Valkyrie's Page of Wonder

June 30, 2006

Fallen Angel - Battle of the Klemayn Plains

As the weeks pass by, Xannon and Sarah become even closer. They went out every day after class, sometimes sneaking away to the nearby village for a change of scenery. They sit outside of the tavern in the village nursing some kind of alcoholic beverage that burned its way down their throat with every sip.
“What is the punishment for leaving school grounds without permission again?” Xannon asks.
“Suspension, house arrest, and a possibility of other more drastic penalties,” Sarah replies.
“Ah yes, I think I can live with those,” he states while taking another sip of his drink. He immediately regrets it as it burns his entire mouth.
“What is this stuff?”
“Dwarven Dragon’s Ale, according to the bartender. Supposedly, even the dwarves have trouble drinking an entire glass.”
“Well I can’t let the dwarves show me up now can I?”
Xannon sits up and looks into the mostly full glass of ale. He pauses only a moment before bringing the glass to his lips and chugging the drink as quick as he can, trying to ignore the burning sensation spreading its way through his body. As the glass finally empties he slams it back on the table and shakes his head trying to endure the pain.
“Wow! I won’t be doing that again for a while,” Xannon states.
“Xannon Okunen and Sarah Redding!” an all too familiar voice yells out from across the street.
They both stand up at attention, knowing without looking that the voice comes from Priestess Gatomon, one of the higher ranked students and part of the disciplinary committee. Gatomon walks over and looks straight at Xannon.
“I expect this kind of behavior from a wildcard such as yourself, but to bring Sarah along is simply inexcusable. You are both to report back to the temple immediately. News has reached the Temple of Bast that the humans have the backing of Kardis and Rinous. Worse than that, they are gathering a massive army at the edge of the Klemayn Plains. Bast has already sent out all her available priest and priestesses but needs all students to be available for immediate dispatch. We will deal with your punishment later. Now move!”
Xannon and Sarah turn and start running back toward the temple followed by Gatomon.

