Amara Skyseeker finally topped the ridge that led to the Riven Lands. Mountains surrounded the entire region, a massive valley where once there had been vibrant forests. Now, though...it was nearly noon, and it was barely more than twilight in the sky. The depths of the valley were pitted as if sections had been ripped from the earth, and lakes had formed in the rifts and valleys. And the idea that the earth had been torn free was accurate enough, for in the sky, the air glittering with motes of light, were floating islands that had been ripped from the ground. As she watched, Amara saw a white-winged figure, blazing with golden light, meet a black-winged figure in the skies above, and shivered. Once, a great elven kingdom had existed here. It had been beautiful and peaceful. But that was before the drow had come, and had opened portals for demons and devils. The elves, in desperation as they were driven back, had summoned angels...and the unthinkable had happened. The conflict had riven heaven and earth, tearing land into the sky, and the broken elven people had fled before their own destruction. Some had stayed, and their fate was...uncertain to say the least. Something about the region seemed to corrupt those outsiders who entered it. In particular, she knew that the angels were now little better than the demons much of the time. But her eyes tracked a number of paths of stones that led into the sky, roads that crossed between the islands. Those...one of those islands held the old royal palace, and her goal. She took a breath, shaking her head and steadying herself. This was it. Now, she would find her destiny, as all those fortune tellers had told her she would.<br/><br/>Reaching up, she looked down into the mirror-sheened surface of the amulet around her neck. Crafted of masterfully made silver, the whorls of the setting gave the impression of wind, wave, and fire as one, all wrapped around a sphere of pure crystal enchanted to a silvery sheen as if made of silver, meant to represent earth. The item was what allowed her to channel her magic, but that wasn't why she looked into it now. No, it was to look at herself instead.<br/><br/>Someone who looked at her would be impressed, she thought. Even though she was wearing merely the trousers, shirt and jacket of a traveler, they were all made of the finest materials. But that wasn't the part that would impress, she thought. No, it was the pure, toned and balanced muscle and grace of her body. She was in perfect health, her body able to go for hours on end. But it didn't stop there, oh no. Her skin was perfect and clear, with crystal-blue eyes like the sky and long, golden hair tied back behind her elegantly pointed ears. And her face...the pure, high-boned features of a high elf. She was as perfect as elves came, and that, she thought, should worry any who saw her into leaving her alone. The only one who had ever matched her grace and poise had been a dragon in elven form, after all. Her breasts were mid-sized, as humans went, but fairly large for an elf, and she nodded to herself again, deciding that she was ready for this.<br/><br/>Looking at the landscape before her, Amara considered and began heading for the nearest of the pathways into the sky, picking her steps with care. Who would ever believe that the crown princess of the old royal family was returning without a single retainer? It was the best sort of disguise ever!