Rashemen IV

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"Pleased to meet you, Johen. I'm afraid we will have need for your skills before too long. It seems we attract things that need killing to us like flowers do to bees. I wish Jex were here to reminise with you. You are obviously old friends."

Sepp grabbed some good looking cakes from a passing tray and regarded his kin making merry. "It should always be like this," he told the dwarf. "Family, food, fun. It's like that in the Green Hills. But such is not our lot. There always is someone or something that one of our troop has to go after."

"If no one else has a pressing agenda, I would like to find out more about the two drow who kidnapped me, Bregan and Darth, and repay some mindflayers and their masters in Donigarten for the experiments they did to me. I'm sure there will be many who need killing on that journey, though it brings me no great pleasure to always be followed by death."

Sepp stopped speaking and stared into the night sky, seeing something, or maybe nothing, flitting around the edges of the fires light.

 

Ciana was pleased to see Nakia back and seemingly whole, but you were always different when ye came back from the dead, like Nakia had; and also in this grove so had Sepp and Ciana. She slipped away from the party, it held no charm for her now.

She wandered through the Forest, trying to gain some of it's peace, eventually she came to the pool where she had watched Kelvados. Sitiing below a different tree to the one he had. she decided to sleep here and later she would meditate, try and hold its peace within herself, for still her dealings with her inner monster, left her shaken and unsure if herself. SHe lay down and passed into a fitful sleep

 

Kelvados looked around the festivities, he didn't see Ciana. He got up and looked for her. He wanted to talk to her, and he knew she'd have more to talk about. He knew what she was going through, he figured he'd be a good listener. He headed in the forest, tracking her small footsteps.

 

"Bregan and Darth. Never heard've dark elves named that. Heard've a mercenary group called Bregan D'aerthe lousy bunch o' rogues." Johen said to Sepp. "A group of homeless male drows. Nothin' but thieves and murderers the bunch. He added.

"Donigarten eh. Could be fun ye surface folks are going need some gutbuster or spells to protect ye brains from the flayers." He said to Sepp again.

Turing he looked for Nakia. And found her standing quietly. "They says ye died and that whole thing there was bringin' ye back. They also say the same thing happen'd to Jex with a couple of differences. And 'e went strange. I'm sure ye saw'd how it effected the elf. Bein' at Illmaters side and bein' ripped back to this world. Don't let the same happen to ye.

Then for a while he just stood and watched the people he would be adventuring with. It'd be fun to run in crowd again after so long of running alone. Although he wondered about the group in the Underdark especially going after Mindflayers and Bregan D'aerthe. It might be fun.

 

Nakia stood quietly watching her friends and relatives. Now there was laughter, music, dancing, eating and drinking. She glanced over at Johan, he was right it was hard to be back.

The Burrow had been cleaned up but signs of the recent battle still existed. It would take time to rebuild. She wondered if the Dwarven Axe from Delinos had been used to purchase much need supplies. Perhaps later she would ask Johan. She needed time to re-acclimate to this world. She turned to Perim and held out her hand. He took it and they disappeared into the underground burrows.

 

"Hmnn, not two individual drow, but a name for a group of them. That makes sense," Sepp told Johen. "I can see how I got confused, since I only encountered two of them and heard the name mentioned just once. What can you tell me of this Donigarten place. All I know is that there was a lot of water and some carved out, damp caverns. Also, there were many fungal growths there that were unfamiliar to me."

 

"The Donigarten is a giant underdark cavern and lake. All kinds o' beasties and monsters live around there." Johen replied to Sepp. "

Finding the Mindflayers won't be tough. They'll come searching for us before we find them. They'll want to use us as slaves. We'd be more useful then the Underdark beasts."

"The magics of clerics will be needed to fight the flayers. Else we'll be slaves before we no what hit us. But lad, we are gettin' ahead of ourselves. Tonight is for celebration. Worry about the killin' an fightin' later.

 

Delinos and Rosie stood nearby as Sepp and the dwarf chatted about their upcoming voyage. Delinos thought about the name Donigarten; Sepp had mentioned it before. It seemed familiar, but he was unsure how.

A vision came into his mind, "Ahh, Sepp! I know of this Donigarten! We came across it in our escape from the Underdark!" He paused, and looked into the night sky; he caught a glimpse of something just out of the light. "I remember this because we were ambushed there. Thralls, and many of them."

"We had just passed through an encampment of Orcs and Goblins - they were unusual to see in that area. We assumed later that they were attempting an ambush on Donigarten's denizens. After stealing some of their supplies, we came across a large opening to a cavern, much larger then those we had seen prior."

"I do believe that there had once been construction for a Drow city there, ruins were scattered. We had to pass through the lake, as it blocked our path."

He sat down and took a breath, recalling this was harder than he imagined. "After we had crossed, the room went dark, so dark we could not see any heat. We expected a Drow ambush, but we were mistaken. Mind Flayer Thralls had set upon us, and their master's magic had blinded our vision. We were struck down and taken for unconcious, they dragged us."

"Before we entered a large metal door, one of the thralls tripped on a rock. His grip on my legs slipped, and my foot found its place in his gut. My other captor dropped my head, and soon found his head a few feet away. I killed the thralls around me and found Kelvados had done the same. We found the exit to the cavern and left."

Delinos stood up, with Rosie on his shoulder. "After leaving that place, we learned its name. I had forgotten its name until now. So if we are to go there, I suggest we be prepared for a battle with many thralls, if there were that many then, there should be a considerably larger amount now."