The air in the main hall of the temple was heavy with worry from all the students gathered, waiting for any word on the battle. Finally, the High Priestess exits her office and proceeds to the podium.
“The battle is over. After hours of intense fighting the Katta and Elves manage to hold their ground against the humans and drive them back. It grieves me to report, however, that both sides suffered greatly. Out of the tens of thousands of soldiers that were sent out only a few hundred manage to make it back alive.”
Several shocked gasps can be heard around the hall. Before now the students were under the impression that while the humans were creating these dangerous machines, they were no match for the forces of Bast and Yehova. This news proved that wrong, dead wrong.
“Because of this we are going to accelerate your training. The new classes will start tomorrow. Take the rest of the day for yourselves. May Bast protect you always.”
The High Priestess turns and heads back to her office, obviously disturbed by all that transpired. Xannon notices this and starts to follow. She disappears into her office and Xannon knocks on the door but gets no response. He knocks again and again hears nothing in reply. He slowly opens the door and peaks in and finds the High Priestess sitting behind her desk, in tears. Checking to see if anyone is looking, Xannon slips in and closes the door behind him. It shuts a little louder than he hoped and startles the High Priestess.
“Oh! I’m sorry, can you come back later?” she asks while wiping the tears from her face. “I have several things I need to go over before tomorrow’s classes.”
“I noticed you looked a little more distraught than the others when you giving the news. Is something else wrong? Anything I can do to help?”
She smiles but shakes her head. “No, there isn’t anything you can do. But it’s nice of you to offer.”
She looks at Xannon for a moment before speaking again.
“I know you. You’re the student that was caught off campus drinking Dwarven Ale. Xannon Okunen, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Was it worth it?”
“Was what worth it?” Xannon asks, quizzically.
“Being outside these walls, doing your own thing. Was it worth the price? Was it worth the house arrest and the seemingly never ending fire that comes from Dwarven Ale?”
“Any moment spent with Sarah is worth any price.”
She smiles, “You love her a lot don’t you?”
“With every fiber of my being. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Tell me, what would you do if she died?”
“I wouldn’t let that happen, she means too much to me.”
“But what if there was nothing you could do to save her. What if she was sent off to war while you were left behind? What if you didn’t learn about her death until hours later? What would you do then?”
Xannon is about to respond when it suddenly hits him.
“Well… I suppose the first thing I would do is cry.”
Again, the High Priestess smiles, “What would you do after that?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think I would hide myself from those that needed me, those that relied on me for guidance. There are hundreds of students outside these doors that look to you for support. If you can’t offer them that in this time of need, then it might as well have been you out on the field of battle. We need your guidance, I need your guidance. You can’t leave us alone to handle this grave of news. We aren’t prepared. We need to know that there is hope for the future, that the war will end someday and there will be nothing but peaceful days forever.”
Xannon turns away, “I’m sorry. I said too much. I should go.”
He stands and turns to leave but she speaks, much more gently than before. “Priest Naveen was more than a friend, more than a love, more than anything to me. When he told me that he had been assigned to the front, I cried, but resolved to be strong. I swore to myself that he would return alive. When the report came that he had been killed, I nearly lost it. I can only hope and pray that what happened to me doesn’t happen to you. You’re right. There are others that need me. I didn’t die in that battle. I was chosen to stay behind because people like you need me. I’m sorry if seeing me like this has made you lose faith in me.”
Xannon turns and smiles. “On the contrary, seeing you like this makes me realize you are normal just like the rest of us. That gives me more faith in you as a person and as a leader. Don’t hide your feelings from those that need you. Let us know that you are feeling exactly what we are. That you hurt just like we do. We all care for you and about you. Let us help you just as you’ve helped us.”
Xannon opens the door and steps out, closing it behind him.
“What would I do if Sarah died?” Xannon thinks to himself.
He shakes his head to clear it and proceeds back to where he left Sarah in the main hall.
“What was that about?” Sarah asks as Xannon kisses her cheek.
“She lost someone special in that last battle. She just needs a little time for herself.”
Xannon looks around the main hall and sees that almost everyone else had left.
“You want to get out of here?”
“Sure, but where are we going to go? Don’t forget we’re both still under house arrest.”
“Hmm… Good point. How about my room? If I remember correctly I have a test in Spell Economics coming up soon and I could really use your help studying.”
“Sure, I think I can help with that.”
Xannon takes Sarah’s hand and they both walk down hall toward Xannon’s room.

