When I awoke, the light blinded me so badly that tears sprang from my eyes. Everything was blurry, though whether this was from the tears or from the mystifying whirl of darkness that I had just emerged from, I’m still not sure. My head spun as I swiped the tears from my eyes. I carefully opened them again, wincing still against the brightness.

I looked around, marveling at the sights and sounds of this very strange place. The sun blazed down on a tall thin ivory building built on the tip of a rocky point on the shores of the biggest lake I had EVER seen. Waves pounded and roared onto the shore beneath the building and strange white birds swirled through the air, their cries sounding almost like the screams of tortured souls from the depths of the netherworld. Even the air smelt different - it had a kind of decaying brackish smell. So very different from my home, with its smell of green growing things and the haunting scent of the little white starlike flowers that hide under the protruding roots of my beloved forest giants, peeking out of the swirling mists. Turning away from the mysterious building, all I could see inland was mountains, mountains and more mountains. Further down the coast, I could see what looked like the ruins of a temple, with just the columns remaining - stretching into the azure sky like fingers reaching to the heavens in mute supplication - pleading to their lost god to restore them to their past glory. Down the coast on the other side of the lighthouse, I could see the wreckage of a large ship, looking as lonely and forlorn as I felt.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping against all hope that this was just a very strange dream, and desperately tried to will myself awake. But I knew even before my eyes reopened that this was no dream.

All the classic questions whirled through my mind. Where am I? How did this happen? What or who did this to me? And of course the classic... WHY ME?!? One minute I was exploring a fern-draped hole at the base of a towering tree in my beloved primaeval forest, and then a cloud of darkness seemed to swoop down upon me and I was here... wherever here is.

Loneliness bore down on me, and I drooped to the ground. I missed my mother and father, and I even missed my older siblings, all nineteen of them, even though they are all so PERFECT that normally I can’t even stand to be in the same room with them. The waves of disapproval and pity that always emanated from them were so strong they were almost visible. They expected everyone to behave in the proper staid boring elvish way and I’m sure they considered me to be a changeling. Most of the time I agreed with them, but not for the same reasons of course. The thought of becoming like them always horrified me. Gloomy thoughts overwhelmed me, and I sat and sniffled awhile, unable to shake off my self-pity. I whispered to myself, "Triemi my girl, you’re not in Arboria anymore."

Resolving to explore this strange new place, I stood up and took stock of myself. While I was still wearing the same buckskins that my mother had made from the skin of a giant staghorn especially for my journey, all of the fringes with their decorative beads had been ripped away. My boots still had a bit of loam from the forest floor drying on their soles, but the laces were missing. My mithril circlet of rank that normally kept my hair out of my eyes had disappeared, as had my dagger and longbow. All I had left of my quiver was the tattered strap left dangling across my shoulder.

Strangest of all, my long tangled hair, which had been a sleek green length reaching down to the back of my knees before the blackness swept me away from all that was familiar and safe, was now a startling silver color. I reeled in shock. I was still only a very young elf, just venturing out on my Coming of Age Journey. I was only 100 years old! My hair was not supposed to turn this color until I was a revered elder, many hundreds of years from now. I felt my face and checked the back of my hands to see if they were old and wrinkled, but my skin was still young and firm. It was then that I noticed that I held something tightly clutched in my hand.

Flattening out my hand, I found a small gold medallion with the letters MD stamped on one side and some kind of creature on the other. I had been holding it so tightly the letters were imprinted on the skin of my palm. Where did this come from? Then I remembered the glint of gold that had lured me into the fern grotto. Was touching this medallion what had brought the swirling darkness down upon myself? If so, I cursed my never-ending curiosity. I was constantly in trouble at home because my curiosity had lured me into things that no normal self-respecting elf would ever do, but my ending up here was definitely the worst thing that had ever happened to me!

My mother had always warned me that my wayward ways were unnatural to an elf maiden and were going to lead me into ruin. My nickname even reflected this - "tri emi" means "curious wanderer", two concepts totally alien to your standard elf. When I thought of all the times she tried to advise and gently coax (and screech and yell - but that part came as I got older and she grew more desperate) me into becoming the gently-bred, sheltered lady that I was born to be, all I could do was hang my head in shame.

My head jerked up as a new worry reared its ugly head. If my hair had changed color so drastically, was anything else different as well? I quickly patted myself down again and twisted and peered at everything I could see, even to the point of taking off my boots and peeking down my tunic and trews. Everything seemed all right... my skin was still a pale green, my clothes still fit, 12 fingers, 12 toes...

Just as I finished with my little mental checklist, I heard a voice say "Welcome to MagicDuel. I’m sure you must have many questions. Please feel to ask me anything. I am here to help you."

Jumping violently, I turned around and found that while I had been frantically checking myself over, someone had come up behind me. The roar of the surf and the screaming of the birds had drowned out the sounds of her passage. (Not that I had been paying attention to anything other than my own concerns. I blushed a deep green as I thought of what I must have looked like to her as she approached. I was looking down my tunic and trews! And groping myself all over! I swear by the Great Mother’s Holy Arrows, I must have looked pretty demented. I still snicker now at the picture I must have made: tattered clothes, tangled hair and a look of total shock and embarrassment on my face as I spun around.) But as it turned out, she was used to finding disoriented beings on the shores by the Ivory Lighthouse.

She informed me that I was on an island named Golemus Golemicarum in the land of MagicDuel. Even as we spoke I could see others appearing on the beach in many strange ways - one in a burst of prismatic light, one who appeared to have just walked through an invisible door, one in a poof of smoke, and one that just appeared out of nowhere - all looking tattered and confused.

I learned many strange things that day. I learned that the endless expanse of water was not a huge lake like I had thought, but was instead consisted of salt water and was called an "ocean". I learned that in order to make my way in this land, I must take part in a formalized dueling system where a fighter must acquire creatures who will fight in battles for their master’s honor. A different kind of fighting system than I had ever dreamed of, where a fine balance must be kept between winning and losing.

I learned that individuality and creativity were appreciated in this land and that being curious was a bonus rather than a liability. It is a land full of puzzles, some with layers upon layers to peel away before one can reach the diamond bright core of revelation hidden within. I also learned that I had one more change to my appearance that I had been unable to see, literally! My eyes were no longer the deep emerald green that every elf I ever knew had shared. Like my hair, my eyes are now silver.

Now I am known as Triemi Argentia. I have adopted some interesting new creatures and have a wonderful new master by the name of SubZeroo, who has kindly taken me under his wing and is helping me to acclimatize to the customs of my new home.

And by the way, I have changed my mind. Ending up here is definitely the BEST thing that ever happened to me!