Post by DM Cyphus on Mar 16, 2006 14:16:54 GMT -5
16 Ches 1361
S'varyl Rel already missed the city. She loved it there. The trips with her mother, Brightyl Rel, were fun of course...but she much preferred the trips she made with her brother. When the two of them went into Sundrah, they would often stay a day or two and enjoy the city life for a while. It was an exciting escape from the dreary life of the forest village full of Wood Elves.
She was a beautiful girl, slender and sexy to human eyes, though amongst the elves it was her powerful grace that seemed noticed most of all. It was hard to tell which of the Rel parents S'varyl favored. Wood Elves were often more muscular folks. They were silent and deadly warriors of the wilderness, but outside their own kind, few saw them as being attractive. Such was not the case with S'varyl Rel...perhaps it was because of this that it was difficult to tie her appearance to either parent.
The rain was falling slow, but steady. It had been falling more heavily most of the day, but now it had calmed a bit. The rain reminded her of her latest experience in Sundrah. A family of Moon Elves had constructed a beautiful restaurant to look like the inside of a large tree, inspired by the legends of the ancient Elves. No trees that large now existed, and even the Wood Elves who lived amongst the largest of the forest's plantlife only built their homes around and through the tops of the tress...not physically inside of them.
Inside the forest mechanical devices designed by the greatest of Gnomish inventors in Illul made sounds like the forest. They were faked, and many weren't very close to the sounds of the actual birds of the forest. Nor did the wind sound very realistic ruffling through the fake leaves. But that was probably only obvious to handful of folks in the restaurant besides S'varyl and her mother. Still, the device would alternate between a raining noise for fifteen minutes straight. S'varyl loved it. It was dead on, in her opinion. The only thing she enjoyed about living in the forests was the sound of the rain as it fell through the trees. She was able to, in that restaurant, enjoy the sound of the rain without being wet, which she certainly could not do at this moment. Yes, her older brothers would certainly have to hear of that...though Jaxle didn't much care for her tales of the city.
It happened suddenly. Three Goblins had sprung out from behind the trees. The filthy creatures had been migrating to the northern island from South Lantan. Somehow they'd managed to slip through the Human and Gnomish cities and into the forests. The Wild Elves' forest to the west was similarly infested, they'd discovered on their latest trip into the city. Her father and brothers were responsible for keeping the southern borders of Sundrah free of the Goblinoid problem. It had sounded almost like an order, even though there was no compensation for the protection the Rel family had provided for centuries. It should have been a request, but then it didn't really matter did it. Her father, Brightyl Rel, would have done it anyway. Request or no request. He would have done as his father before him had and received no thanks for the work he did when the forests were safe, and yet humbly take the criticism when they were unsafe despite his best efforts. Life was unfair, but now was not the time.
S'varyl drew her shortbow and notched an arrow. She took aim at the closes Goblin and let loose the arrow, but her shot missed. They were drawing closer. Her mother spoke a few words as fire sprung forth in her hands. S'varyl was getting anxious. Where had these Goblins come from? They had given their presence away all too soon...and that made S'varyl even more nervous.
She notched another arrow and let it fly. This one hit its mark square in the chest. The Goblin dropped to the ground and skidded a bit from the remaining momentum it had. Her mother flung a ball of flame at another of the Goblins. The tiny ball exploded and engulfed the smaller creature in flames. He likewise fell to the ground.
They were surprised then from either side as two Goblins attempted to flank the mother and daughter from either side of the makeshift path. The Goblins swung their maces at both women. S'varyl ducked beneath the blow and prepared to draw her sword. Her mother was not so fortunate as the mace connected rather painfully with her midsection. S'varyl dropped the bow and drew her sword. She maneuvered slightly away from the oncoming Goblin, hoping to avoid being flanked alone by the two Goblins. She took a swing at the newest assailant but missed. Her mother retaliated against her newest attacker with the ball of flame in her hands. It too engulfed the creature, dropping it to the ground. The flames in her mother's hands extinguished. The odds had been evened, but her mother was not the best combatant...nor was S'varyl for that matter. If her mother fell, S'varyl doubted she could take both Goblins alone.
