Masters of the Universe - A New Vision

[He-Man54]

Can't wait for the She-Ra bio! Should be a good read. I am really liking the new bios you guys have put up. Buzz-Off was pretty interesting. Keep it up!

[Darth Latveria]

Can't wait for the She-Ra bio! Should be a good read. I am really liking the new bios you guys have put up. Buzz-Off was pretty interesting. Keep it up!

I am glad you're looking forward to the She-Ra story.

So far it is coming along quite well. What I can tell you guys about it so far is that firstly, it's getting really, really long. I've been cutting it up into various parts and as I said before a lot of the parts are quite short, but some of the parts have ended up being fairly long too. Personally, I think they're a good read and hope you guys agree. At this point it's a third longer than my previous longest piece in here, which was She-Ra revisited, and there's quite a lot to go before it is finished.

Aside from the one a day posting, when it is all done I'll post one of my "Behind the Scenes" commentaries where I'll explain things like why I wrote this, the choices I made while writing it, etc. Also, I'll be thanking anyone who helped with it, such as by giving me inspiration, or even information about POP in general.

[Darth Latveria]

She-Ra: Tales of Pretheria

Part 1 – Birth of a Hero

In present day Etheria there was a girl named Adora who took on the name She-Ra. Few people heard of this girl and those who had tended to not think very highly of her, due to her not being a particularly gifted warrior. But in death, Adora proved her value as a hero and those who know her story are likely to share the tale of her bravery with others, making little if any comment about her beginnings. However, although few Etherians know of Adora, they know the name She-Ra, a woman from the pasts whose feats are now part of Etherian myth… and this is the tale of her life.

Nearly three millennia ago, around the time of He-Ro on Eternia, She-Ra was born. At the time Etheria wasn’t united under any one ruler and the world was broken up into different factions that ruled their own kingdoms. Although there was the occasional war, for the most part the factions coexisted peacefully, not inferring in each other’s domains.

Details of She-Ra’s childhood are vague at this point in time. It is known that she came from a people who lived in northern Etheria and that her parents were considered nobility of the Galen region. She-Ra is believed to have been a tomboy in her youth, excelling in athletics and the arts of war, but as she grew older she became one of the most wondrously beautiful females in the land. She-Ra was tall, 5’9” and her body was slender, yet athletic. Her eyes were dark blue, and her hair was a golden blonde that reflected magnificently in the sunlight. No man who saw her could turn their heads away.

Although many potential suitors attempted to woo She-Ra, She-Ra never showed any interest in them and preferred to focus on her martial training. She-Ra spent her days training in swordsmanship and archery and her nights were spent reading the literature that her family had amassed over the years.

This time of peace was not to last. Eventually the Covenant arrived on Etheria.

[wolfsfang]

nice start but I think you should post 2 parts a day as it is quite long

[Darth Latveria]

nice start but I think you should post 2 parts a day as it is quite long

Seems like a good idea to me.

Part 2 -- The Covenant

The Covenant was a group of evil mages and warriors that ruled Eternia and Etheria thousands of years before She-Ra’s time. Their rule was so destructive and evil that centuries were spent erasing all record of them. However, some vestiges of their power still existed, such as some of the books on sorcery and warfare that had survived throughout the ages. Although it wasn’t commonly known, in many cases the leaders of the various factions gained their power through finding one of the books of the Covenant and using its teachings to amass power. But over time most of these books were lost or destroyed and all that remained where the teachings that were passed down through the generations.

Shortly before She-Ra turned 5 years old a group of six Etherians mercenaries were searching the catacombs found in an area known as Bright Moon. These mercenaries were some of the finest soldiers and mages in the land, but lacking any sense of loyalty they had long ago set out to amass their own riches. Unknown to them, this was the area that was the Covenant’s greatest stronghold during their rule of Etheria and also where many of the worst battles had taken place. The name was actually derived from a symbol used by the Covenant, that of a burning moon.

The catacombs had been dug out in solid granite and used as trenches by the armies of the covenant. They wound for hundreds of miles, nearly impossible to navigate. Only the bravest of souls ever considered entering them as there were tales of terrible things happening to those who tried to learn the secrets that they contained. The six mercenaries, Arik, Gunnar, Wanda, Ulfar, Arlain and Aeryeth entered the catacombs, bringing enough supplies with them to allow them to explore for nearly 3 weeks (it was believed that there were water sources within the catacombs).

For days the group searched the catacombs, careful to ensure that they would take careful note of which paths they took. On occasion they found partially decomposed bodies, but they also noticed bones that looked as if they had been there for centuries. After a 17 days of searching and finding nothing, they chose to turn back and head to the surface.

While retracing their steps to the surface, Aeryeth spotted noticed that something on the ground seemed to shine in the torchlight. Bending down she saw that there was a small piece of obsidian jutting out of the ground, with a width a little wider than a coin. Pulling out a small pick-axe, she started digging around the obsidian piece, hitting it in the process. Suddenly the ground started rumbling and fell out from under them, causing them to fall down a chute and land painfully in a pile in a hidden chamber.

