The contest is quite simple. You have to email Stargrace with a description/story/some form of text about your favourite EQ2 memory and include a screenshot. There are hardly any restrictions on content, but if you are interested you really should head over there and get up to speed with the rules.
Here is my submission. It is a post that I have used before when I was writing my Revenants blog. I decided to reuse it as it encompasses some of the most favourite things about EQ2 (roleplaying and the people I hang with online) and some great memories. Best of all it is about my wifes toon and she is quite obviously my fave person. So lot's of faves in there, and a good bit of nostalgia for me too.
Emarald Green…lean, mean, healing machine!
Emarald Green
After complaining about the cold of Terens Grasp, our intrepid reporter Shadowraethe this time headed out to the more relaxed atmosphere of The Blood Haze Inn, West Freeport to meet Emarald Green. Shadowraethe has known Emarald for many years, helping and advising the young Arasai in her journeys throughout Norrath. Over to Shadowraethe….
I began with greetings. It’s always best don’t you think? Amongst friends or even enemies, there is nothing that screams ‘good breeding’ like manners. Ema’ was in fine spirits she always seems so bubbly that little one. I suppose it is a direct result of her young age. It may be that in all our years as friends we have adopted the role of ‘big’ and ‘little’ sisters and as such I can’t help but want to look after this small fragile creature.
Although knowing some of her history, I thought I would get an insight as to how Ema saw her short, but distinguished past…
“Oh, I’m so glad you asked me Shadow, and it’s great to see you! We hardly get time to talk anymore nowadays. I guess it all began in Neriak. I do find it hard recalling my exact origins though. I’m not sure why, but my earliest memories seem to flit around at the back of my head, and I can’t ever ever catch them *giggling*. I do know that I can’t find my parents. Well, I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t think I’ve ever met them. I seem to remember some trouble in Neriak too, but I can’t quite put my wing on it. I do have memories of at a very very young age having to glide away to safety as quick as I could, even though I don’t know why. I must have been very young at the time. Maybe only a few years old. Anyway, I remember escaping Neriak and heading out in to Nektulos Forest alone.”
Emaralds bubbly demeanour took on an introspective tone and became quiet as she discussed this with me. I couldn’t help but feel sad and sorry for her..
“Yeah, I escaped, but I don’t know why. I was all alone and I remember being very scared. The noises of the forest petrified me. They seemed different to those of Darklight Woods. At one point I had to cross a wide river and I had never swam before. I never did reach the other side. The next thing I remember I was lying in a dark copse. I didn’t even know if I was still in Nektulos Forest. I was hungry though, very hungry I can remember that!”
I knew of her shaded past, but I was curious. There was a time from her escape from Neriak to her time where Emarald came to Freeport and we first met, that was, well…. blank. I was intrigued to know of her early years and how she survived. I watched as Emarald drifted off in to her memories. They must have been pleasant. I have never seen the young bubbly creature look so serene as she was reminiscing about her informative years.
“It surprised me as much as it’s going to surprise you. Like I said, I woke up, confused and a little dazed, and my wings were still wet through. Obviously all other thought apart from food left me and I crawled on my hands and knees trying to find my strength. It was then that I felt a nudge from behind and turned to see the blood red eyes of a wolf. I can’t tell you how scared I was when I realised that instead of looking for food, I was about to become dinner. I curled up in my sleep ball and wrapped my wings as tight as I could around me. I knew it wouldn’t help. I was extremely young, but I knew my end when I saw it. I stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, but when I finally felt nothing, I unfolded my wings and there right in front of me was a big lump of meat. Just left there. *laughing* It was all covered in dirt and fur, but that didn’t bother me, I tucked right in!”
So, I wondered how long she stayed with her unusual companion and how she came to be there.
“ I don’t know how I got there..silly big sis! I stayed for a few years at least though. It wasn’t a pack of Wolves or anything. There seemed to be only three of them, well four including me. I guess we were all outcasts. We looked after each other. They would go out and hunt and bring back food and I would clean and tidy our…errr, nest? Well, one day they didn’t come back. It got dark and I was getting worried. The fear of being alone again was indescribable. Then I hear something and saw the two smaller Wolves dragging the older large one ‘Greysnout’ back. He wasn’t moving. He had a huge gouge out of his throat and he was dead.”
Ema began to get upset so we finished our drinks and ordered another before continuing..
