. I gave her an arch look and replied "There has been no fog all day my lady." Loanne nodded in agreement.

Loanne gave her an appraising look and asked "Are you well enough to walk? I think we should head back to town." She slowly got to her feet and replied "I believe so." Before she could ask me for her packs I offered "My lady, if you have no objections, I shall carry these for you. You look all done in." She nodded her assent as Loanne began incanting a heal spell and directed it at her. "There, that should help." Loanne said smiling. The elven woman looked a great deal better than when we first encountered her after Loanne's spell. She introduced herself as Lisele and Loanne and I introduced ourselves. We headed back to town and to Loanne's house. Lisele ate, then we bundled her off to bed. Loanne and I stayed up late and talked of how we could help her begin a new life.

We provided Lisele with armor and took her around the various towns and villages of The Realm. Loanne helped her in her studies and introduced her to all our friends at the tavern. In time, Lisele acquired a house in Caer Fnadry and set about establish her life here. Eventually, she met and married my friend Crimsonfyre. Their wedding was a joyous celebration. With that liaison, she also became a step-mother to another friend, Impish. Lisele and Crimsonfyre's wedding was also the last time I saw Athyreal and UltimateDragon.

Athyreal and UltimateDragon left The Realm to explore other lands taking with them his father UD, their daughter Nicki and Ordrevel. LadyGamina and Alissande had left months earlier. I found two scrolls on my dooryard one morning. They were tied with a piece of leather to secure them together. One had my name on it and the other was unmarked. Curiously I unrolled it andd read its contents, my eyes widening as I read it.

M'lady, this is intended as a message for the UD Clan as we are unable to contact any of them currently and I would appreciate if you would present them with this scroll to let them know we are safe but we may not be able to be in touch with them for a long time. Respectfully, Alissande

I hurriedly sought out Ordrevel and found him at Drune's food court. I silently handed him his scroll. He looked at me quizzically as he unrolled it and began to read. He handed it to me as he sat down, his face pale and his body trembling. I looked at his sad face and turned to read his message.

Dear Ord,

Gam and I have discovered information that tells us that the
raiders responsible for the destruction of our home and the
death of our parents are again loose and wantonly killing.

In order to obtain some solid information Gam and I are going to
do some reconnaisance. It may be some time before we are able
to get back in touch with you, if ever at all. Please keep yourself well
and thank the rest of the Clan for being so wonderful.

As I write this, I do not know if we shall ever see each other
again brother, but what Gam and I do, we do for the
good of the Clan. Preserve the knowledge and the lore,
for if we do not return, you are the sole keeper of our
family's identity. We pray you will be well and that we
shall all journey together soon.

Your loving sisters,
LadyGamina and Alissande

Through all this my friend Loanne who was getting busier with other pursuits rarely saw me anymore. The times that we do see and spend time together are becoming rarer and more precious with the passage of time. The last time I saw my closest friend was at Lisele and Crimsonfyre's wedding. Lisele had asked her to be her bridesmaid. I did not get a chance to speak to her as she was busy with her duties. I miss her terribly and keep hoping that one day she will return to this land. I can only surmise that she has gone beyond the borders of The Realm to explore new lands as no one has seen her since.

There were also many others that left for other lands that have come back. I was surprised to find Kalten in the land one day. He contacted me and we got together and reminisced about old times in the old Realm and how things were for each of us. He and Tikiri were still together and still exploring other lands. But he missed his old friends and thought to come visit. We spent an evening together getting reacquainted with each other.