Stumbling to their feet, they looked around the room and saw that they were in an armory of sorts. Arik picked up one of the swords and remarked on how masterfully crafted it was. Never in his life had he held such a well balanced sword. To his amazement, it was surprisingly light as we ll. Gunnar remarked on how well made and strong the armors seemed to be. Wanda on the other hand noticed a chest filled with ancient books. Pulling the books out she could feel the power emanating from them, even though she didn’t have the faintest clue how to read them. Flipping through the books, the illustrations told her that some of the books must’ve dealt with sorcery whereas others seemed to focus on martial combat. Looking through the chest she eventually found another book that appeared to have a sort of translation guide, although even that was difficult to understand.

After milling about the ancient chamber for awhile, the mercenaries took what they could carry and left, making careful note to ensure they could find the room again so that they would be able to remove more and more of the treasures within.

Given the sheer amount of material to learn within the books, and the difficulty that came with learning it, the mercenaries agreed that Gunnar, Arik and Aeryeth would specialize in learning the warrior arts; Wanda, Ulfar and Arlain would learn the mystic arts. It took them over 20 years to master, but once they did Etheria would never be the same again.

[Patreek]

Pretheria!!!??? Rapture!

[Darth Latveria]

Part 3 – Rise of the Covenant

Days after turning twenty five She-Ra was alerted to the fact that an evil force named the Covenant from the south had arisen and was slowly taking over other regions. The original six mercenaries had mastered the teachings of the Covenant and had amassed an army of tens of thousands of warriors. If the varying regions of Etheria were united they might have been able to stop the forces of the Covenant, but their fractured forces were no match for the Covenant’s ravenous hordes. The Covenant’s forces were expected to be arriving in the Galen region within the next half year and She-Ra’s parents ordered the people to start building forts to protect themselves from the coming onslaught. She-Ra disagreed with her parents’ orders and pleaded with them to act otherwise. In She-Ra’s view, the best course of action was to send emissaries to the other kingdoms proposing a pact whereby their armies would be combined. Once a combined force was created, She-Ra believed that sending them to meet the Covenant’s army head-on would be the best strategy as they could be headed off in the canyons south of Galen. In her eyes the canyons were a far better place to fight as it would lead to a bottle neck of sorts which couldn’t be accomplished by fighting in the flat plains of Galen. Unfortunately She-Ra’s parents lacked the wisdom to listen to their daughter’s suggestions. Never in the history of Etheria had the different kingdoms been united (at least that was what they believed since the history of the Covenant had been destroyed), and they felt that it would be impossible to manage such a union. Furthermore, they were far more cautious than their daughter, having grown soft from a life of privilege.

Annoyed with her parents’ idiocy, She-Ra decided that she would have to take it upon herself to save the kingdom. Quietly entering the armory, She-Ra put on a breastplate that had been specially designed to fit her, over her white cotton blouse. She then slid on a short leather skirt, specially designed to allow for maximum flexibility and strapped on leg and forearm guards. Finally, she put on a heavy, black cloak. Picking up her sword, bow and shield, she mounted the fastest horse in the stables and rode off towards the Covenant’s army.

[hawggie]

Interesting take on She-Ra. Looks like you've found a way to like her. It also reminds me of the 300 Spartans, historically, and the various movie versions.

[Darth Latveria]

Part 4 – Early Battles Against the Covenant

She-Ra was a talented fighter, but she was also wise enough to know that she couldn’t take on more than a few warriors at once. Consequently she used guile and intelligence instead of attacking a force head on.

When finding a large contingent of the army, She-Ra would stealthily follow them and wait for individual members to become separated from the main party. Once a soldier was isolated, She-Ra would come out of hiding and quickly eliminate him. At times She-Ra would come across groups of about a dozen soldiers, in which case she’d take a few of them out with her bow and then quickly rush the rest with her sword. Although she was never able to kill many soldiers at any given time, her attacks were alarmingly frequent and in time a large body count had been amassed.

Quickly word spread of her attacks, but the Covenant was powerless to stop her. She-Ra had an unsurpassed “feel” for the land and was excellent at using it to conceal herself when enemy soldiers were nearby. What complicated matters further was that no one had any idea what she looked like. She-Ra didn’t reveal her identity to others and the only ones who did see her died shortly thereafter. But during this time She-Ra would leave parchments with messages at the sights of her battles and in villages near to them, pleading that the rulers of the various kingdoms unite to fight against the Covenant.

These early months of She-Ra’s private war had a great affect on the people of Etheria. She was becoming a symbol of sorts, of the best that was in Etheria. As a symbol, people began to rally around her and force their rulers to unite with one another so as to fight the Covenant. This was the start of a united Etherian front.

[Patreek]

Interesting take on She-Ra. Looks like you've found a way to like her. It also reminds me of the 300 Spartans, historically, and the various movie versions.

I was amazed that he wrote this story all things concidered, but its great and i'm glad he found a way to like her too!

Part 4 – Early Battles Against the Covenant

She-Ra was a talented fighter, but she was also wise enough to know that she couldn’t take on more than a few warriors at once. Consequently she used guile and intelligence instead of attacking a force head on.

When finding a large contingent of the army, She-Ra would stealthily follow them and wait for individual members to become separated from the main party. Once a soldier was isolated, She-Ra would come out of hiding and quickly eliminate him. At times She-Ra would come across groups of about a dozen soldiers, in which case she’d take a few of them out with her bow and then quickly rush the rest with her sword. Although she was never able to kill many soldiers at any given time, her attacks were alarmingly frequent and in time a large body count had been amassed.

