Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
"Traitors" Pravus had said. "There are three of them, and the Lady wants them dealt with.."
The information, it seemed, was patchy, but had some germs of usefulness..
There are two men and a woman. Their names are known, as are some of their strengths and possible weaknesses. They all have some command of magic, and one of them is a Druid. This one may or may not have rebelled out of loyalty to General Kintaro. The other two certainly did, but the Druid may have his own reasons for turning on The Lady - he has followers of his own, apparently. They are all reported to be near the Poisonwood, though they are unlikely to be found together and they may have wandered far from the city. One of them in particular is said to reside on the Mountain itself.
They must be found, and brought dead or alive to The Lady. The consensus is that alive would be preferable, since that way they may provide information on other rebels. However, if they will not be captured then their heads will suffice.
Everyone is left to digest the information, and formulate plans...
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Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
Eswyn had met Ashan and discussed the possible locations of The Three. They agreed on a number of places to begin searching, starting in the Eastern part of the Woods. The Orc Caverns seemed promising, but to begin with, they would look for the Druid in another place...
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Despite help from a sharp-eyed panther - who also turned out to be a woman named Mora - they found no trace of any elves staying in the pit .. and the spiders were not saying anything useful. However, they decided to keep an eye on the place. A spider nest may not be everyone's idea of a comfortable hideaway .. but a Druid? It was certainly possible..
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
There was also no sign of the elf they sought in the Orc Caverns, despite an exhaustive search.
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There was a Drow woman imprisoned in the Orcs' dungeon, but she simply spat at them, so they left her where she was. If the elf had come into these caves, he had certainly not been captured.
They checked the chamber with the riftstone in it; there was no sign there either. They all agreed that it wasn't surprising since a Druid - even a Poisonwood druid - would not likely make his home near to that stone.
Finally, they found themselves at a glowing doorway. They only hoped - for his sake - that the elf had not been foolish enough to try and find a way out that way. If he had, he would surely be no more trouble to them .. but neither would his head be available for presenting, since it would probably be in use elsewhere. They decided to leave it alone - he was surely not that stupid..
***
A carefully handwritten note was left shortly afterwards on a certain noticeboard in a nearby cave:
Note wrote ... "Sez .. no sign of him so far in the woods or local caves. The spider pit could be worth keeping an eye on. Search continues.. E.
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
So far, no tracks, no sign, neither in the eastern woods nor on the mountain itself ... but if an elf from the woods wishes to remain hidden, well...
In his heart, a feeling like a shrug of resignation. Then a familiar burning begins in his heart, no name for this but he knows it well. It builds till he nearly screams out loud but .. control .. calm .. hold. A sigh. Red sparks play around his fingers and then fade.
The other members of the Poisonguard are, no doubt, making their own efforts, but for him this is especially important. If he could even deliver one of the three alive, it would show the Lady and the Poisonguard what he was capable of, a chance to prove his loyalty, his character, his strength.
But .. no sign.
An interesting meeting, though, on a ledge overlooking a deep gorge. At first he'd thought it was the one he sought but it turned out to be possibly even more useful than that. Here was someone with exactly the skills he lacked .. and who needed help herself. What a wonderful coincidence..
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
A brief conversation. The speakers are not seen, but one has a slight (is it elven?) accent...
"In the woods? Nothing. days of searching, every cave, every nook, every cranny. Nothing moving in the tall trees but insects and birds. I've covered every inch now, again and again .. as you see me now, and as a spider. I've sat in the middle of the woods, invisible and not moving for hours just watching .. the folk of the wood come and go and still the one we seek does not appear.."
"Perhaps he is dead? Perhaps he has run, so far away he is no longer any threat?"
A sigh. "I will continue searching, on the mountain and off, over and under the ground. The woman on the mountain may yet prove useful, but I am beginning to wonder if this is not some wild goose chase .. or even a test of loyalty which has no real aim except to see if we respond well..."
A few barely-audible whispers, then footsteps fade into the distance.
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Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
A cold wind was blowing grey clouds over the mountain, and for a time the sun became weak and pale as it rose far off in the eastern sky. A soft voice, just audible over the breeze, murmured reluctantly - words that were as dangerous as they were inevitable.
"I - personally - don't believe they are against the Woods. I believe they are wanted for being against the Lady herself .. and her human henchmen. But of course, she still commands the Order, and any attack on them is very dangerous. I believe the Order are also searching for the three. I would like to find them first..."
***
The two elves had been standing talking all night and most of the previous day. Long dark hours high up on the mountainside a reflection of the long dark history they'd discussed. The small fire that kept them company, though, cut through the cold and darkness and seemed to reflect something in its turn - some tiny glimmer in a future they might even yet hold in their hands.
Once, the Greenwood had stretched from the sea as far as the edges of the land claimed by the city that at that time had called itself Vongottstein, and the taller of the two elves recreated it in words. His vivid description of the vast green land that once grew from horizon to horizon even eclipsed the real Wood stretched out below them, and the far-off towers of the Stone City seemed both taller and more imposing as the Wood shrank in the retelling of the old story.
The elf who told the tale wore a ring inscribed with the symbol of Greenvale but the other elf failed to notice it. He didn't fail to realize, however, that the teller of the tale was not from the Woods; he certainly would have met him before. And he knew far too much about history to be some casual passer-by. This elf was from the Stone City itself, and was apparently well-versed in the ancient lore. Could he be believed? It did not matter, he had spoken of books where the whole story could be read. In any case, too much of what he said matched the snippets the dark-eyed elf had already heard. It was probably true.
