Houston Dragon - Shroud of the Avatar Poetry

	SHROUD OF THE AVATAR POETRY By: Houston Dragon (John Hosie) This is a collection of poetry works I've written for the upcoming Shroud of the Avatar* game, Ultima's spiritual successor, being developed by Richard Garriott and Portalarium Studios.* DIVIDED SOULS The Shards did Fall upon this land, Vast mountains crumbled into sand, Molten rain from dark skies above, And Death took those we once loved. From broken ruins of society's few, Came cankered birth, Obsidian hued, Empire of Twilight's envisioned Eye, Doom's approach draws closer nigh. In Order's grip twisted by Chaos' hand, Victims of evil's Pride, left unfit to stand, Once of Light, stolen from grace's reign, Enslaved by Darkness into monstrous pain. But risen against these ensorcelled fiends, Those that bring freedom by their means, Rulers, nobles, lords, all come massed, Council of Might, strong standing fast. Through hardship's struggle, born of pain, Tempered by courage, forged by its flame, Futures are weighed, fate's balance hangs, Waiting moment, turned on blade's tang. Britannia's wounds fester, poisoned within, Heroes and villains in battle's great din, Shattered moon, reminds of past paid tolls, Divided, forsaken, all stand as lost souls. (Inspired by events as told in Blade of the Avatar, a short story prequel to Shroud of the Avatar) AWAKEN Darkening horizon, twisted torn sky, Watched beneath Chaos' glaring eye, Shattered moon, broken and bale, Fragments of magic, ethereal vale. Shadows pass from legend to myth, Heroes arise, brought home forthwith, New Britannia calls, she welcomes, Forsaken, frightening; destiny beckons. Bring forth your Virtues, forgotten they be, Friendships and foes; all companions we, Choose now, the paths we must now dare, Truth, Love, Courage; your souls laid bare. HEARTS OF BRITANNIA Dawn breaks across this world's sky, Virtues, forsaken, left shattered to lie, Our Lord returns from Void's embrace, Long lost friends, new adventures to face. Together, we walk Britannia anew, Land reborn, enemies shall rue, The Destiny Pool reflects our hearts' desire, End's beginning, the Fall's ruined mire. Beneath the shadows of Chaos' eye, The shattered moon, baleful in sky, Beauty redeems, grace comes alight, Burns away Pride, ensnares our sight. Truth remains, sown as heart's balm, Courage rises, impassioned calm, Love offered, forged alike in bond Above all, love, tis you I find fond. (Written for the Hearts of Britannia contest by the Poet's Circle for Shroud of the Avatar, and won Honorable Mention)

	SILLY SHROUD OF THE AVATAR WORKS This is my silly stuff I've written for the Shroud of the Avatar* game that's being developed by Richard Garriott and Portalarium Studios.* ODE TO PUFFY SHIRTS Upon the far distant mountain side, Fierce in stance and with fiery eye, His gleaming head did shine alight, As beacon to all of his great might. "Lord British," said he, covered in mail, "Knows not how to rule, he shall fail! Tis Darkstarr, I, that should be King, Chaos endures and makes hearts sing." But far from the distance, a clarion call, Borne by voice of one with ethereal pall, "Darkstarr, you lunkhead, you cannot win, Tis I, Lord British, whose lands you're in!" Shocked, DS did stammer, face turned blue, "Why, know that I am rubber, thou art glue!" Lord British did then make such gesture rude, Conflict was predestined with such attitudes. The two men glared and circled around, Both seemed well matched, equal renown, Each of them, wearing strange puffy shirts, And with pointy sharp swords, sure to hurt. In distant lands called Austin, Texas be, Our companions practice for all to see, They battle against most fiercesome foes, And hope to slip not and lop off their toes. Who shall be victor? Who shall fate task? Together in combat, locked mortal fast, We await for such news with bated breath, And ask which'll taste a lake's watery depth. (An encouragement for the epic battle between Lord British and Darkstarr... or maybe, Team Lake) NEW BRITANNIAN DREAMS We sit at night, gazing at bright stars, Dreaming of electronic worlds afar, Full of wonderment, adventures, and life, Bound fast by conflict, battles, and strife. Long ago, a virtual universe did beckon, Born of imagination, filled with lessons, Virtues and Principles, darkness and light, Consequences earned by our heroes' plight. Good and evil, equal choices arose, Struggled and sweated, kept on our toes, Friends and memories, kept with care, Brought to life by our monitor's glare. "We Create Worlds", their motto declared, Enshrined with destiny, digitally prepared, Origin's gone now, but their spirit lingers, Kept safe now in Portalarium's sure fingers. Bring us a world, Lord British, if you please, Full of great potential, with future to seize, Whether champion, villain, hero or fool, Let our paths be decided by Destiny's Pool. Unseen evils, accursed dungeons below, Shattered moon drifts above, Chaos' woe, The Gypsy's hand deals the cards of our souls, Dilemmas chosen, and our fates pay the toll. By the Eight, the Three, and the One All-Around, Tis this new home, I hope to have found. (This is dedicated to all former employees of Origin Systems, and to Richard Garriott for continuing to inspire us as fans.) DEVELOPER MAN It's 10:30 AM on this Thursday, The downloader's still going too, There's the forums up next to me, Makin' posts while we wait in queue. We say, "Richard, give us a new memory? We're not really sure what to know, But make it fun and neat, and we want it complete, So we can all see how it goes." La, la, la, de, de, da La, la, de, de, da, da, da Give us Release 3, Mr. Developer Man! We want to play it tonight! Cuz, we're all in the mood for some RPG, And you guys can make it just right. Now, Darkstarr, he's no friend of mine, Him and Lord British sure got some beef, We all want to see how their swordfight goes, Since Team Lake sure looks to be deep. He says, "Why, everyone just listen to me!" Old DS really wants to run this realm, "Guys, I know that Chaos would lead the way, If I could just see out of this helm!" Oh, la, la, la, de, de, da La, la, de, de, da, da, da Now Holt is running the Poets' Circle, They're making all those new cool melodies, And he's talkin' with Lotus, who keeps it all going, Since she makes her job look a breeze. And the Moderators are reviewing forum posts, As the Members all slowly get to play, Yes, we're sharing Shroud's potential awesomeness, And it's the reason for the Pledges we paid. It's a damn good way to spend a Thursday, And we're all eager to see Kingsport town, 'Cause it's New Britannia that we want to see, To explore and earn our renown. And the computer, it sounds like a Gypsy's cart, And our imaginations all run away, And when the timer runs out, we'll all sit and pout, And say, "Man, when's the next release day?" Oh, la, la, la, de, de, da La, la, de, de, da, da, da Give us Release 3, Mr. Developer Man! We want to play it tonight! Cuz, we're all in the mood for some RPG, And you guys can make it just right. (For those impatient times between the development releases)

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