Quickly word spread of her attacks, but the Covenant was powerless to stop her. She-Ra had an unsurpassed “feel” for the land and was excellent at using it to conceal herself when enemy soldiers were nearby. What complicated matters further was that no one had any idea what she looked like. She-Ra didn’t reveal her identity to others and the only ones who did see her died shortly thereafter. But during this time She-Ra would leave parchments with messages at the sights of her battles and in villages near to them, pleading that the rulers of the various kingdoms unite to fight against the Covenant.

These early months of She-Ra’s private war had a great affect on the people of Etheria. She was becoming a symbol of sorts, of the best that was in Etheria. As a symbol, people began to rally around her and force their rulers to unite with one another so as to fight the Covenant. This was the start of a united Etherian front.

I like the visual of her stealthing around and then pouncing at the right time.

[Darth Latveria]

Part 5 – The Six

Although She-Ra had been very successful in her attacks, to her despair she still hadn’t made much of a dent in the Covenant’s army. Sitting in a small, makeshift camp, She-Ra asked herself what could be done to win this war. Even with the kingdoms uniting, it seemed as if the Covenant forces grey every day. Their forces were simply too great and the power of what had become to be known as “The Six” seemed to give their forces morale even in the most dire of circumstances. Consequently She-Ra knew that she would have to destroy The Six, one by one if need be. But the question remained, could She-Ra possibly manage to destroy them?

Each of The Six had gained control of a region in Etheria. The nearest of them to She-Ra was Gunnar, who had taken control of Panembria. Reportedly his castle was a twelve day ride from She-Ra’s current location.

She-Ra sat down and thought about what she knew of each of The Six. Wanda, Ulfar and Arlain were very powerful sorcerers. In all her travels, She-Ra had never battled a powerful mage and really wasn’t sure what to expect from them. She’d heard rumors of their abilities, but nothing concrete so she simply had no idea what to expect. Although She-Ra was a great warrior, she hated such uncertainty and she simply had no idea how to deal with the mages.

On the other hand, there were the warriors. Gunnar was known for his skill with a gigantic battle axe. It was said that he once cut through 3 people in a single swipe. She-Ra had her doubts about the veracity of that story… at least she sure hoped it wasn’t true. Then there was Aeryeth. Aeryeth’s skill with a bow was known across the land. Finally there was Arik the master swordsman. It was said that he was the best swordsman to have ever graced the ground of Etheria.

Considering her options, She-Ra decided to go after Gunnar. On the one hand he was closest. On the other hand, she still had no idea what to do with the mages.

[rhea]

Perhaps a map of your Etheria might help establish a feel for the area (David Eddings did this in his Belagriad and Mallorea and it helped me get a feel for the story more.) Right now, I have an idea of the action, it's just hard to place the action with regards to Panembria and the other kingdoms of Etheria at the time. I do like the pacing.

[Darth Latveria]

Perhaps a map of your Etheria might help establish a feel for the area (David Eddings did this in his Belagriad and Mallorea and it helped me get a feel for the story more.) Right now, I have an idea of the action, it's just hard to place the action with regards to Panembria and the other kingdoms of Etheria at the time. I do like the pacing.

That's an excellent idea, sadly I lack the artistic ability to make a decent looking map

But to get a rough idea, I'd say that each step of the story goes a little farther south, with Galen being the northernmost spot mentioned and Bright Moon being the sourthernmost.

And on to Part 6, one of the few longer chapters:

Part 6 – Gunnar

Gunnar was a hulking brute. Said to be nearly seven feet tall, he was described as a large mass of muscle with incredible strength. It was also said that he was also far quicker than one would expect. But, there were a couple nice things about Gunnar. He wasn’t hard to find, and he didn’t seem to think he had much need for personal security. Although there were soldiers milling about the village surrounding Gunnar’s castle, he didn’t keep many on duty within the castle itself. He liked his privacy and didn’t think that anyone could survive a battle with him, so other than the eight soldiers patrolling the parapets, the only guards he had were two at each entrance to the castle and another half dozen milling around near to the throne room.

As always, She-Ra had no trouble moving through the village unseen. She was adept at hiding in the shadows and taking cover when needed. Having heard about Gunnar’s rather lax security, while approaching the castle She-Ra considered what her parents had told her about pride being a sin. She honestly didn’t know if it was a sin or not, but she sure loved it in her enemies.

Nearing the castle, She-Ra made sure to keep her distance so that the archers on the roof wouldn’t see her. The problem would be to find a way in without having anyone sound an alarm. There were no entrances on the north side of the castle, so she could likely climb up from there without alerting ground forces, however she had to deal with the people on the parapets first. For the next half hour She-Ra watched the archers wander around the roof. They worked in pairs and they would stand in the centre of the walls together, rotating positions every 15 minutes or so. They didn’t seem particularly alert, a sign of poor training and likely a symptom of Gunnar’s arrogance in the belief that he didn’t need security. It seemed that She-Ra’s best bet would be to kill the two archers on the northern front with her arrows, climb as quickly as possible and then take out the rest of the archers on the roof.

Pulling out her bow, She-Ra waited for the rotation of the guards and then counted down three minutes before sending off two arrows nearly simultaneously. The first arrow went through the one guard’s throat, and the other arrow entered the second guard’s left eye. Both guards fell dead without making a sound.

