[Prompt] Wishes

What is this? You come upon a strange tea pot, tucked away in the back of some ruined place, or deep within the trunk of an ancient tree. Though the scenery around the tea pot is all ruins and dirt, the tea pot itself is pristine with almost a glittering shine. A magical aura wafts from the tea pot, but investigation reveals no traps. As you touch the pot, a spark of power alights and a spirit of some kind shimmers out of the spout. It takes form before you, same race as you, yet where its legs would be, a wispy tail of smoke formed and tethered it to the tea pot.

“A wish giver I be, and for you I have three. To grant them for ye, the laws you must see.” The spirit waved a hand and a large scroll appeared. On it, in bold lettering, were rules.

*I cannot bring back the dead

*I cannot give more wishes

*I cannot destroy or kill

“Follow to a tee, and your wishes fly free. If laws failed to hede, my place yours will be.” With that, the spirit bowed and awaited to hear the wishes. What do you wish for? How careful are you with your wishes? Or do you abandon the tea pot or destroy the spirit and tea pot? Know this, the spirit hold immense magical power to grant wishes, and can fiercely defend the tea pot and itself.


Info

This is meant to be a fun exercise, so there aren’t many rules.

Prompts are fun little things meant to inspire. You don’t have to perfectly match the prompt. Just let it inspire a thought.

I’m going to try and post these weekly, sometime between Saturday and Monday probably. Feedback and prompt ideas are welcome, so feel free to post them in the archive thread. Some prompts will be more thought provoking, some more whimsical. Respect your fellow writers.

Disclaimer: I cannot take full credit for every prompt. Some of these I create on my own, some are prompts I’ve seen that I’ve taken a WoW spin to, and some I’ve seen and used in the past, some are ideas spoken in passing between me and coworkers, or guildmates, or some are offered directly from folks on the forums. If I’ve been directly given a prompt from another person, I will credit them unless they do not want to. Otherwise, know some of these are gained through many means.


Archive: Kersia's Prompt Archive and Discussion

2 Likes

Once I gained the strange tea pot and the odd looking elf spilled out and sang his song. My first thought was to re-write history and save the countless lives that were taken by the Undead Invasion. But then I thought of Silvermoon, it’s traditions, languages, it’s culture, they would be completely foreign to me. I would fit with my people just as well as a furbolg. Having already embraced arcane addiction.

The truth was hard to accept but Silvermoon was destroyed because it’s weakness’s were exposed. The summoning of Kil’Jaeden, the eventual necessity of each faction wars breaking against each other causing more dead, carnage, and destruction. But licking those wounds and coming back stronger then before. Even though I was born a High Elf. I am not one.

To have this power would mean making choices that break your heart. To protection for days beyond my own, for endless power without measure. I think my heart would long for simpler life, the kind one cannot have being a goddess. I would not trade my simple pleasures.

I thought of Anduin, of love and acceptance, and peace. But would it be earned? That would merit true passion. For a love I couldn’t serve. A saint of such perfection. As all desire but none deserve. A place for his affection?

I don’t think I could write anymore.

Our lives are like cloth woven from choice and circumstance and shaped by the determined and tenacious. To take that would be beyond selfish and make this fate more then worthless.

I know others would beg me to rewrite there histories, some my even think it’s strange that I would not shape destiny in my favor, but as it goes right now, no one will likely believe me.

Let the tea pot lay in the bottom of Blackrock Mountain river of lava and the let the story of a genie that would grant a poor a child three wishes, stay a story.

(Just read the last part. If this genie were so great and power. Well never been something that hasn’t been fixed by 10 to 25 adventures. I wonder what kind of gear it would drop?)

2 Likes

Asana rested her hand on her hips and eyed the spirit floating before her. It resembled a human woman, tall and willowy with flowing blonde hair, aside from the fact she could see right through her. And that she had come out of an unusual porcelain teapot buried in the heart of a cave system. She almost tripped over the damn thing and mistook it for a rock under the light of her burning torch.

“So you’re telling me, I can have any three wishes I want so long as they don’t break your rules?”

The spirit nodded, her voice had a strange echoing effect. “Yes, indeed. Name your wishes.”

“But if I break them I have to take your place?” She wanted clarification on that part in particular.

“These are the laws. However, so long as you do not break them it will not be an issue.”

Fair point she supposed. By the sound of it this spirit might even have just been a former victim who fell prey to the teapot and replaced the one before it. A possibly long chain of succession of people who asked for too much without thinking.

Dearly she wished Ellva was here. That little warlock would probably be able to take one look at this and understand the magical mechanics of the teapot and the validity of the spirit. Or she’d laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Where did she get to anyways? They got separated a few tunnels back, this place is like a maze.

“One more question,” she prompted. “Are these wishes optional? That is do I have to use them now that you’re summoned? And will there be retaliation if I don’t?”

The spirit paused for a moment and frowned. Asana thought she saw a flash of anger, but the former serenity returned as if it didn’t happen. Her keen eyes didn’t miss it though. “Correct. There is no law binding you to me at the moment, but I can act in self-defense if required.”

At the moment, eh? Figures. Abruptly she turned around and started walking back the way she came. “Alright, well see you later then. Or not, I guess. I don’t intend to return.”

