Working off the other topic about Artisinals, submit your failures in the Bardic.

Here's mine for January:

It was the dawning of the new year,
But a year unlike the last.
For it was the time of game and spear,
Year 500 was here at last.

Many calls of joyous glee
Were heard about the land.
As countless souls planned a spree
In the events that were planned.

Foozles to challenge the quick of mind,
Egghunts to test the swift,
Bandersnatch for hunter kind,
Shipraces for those adrift.

Combat tourneys to test ones might
Rare shops with wares from afar
Capture the Flag, where all of us fight
To drinking contests in the bar

There is something for us all to play,
Whether it be night or day.
Yet, we remember the past,
And the times we thought we wouldn’t last.

We’ve lasted through Orcish raids
And nightmares from our dreams..
We’ve seen the founding of city states
And the rampaging of the Zaphar’s streams.

We lived through discover of the Yggdrasil tree
And the coming of Varian to our realm.
We’ve survived ferocious beasts of the sea
With our noble captains at the helm.

We’ve seen many things in our long life,
For better or worse we are here to stay
Whether it be peace or strife
As we live through each day.

^I am not really knowledgeable about writing or poetry, but just from a personal opinion standpoint, I like this. Only this part is a bit awkward :

That aside, I think it's well done

I was going to post the poem about the Aalen I once wrote in the vein of "eh what the heck, might as well try, it's free credits and a lot less hassle than trying to draw something again", but just decided it's too embarrassing Jesus, that's bad.

I used spree because a lot of the events were pk, just seemed to fit to me.

Hey, there's nothing wrong with a good dose of humiliation every now and then. That said, I might as well post mine.

Actually, I'm pretty new here, and I wasn't sure exactly what was meant by "distinctly Achaean," so I tried to write something that would specifically fit into in-game lore. As a result, it's pretty different from the other entries... I probably should have taken a look at the past winners first, because I wasn't sure what they were looking for.

Hymn to Maya

Vast rise the mountains, snow-topped, cloaked in awe;
The grasslands green with sun; the tundra pale;
The rolling glass-topped sea, bereft of flaw:
All these are of the cloth that forms your Veil.
And thus in all resides your majesty;
The spreading earth, the sky above it wreathed,
Though eyes pierce not your Veil, still we see
Your labour bountiful to us bequeathed.
The earth, engendered of your mind, we tread,
And heed not breaking storm, nor wild wind’s wail,
For with the owl’s wise eyes and great grey head
You watch o’er all, and will, till all things fail.
And so you mind our lives; our loss and gain,
Your children all, begotten of your pain.

Here is mine - its long, so I don't really expect anyone to read it

“That isn’t right,” she whined with an exasperated look. After spending three hours attempting to fix the decor in the hallway, it still wasn’t working correctly. The Lighthawks had bought some prime real estate and built a nice size home on the lot. The windows of the second story overlooked Jaxarte Lake and each of the children had been honored with their own bedroom. Trenia wasn’t a full member of the family though, just a relative through her adoptive mother. However, she was given the task of decorating the hallways and some of the other rooms within the home.

Trenia removed the picture of the Lighthawk family tree from the wall and looked for better placement. The section of wall between the doors for the study and nursery looked promising. Holding the picture in her hands, she walked down the hallway to the cream colored wall. Suddenly, her concentration was interrupted by a call for help from the city. Jerle was desperate for some fighters to join him.

“We need to gather a large group to hunt Belladonna,” he bellowed. “Her corpse will allow us to get a journal from Zsarachnor and Hycanthus has requested this journal in exchange for one of the prisms. ” Listening closely to the call for help, Trenia began to remember some of the rumors that had been circulating. These prisms had been created from the essence of Lady Aurora, the Goddess of Light.

A few months ago, the whole world saw a shimmering form explode into three streaks of light, but the reason for these streaks wasn’t known until her friend, Qwilleran Yuridja, bumped into a distraught Handel in the Crysalis Basilica. Qwilleran calmed the choirmaster enough to learn the origin of the streaks of light and the prisms contained in them. Aurora’s followers hoped that by giving the prisms to Pentharian, Aurora would return, or at least another Goddess of Light would be there for them to revere. Apparently, Jerle was assisting in this mission.

Trenia hadn’t really been paying attention to the quest. She wasn’t a follower of Aurora and didn’t think someone of her limited fighting ability would be much help against the powerful people who had captured a prism. Hycanthus, the powerful mage was just one of three who possessed one of the prisms. The gypsy had captured another, but the third prism was still not found.

However, she knew that her duty as a Paladin of Shallam and the Church required her to participate in the destruction of the Queen of Vampires. After quickly cleaning up the random décor items resting on the floors, Trenia proceeded to join the hunting party at the gate of Shallam.