She-Ra then scrambled to the northern wall and climbed it as quickly as she could, using her nails to grip the stones as she made her ascent. Getting to the roof, she saw that she had only 4 arrows left and quickly placed them in the backs of the guards on the western and southern fronts of the roof. Before the guards on the eastern front could react, She-Ra was upon them, quickly skewering them with her sword. Bending down, She-Ra picked up one of the guards’ quiver of bows and slung it over her shoulder.

The castles in this region were not like the ones She-Ra was accustomed to. In Galen, castles had very spacious rooms and hallways, but this one seemed to be rather narrow and the rooms she peaked into weren’t as big as she was accustomed to. The bow would be useless in such confined quarters. However, this did not take her by surprise. Before heading to Panembria She-Ra had sought out a man who was known to be a great architect. Although he hadn’t designed this castle, he was aware of common design elements in the region and the cramped confines of this castle were fairly typical.

Quietly moving through the castle, she assumed that at this time of the evening Gunnar would likely be in his bedroom. The hope was that she could sneak in and slit his throat while he was sleeping. Thinking back to what the architect had told her, She-Ra believed that Gunnar’s room would likely be facing eastward so as to face the morning sun and it would be on the top level of the castle. Following the directions that the man had given her, She-Ra arrived to a room with large double doors. This must be where Gunnar was sleeping.

Looking to the hinges of the door, She-Ra could see that they were well-oiled. No worries about squeaking. She then silently removed the quiver and placed it and the bow leaning against a wall in the hallway. She didn’t want the arrows to make any noise when she entered the room. Leaning over, She-Ra looked through the door’s keyhole and saw Gunnar asleep, with his axe by the side of the bed. Testing the door, she was that it was unlocked… even more evidence of Gunnar’s colossal arrogance.

She-Ra pulled out her dagger and noiselessly crept to the bed. Just as she was positioning herself to slice into Gunnar’s throat, his right hand shot out and grasped a hold of his axe. Barely moving away in time, She-Ra saw a blur as the axe cut through the air, shattering one of the bedposts. She-Ra thought to herself, “How the hell could he have heard me?” And then it dawned on her. Gunnar wasn’t arrogant… he was really that good.

Before She-Ra could react, Gunnar had kicked her in the stomach and she was slammed against a dresser, knocking over some ancient-looking vases that were on it. Seeing the vases shatter on the floor, She-Ra couldn’t help but wonder what priceless historical treasure might’ve just been destroyed… and then more importantly it occurred to her that the noise would likely alert the guards… which it did… as was evidenced by their rushing into the room moments later.

Pulling out her sword, She-Ra saw that in front of her was Gunnar with his mighty axe, and briefly turning her head she saw that right behind her were the guards. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the axe coming her way once more. She-Ra ducked but barely got out of the way in time, a few strands of her hair being sliced through. Moving a step backwards, she rolled out of the way as Gunnar swung once more, this time cutting three of his guards in half, proving that the tall-tale that She-Ra had heard earlier was true. Words cannot describe how unhappy she was to find out it wasn’t an exaggeration. Without giving She-Ra a moment to breathe, Gunnar attacked once more, this time shattering her sword. Seeing a brief opening, She-Ra kicked Gunnar in the groin as hard as she could, causing him to double over. Taking advantage of the brief respite, She-Ra ran to the other side of the room, making sure that she had a wall behind her so that she couldn’t be surrounded again.

Looking around for a weapon, all She-Ra could find was a lantern. Picking it up, she threw it at the guard in the centre, causing the glass to shatter and covering two of the guards in burning oil. Running at the third guard, She-Ra kicked him hard in the ankle, shattering it and causing him to fall. Kneeling down, She-Ra picked up his sword, just in time to see Gunnar coming at her once more. Rolling out of the way, she saw Gunnar inadvertently finish off the injured guard.

Jumping to her feet, She-Ra knew that there was no way to get anywhere near to Gunnar as long as he was holding that axe. He was simply too fast and any attempts at charging him would be met with an axe to the face. Looking downwards, She-Ra saw another option open up.

She-Ra ran towards Gunnar, making it look like she was attempting a forward attack, but just as Gunnar started to swing his axe, she jumped to the side and rolled towards the dresser she had been kicked against earlier. At the foot of the dresser was the dagger she dropped earlier, the one intended to kill Gunnar in his sleep. Even though her back was towards Gunnar as she picked up the blade, she knew that he was moving towards her, far faster than any man of his size had a right to be. She wouldn’t have time to aim.

Mouthing a prayer to herself, She-Ra spun around and blindly tossed the dagger as hard as she could. The dagger landed squarely in Gunnar’s chest. Startled with pain, Gunnar lowered his axe for a moment, a fatal mistake as She-Ra capitalized on the opportunity and thrust her sword through his heart. Gunnar fell forward, dead.