Yes, the Demon, the Lich, and a thousand faces of evil who had done everything in their power to destroy the elves on this island, but who had only succeeded in dividing them. Their magic was gone, their Woods poisoned, and yet still they hung on, facing each other across a bottomless pit of war and lies and mistrust. Both sides ruled by assassins (one claiming to have rejected her evil ways) and both stuck in the past, doing no more than play out this game of tit-for-tat, apparently meaningless after so long...
***
"The folk of Greenvale believe that the folk of the Woods were given their chance to repent and they threw it away because, like Syann, their minds were too tainted by the poison..."
"The folk of the Woods believe they are the victims of injustice and cruelty at the hands of Greenvale and a thousand invaders..."
"...the same old story .. the chicken and the egg..."
***
But did the elves of the woods - individually - really hate the elves of the city? And did the everyday folk of Greenvale really fear the everyday folk of the Woods? Perhaps they did, but as the conversation went on it became clearer and clearer that the whole situation was based on falsehood and deceit - a ruler driven mad with lust for power, not by his own will but by the actions of outsiders; demonic and undead curses were the ultimate cause. Woods filled with poison and a city haunted by shadows, and the situation exploited ruthlessly by criminals, do-gooders and busybodies of every race and creed.
***
"Imagine the scene... All those elves, poisoned by Uultak's spite, in front of an assassin and told that from now on, they had to respect the celestials who had done nothing to help them in the war; that they had to leave the woods where they had been safe; that they had to accept the leadership of one who had murdered her father, their ruler; that he had been wrong and that their brothers and sisters had died in vain... What kind of a choice was that?"
"Perhaps they even thought that she had murdered her father for her own ambitious reasons."
"Probably so. And add to that the fact that Syann had organized his own, parallel power structure called Syann's Order, which was run by the kind of criminals most elves whould have rejected, if they had known about it..."
"And there they live still .. still believing that Yus'yu is a false queen who killed their rightful lord and protector..."
***
And what of the elves themselves, who went on killing each other daily and - knowingly or not - perpetuating this stalemate? Would they forever be lying to themselves that it was only the fault of the other side that this situation went on? Their magic might be gone, but what about their wisdom? Uultak was far away to the north now, Gorrath banished to the Abyss long ago - had their victories been so complete?
And even if wisdom failed - was there not at least some pride left in the elves of Thain?
***
"Syann's Order still exists, and I believe it is still recruiting. But its presence seems weak these days, and without any real direction. And there are those who seek to remove the Lady from power..."
This last statement causes a long pause, finally broken by the taller of the two.
"She is dangerous, of course. But supposing - by a huge stretch of the imagination - that she could be removed from power .. and supposing that the Queen could be convinced to forgive the folk of the Woods and offer them protection .. and supposing that the folk of the woods were inclined to accept such an offer anyway .. there are many who would still wish to preserve the divisions among the elves because it serves their interests to do so..."
"Well, I wouldn't like to have to say how the folk of the Wood would respond if the Lady was gone. But i know for a fact that three elves are wanted for what is being called 'treason', in fact I have been seeking them for a long while now. Unsuccessfully, I'm afraid."
Another pause, and this time the dark-eyed one breaks it.
"I - personally - don't believe they are against the Woods. I believe they are wanted for being against the Lady herself .. and her human henchmen. But of course, she still commands the Order, and any attack on them is very dangerous. I believe the Order are also searching for the three. I would like to find them first. I must devote myself to this .. and I will travel north to read the history for myself. You have given me a lot to think on, friend..."
***
"Friend" may have overstated things a little, considering where each of the two elves lives - and considering the gods they each pay homage to. But their conversation was more than a hundred years overdue - and they know how to reach each other in future...
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
Walking the Woods for the next few days, doing his usual patrols and keeping an even more vigilant eye out for any sign of the .. renegades (but are they really traitors though?) he thinks about the long conversation and wonders again whether this Eowarylith can be trusted. What if he is some spy from the Stone City? What if he is some spy from the Lady? But as he begins to descend into paranoia he shakes his head and smiles .. No, no .. The meeting was quite by chance. In any case, the elf had said he personally had written books on the subject and that at least one was in the Library in Steinkreis.
He sighs.
Perhaps I really should take the advice of this stranger and do some research, some study - find out for myself how it all happened. It is probably about time, if this really is to be home, the least I can do is discover its history...
He heads back home, grabs an empty notebook and a small bag, and starts the dangerous walk along the mountainside, north towards the human city. As he walks, he begins reflecting on what Eowaylith told him, already trying to piece it together into a story that resembles the Truth...
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
...and, in the Great Library in the city of Steinkreis, he wanders from shelf to shelf for an hour or more, flicking through dozens of books and slowly gathering a small pile of those which seem to be most relevant. Then, when he's found enough to keep him busy for a few hours, he sits by one of the tables and takes out his notebook...
Registered Member #1273
Joined: 2:56:54 pm GMT 03/23/08
Posts: 536
The walk north is long, but he arrives in the Northlands village a little chilly though unharmed. At the moment he's far too distracted by what he's recently read to even think about doing battle with animals along the way, and he simply walks past them invisible, lost in his thoughts which swirl chaotically like the flakes of snow falling around him.
Now, where did he say those books were? For sale, he said .. that must mean the old human in the merchants' hall
The man is annoyingly coy and timid, but given his own state of mind he finds it hard to take the irritation seriously. And of course, he has to buy the books .. though a brief flick through the first one leads him to realize these might be worth keeping anyway. Without showing his agitation he packs the books in his small bag and calmly heads back out into the snow, hurrying now with the urgency of needing to read what they contain.
The walk south to his home is even longer, and his racing mind complains about his body's dragging weight all the way. But finally he arrives, and the weight of what he may now find out pulls him hard into a chair, leaving him barely enough strength to lift the books onto the large desk...
[ The Island of Thain ]
Poisonwood Traitors