The Lore of Hedge Wizard Reza of the Mist
His name was not always Reza, nor did he ever set out to be a Dream Master; or any sort of wizard for that matter. But destiny is thrust upon some.
Often under the guise of misfortune, great opportunity lays waiting for those who persevere....or just survive.
Foreward
Reza never quests or journeys without Cyrus, a small fox, who is physically unremarkable, but wily, curious and jovial. Cyrus, however, is known to have his own misadventures and can be gone for days on end, at times, while Reza tends to mundane domestic matters or his wizardry duties.
The Boy in The Forest
Growing up in the barren desert Reza's family raised a few cattle and pack animals. His mother was quite good with textiles.
Much of his younger years, he was deathly afraid of the Dream World....sometimes not sleeping for days on end...
When he did sleep, Reza would wake up exhausted and sweating. Nightmares would haunt him, quite often he was being chased by something, sometimes he was being dragged under....underwater, under the earth, sinking in sand or desperately trying to avoid melting in lava pits. None of it made sense, but he was constantly frightened of that world.....just the thought of these dreams would make him tremble uncontrollably.
One day while wandering the grasslands near his home, Reza sat down to rest for a bit....and drifted off...he had not slept for nearly 4 days so it was to be expected. Unusual, however, was that as soon he closed his eyes Reza felt as if he had fallen, but he was not alarmed. It was a pleasant, comfortable feeling. He was falling....or floating into endless grasslands, then clouds, then into the stars. It was an almost peaceful, floating-fall, he was going somewhere....gently, purposefully. For the first time, he was sleeping but not terrified.
After what seemed like forever and no time at all, he opened his eyes in a dense forest and even more dense fog. He'd never been in a forest his entire life nor had he seen fog like this before. He had read about forests, heard stories of the endless green foliage and enormous trees but there was nothing of the sort where he was from.
The forest, that day, was overrun with fog so thick he could feel it's pressure bearing, ever so slightly, down on his body. It dominated everything, the trees, the rocks, the creatures (which he heard, but would only catch sporadic glimpses of). Later, he learned that this "fog" was uniquely known as "The Mist". So substantial was The Mist that when observed closely it was more like canvas of suspended water droplets......and glistening magical aura of infinite color.
Reza meandered about the Forest, disoriented and confused, not totally convinced he was actually anywhere at all. But his senses told him different. He could smell the pine and musk. When he reached out to touch a tree, he felt its sap stick to his bare hand. He was cold and wet. Droplets would gather then drip from his nose and brow...the wetness reminded him of days when he would walk great distances in the desert's summer sun. It was the same sort of wetness but cold. Nearly freezing cold....at least it felt that way.
His confusion and haze was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of enormous footsteps or hoofs or paws trampling toward him from afar. The earth shook and the sound boomed louder and louder as it approached. Instinctively, Reza came to attention and tried to make out what happening. After not more than a second or two, he began running away from the sound. By this time he could feel the pulsating reverberations of each distinct step coming closer and closer. When it got close enough, the unmistakable and mystical power of the entity tickled his fleeing backside....it was a magical energy at flowed through The Mist, much like electricity traveling through a cloud-filled sky. It was a feeling he would never forget, a fear he would never outlive.....something or someone of unfathomable power was rampaging through the forest...
While in midstride it occurred to Reza that, maybe just maybe this too was a dream - but the thought was quickly shaken out of him as the rumble and energy looming just behind him grew stronger and stronger. Quickly an opening in the forest began to grow bigger in the distance ahead, maybe if he could make it there he would have a chance to survive the thing. But he was getting tired and the ground was shaking so furiously that he could barely keep his footing.
Eventually, the earth's movement was too much and Reza was thrown upon moss-covered rocks. Hope was quickly dissipating. Whatever this was would be upon him and there was nothing he could do about it.
Gathering his breath, he lifted his scuffed face from the rocks and turned his head when his eyes locked on to two beady bone-white orbs floating in the dark void under an ancient, fallen tree of mammoth proportions. The unblinking eyes of something screamed for Reza to hastily gain shelter in the void. Without a thought of what man or beast those eyes belonged to he shot into the den. Surely whatever was in there was preferable to monstrous thing was barreling through the forest. Reza barely fit in the space. The earth shook more than he thought was possible without tearing the earth from its volcanic mantle. The mystical power shooting through The Mist now began to envelope his entire being. It was like a thousand tiny spikes slightly, but distinctly pressed upon every inch of his skin. As the pressure of The Mist grew and the sound of incalculable branches and trees snapping in the juggernaut's path got faster, the thundering stomps became deafening.
Suddenly, the unrelenting mass was upon him. It was a tsunami of magic as the ground shook, untethered by gravity.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!
For almost a minute there was chaos upon the forest, indescribable in magnitude.
Reza's eyes had never closed so tightly.
Then it was gone with a pure silence. For a moment the forest was crystal clear in the vacuum left in the wake of the chaos. Reza took one breath of relief and fell into blackness...
As he awoke six pair of eyes were looking intently down upon him. The eyes were sunk deep in the darkness of blood-red hoods. Although he could not see their faces, Reza could feel their curiosity. Then one of the red hoods spoke. "You were very lucky to come across Cyrus when you did! Who knows what would have become of you!". He heard the laughter fade away as he drifted back into oblivion...
The next time he regained consciousness, Reza was tucked neatly into a bed overlooking a shimmering lake. Under the blankets, between right elbow and hip sat a large pillow, but this pillow seemed to be breathing....he peered down to see the same two bone-white eyes staring at him. Cyrus the Fox lunged forward and began furiously licking Reza's face! It was the first time he had actually seen the creature that offered him shelter in the shadow of the forest phenomena. It was also the first time he'd seen a fox of any kind for that matter.
A New Life Began...
From that day forward Reza & Cyrus would be life-long companions, seeking adventure whenever the opportunity arose.
There was no doubt that Cyrus saved Reza that day; but it would not be the last time...
Entered by: 0x10f9…8B43 and preserved on chain (see transaction)