At this point, She-Ra’s knees went weak and she fell down. Coughing hard, she spit up blood and then vomited. That kick from before had broken some ribs. In all her battles, She-Ra had never come so close to dying. Pulling herself to her feet, She-Ra lifted the sword she had taken from the guard. Looking down at her old shattered sword she felt a pang of sadness as that particular sword had been forged for her years ago by a blacksmith that was very loyal to her family. Gathering the pieces of the blade, she placed it into a leather sack she had found in the room and walked into the hallway, picking up her bow and quiver. Deciding to explore the castle, She-Ra wasn’t concerned about the rest of the guards because she knew that even weakened as she was, there were too few in the castle for them to be of any real consequence. What did concern her was the fight with Gunnar. Although she won it, it was far too close for comfort. The only reason she won in the end was because Gunnar had been a little too confident in his attacks and didn’t focus enough on defense. Furthermore, if he had kept a full security contingent, there was absolutely no way she could’ve won the battle. The problem was that she had no idea how to improve her abilities any further. She had spent years training and studying. What more could she really be expected to do at this point?

Making her way towards the lower levels of the castle, She-Ra remembered that the architect had told her that most castles in the region had dungeons along the eastern walls of their lowest levels. Thinking about the horrors that Gunnar might’ve inflicted on the people of the area, She-Ra quickly raced towards the dungeons, hoping that she could at least save a few people.

Finding the dungeons, She-Ra peered inside the various cells hoping to find signs of life. In the first three cells, all she saw were decomposing remains and an ungodly stench. But in the fourth and final cell, she saw an emaciated old man who was shivering naked old man who was leaning against the wall. Opening the door, She-Ra came in and quickly put her cloak on the man. Looking up into She-Ra’s eyes, the man’s eyes welled up with tears and he said, “You have finally come.”

She-Ra said, “What do you mean by that? You can’t have been expecting me.”

The man replied, “That is where you are wrong. I knew you would come.”

Thinking that the man was likely driven insane by torture and starvation, She-Ra wasn’t sure what to say. At which point the man said, “I am not crazy. I know who you are, or more precisely, who you will be. My name is Rhadamanthus and I have a lot to teach you.”

[Patreek]

Gunnar is pretty cool, wolf should draw up a picture of him!

[Darth Latveria]

Part 7 – Rhadamanthus

She-Ra lay in bed in Rhadamanthus’ small hut, her head spinning as she thought about what she’d learned in the last few days.

Having escaped the castle with Rhadamanthus she followed him to a small hut hidden in the forest. He told her that he had built it there because he had always enjoyed remoteness of it. Rhadamanthus felt that he could do his best thinking when he wasn’t bothered with the noise of others. When they arrived, Rhadamanthus applied a salve onto the flesh above She-Ra’s broken ribs and spent some time chanting various incantations. She-Ra asked him a few times about who he was and what he was doing, but he told her to be quiet and let him do his work, as he was a healer. He said that she would see the whole picture soon, but she needed to be patient and learn when to be active and when to be passive.

Once Rhadamanthus was satisfied with the work that he had done, he told She-Ra to rest a little while he gathered food. Watching the emaciated little man leave the hut, She-Ra marveled at his energy. Although he had seemed near death when she found him, now she could see a controlled excitement under his calmness. She-Ra really hoped he wasn’t a sexual deviant…

Eventually Rhadamanthus returned with some fresh fruits and vegetables for them to eat. Once they were done eating, Rhadamanthus began to tell She-Ra about a history she had never heard.

“You are obviously wondering who I am and why I act as if I know you. Understandable questions… but the answers to some of those questions are far more complicated than they would appear to be on the surface. The easiest question to answer is the one pertaining to who I am. My name is Rhadamanthus. I am a healer. My skills are fairly well known in this area and while I was in the marketplace a few months ago, some of Gunnar’s soldiers came and told me that I was to have a private audience with Gunnar. I declined the offer, but they ‘insisted’ that I go. Once I was face to face with Gunnar, he told me that he wanted me to be a healer to his forces. I refused to aid the forces of evil so he tossed me into the dungeon. What happened in the dungeon…. I prefer not to talk about…”

For a moment Rhadamanthus was silent and then he says,“ To fully understand the other questions, we must first look at why our world is as it is.”

“The Covenant first came to Etheria thousands of years ago. Not much is remembered about them as there was such an effort to erase their mark from history, but a little information has been passed down over the years. Much of that information I have been able to receive.”

“The Covenant were a group of mages and warriors. The best on their world, a place called Eternia, and upon arriving here, the best on ours. No one is sure how they developed their powers, but what is known is that they created something extremely powerful, powerful enough to make men kings. This information was recorded in various texts. At some point the Covenant was destroyed, as were many of their texts, but some of the books survived.”

“Sometimes one may wonder why certain families become nobility while others do not. How is it that generations ago, some men rose above their brethren and became leaders, while others did not? There are many different reasons for this, but amongst the most powerful families of Etheria it is likely due to the discovery of a text of the Covenant.”

“Each text of the Covenant has the potentially to give one great power, whether it be in magic or the arts of war. However, not all people can use those texts. Only those with an amazing inner strength and talent can ever hope to truly harness those texts.”

“The families that used the texts originally gained great power, but many of the succeeding generations were unable to use the texts directly. For instance, a father may amass great wealth due to his usage of a text, but the son may only be able to use the lessons taught to him by the father, never having the strength needed to master the text directly. As a consequence, in time many of these sons will destroy the text to ensure that it doesn’t fall into the hands of another. This has happened many times over the centuries, which is why the great families while keeping their influence have slowly lost their power. Your family I believe is likely one of those families. At some point they gained their power due to the usage of a text of the Covenant, but somewhere in the generations between then and now the text was destroyed and the lessons have since been diluted. In time, nothing is left of the lessons, but the power and influence remain.”

