The Gates of Doria
The Black Void - Episode 3681
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Do I really believe in magic? I'm not sure, but it would be wise not to
dismiss it out of hand. My very existence in this world may have been
through some sort of magic. The idea of it is at once exciting and
terrifying.
One thing's for sure, I must be careful when I reach my destination. Until now, I've been so focused on getting to Doria, that I haven't given much thought to what will happen once I arrive. Does this dream portend more troubles ahead for me? In any case, I'm not turning around. The only place I could go back to at this point is Pella, and I'm not at all interested in settling there. The morning air is cool and crisp as I descend into the valley. I try to push the dream out of my head as I walk, enjoying the beauty of nature around me. I spend the next three days walking through the valley, not encountering another soul or any animal larger than a deer. By the fourth day, I am starting into the foothills of the border mountains. The map and compass guide me to the correct pass, where a path has been hewn. On my fifth day since setting out from Pella, I come across a natural hot springs which is on a branch from the main pass. I stop for the afternoon there to relax and refresh myself. The next morning I find myself approaching, according to my map, the Dorian border. The path becomes flatter and wider as I progress, with smooth rock walls a hundred feet high on either side, as if a path had been blasted straight through the mountain with explosives...or magic. After what seems like hours on this path, I finally reach the Dorian border, marked by a massive gate, easily fifty feet tall. It must take a small army to open that, I muse. The metalworking is intricate, and the gate seems to perfectly reflect the sunlight, glittering as though made of diamonds. Staring up at the gate in amazement, I am totally oblivious to the fact that someone has approahced. He clears his throat to get my attention. I turn to see a young, square-jawed man staring back at me. Obviously a border guard of some kind, I realize. I look up at him and smile sweetly.
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Xavier
7/18/2007 8:00:26 PM
Extending Enabled
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