Post by Falcom Director of Fanservice on Feb 4, 2007 23:28:49 GMT -5
The village of Ramia could be considered exceptional in a number of ways. For instance, it hovers many thousands of feet above the surface of the world and had done so for generations; as far back anyone there could remember. Nor is this the only magic at work upon the village. There was not a soul in Ramia who does not know of the caverns below, full of liquid rock. Only a fool goes there without a guide. And it is plain to the eye that the glacier further down the mountain slope could not be the work of nature. Most have come to blame these oddities on the abandoned temple city that rests at the the edge of town, crowning the spire that the village rests upon and its purpose all but forgotten.
However, to one who has lived their life within Ramia, these things are fairly mundane. The magma, the glacier, the Solomon Shrine, such things are facts of life. Other concerns weigh more heavily upon the minds of the people, concerns like getting food on the table and making certain the herds of sheep did not get separated. Sometimes a visitor from one of the neighboring towns would spice things up, and there is always the next seasonal festival to look forward to. Life has a way of bringing its comfortable mundanity to even the most exotic of locales.
But it is also true that life has a way of adding small and unexpected kinks to its mundanity in case someone thought it wasn't watching. This reality hangs heavily over a particular Ramian as he walks along the edge of the village, the side of the mountain comfortably close to his left. Normally he would not keep so close to the mountainside, but there are times where such precautions as closing off potential angles of ambush were wise. Ahead lay his goal, a moderately-sized home cradled in a small cul-de-sac in the cliff face, smoke pouring merrily from its chimney.
Tall and blonde, Gorto is the pride of his village. It has not been long since he had been accepted as an adult by his fellow villagers and already his skill with a spear is among the best in Ys. When trouble raises its head, be it a fight between villagers deep in their cups, a missing sheep, or a predator drawing too close to town; everyone knew Gorto could be counted on to handle it. However much humility demands he downplay his skill and dependability, the spearman took a quiet pride in his achievements. In time, if perhaps he could outshine his peers long enough, he would be chosen as mayor. What is there to stop him?
But as he walks onward, Gorto cannot deny the pang of raw animal terror slowly gripping his heart. If he stops to think about it, it seems silly. Why should the best spear man in Ys be afraid? But thinking about something and experiencing it firsthand are entirely different things; he knows this all too well. Ahead lays his goal, a simple house that looks like any other home in Ramia. Yet looking at it draws that blind fear into his soul; as it did to the soul of anyone in Ramia. Everyone gives it a wide berth, but today this is impossible for him.
Taking a deep breath, he forces himself to march toward the house; his senses alert. Nothing disturbed the cool wind. There is a smell of woodsmoke about the house; hardly uncommon. Everything should be so mundane, so normal and natural. Yet this was not so, the very normalcy taunts him like an enemy soldier. With each step he takes, the spear man forces down the urge to flee. This will not beat him! His feet touch the stones set around the door, leaving almost embarrassingly giddy that he's come this far without stopping. But the danger is far from gone, rather it is only worse than a few seconds ago. But having come this far without trouble, he regathers his courage. It was comforting to feel the certainty that the worst was ahead and there was no way to escape it. Afterwards, things could only get better. Taking a steadying breath, he grabs the door handle and turns it.
(I've felt like writing this for awhile! It's not very well edited, mind. Because I am a terrible editor. =[
Also, if anyone would like to provide me with some screen shots of Ys Complete Ramia, I'd be grateful.)
However, to one who has lived their life within Ramia, these things are fairly mundane. The magma, the glacier, the Solomon Shrine, such things are facts of life. Other concerns weigh more heavily upon the minds of the people, concerns like getting food on the table and making certain the herds of sheep did not get separated. Sometimes a visitor from one of the neighboring towns would spice things up, and there is always the next seasonal festival to look forward to. Life has a way of bringing its comfortable mundanity to even the most exotic of locales.
But it is also true that life has a way of adding small and unexpected kinks to its mundanity in case someone thought it wasn't watching. This reality hangs heavily over a particular Ramian as he walks along the edge of the village, the side of the mountain comfortably close to his left. Normally he would not keep so close to the mountainside, but there are times where such precautions as closing off potential angles of ambush were wise. Ahead lay his goal, a moderately-sized home cradled in a small cul-de-sac in the cliff face, smoke pouring merrily from its chimney.
Tall and blonde, Gorto is the pride of his village. It has not been long since he had been accepted as an adult by his fellow villagers and already his skill with a spear is among the best in Ys. When trouble raises its head, be it a fight between villagers deep in their cups, a missing sheep, or a predator drawing too close to town; everyone knew Gorto could be counted on to handle it. However much humility demands he downplay his skill and dependability, the spearman took a quiet pride in his achievements. In time, if perhaps he could outshine his peers long enough, he would be chosen as mayor. What is there to stop him?
But as he walks onward, Gorto cannot deny the pang of raw animal terror slowly gripping his heart. If he stops to think about it, it seems silly. Why should the best spear man in Ys be afraid? But thinking about something and experiencing it firsthand are entirely different things; he knows this all too well. Ahead lays his goal, a simple house that looks like any other home in Ramia. Yet looking at it draws that blind fear into his soul; as it did to the soul of anyone in Ramia. Everyone gives it a wide berth, but today this is impossible for him.
Taking a deep breath, he forces himself to march toward the house; his senses alert. Nothing disturbed the cool wind. There is a smell of woodsmoke about the house; hardly uncommon. Everything should be so mundane, so normal and natural. Yet this was not so, the very normalcy taunts him like an enemy soldier. With each step he takes, the spear man forces down the urge to flee. This will not beat him! His feet touch the stones set around the door, leaving almost embarrassingly giddy that he's come this far without stopping. But the danger is far from gone, rather it is only worse than a few seconds ago. But having come this far without trouble, he regathers his courage. It was comforting to feel the certainty that the worst was ahead and there was no way to escape it. Afterwards, things could only get better. Taking a steadying breath, he grabs the door handle and turns it.
(I've felt like writing this for awhile! It's not very well edited, mind. Because I am a terrible editor. =[
Also, if anyone would like to provide me with some screen shots of Ys Complete Ramia, I'd be grateful.)