June 29, 2006

Fallen Angel - Planes of Existance

The sun rising in the east shines through Xannon’s window and onto an empty bed. Xannon couldn’t sleep after he got back to his room the night before and had stayed up all night thinking about Sarah while attempting to study. As the time nears to start his first class, he grabs his books and heads for the main hall, hoping to catch Sarah on her way to class.
His attempt is successful and Sarah stops before heading down the hallway to their class. Xannon gives her a hug and pulls her aside, away from the crowd of students heading toward their classrooms.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, Sarah.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either. Last night was the best night I’ve had since I came here. But you better be able to clear your head for the test in Mrs. White’s class today. It covers the five planes of existence.”
“A test?!” Xannon asks, stunned. “I completely forgot about it! Hopefully I’ll remember enough to scrape by.”
The first bell rings signaling the start of class.
“We better go now or we’ll miss the test.”
Sarah and Xannon head down the hallway and manage to make it to class before the tardy bell rings. Mrs. White passes out the tests and Xannon quickly looks over all the questions.
“Name the five planes of existence.” Xannon reads to himself. “This one is easy enough.”
The first plane of existence is the Material Plane. The material plane is where humans, katta, elves, monsters and the like, live. It consists of what can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted and heard.
The second plane is the Ethereal Plane also known as the Astral Plane. This is where the souls of all living things reside. Astral or Light magic attacks by damaging the soul via the Ethereal Plane.
The third plane is the Plane of Arcadia. Angels, Archons, and other high level servants of Bast and Yehova make their home on this plane. Travel though Arcadia by normal beings is nearly impossible and they will get lost if not being guided by a native of that plane. Getting lost in Arcadia is more frustrating than dangerous as the creatures are naturally friendly.
The forth plane is quite different however. The Plane of the Abyss is where the Demons, Devils and other high level servants of Kardis and Rinous take up residence. If anyone from the material plane attempts travel through the Abyss the will be almost constantly assaulted by the guardian demons who find their flesh most tasty. If they can survive the demon attacks they must then learn how to navigate the twisted corridors and traps that are scattered about the realm. If someone was to get lost in Arcadia, chances of them coming back alive are nearly zero.
The fifth plane of existence is where the Gods reside and is called the Divine plane. This plane is actually very barren. There exist six main bodies of land. The rest is a sea of nothingness which will devour unsuspecting travelers, if they are unfortunate enough to fall in. In the middle of the plane a massive island with six huge doors resides. Five of the doors are gateways two the other five islands. The sixth is guarded by a pair of dragons. Entrance is forbidden and no one knows where it leads. The other five islands in this plane are the homes of the five main gods, Bast, Yehova, Kardis, Rinous, and Gaia.
It has been theorized by scientists at Section-N that there are more planes of existence that have yet to be discovered, but the technology to prove those theories is non-existent.
Xannon finishes the last question just in time.
“Time is up. Please pass your tests forward. Hopefully you all did well on this test. If not, there is always the Priesthood of Yehova. Class dismissed.”
Sarah picks up her things and heads over to Xannon’s desk.
“How do you think you did?”
“Good I guess. Didn’t quite know what she was looking for when she asked about the connection between the Abyss and Arcadia, but hopefully she will find my answer acceptable.”
“Knowing you, she probably won’t. Since she let class out early, do you want to help me practice for Mr. Steele’s class? I haven’t had much time to practice my healing magic.”
“Sure, my pleasure,” Xannon gathers his things and they leave Mrs. White grading the tests.

Xannon and Sarah to the far end of the field close the forest and sit on one of the large rocks. Xannon finds a sharp edge on the rock and purposely cuts the palm of his hand. He then holds it out for Sarah.
“Now remember, you’re supposed to focus your magic energy on the wound. Feel the damage, will it to mend.”
“I’ll try,” she replies holding her hand over Xannon’s
She closes her eyes and pictures the wound her mind. As she does, her hands begin to glow a soft white. Slowly the bleeding begins to subside and then start to pull back into the cut. Her hands glow brighter and the cut starts to close up. Soon it is all healed so not even a scar can be seen.
“Not bad, I see you remembered to numb the area first.”
“Yeah, after that last time where you described it as your flesh peeling, I decided to take other measures.”
Xannon smiles at her then looks across the field to the temple.
“Do you think they have any rules about love between students?”
“Perhaps, but at the moment, I don’t really care.”
Xannon looks back at Sarah and is greeted by a mischievous smile. Xannon gets an evil grin, then tackles Sarah off the rock.

June 24, 2006

On the Road Again...

Well here I am in Savannah again. This time i'm here for the City Council get together, conference thing. Only open for 2 hours today and already have several leads. We're going to head out to the Toucan Cafe later. Last time I was there I got the Rosemary encrusted Lamb Loin. It was really good. Espically the first bite.
Anyway, back to why we're here. We are here to show everyone what a great thing we have to offer in CicoSitePro, a website Content Management System, designed specifically for Cities and Counties. We are here at the GMA Annual Convention(Georgia Municipal Association). Hundreds of city officials from all over Georgia come here to check out the booths and do other councily things. Check out the website to see what else goes on around here.
So two hours today, which have already come and gone, and approx four hours tomorrow 11am - 1pm. No big deal, we can handle that. Like I mentioned we already have several good leads and I think we can pick up a few others tomorrow.
Also our big rival, CivicPlus, has a booth at the convention and there booth just doesnt look as good as ours. Way too corporate and not so down to earth like council people really want. Plus our bright orange and green tables really catch your eye. I'll try to remember to get pictures tomorrow at the thing and post them up for people to see.
One of the things we did to save some money is not pay the $600 or so for internet access. Instead we took my pc from work and turned it into a full webserver, meaning it has a full version of coldfusion installed and a full version of MS SQL Server installed. So now all the PCs on the network we set up can access the websites we want to display by connecting to our own server instead of across the internet. Very convienent. Plus it makes things easier for me in everyday work cause the SQL Server comes with Enterprise Manager which allows me to make any necessary changes to the databases.
So lots of fun things happening. I'll prolly post again later tonight. Cya!