“The Six were people of great potential. Each of them were masters of magic and war before ever finding the texts of the Covenant and it is because of their great potential that they were able to master the lessons taught within.”

She-Ra then interrupted and said, “But how does this relate to me? And how do you know all of this?”

Rhadamanthus replies, “Well… I suppose it is because I am the keeper of one of the last texts of the Covenant.”

Reaching under the mattress, Rhadamanthus pulls out an ancient book and says, “This is the Book of Elements. It teaches one the power and laws of nature.”

Shocked She-Ra angrily says, “Are you mad? How could you leave such a powerful treasure under your mattress???”

Amused Rhadamanthus says, “And who will take it? What could possibly be of value in an ugly, ramshackle little shed?”

Seeing his point, She-Ra then asks, “Given your commitment to good, why aren’t you using the powers of the book to fight The Six?”

Rhadamanthus answers, “Patience girl… I will get to that shortly. First you need to learn a little about what the book of elements tells us about the world.”

“You see, nature requires a balance. Of all of nature’s laws, that one is the most prevalent. You see it all the time when observing animals. When a population grows too much, it lacks the food to continue to grow. Animal starve to death and in time the population is back at the size that keeps it in balance. Similar things happen with us, but given our sentience things are a little more complicated. For instance, an individual can only be given a certain level of power. There cannot be balance if an individual is given full total control of the world around him. The more power you give, the greater the costs or the more difficult it is to harness. For instance, a man given near infinite power may die if he ever truly used it. Or perhaps he would only be able to use it for a brief time before exhaustion set in, leaving him vulnerable to his enemies. Another place where there is balance is the relationship between good and evil.”

“There are times when good breaks down and evil gains the upper hand. For a long time the peoples of our world lived in relative peace and harmony. Sadly, that is generally not meant to last as it leads to apathy. In those times, a great evil tends to be created so as to ensure that we remain ever vigilant. That is what we have seen with The Six. However, in those dark times when a great evil takes power, there will always be a hero that emerges to counter it. That is who you are.”

“Now you must wonder why I knew you would find me. As it happens, it ties into the question about why I did not use the book myself. See… I cannot master the magic within the Book of Elements. I spoke to you of how an individual must have a great inner strength to master it, and sadly I am not one of those people. I have learned much of what the book teaches, but I will never be able to directly use the magic within.”

“My people found this book a very long time ago. We never dreamed of using it for personal gain, because as you can see by my home, we’re not interested in material goods. We’re healers and thinkers. We believe in doing what is right, nothing more, nothing less. I am the last of my people”

“Although the Book of Elements can lead to much death and destruction, we chose not to destroy it. You see, having read the teachings of the book, a time of evil seemed inevitable. It was our belief that when the time came we would give the book to the one who would be able to bring back the light. I knew you would find me because this book will give you the edge you need to combat the forces of evil.”

She-Ra then asks, “Are you going to give the book to me?”

Chuckling Rhadamanthus replies, “No, my dear. You are a very talented warrior and a very smart person, but you don’t have any mystical talents. You wouldn’t be able to use this book any better than I could and quite frankly, I think you’d have an even worse understanding of it.”

Annoyed She-Ra says, “So what the hell are we supposed to do with it then?”

Rhadamanthus answers, “Admittedly, I had expected you to be a mage… and your not being one complicates matters a little. But there is actually a way around this problem.”

At this point Rhadamanthus picks up the sack holding the shards of She-Ra’s sword and empties the contents onto the floor of the hut. He then says, “With my knowledge of the Book of Elements I can re-forge your sword, giving it the powers that are taught within the book. For most people the sword would be utterly mundane in that it would simply be a sword, but for you, it will be much more. Your inner strength would’ve allowed you to easily master the warrior texts of the Covenant, and it is that strength that will allow you to harness the powers that this sword will possess.”

Rhadamanthus then stands up, gathering the remnants of She-Ra’s sword. He says, “Using my healing magic, your ribs will heal within the next two weeks or so. I will need at least three weeks to re-forge your sword and imbue it with the power of the Book of Elements. Rest now while I go off to work. You will be safe here.”

That was the last time that She-Ra would see Rhadamanthus for the next few weeks. Resting and healing she wondered where he was working, but never worried about him because every morning when she woke up she saw that fresh food was waiting for her at the foot of the bed. On the twenty third day of Rhadamanthus’ absence, he came back and told him to follow her to a nearby clearing where there was a campfire. Opening the sack that he was carrying, he pulled out a beautiful sword, with a unique double-bladed design. It was the Sword of Elements. Getting on his knees, he presented the sword to She-Ra and she gladly accepted it.

Holding the sword in her hand, she felt almost a surge of power. It was so light compared to what she would’ve expected given a sword of that size, and its strength was incredible. Then to her surprise, she was Rhadamanthus pull the Book of Elements out of the same bag and tossed it into the fire. Shocked she said, “Why did you do that?”

Rhadamanthus says, “Well… the Book of Elements has the potential for great evil in it as well as good. I was able to instill a need for purity of purpose and soul within the Sword of Elements to ensure that it can only be used for good but the Book of Elements could’ve been used to corrupt it. Although the book teaches that nature requires balance, as I said before, I consider myself to be a force of good. The book had already served the purposes of good and now I feel that it is time for me to ensure that it can never be a danger again.