“Wait!” the woman called. “I can grant nearly anything, your hearts desires can be yours!”

Asana paused her step and glanced back. “I’m not stupid. I’m not familiar with magic, but I have been bitten by it before. Even I can tell at a glance you’re strong, if you’re making such a crazy offer. It surely must be tempting and that’s what those who came before must have thought too. Never mind the question of who threw you down here in the first place. I have no reason to get involved. Besides…” Her thoughts drifted towards Ellva, whom should be wandering here somewhere. “I already have everything I need. And wishes are boring anyways, if I want something I’ll get it myself.”

The woman continued called to her with increasing levels of insistence and anger, but she ignored it. Asana swept out of the chamber back into the network of tunnels and was already trying to remember where to go from here. The easiest route would be to start backtracking…to the left? That sounded right. She chuckled at the unintended joke.

Oh and mental note, she had to ask Ellva to seal the cave entrance when they got out. Best not to let the wonder pot get into other people’s hands. She didn’t know if its promises of wishes were true, but that thing is certainly cursed.

4 Likes

Ravasha had been exploring the Ghostlands and in a network of sickly trees had found what appeared to be an ordinary teapot. The surroundings were ruined however the teapot didn’t seem to be hiding any traps. Ravasha had Jakyap the imp act as her canary to test that. Jakyap came back and tugged at Ravasha’s dress.

“Let’s just go, Boss. This thing smells magical but I don’t think it’s a good–” And Jakyap degenerated into a whoop of fear and excitement as a Blood Elven spirit shimmered out of the teapot.

The woman had ruby-red hair and wore golden bangles, earrings, and clothing that was made of shimmery, see-through fabric. In fact all of her carried an ethereal quality and Ravasha could see the dead trees through the woman’s abdomen. Ravasha smiled evilly as the spirit introduced herself.

“I can grant you any wish that you want. But my rules are simple: I cannot revive the dead. I cannot grant you more than 3 wishes. And I cannot be used to kill or destroy a structure or your enemies. Take heed young Sin’dorei, for breaking these rules means that you will take my place.” The spirit intoned ominously.

The Blood Elf warlock picked at her nails with her dagger. She appeared to be deep in thought. The offer was tempting. And she was always running out of luck at the worst times. She decided to wish for what she would consider to be practical things.

“I wish for enough gold to comfortably live the rest of my days.” Ravasha said. She waited for the wish to take effect.

A pile of gold descended from the sky and fell on her head. Ravasha struggled for a moment to become unburied and Jakyap did several flips, dancing around his Mistress in joy. When Ravasha was out from underneath her prize she cleared her throat.

“I wish for gold and you drop it on me? What kind of business do you run? If I wished to be prettier would you shorten my lifespan or something? Or does that count as killing? Actually, forget it. I wish to be as beautiful as I know I am on the inside, on the outside.” Ravasha declared haughtily.

The spirit nodded her head and Ravasha looked instantly more youthful and prettier. Her dress, which was plain red fabric, changed to have hints of black and gold weaved throughout it. Her makeup was more vibrant, as were her eyes.

But Ravasha knew there had to be a price. You just can’t give away free wishes.

“What is the drawback on this wish, Milady Spirit?” She asked.

“You will attract suitors who don’t care if you wanted to date them or not. In fact you will attract many. Including some animals who are entranced at your new supernatural beauty.” The spirit said simply.

Ravasha groaned. These wishes were more like curses. She pouted and put her hands on her hips. She had enough. This spirit ought to be destroyed before she could trick some other hapless traveler. Yet fighting her seemed almost beyond Ravasha’s talents. She would have to plan this carefully. So, for her last wish:

“I wish to find my other sentient Infernal child. I wish for that child to be right here.” Ravasha said before falling silent with a smirk on her face. With Jakyap and the sentient Infernal she could use them as distractions while she sucked the life force out of the spirit. Or that was the plan until:

A flaming green fel meteor descended from the sky. It was coming for Ravasha! She had to duck and roll away as the fel meteor collided with the ground with crater-creating impact. The massive Infernal, made of jagged black rocks and purple Soul Shards, stood at its full height and roared angrily at its “Mother.”

“Mother, why did you abandon me in Ashenvale? I wandered for so long to find you, beset by dangers at every turn, hunted by The Convocation and Priests and Paladins. While you were in hiding with my sibling I was tormented daily. I… HATE you!” The sentient Infernal roared. Smashing its fist towards its Mother.

Ravasha was sent careening back into the forest of deadened trees. Jakyap was too small to cushion her landing but distracted the sentient Infernal with Firebolts. Ravasha stood slowly and shakily, putting a hand to her head, where she found a trickle of blood. She had exhausted her 3 wishes however and found no need to stay here.

Summoning her other sentient Infernal and dismissing Jakyap, the creature did the same flaming descent and smashed into its sibling, knocking it off-balance. The sentient Infernal on Ravasha’s side was conflicted about fighting its sibling but its ties to its Mother were far too strong. As the spirit disappeared into the teapot the 2 Infernals began pummeling each other. During the fighting the teapot was knocked away down a cliff face, falling to the ground below, while Ravasha made distance between herself and the ruined forest.

3 Likes