June 02, 2006

Pendleton King Park Ferret Meetup

Recently we had our ferret meet up at Pendleton King Park. It had a luau theme and was very fun. But you can read more about that at my wife's site: Ferret Dreams: Luau Photos Well...ok, so maybe she didnt talk much about it either. It was still fun and the pictures she links to tell a good story about what happen.

I'm here to talk about some photos I took while I was there. Namely from the Scratch and Sniff Garden..er I mean the Touch and Smell Garden. The first picture here is the sign that hangs next to the entry way. They say don't take the plants but someone before us decided to chop a big chunk of parsley off and take it with them. At least thats what the plant looked like happened.

The main area of the Garden was dominated by this fountain/pool thing. The spray it put off combined with the slight breeze made it very cool feeling. The water didnt look too clean but I think it was just the walls of the pool and not the water itself. Kris took a moment to cool her toes in the crisp water while the others checked out the herbs and other pretty plant life. Patrick, being a cook, was able to point out just about every plant in that place. The Rosemary was the best smelling plant there in my opinion.


Upon exiting the garden I ran across these beautiful purple flowers and decided to get a closer look and see how good our little camera was. I have to say it turned out rather well. The top flower almost looks fake, CG even. I have a copy of this hanging on my fridge here at the house.
Hopefully I will be finding more things to take pictures of and post about. Maybe even get a better camera....ok so not really. I doubt i'll be able to get a good camera for a long while yet. Peace and don't forget to check out the rest of the Luau photos.

Eolake Stobblehouse

Eolake Stobblehouse blog

Eolake is a Danish writer/photographer who I ran across several months ago. After reading through several of his blog entries I decided I liked his opinions on life, aesthetics, and beauty.
Check him out and maybe you'll like him as much as I do, and maybe you won't. It's a free world, for the most part.

Eolake, as I mentioned, is a photographer and his main focus, or at least his main source of income, is nude photos. Now before you go screaming about him being a porn photographer read this article: DOMAI Style - Simple Nudes. It basicly says there are three kinds of nude art. Fine Art, Erotica, and Simple Nudes. Each focus on a different aspect of nude art. Fine art focuses on the Art aspect of the piece. Erotica focuses on the sexual aspect. And Simple Nudes focuses on the beauty of subject. Read the article for a more detailed explaination.
Why do I mention this? Mainly because I wish to start some thinking in the heads of whoever reads this. But also because I'm beginning to think that nudity is not a bad thing. If someone can prove otherwise, great. If not, then perhaps I am right. Only time will tell.

So, why do I think nudity is not bad? Well for starters, we're born that way, so its our natural state and there shouldne be anything wrong with nature. Also Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden and didnt seem to mind that they were nude.
True, after they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they realized they were naked and hid. Does that mean that they realized that nudity was bad? I'm not sure, and i'm hoping someone out there can help me out with that one.
I'll throw some more reasons out if a discussion starts up, but dont get me wrong, I don't think all nudity is good. Pornography, which is intended to cause lust and impure thought, is bad...in most cases, but I'll leave that for another discussion.