Rhadamanthus then told She-Ra that she would need training before she could fully use the sword. Even with her prodigy-like aptitude, it took her over three months to master.

[wolfsfang]

Perhaps a map of your Etheria might help establish a feel for the area (David Eddings did this in his Belagriad and Mallorea and it helped me get a feel for the story more.) Right now, I have an idea of the action, it's just hard to place the action with regards to Panembria and the other kingdoms of Etheria at the time. I do like the pacing.

I love teh work of David Eddings especially his stuff to do with Sparhawk, I admit a huge part of me liking it is the evil force known as Klael but then we all know I like villains .

Yeah a map of our versions of Etheria and Eternia does sound like a good idea and I will see what I can come up with, but no promises made.

Gunnar is pretty cool, wolf should draw up a picture of him!

Ya I should, but first I need to get a "feel" of what he looks like...if that makes sense?

[Patreek]

Yea I get you wolf. Ok so part 7 is awesome! I love how she gets her swords power!

[Darth Latveria]

Part 8 – A War Renewed

Shortly after completing her training, She-Ra rode off to find Wanda, evil witch of the Covenant. During her travels, She-Ra was brought up to date on what had happened in her absence.

After Gunnar’s death, there was a huge increase in morale amongst the united armies that were fighting the Covenant. For the next two months they actually succeeded in gaining ground and won the majority of their battles. But that increase in confidence didn’t last indefinitely and the Covenant’s forces slowly began to increase in size once more, changing the course of many battles and leading to the united front losing ground once more.

One month earlier Galen had fallen. She-Ra felt bad knowing that her home region was under Covenant control, but she also knew that she couldn’t have stopped it. Her battle with Gunnar showed her that she wouldn’t be able to defeat the rest of The Six without additional training, and there was no way for her training to be done more quickly. Thankfully her parents had escaped before the fall and were now in hiding.

Wanda was said to be travelling through the Whispering Woods. It was said that she never stayed in the same village for more than a couple days at a time. She was always on the move, travelling with an entourage of 50 soldiers, likely due to a fear of meeting the same end as Gunnar. For weeks She-Ra followed her, always a few steps behind, never arriving to a village in time. After over a month of frustrated searching, She-Ra determined that she would have to find a different way to solve the problem.

Sitting down with a map, She-Ra marked off the points that Wanda had travelled to. No discernible pattern was found. She seemed to bounce around from village to village, not travelling in any set direction at any given time. But there was something interesting about her travels… it appeared that she seemed to show up in some villages more than once, whereas others that looked like logical destinations in her travels she avoided entirely. Why would she avoid those villages?

For days She-Ra spoke to various villagers that she came across, asking them if they had any idea what those villages had in common. No one seemed to know. They weren’t on the same rivers, and they didn’t even offer similar amenities as some were far larger than others. Nearly giving up home, she one day came across an old farmer and asked him if he had any idea what those villages might have in common. He looked at the map for some time and then said, “I don’t believe that the villages themselves are very similar at all. But they are all near to places when kunja berries grow.”

“What are kunja berries?”

“Lovely little green berries that grow in some places in our area. Excellent taste.”

Could that be it? Wanda had a fondness for berries and she travelled to these places to ensure she always had them on hand? She-Ra then asked the man where the best places to get the berries would be at that time of year and the old farmer told her that soon Rend’s berries would be ripe. So off to Rend she went.

[rhea]

Cool, another installment. I'm enjoying a lot of the interaction with her and the populace, but I feel like I'm missing some of the magic that She-Ra empowers. I know your She-Ra is not the same as filmation's but it is kinda like the movies about King Arthur where they try to take out the mythos and insert historically accurate details--something just seems amiss. Maybe, it's just I'd like to know a bit more about her as a person and not just her action persona (if that makes any sense.) I do like the fact you are protraying her as investigative and not simply as knowing the best course at all times.

[Darth Latveria]

Cool, another installment. I'm enjoying a lot of the interaction with her and the populace, but I feel like I'm missing some of the magic that She-Ra empowers. I know your She-Ra is not the same as filmation's but it is kinda like the movies about King Arthur where they try to take out the mythos and insert historically accurate details--something just seems amiss. Maybe, it's just I'd like to know a bit more about her as a person and not just her action persona (if that makes any sense.) I do like the fact you are protraying her as investigative and not simply as knowing the best course at all times.

Very good idea, although a little hard to work into an "action epic" such as this. But I might be able to tie it a little into the epilogue or even bits of the story.

[Darth Latveria]

Edit: WHOOPS, I didn't post the whole chapter last time! It's been added now!

Part 9 – The Battle at Rend

She-Ra arrived at Rend and found out that Wanda had not been near the village for months. Speaking to the townspeople, she saw that they were extremely dissatisfied with Covenant rule. The Covenant charged exorbitant taxes, forced their children into slavery and were a generally uncouth lot. She-Ra then asked to be brought to the village leader so that she could speak to him about a way to possibly end Covenant rule. When a village warrior heard her plea, he laughed at her and said, “What is a girl like you going to do? Wanda’s won’t be tempted into your bed and I can’t see how else you’d expect to take on one of The Six.”

