*Mya Celestia*

[Stipple]

Awakening in Magic Duel the first time can be very confusing to the new adventurer. Their mind is full of questions about what to do, where to go, what is this all about. The clues are there hidden in plain view yet obscured by the very wealth of sensory impressions impinging on the sight.

Fear not, before panic can set in, the gentle voice of a smiling lady helps set one’s trembling steps on the path to enlightenment. She explains the mechanics and provides a welcome that eases even the most timid. Mya has the innate ability to offer help in a fresh manner no matter how many thousand times she gets asked the same questions. She leaves each new adventurer with the sense that they matter to her, to Magic Duel, and to themselves.

Mya reminds me of the quintessential maternal figure, offering guidance without orders, providing the tools to learn without filling in the answers, aiding faltering steps from a distance, and able always to let go at the right moment. Watching her handle a clutch of new ones with charm and grace quickly demonstrates her ability to maintain balance internally as well as externally.

Not content to just use her deft hand and smiling words of encouragement to introduce Magic Duel to the very newest in the land, she follows up with a series of beginning quests that expand on the initial information and help develop a fully sufficient adventurer. Many an adventurer can point back to the days of her tutelage with a smile of gratitude for *Mya Celestia*. Any visit to the Paper Cabin is apt to find a few of her graduates back to drink tea and swap tales of exploration with her. Mya always has a warm smile and graceful conversation ready to welcome them home again.

Edited June 29, 2011 by Stipple