“I’m sorry . Where was I? Oh…yes. Well they brought old Greysnout in and just laid him down. We were all hungry but we forgot about that in our sadness. I remember falling, laying my head so it was resting on Greysnouts chest. I was crying and as I fell asleep I started praying in my head. I don’t know who to. Just anyone who would listen. My grief was so huge that I think it clouds my memory about this, but.. I may have fallen asleep while praying for old Grey but I recall seeing, walking through the woods towards us, a bright green glowing Nymph type creature. It didn’t stop, or pass us by…it just came up to me, with my head resting on old Grey. Now, I can recall this clear as an Antonican morning…she asked me ‘You miss your friend?’. ‘Of course!’ I answered sobbing. ‘You have it in you. Did you know?’ she murmured at me. I didn’t have a clue what the strange thing was talking about and I told her that. She just leaned in toward me and whispered in my ear and I’ll never forget this, ‘You have suffered young Arasai. Your time of suffering is over. You now hold nature and it’s powers within you. You shall be Nature’s Warden. I give this power freely to you along with my spirit. You are Emarald Green’. Strange huh? Well, I woke up, I’m not sure how long later, and there was old Greysnout rolling around playing with Hooktail. I couldn’t believe it. What I couldn’t believe more was when I reached out to tickle old Grey..I saw my hand and then the rest of me, and I was bright green.”
I was saddened by Emas story and wanted to move her thoughts on to brighter times. Thoughts of her past were making me feel protective of her. So, I asked about her new family here in Freeport, and how she came to be here.
“Sadly old Greysnout did eventually die naturally, and it was tough for us in the forest. So I went out journeying to find us shelter and a home. It brought me to Freeport. Although I didn’t find a new home for all of us, I now have a safe place where Hooktail and ClipEar can play and hunt. I visit them most days still. *giggling* You know what happened anyway Shadow when I came to Freeport, it was you who bumped in to me outside the gates. You were all terrifying on your big horse with that huge beast Demon thingy standing behind you. I was so scared. Then you spoke to me and you were so kind. Do you remember what you said to me Shadow?. *giggling* You said ‘My my! What do we have here then? You are a little green thing. You look new here. Would you like me to show you the city?’, you even had that big beast pick me up and carry me around if you remember?”
Of course I did remember, and I recall why I felt sorry for Emarald and decided to help her..but that story is for another day. I wanted to know what Emarald thought of the rest of our group.
“Heh, so where to start. Errrm, My best friend I think is ranger Ddrow. I trust him so much and he is always helping me. Then there is Konador. He’s our warrior and he makes me feel safe. It’s strange really, we hardly ever talk but I respect him and follow his orders, but he respects me hugely…because of my…err, mending magicks? I guess we have a mutual silent respect. *giggles* then there’s Dal…Daltieri. He’s so funny. He treats me like my age…young and fun! We have such fun together! Then there’s Ysabella. She’s a fae. We argue…a lot. I think she’s great, but something between us seems…strange. Maybe it’s our heritage, but we do argue. Constantly. Mostly because she starts it.. *giggle* and maybe because we are both very mischievous…. Then there’s you Shadow. You’re like my big sister. You know how I feel about you. I guess that’s about it for our gang. There’s that strange Assassin lady, what’s her name? Vah’Khan? Well she’s nasty and she scares me…she hardly ever speaks..did you know that? Well, not to me”
Obviously with the new lands of Kunark having being recently discovered, I was wondering if Ema had ever been there and what she thought of the place.
“ *clasping hands together* Oh, I love it there! It’s so so pretty. Don’t you think it’s quite a bit scary though Shadow? I love the scenery and well, you know what I’m like around woods and the like. I never travel there though without an escort. It’s just too dangerous. Ddrow takes me there to hunt quite a bit. We’ve been running around the Fens of Nathsar recently. Now that’s really really scary, but I like it….errr, apart from the Swamp there. It’s kinda whiffy smelly…eww”
Finishing our drinks I wanted to ask Ema one more question. Her powers to heal are probably one of her most defining features (apart from the fact she’s green – Ed), yet she had only skirted around using them on her wolf friend. So what does she make of her powers?
“Eh? Powers? Oh, my mending magicks *giggles*. Yeah, I can’t quite believe I can do those things still. It amazes me really, but ever since that time I have had the ability to do it and it just keeps getting stronger every day. Konador tells me that I’m probably one of the most efficient and proficient healers he has ever met. Don’t really know what those big words mean, but it sounded good. Anyway, that’s me really. That’s what I ‘m all about, my magick mending. Being so young and with my mending magicks being so strong, I seem to get a lot of respect from my friends.”
It seemed strange watching the young Emarald skipping off as we parted in West Freeport. Standing outside the Inn, waving farewell to my friend, I watched as she moved between a skip and a glide with the occasional spin before leaving through the gates, and her young age seems more apparent than ever. It’s a world away from the calm, powerful Arasai Healer I have seen her be when taking care of her friends in battle.
Quite a remarkable creature. Emarald Green.
Be well.
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