Annoyed with the man, She-Ra told him who she was. He laughed at her saying that he doubts that She-Ra is anything more than a myth and that even if She-Ra did exist, he doubts she’d be bothering with the village of Rend. She-Ra looked the man in the eye and asked him if he wanted to test her mettle. With a laugh he said yes.

Moments later She-Ra was being escorted to the leader of the village, the aforementioned warrior lying on the ground, his right arm broken in two places. Introducing herself to the village leader, she shared her plan with him. The leader was uncertain about her suggestion, as he was sure that Wanda could destroy the whole village without the help of her guards, but She-Ra convinced him that her plan would work. The downside being that they’d have to wait for Wanda’s (hopefully) inevitable trip to the village. Wanda arrived eleven days after She-Ra’s arrival. She-Ra put that time to good use.

Although She-Ra spent most of her time sharing her plan with the villagers, when she wasn’t working on the trap for Wanda the villagers found her extremely approachable and friendly. She never spoke down to anyone and whenever she was asked about her marvelous skills, she simply said that anyone who spent their lives working as she had would get the same results, although she was now aided by the Sword of Elements.

Days later, Wanda neared. As usual, Wanda was travelling within a horse-drawn carriage, surrounded by her soldiers. But what she found odd was that this time the village seemed to be deserted. Entering the village, her men looked through the streets but didn’t see a single villager at work or at play. It was at this point that Wanda suspected that something was amiss, but it was already too late.

From the trees above, a swarm of arrows shot down, skewering most of Wanda’s guards. Wanda herself was totally uninjured as she had used her magic to erect a shield protecting her from harm. As her men lay on the ground, moaning from their mortal wounds, Wanda screamed up at the trees, “DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HURT ME? I DON’T NEED THESE PEASANTS TO PROTECT ME FROM THE LIKES OF YOU. YOUR VILLAGE IS AS GOOD AS EXTINCT!”

Just as Wanda was about to cast a spell that would set many of the trees on fire, She-Ra dropped to the ground in front of her and said, “Maybe you don’t need your guards to protect you from the villagers, but you need them to protect yourself from me.”

Wanda shot a blast of energy at She-Ra, but She-Ra quickly blocked it. Lunging forward She-Ra thrust her sword at Wanda, but Wanda used her magical telekinesis to send She-Ra careening through the air, painfully hitting a tree. Rolling to the her feet, She-Ra narrowly avoided a blast of flame that left the bark of a nearby tree smoldering.

Lifting her sword, She-Ra pointed it at Wanda and shot out a blast of electricity. Wanda was shocked by the elemental attack, but was still able to block it. She-Ra jumped into the air and using the power of the earth elements caused a tremor under Wanda’s feet, causing her to fall. Before Wanda could get to her feet, She-Ra landed next to her, the Sword of Elements being plunged through Wanda’s chest.

Looking around, She-Ra saw the people come out of hiding. The archers were climbing down from the trees, and everyone seemed amazed at what had happened. She-Ra’ plan was risky, in that the attack on the guards would’ve proven suicidal if She-Ra couldn’t defeat Wanda, but She-Ra had the ability to instill a sort of confidence in those around her. The people of the village came up to She-Ra, bowing their heads and thanking her. This was the beginning of her days as a leader.

[Tallstar]

I just started reading the She-Ra fan-fic, where Adora's clumsy and inept. Out of curiosity, where did the Gwildolynn name come from? Is there anything behind it? Gwildor perhaps?

[wolfsfang]

I just started reading the She-Ra fan-fic, where Adora's clumsy and inept. Out of curiosity, where did the Gwildolynn name come from? Is there anything behind it? Gwildor perhaps?

Yep, that is it. I really hated that character from the movie and always thought he should have been Orko. But I felt like we should do some kind of homage to him in the New Vision and when it came to doing She-Ra / Adora she needed a surname so I used Gwildors name and womanised it (yes i know that as a surname I didn't need to do that but it just looked better)

[Patreek]

I like Wanda too. a very undarth character! lol

[Darth Latveria]

Part 9.5 -- Whoops I forgot to post the whole thing last time!

(see part 9 in its corrected entirety above, here is the part that was missing)

Wanda shot a blast of energy at She-Ra, but She-Ra quickly blocked it. Lunging forward She-Ra thrust her sword at Wanda, but Wanda used her magical telekinesis to send She-Ra careening through the air, painfully hitting a tree. Rolling to the her feet, She-Ra narrowly avoided a blast of flame that left the bark of a nearby tree smoldering.

Lifting her sword, She-Ra pointed it at Wanda and shot out a blast of electricity. Wanda was shocked by the elemental attack, but was still able to block it. She-Ra jumped into the air and using the power of the earth elements caused a tremor under Wanda’s feet, causing her to fall. Before Wanda could get to her feet, She-Ra landed next to her, the Sword of Elements being plunged through Wanda’s chest.

Looking around, She-Ra saw the people come out of hiding. The archers were climbing down from the trees, and everyone seemed amazed at what had happened. She-Ra’ plan was risky, in that the attack on the guards would’ve proven suicidal if She-Ra couldn’t defeat Wanda, but She-Ra had the ability to instill a sort of confidence in those around her. The people of the village came up to She-Ra, bowing their heads and thanking her. This was the beginning of her days as a leader.