Then it became apparent that she wouldn't have to. An arrow pierced the back of the closest Goblin's skull. It dropped instantly. As S'varyl looked further beyond the Goblin, she saw her brother moving in close. As he quickly made his way in front of his mother and sister, he drew the large sword he carried on his back.
The Goblin, ignoring the newest Elf and enraged by the older woman's flames nearly taking his head off, charged her. He didn't get far. The large blade swung through the passing Goblin cutting him clean in half. He sat quietly for a moment eyeing the forest around them. "I believe that was all of them," he said aloud finally. He sheathed the sword and walked over to his bow. He was already strapping it to his back when S'varyl began to pick up hers.
"I thought you were a good shot with that thing?" he asked his sister, gently teasing.
She smiled and took it well. "I guess you'll have to train me some more," she shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, "I can always get better." Deep inside she longed to be like her brother. He was a strong warrior, and someday soon she knew he'd leave them and travel on his own. Their parents would never let her do it, but there was no way to stop him. There was a world that he had to experience before he passed on, and he wanted to do it while he was young.
"Will you be okay, mother?" he asked the older woman. She was already tending to her own wounds.
"Yes," she nodded, "I'll be fine. If my healing is not required by others before nightfall, I will tend to myself." Both siblings knew this was a lie. If someone was slightly injured, she would heal them before herself, even if hers was more serious. She would rather heal naturally anyway. There was no use in arguing.
"So, what is the latest from Sundrah?"
S'varyl smiled widely again and prepared herself for a long story on the walk back to the village. Her brother was her hero, but also her friend. And he would get a kick out of the restaurant as much as she did.
"You won't believe the restaurant we ate at, Kesson."
25 Hammer 1372
They spent the night outside the Featherale Ruins. The next day, Arik was kind enough to offer up the service of the Wolves to gather and load the loot down below. It took them some time, but after about an hour or two they had it all ready to go and were prepared to leave.
The Dwarf they'd met the night before in the Ruins was kind enough to tend to Kesson's body. The night before he'd cast a spell to close the wounds on the Elf's face and neck. The skin grew back, but his features unfortunately did not return as they might have had the wound been elsewhere or less severe. The next morning, he cast a spell to preserve the body for travel. No one was sure where his body would be taken, but they knew it would take time to get it there.
The travel was mostly in silence. The items found in the Ruins were not celebrated or assessed as they might have been. That could wait until the journey back to Lethtar was complete, and a course of action was determined.
When they arrived back in Lethtar at the Preten estate, all the men were escorted behind the safety of the walls. Guards were stationed near the cargo of goods brought back. The cargo that was to be returned to the Pretens was unloaded...the rest, as promised, was left for the four...now three...men to sort through and tend to. Kesson's body was left near the goods and the guards, covered respectfully. There seemed to be no place to put the body that made sense at the moment. And so, it was left outside, as though he were nothing more than cargo.
Jonathan Preten summoned them all and Shernof inside to his office. Arik's men were asked to wait outside, but before they were walked off, Gorom Halfaxed stopped them. "I'm sorry to speak out of turn, but I must offer my condolences. We didnae know yer friend in life, but we will still celebrate him as a friend. Tonight, we eat together as friends, and drink honor of a fallen comrade, aye? Unless you think it unkind or the like?" He waited for a response from one of the three men and looked to Arik with an apology for speaking so abruptly to them after so long in silence. After his offer was acknowledged, he silently went back to his work.
Once inside the room, the six men were greeted by the sight of a well-dressed, beautiful woman. Alisande Preten, cousin to Jonathan, waited for them inside. When they entered, she looked first to Arik. "Did all go well?" she asked them. Looking from Shernof to Arik, she seemed to understand the situation. She looked as though she were counting their numbers with her eyes. She longed to ask the question, but couldn't. Instead, she waited for Jonathan.
Jonathan Preten was also finley attired. Business was still being tended to after all. As he looked about them and seemed to count them again and again, he did ask the question, "Are not you one short?"