A large group had gathered at the northern gates, each person joining for their own reason. Some were there to help the followers of Light, some felt their actions would benefit Shallam and others were more interested in making a name for themselves as a vampire slayer. But no matter the reason for joining the hunting party, each skillset was important and necessary for the success of their mission. The large group quietly entered Belladona’s keep and swiftly dispatched her protectors one by one. When they finally approached the dreaded vampiress’s rooms, fears and doubts had been replaced with determination and stubbornness. After a short battle, the Queen was defeated and Jerle grabbed her corpse to give to Zsarachnor.

Trenia was not aware of all the deals that had been made with Zsarachnor or Hycanthus, but she followed willingly with the rest of the group to finish the mission that had been started. Jerle gave the corpse of Belladona , as well as Belladona’s assistant Derryk, to Zsarachnor and although Zsarachnor was pleased with the corpses, he was not willing to turn over the journal quite yet. Negotiations began again.

Jerle, Calhoun and some others began to question Zsarachnor’s motives and his willingness to cooperate. There were discussions back and forth about keys and journals, chests and prisms. Trenia wasn’t really paying much attention. Instead she was staring at the chamber they were standing in. Jewels and other valuables surrounded the room, not in locked displays, but lying around as though they were toys. She moved away from the large group to examine the strewn items but realized they were not all that they seemed. A veil shimmered in front of them, causing the jewels to shift from shining gems to grey rocks, the tapestries that looked rich and beautiful turned to threadbare sheets. The amount of illusion created in this room was amazing.

Unbeknownst to Trenia, Zsarachnor had noticed her motions and amazement. He quickly broke off negotiations.

“Lady Trenia,” he began, “you are so intrigued by my possessions, you should become one of them.” Zsarachnor turned to Jerle, “I will give you the journal you are so desperate to get your hands on, if the Lady Trenia stays to be my mistress,” he said wryly.

A gasp of disbelief spread through the allied crowd and after Jerle tried to start negotiations again, the seriousness of Zsarachnor’s terms were realized.

“There is no other way you will get this journal from my hands,” he said as a wicked grin spread over his ghastly face. “Unless of course, you can kill me.”

Immediately Calhoun jumped into action and attacked the Vampire Lord. Jerle and the others were not far behind while Trenia stood frozen, aghast as her friends were slain one by one by the most fearsome creature on Sapience. This did not thwart them. The devotion users in the group quickly resurrected the fallen soldiers and the battle continued forward. She shook off her fear and cried out.

“I will stay,” she said calmly. The entire party froze in shock and stared at her. “I will stay,” she said again, slowly. “As long as none of my friends continue to be killed.” Disbelief again spread over the faces of the hunting party. “Please, “she continued, “stop dying.” Calhoun and Qwilleran tensed, swords in hand, ready to hurl themselves at Zsarachnor again, but Jerle spoke first.

“Alright Lord Zsarachnor, you have your wish, hand over the journal.” He turned to the large group. “Calhoun, Qwill, we’ll deal with this later.” As Zsarachnor handed over the journal the group departed swiftly to finish their tasks, leaving Trenia behind with the Vampire Lord.

“Welcome Lady Trenia, to my humble home. I am sure you will learn to enjoy yourself here as there are a great many things to be had while living with the undead.” Zsarachnor sat down, staring at his new possession.

The sound of Trenia’s heart beating seemed to echo in the large chamber. She concentrated on slowing her breathing, but wasn’t very successful. Though she was nervous, this wasn’t the first time Trenia had been held captive. Many years ago, she had been dragged into a hostage situation with Dalamar, a necromancer with a well-known appetite for murder. He had been after Czanthria Zuiho_sho, Trenia’s mother, but had mistakenly grabbed Trenia as well. In return for their safety, he had required a great treasure from the Church. But during that trial, she had the comfort and assurance of her mother to guide her. Czanthria had been a crutch for Trenia to lean on and had kept her strong. This time, she was all alone. Breathe, breathe, she reminded herself.

“I do not think I am going to enjoy staying here, but the safety of my friends is more important than my own happiness.” Trenia’s resolve showed clearly on her face.

“A Paladin through and through, I see,” Zsarachnor eyed Trenia thoughtfully. “We undead are not as bad as we are made out to be. As long as you mortals do not invade our home, we have other interests besides killing.”

“What Good could be found in the Crypt of vampires?” Trenia accused.

“I promise you Lady Trenia, you will be treated well while you are my guest and will not want for anything,” Zsarachnor replied.

“Except my friends,” whispered Trenia.