Fallen Angel - Love Grows

Several weeks had past and Xannon and Sarah spent most of their free time together, either practicing magic or just talking about life. When they were apart, Xannon could still feel her touch, could still sense her presence. Sometimes he had to turn and make sure she wasn’t standing behind him. He felt as if they were soul mates, drawn together by fate, never to be separated.
They had their differences of course, while Sarah excelled in the teachings of the temple and was always ready to help others, not only in their studies but also other everyday tasks, Xannon found his strength in the magical arts and quickly began mastering the low and mid level spells.
“Why do you give the teachers such a hard time?” Sarah asks, lying on the roof of the temple.
All their classes were done for the day and the sun was just starting to make its way behind the western mountains. Xannon, who was lying next to her absorbing the last few rays of the sun, smiles at the thought.
“It keeps them on their toes. Most of the teachers here are too strict to give good lessons anyway.”
“You know they are strict for a reason. The Goddess has certain rules that must be followed if you are to be granted her power. Surely you’ve learned that by now. Also, I’ve heard talk that they want you kicked out of the temple.”
“Won’t happen,” he replies rolling on to his side and looking at her. “I’m exactly what this temple needs and the High Priestess knows that.”
“The temple needs an arrogant student who is always pestering the teachers?”
“The temple needs a powerful Priest on their side. You know they need people like me for the war. They need someone strong enough to combat the war machines being created in those factories by Section-N.”
The war was a seemingly never ending struggle between humans and the rest of the world. Backed by the technical knowledge and power of the mega conglomerate Section-N, the humans were beginning to push the Katta and Elves off the mainland. There were some humans however, mostly those in the temples of Bast and Yehova, who wished to see and end to the fighting and sided with the forces of the Katta and Elves. However, even with the backing of the twin gods of Life and Creation the war didn’t seem to be slowing down. It was almost as if the humans had more backing them than technology.
“I don’t understand the war at all. They fight to claim land they have no rights to, land that has been the property of the Katta and Elves for centuries upon centuries before we were even created.”
“When humans were created we had no land. Everything was owned by the Katta or the Elves. They had no intention of giving it up either. The history books will tell you that. Only by fighting could the human race have hoped to survive the first hundred years.”
“So why do they continue? When will enough be enough? When the Katta are driven off the mainland? When the elves are driven back through their forests and into the ocean? Does everything have to belong to the humans for our leaders to be satisfied?”
“That, I cannot say. But that is also the reason I know they will not kick me out of this temple.”
Sarah looks out across the yard and seems lost in thought for a moment.
“Xannon? Remember when we first met and I told you I was looking for someone?”
“Yeah, I remember that. Do you think you’ve found them?”
“I think it’s you. Every day when I wake up, my first thought is of you. Every night before I drift off to sleep, I think of you. I was called here to find you, to help you.”
“Help me? Help me do what?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe help you be a better priest, not a better magician obviously.”
Xannon rolls back onto his back and stares up at the blue sky. He remains silent for a moment.
“I guess you’re doing a good job then, because when I’m with you, I want to be a better person.”
He sits up and turns to look at Sarah. She looks back at him with loving eyes and leans closer to him. Xannon puts his arm around her and pulls her close.
“From the day I met you, I knew there was something about you. Now I can see that we were meant to be together.”
“Can we stay like this forever?” Sarah asks as she lays her head on his chest.
“Of course we can.”
Xannon watches Sarah as she closes her eyes and begins to drift off to a peaceful sleep. While they had been close before, this was the first time she had laid her head on him. He watches her for a few moments longer, enjoying the moment, then carefully lays back, making sure Sarah stays comfortably asleep.
Xannon watches the clouds sail by, and finds himself very relaxed having the woman of his dreams sleeping next to him. He closes his eyes and dreams of peaceful days, just him and Sarah with no wars and no fighting.

When he opens his eyes, the sky is dark but the moon shines bright. He turns and finds Sarah still sleeping peacefully. He gently runs his fingers through her hair and she stirs.
“Mmm…that feels so nice.”
“Sarah?” Xannon asks as he continues to play with her hair. “I…I think I love you.”
This causes Sarah to look up at him with an expression of shock and happiness.
“I think I love you too,” Sarah replies.
Xannon gently pulls her closer so their faces are inches apart. Sarah closes her eyes and Xannon leans in and kisses her. After what seemed like ages, Xannon pulls back and looks into her eyes.
“It’s late.” Xannon says.
“Yeah…” Sarah says dreamily.
“I should get you back to your room, we have class tomorrow.”
Sarah sighs, “I suppose you’re right.”
Xannon leads Sarah back to her room and kisses her again before heading back to his own room, but that kiss paled in comparison to their first kiss.