S'varyl Rel already missed the city. She loved it there. The trips with her mother, Brightyl Rel, were fun of course...but she much preferred the trips she made with her brother. When the two of them went into Sundrah, they would often stay a day or two and enjoy the city life for a while. It was an exciting escape from the dreary life of the forest village full of Wood Elves.
She was a beautiful girl, slender and sexy to human eyes, though amongst the elves it was her powerful grace that seemed noticed most of all. It was hard to tell which of the Rel parents S'varyl favored. Wood Elves were often more muscular folks. They were silent and deadly warriors of the wilderness, but outside their own kind, few saw them as being attractive. Such was not the case with S'varyl Rel...perhaps it was because of this that it was difficult to tie her appearance to either parent.
The rain was falling slow, but steady. It had been falling more heavily most of the day, but now it had calmed a bit. The rain reminded her of her latest experience in Sundrah. A family of Moon Elves had constructed a beautiful restaurant to look like the inside of a large tree, inspired by the legends of the ancient Elves. No trees that large now existed, and even the Wood Elves who lived amongst the largest of the forest's plantlife only built their homes around and through the tops of the tress...not physically inside of them.
Inside the forest mechanical devices designed by the greatest of Gnomish inventors in Illul made sounds like the forest. They were faked, and many weren't very close to the sounds of the actual birds of the forest. Nor did the wind sound very realistic ruffling through the fake leaves. But that was probably only obvious to handful of folks in the restaurant besides S'varyl and her mother. Still, the device would alternate between a raining noise for fifteen minutes straight. S'varyl loved it. It was dead on, in her opinion. The only thing she enjoyed about living in the forests was the sound of the rain as it fell through the trees. She was able to, in that restaurant, enjoy the sound of the rain without being wet, which she certainly could not do at this moment. Yes, her older brothers would certainly have to hear of that...though Jaxle didn't much care for her tales of the city.
It happened suddenly. Three Goblins had sprung out from behind the trees. The filthy creatures had been migrating to the northern island from South Lantan. Somehow they'd managed to slip through the Human and Gnomish cities and into the forests. The Wild Elves' forest to the west was similarly infested, they'd discovered on their latest trip into the city. Her father and brothers were responsible for keeping the southern borders of Sundrah free of the Goblinoid problem. It had sounded almost like an order, even though there was no compensation for the protection the Rel family had provided for centuries. It should have been a request, but then it didn't really matter did it. Her father, Brightyl Rel, would have done it anyway. Request or no request. He would have done as his father before him had and received no thanks for the work he did when the forests were safe, and yet humbly take the criticism when they were unsafe despite his best efforts. Life was unfair, but now was not the time.
S'varyl drew her shortbow and notched an arrow. She took aim at the closes Goblin and let loose the arrow, but her shot missed. They were drawing closer. Her mother spoke a few words as fire sprung forth in her hands. S'varyl was getting anxious. Where had these Goblins come from? They had given their presence away all too soon...and that made S'varyl even more nervous.
She notched another arrow and let it fly. This one hit its mark square in the chest. The Goblin dropped to the ground and skidded a bit from the remaining momentum it had. Her mother flung a ball of flame at another of the Goblins. The tiny ball exploded and engulfed the smaller creature in flames. He likewise fell to the ground.
They were surprised then from either side as two Goblins attempted to flank the mother and daughter from either side of the makeshift path. The Goblins swung their maces at both women. S'varyl ducked beneath the blow and prepared to draw her sword. Her mother was not so fortunate as the mace connected rather painfully with her midsection. S'varyl dropped the bow and drew her sword. She maneuvered slightly away from the oncoming Goblin, hoping to avoid being flanked alone by the two Goblins. She took a swing at the newest assailant but missed. Her mother retaliated against her newest attacker with the ball of flame in her hands. It too engulfed the creature, dropping it to the ground. The flames in her mother's hands extinguished. The odds had been evened, but her mother was not the best combatant...nor was S'varyl for that matter. If her mother fell, S'varyl doubted she could take both Goblins alone.
