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You went far from your homeland - wherever it was... But here you are, in this strange place!
You made few confused steps foward with eyes pointed at clear sky and you fell. With this, you realized, your body isn't like you are used to - it was transparent, disturbed like in fog. But you quickly overcome your fear of unknown. You are //dreaming//, you told yourself...
When you gathered from ground, you've walks across the gold dunes of sands and rocks, and stopped at the bottom of the dunes.
Now, you stopped on the borders between two different worlds of green and gold - all worlds heated by dim light of the suns. Just ahead of you to the north, shadows lengthened as the suns rose higher and higher above the green hills. You heard the voices of birds from the depths of the jungle on the other side of the deep, dark trench. On the bottom was a shallow river. Over it, a series of tree trunks and strange connections of stones held only by the solid roots that encircled them, led across the trench.
[[Cross a trench through a tree trunk...]]You found yourself on the other side and stepped into the shadows of the huge old trees of the forest, stretching up into the hills and rocks, toward two huge towers. But their silhouettes were dim against the sun...
[[Continue into the jungle...]]As you continue, you saw a crouched creature with big red eyes pointing on you. Its body was covered with a series of warts and bladders, and strangely long formations came out of its flat face, all of varying lengths and strengths. More than anything else, the creature resembled a huge ugly frog.
The creature looked at you, climbed quickly on one of the stones covered by moss, and pointed at you with a wand bloomed with bright pink flowers.
''"Hey! Stop right there! Where do you think you're going?!"'' he spoke to you in a hoarse voice.
[["I'm just humble traveler! Let me pass, friend."]]
[["What do you want, ugly... frog?!"]]Odd creatures moves slightly towards you, observing you closely with narrowing eyes.
''"You are the //Shapeless//! I heard about entities like you before, but never thought my old eyes will saw one on their own!"
"Tell me, Shapeless, what are you doing here, far from your homeland?"''
[["Looking for the shelter from the suns! And for the water! I saw the river flowing down in the trench..."]]
[["Shapeless?"]]The creature took a deep breath, literally swelling in front of your eyes as he looked at you.
''"Ugly?! You told me //ugly//? I may be - I may really be one - but I ain't frog! //Gwa//! How rude!"''
Before you could react, the creature hit your shoulder with wand, yet it passed through you completely painlessly. Creature made the slight swing once more through your torso, disturbing your body with a biased look on his face.
''"//Makka-ka//! You are //Shapeless//! Oh, I was sure I didn't saw your shadow!"''
[["Told me - where I am?!"]]''"But you are Shapeless! You don't need water or shade..."''
[["Shapeless?"]]''"Thats how we calls the ones like you - those who has no true shape. The entities. The shards of the wondering souls."''
[["But I am a human!"]]''"Huma-what?!"''
The creature looks surprised of that word.
[["Oh... nevermind... Can you tell me, where I am?"]]The creature made a deep breath and point the blooming wand towards the jungle.
''"You are on the borders of the //Jade Jungle//, the last oasis of the world that was here long, long time ago... //Ki'okk//."
"My name is //Botchwook//, and I am the shaman of the //Kwaccas//. My clan is located north of here, under the //Shademourn Falls//. The river, you see, has its springs in between those towers above jungle. //The Moonlight Guardians//. Last remnants of the past-worlds."''
[["What do you mean past-worlds?"]]''"I belong to Kwaccas. The old Speaking Race."
"We were once greater than the others. The only one, who could speak... Once, when the jungle was all over the place... But with the scorching suns and sandstorms terrorizing this world, we become smaller and smaller."
"My clan, as I told you about before, is the what reminds of all Kwaccas."''
Botchwook's face crouched in sadness.
[["I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I can help somehow."]]Botchwook looks at you deeply, leaned on his wands and scratched between the growths on his face.
''"The land you crossed, the sand dunes and rocks behind you - this is not how this world looked. //Nekk//. Before. "
"Once this world was young and green. I can tell you the whole story of //Windswept Lands//, but it will be while to tell you all. Thousands and thousands of years of history..."''
[["So, Botchwook - what... are you exactly?"]]Botchwook raised his face to you with interest.
''"You can't, Shapeless. You can barely grab water, the light of suns shines through you. You have no shadow."
"You are not meant to intervene. You, Shapeless, have to observe. Listen. And remember it. You entities are ment to see the worlds fall aparts - and be born again..."
"That has already begun... //Ka'a//. Do you understand?"
"New races are coming - new languages, new clans. And this new world is now belongs to them. We, Kwaccas, will have to leave one day."''
Despite his grim words, Botchwook's face lightened a little bit, as he smiled at you.