Suddenly, a great force tugged at Trenia and pulled her out of the Burial Chamber back to her friends. Having retrieved Trenia from Zsarachnor’s grasp, Jerle lead the group back to Shallam. Due to the work of Jerle, Qwilleran, Klorius, Isildur, Calhoun and others, the three prisms had been found and everyone gathered in the Basilica with Handel.
Again, Trenia was in shock. She watched patiently as Lord Pentharian used the prisms for the ceremony, noticed with disgust when Lord Sartan announced His victory over Good and Light, cringed when Calhoun was killed over and over for defiance, and gasped with relief when Lord Pentharian returned as the ruler of two realms. But inside, her stomach churned with anger and restlessness. She had given her word to stay with Zsarachnor and that promise had been stolen from her.

The story of the Restoration of Light was told across the world. Visitors from other cities came to speak with the successful hunters, questors, negotiators and soldiers. There were whispers all over the city of the greatness that had been accomplished. Yet, Trenia knew something was still wrong.

Darknight Sioraiocht understood as well that not everything was resolved. He could see that Trenia was grappling with the guilt of having broken her word. He knew she was plotting to return to Zsarachnor’s lair when she could. Darknight had a plan.

He wrote a letter to Zsarachnor that could not be ignored. He gave Zsarachnor an ultimatum, either release Trenia from her promise or have a bounty placed on his head. The Vampire Lord’s response left no room for doubt. He sent a vampire army to attack Shallam and bring Trenia back to him.

Shallam rallied to protect Lady Trenia, despite her insistence that she was willing to return to Azdun eternally. The vampires were killing innocents in her city and the siege was destroying all the lives she had been trying to save when she agreed to stay with Zsarachnor. She saw it as a waste, a waste in energy and effort, but mostly, a waste of lives. She was hidden in a storeroom within the city, kept out of harm’s way while citizens and visitors of all ages were slaughtered in the streets of Shallam.

Amid all the chaos a quiet hum lingered in Trenia’s ear. It slowly grew louder until Trenia recognized a voice that was speaking only to her.

“I can help you,” he said. “I know you want to get back to Zsarachnor’s crypt and I can help make that happen. I have spoken with Lord Zsarachnor and he is waiting to welcome you with open arms.”

Could it be true? Could this follower of Evil help Trenia achieve her goal and end the fighting within her city? She couldn’t decide if she should trust someone that had tried to steal the prisms for himself. But in the end, Trenia knew that she would only be able to escape Shallam with Andelas’ help.

“I am ready,” she told him. “They are guarding me in the storeroom, but there is no monolith here. I will distract the two guards in the room with me and then you can steal me away.”

Holding her breath, Trenia again felt a strong tug and found herself outside Shallam. She searched around and saw no one with her. But the voice was there.

“Follow me, Trenia, I have arranged a meeting place with the Vampire Lord and he will take you to his home.”

Trenia followed anxiously, peering around her every few moments. It wouldn’t take long for her guards to notice her absence and she did not want to be summoned back to Shallam. Frantic voices tried to reach her, but she ignored them as she walked farther away from the city to her new home. Andelas led her off the road and through the hills, the hills turned into forest and ancient ruins could be seen in the distance. Without warning, Zsarachnor appeared in front of them.

“Thank you, Andelas, for your assistance in reclaiming my bride,” Zsarachnor said with a smirk. “ I have a special gift for her.” With those words, Zsarachnor struck at the unsuspecting Trenia. In one swift motion he bit her and drained her blood. Trenia’s soul was left staring in confusion while Zsarachnor disappeared with the corpse he had created.

“Trenia, this is the best way to make everyone happy,” a voice echoed in her head. “Trust me. You have kept to your word. Do not worry about it again.” Zsarachnor’s voice then reverberated throughout Sapience. “I have taken my bride as promised. Mortals, do not try to steal her from me again.”

As a floating soul Trenia could not do much, so she prayed to Sarapis that her body would be restored and she could have more time to finish all that she was born to accomplish. Once she returned from the sacred Halls, she returned to Shallam. Again, the rumors and whispers slowly spread.

Zsarachnor was no longer living in solitude, his mistress, his vampiress, was now at his side. And when anyone stays in the Chamber long enough to get a close look at her (which is rarely accomplished), beneath the pallid figure, the dusty auburn hair and the pale, ageless face, the body of Trenia can still be recognized.

I'm considering modifying mine a bit and sending it in again.

God, I'd hate to have the job of reading through all those bardic entries.

Might be why mine always get the shaft. I usually submit in the last 2 days. They gotta be tired of reading by then.

I suppose it could be that I'm a horrible writer though.