Then it became apparent that she wouldn't have to. An arrow pierced the back of the closest Goblin's skull. It dropped instantly. As S'varyl looked further beyond the Goblin, she saw her brother moving in close. As he quickly made his way in front of his mother and sister, he drew the large sword he carried on his back.
The Goblin, ignoring the newest Elf and enraged by the older woman's flames nearly taking his head off, charged her. He didn't get far. The large blade swung through the passing Goblin cutting him clean in half. He sat quietly for a moment eyeing the forest around them. "I believe that was all of them," he said aloud finally. He sheathed the sword and walked over to his bow. He was already strapping it to his back when S'varyl began to pick up hers.
"I thought you were a good shot with that thing?" he asked his sister, gently teasing.
She smiled and took it well. "I guess you'll have to train me some more," she shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, "I can always get better." Deep inside she longed to be like her brother. He was a strong warrior, and someday soon she knew he'd leave them and travel on his own. Their parents would never let her do it, but there was no way to stop him. There was a world that he had to experience before he passed on, and he wanted to do it while he was young.
"Will you be okay, mother?" he asked the older woman. She was already tending to her own wounds.
"Yes," she nodded, "I'll be fine. If my healing is not required by others before nightfall, I will tend to myself." Both siblings knew this was a lie. If someone was slightly injured, she would heal them before herself, even if hers was more serious. She would rather heal naturally anyway. There was no use in arguing.
"So, what is the latest from Sundrah?"
S'varyl smiled widely again and prepared herself for a long story on the walk back to the village. Her brother was her hero, but also her friend. And he would get a kick out of the restaurant as much as she did.
"You won't believe the restaurant we ate at, Kesson."
25 Hammer 1372
They spent the night outside the Featherale Ruins. The next day, Arik was kind enough to offer up the service of the Wolves to gather and load the loot down below. It took them some time, but after about an hour or two they had it all ready to go and were prepared to leave.
The Dwarf they'd met the night before in the Ruins was kind enough to tend to Kesson's body. The night before he'd cast a spell to close the wounds on the Elf's face and neck. The skin grew back, but his features unfortunately did not return as they might have had the wound been elsewhere or less severe. The next morning, he cast a spell to preserve the body for travel. No one was sure where his body would be taken, but they knew it would take time to get it there.
The travel was mostly in silence. The items found in the Ruins were not celebrated or assessed as they might have been. That could wait until the journey back to Lethtar was complete, and a course of action was determined.
When they arrived back in Lethtar at the Preten estate, all the men were escorted behind the safety of the walls. Guards were stationed near the cargo of goods brought back. The cargo that was to be returned to the Pretens was unloaded...the rest, as promised, was left for the four...now three...men to sort through and tend to. Kesson's body was left near the goods and the guards, covered respectfully. There seemed to be no place to put the body that made sense at the moment. And so, it was left outside, as though he were nothing more than cargo.
Jonathan Preten summoned them all and Shernof inside to his office. Arik's men were asked to wait outside, but before they were walked off, Gorom Halfaxed stopped them. "I'm sorry to speak out of turn, but I must offer my condolences. We didnae know yer friend in life, but we will still celebrate him as a friend. Tonight, we eat together as friends, and drink honor of a fallen comrade, aye? Unless you think it unkind or the like?" He waited for a response from one of the three men and looked to Arik with an apology for speaking so abruptly to them after so long in silence. After his offer was acknowledged, he silently went back to his work.
Once inside the room, the six men were greeted by the sight of a well-dressed, beautiful woman. Alisande Preten, cousin to Jonathan, waited for them inside. When they entered, she looked first to Arik. "Did all go well?" she asked them. Looking from Shernof to Arik, she seemed to understand the situation. She looked as though she were counting their numbers with her eyes. She longed to ask the question, but couldn't. Instead, she waited for Jonathan.
Jonathan Preten was also finley attired. Business was still being tended to after all. As he looked about them and seemed to count them again and again, he did ask the question, "Are not you one short?"