''"But thanks to entities like you, we can exists a little longer!"''
[["I am interested to hear something about those other races..."]]
[["You can tell me more about your world?"]]Botchwook sits on rock and crouched his legs. He put his blooming wand across his knees and looked at you.
''"Oh, where do I start, where do I start..."''
[["Maybe you can explain why the world changed, and why there is sand around?"]]Creature blinked.
''"Shapeless wants to talk to me, huh! //Makka-ka//! Surprising!"
"Even my old, old grandma tolds me - if you are rude, don't expect to be helped..."''
[[Apologize.]]Creature slightly smiled at you as you apologize.
''"It wasn't so bad, right?"
"You can made more good with simple decency, Shapeless."''
[["Shapeless?"]] ''"There is a lot of new races... Some of them are older than they look, some are young and are still forming."
"Um. Which one to tell you about... //Dakka//! Yes! I know!"
"If you go further south, far south, you step into the jagged landscape - //Red Canyons//. It belongs to menacing big creatures, //Ik'uls//... Kwaccas befriended them once, but now, they are all predatory and intolerant. Their own world has rotten."
"When you decide enter the trench between Jade Jungle and the desert, you can encounter the //Dryaddas//. Beautiful creatures, but also dangerous. They live in the darkness. You can also find some outcast of theirs in the jungle..."
"There is also one new, very young race, you should avoid..."''
[["What race?"]]''"The Windswept Lands was once land of green... The deep jungles and green plains stretched across the horizon. Large lakes and rivers glittered in its face! Just imagine! //Tebbcheekka//! Beautiful!"
"Lots of creatures lived in these lands, but many of them disappeared with time. They didn't made it through the change that came... Some was even killed the Akzur Drakes themselves - powerful but scary creatures. They used the magic flowing through the lands, merge with it to make themselves more stronger. But when magic began to wane, the Akzurians simply started attacking one another. And it was their battles that led to the destruction of their own world."
They deformed it. They exterminated a number of old Speaking Races and creatures who stood up against them. The scars of their actions are seen across the world... "
"No one even remembers what this world was called before. But the new races call it Windswept Lands..."''
[["Even your clan don't remember the original name of the world?"]]
[["I am interested to hear something about those other races..."]]''"They call themselves //Draxomeras//. They lives across the Windswept Lands, from south to north, from east to west. You can encounter them everywhere! Nasty beasties..."
"All I know is that they are descendants of the //Akzur Drakes//, the powerful race of them all... But it's been a long time since I've seen one. They disappeared. And these monsterous creatures are what they left behind. Now, I am afraid, this world will belongs to them..."
"They live in big clans - in packs - and attack as fast and unexpected. They lead bloodthirsty fights and hunt for fun."
"If you ever step into deserts, avoid them at any costs, Shapeless! I have no idea what they are capable of."''
[["You can tell me more about your world?"]]Botchwook shaked his head.
''"Well, we don't remember. Neither the entities like you."
"Ummm... I should take back those words about Shapeless's memory."''
[[You stays in silent with shy smile.]]
[["About the magic..."]]Botchwook inflated his cheeks briefly. Firmly gripped his blooming wand and pointed it at you.
''"You fading, Shapeless..."''
With his words you look at your hands. They look more translucent than when you entered the lands!
''"Your time here is coming to the end."''
With a particular fear, you looks on the Botchwook.
[["Will I able to return?"]]
[["Oh no! Where I am fading?"]]The old Kwacca frowned, murmled something for himself and stood up again.
''"In your best interest, don't look for it. Don't ask!"''
[[You stays in silent with shy smile.]]Botchwook crouched his shoulders.
''"I don't know."
"Things like this are beyond my knowledge."
"But maybe yes. Maybe you will be able form your real body here... But maybe not. Maybe you stays where you come from and never return. Maybe you forgot all I told you. Maybe you forgot the Botchwook the shaman of Kwaccas."''
[["And if I return back? Can I visit you?"]]''"You fading into the realm you come from, Shapeless..."''
[["Will I able to return?"]] ''"If you find your way here into the Windswept Lands..."
"But the lands are vast. You should find your own adventure, and do not look for my clan. There is a lot of to see, Shapeless."''
Botchwook raises his head towards the rock towers, the Moonlight Guardians, standing above the dark green crowns of trees.
You tried to ask few more questions, but your vision become blurry. With this, you felt light and weak, thinner than a paper. Everything blurred and darkened.
You just heard some silent, unclear words from Botchwook, before you faded away as quickly as you showed up...
''"Maybe, Shapeless... Maybe will meet again."''