Twenty years before, during the Age of Alliances...

It was the warm season in Darune, the time of year enjoyed for its comfortable temperatures. It felt like perpetual winter during other times of the year, though none had ever seen it snow. Most of Darune’s inhabitants—humans, dwarfs, elfs, and fymphs—believed the peculiar weather was caused by the Weeping Woods, which had been mysteriously covered in snow some years back that had never gone away. The odd weather puzzled the Darunians, since the woods rested on a plateau high above Darune, but not high enough for a continued presence of snow—or so they thought. Nonetheless, the warm season was upon Darune. As always, it brought with it renewed hope and dreams among its people.

A young, female human stood looking out of a tavern window, gazing upon the face of the plateau and the snowy trees above it. The plateau was in full bloom with dolligarnias. The woman loved how the white flowers adorned the barren face of earth and stone. This flower was one of her favorites because its center was a brilliant pink so unique that she and other painters could never fully capture its precise beauty. She thought of this beauty as her own, a beauty that represented the desires she held dear to her heart. She understood that people were complex and, at times, difficult to understand.

A light breeze lifted her long red hair. The air was refreshing compared to the tavern she worked and lived in, since it was always hot inside during the warm season. She gazed at the foot of the plateau where two waterfalls streamed from the mouths of stone-carved lion heads. The waterfalls cascaded beyond the buildings and residences built into the plateau’s face. The dolligarnias, the waterfalls, and the stone-etched buildings were a wondrous sight to the woman, one that she never tired of watching.

“One day,” she thought aloud, dreaming of when she would live at the face of the plateau, the place where the rich and well-to-do lived. “One day for sure,” she said again in determination, “and together with Pappi, just as Momi had desired.” She looked down at her wrist. She wore a lovely bracelet adorned with small, green crystal charms. It had belonged to her mother, and she wore it in loving memory of her.

“Lorayla,” a voice called out to her. “Come down, Dolli, we have a lot to get done before tonight’s rush of patrons.”

Lorayla smiled at the sound of her father calling out to her and laid a hand on her bracelet.

“Someday, Momi…but today, I’ve got to work!” She closed the window and rushed downstairs to the tavern’s first floor. There, she was met by a round man with thick gray hair and mustache.

“Sorry, Pappi,” Lorayla said, half smiling.

The man squinted his eyes. “Were you up there daydreaming again?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s got to be those flowers,” sighed the man. “Dreams are good, but if all you do is dream, your life will pass you by. There’s nothing like a day’s hard work to move you closer to those dreams. They’re—”

“Steppingstones,” finished Lorayla, taking the mop from her father’s thick hands. His hands reminded her of all the physical labor he’d done as a stone worker. He was one of many who had worked hard, cutting and digging to create the building and residences on and inside the plateau’s face. He saved enough koins to fulfill his dream of getting away from hard labor to reside in and run a tavern with his family.

Lorayla dipped the mop into a soapy bucket and put it on the floor. “Are you still happy with your dream, Pappi, even though it’s just you and me now?” she asked, her smile flattening as she began to mop. With her mother’s absence, the tavern’s food wasn’t the same. Patrons had come from all parts of Darune to taste her food. Lorayla knew the only reason they came now was because of her visionary ability.

Her father looked downcast for a moment, remembering the pain of being separated from his beloved. “When I look at you, I see her in you, and it’s enough to keep my dream alive,” the man said, his spirits lifting some. “Besides, my dream will be one of the steppingstones for you to fulfill your dreams.” The man stepped closer to his daughter and nudged her with his elbow. “And I know a certain someone has an eye for one of our patrons, and a handsome one at that.”

“Oh, stop it,” Lorayla kidded. “Zaniel and I are just good friends.”

“Yes, well, I’ve seen the way he has eyes for you.” Her father cleared his throat. “I was that way when your mother caught my eye.”

“Well, Zaniel certainly is a chivalrous elf. I suppose if he were to ask my hand, I’d have a hard time saying no. He is quite handsome and established.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that, Dolli,” her father encouraged. “But I do want you to continue to work hard and learn a skill to provide for yourself.”

Lorayla stopped mopping and grunted. “You still don’t think painting can make me a living? Zaniel says he has connections to people he thinks will pay top koin for my work.”

“Perhaps,” her father said, putting his hands on his hips. “I guess for now that does beat becoming a stone worker or a hunter. You know, your skill as a visionary already helps us maintain the tavern. If we were to expand, you could make even more koin.”

Lorayla mopped silently, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

Her father picked up on her silent but respectful protest. “I just want to make sure you’re taken care of,” he sighed. “I may not always be around. If that should happen, you know the tavern is yours.”

“You worry too much, Pappi. I’m sure if I can’t make a living from painting, then I can always fall back on my visionary skill. Maybe I could even become a great hunter like Momi was,” she proposed, recalling the archery training she had received from her mother. She knew her ability was nowhere near as good as her mother’s, however—she was far more skilled with a paintbrush.

“Aye, she was a grand one before…” Lorayla’s father trailed in thought. “Anyway, Dolli, I love you and support whatever you choose.”

Lorayla nodded and smiled.

Her father gave her another nudge and wink before leaving to tend to his own chores of wiping the round wooden tables that had been pushed against the walls.

Lorayla glanced at one of the tables, noticing her pair of gloves she used for her work. Don't worry, Pappi, I'll figure it out. For now, let's just enjoy our time together.