Rosie jumped down and went up to the dwarf and asked curiously, "Braid your beard, I want to. Let me?" He nodded slightly, but not to her. He was talking to someone else. She grabbed his beard and started to braid furiously.

 

The Burrow returned to normal activities. Crops were tended, fishing and hunting commenced, children played. Nakia watched and listened then walked to the Grove. She seated herself under a tree and thought about all that had happened to her and to the others. A soft breeze blew, birds sang and all seemed peaceful here, yet she knew what horror could come. Her soul longed for the true peace of the Green Hills but she knew it was not time. Now was the time to face the evils of this world. Sepp wanted to return to the Underdark. Why? Was it for revenge? It didn't seem like him to seek such a petty thing. Somehow she thought there was more to this but what? The dwarf, Johen, was correct they would need clerical aid if they were to face mindflayers.

She settled herself closer to the earth feeling the life that ran through it. Seeing a squirrel run up a tree made her think of Atten. She laughed to herself, maybe that was Atten. A small creature that could go were larger creatures couldn't. It could slip in unseen and spy. A mouse might be even better or a small cat. No the squirrel could climb and carry small items in its cheek pouches. Quite a useful shape to be able to take.

The peace of the Grove lulled her into a half-sleep and she dreamed of racing around climbing trees and other squirrely things.

 

Sepp walked over and sat down next his cousin. The bark felt good against his back.

"It's not revenge," he said. "It's balance. And it's not just mind flayers. The one was just the servant of the big slugs that were really doing the experiments on me." He shuddered and looked away for a moment.

"I don't recall any masses of thralls, as Delinos described, but then I only saw a few caverns, and only four creatures."

"It's balance though. They found out from me how I communicate with and manipulate the natural forces. If they have their way this world won't be the same. It will be the bottom of the ocean."

"Water's good, but that's not balanced."

 

Nakia smiled and took Sepp's hand. "Aye, cousin, I thought could not be revenge. Had to be more to it then that." She sighed and continued, "Balance. The druid's creed. But it seems to me that sometimes they forget to include the mortals of this world. I have grown to understand that we are all part of the balance. Without the rain the sun would bake the earth. Even evil has its place in this world." Here she laughed, "Ah, without evil how could there be heroes?"

She leaned back more into the trunk of the tree. She could feel the sap flowing through it, feel the breeze that caressed its leaves. Her mind followed the squirrel as it carried nuts to its nest in the tree and she smiled as it feed its young.

"Sepp, something happened to me in the other world. I sense things, see things, feel things that I never could before. We Hin have a tie to the earth and I have always felt that but this more, deeper. I like it but I also fear it. I am different but what am I?"

She sat quietly feeling Sepp's love and strength. He was so young, had suffered so much and had grown so much and been burdened with so much.

"Cousin, I think of when I first saw you, you and Jex. You were so young, so innocent. I felt drawn to you and knew I had to help you but now you have grown beyond me. My love you have but do you still need my help? You need a cleric to help you deal with these creatures of the Underdark. Daie and Maron will be you more good than I."

Suddenly her serious demeanor changes to a twinkle, "Hey does this dwarf friend of Jex's travel with you? Am I to call him comrade? He does have a set of boots I would love to have and whatever else I am I'm still a rogue, a very good one if I say so myself."

 

Maron leant back against the tree that Daie had been sat under earlier. Daie's head was in her lap, and she stroked his hair carefully as they spoke.

'The Underdark then. Are you sure you'll be alright with us?'

'Why wouldn't I be?' Daie asked. 'I'm more worried about you, actually. There won't be room for you to stretch your wings down there.'

'I'll be fine, Daie. This amulet stops me from getting scared underground. What about you, down there, surrounded by drow?'

Daie sighed, and took Maron's hands in his, stopping her from playing with his hair.
'I'm not sure I'm coming, Maron. There's too much at hand for me to help.'

 

Kelvados creeped into the clearing, with the small lake. He saw Ciana's light prints leading to her tree, he saw her sleeping so peacefully, he left her to sleep. Though he wished to speak with her, he decided to sleep nearby, in a shaded glen on the other side of the lake. He lay down, he was quite invisible to her, but he could watch her. He knew he would wake if she roused, therefore he decided to take a nap. Sleep was too valuable a ressource, he never wasted an oppurtunity to take a quick cat nap. He didn't dream finally this sleep, a sign that perhaps the monster was gone.

 

Ciana woke and slowly stretched removing the kinks from her body, she sat up and looked into the forest, the sunlight played games with itself as the leaved canopy moved gently in the breeze; the dappled beams swayed and surged chasing each other in an ever varying game of tag. She pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them and laid her head down, her auburn tresses falling and hiding most of her behind its curtain; the sun played with her hair highlighting the red-gold colour and sheen so that it looked almost liquid. She soaked up the ambience of the forest; the peace, serenity, charm and ancient mystery filled her soul; if she could hold this feeling the monster would never trouble her again. Her brow creased as she thought of what had happened, and what could happen again if she wasn’t vigilant and prepared for it; she wasn’t sure she could face the consequences were it to happen again.

Her breath caught in a strangled half-hiccough, half-sob and she was blinking fast trying to stop the tears; she’d almost killed her best friend, and alienated some of the others. It was difficult to face them and perhaps it was time for her to leave the group, how could they trust her again? But, if she left then there was one she would sorely miss…

Kelvados woke as Ciana stirred and stretched, she wasn’t aware of him as he sat up and looked at her sitting there staring ay nothing and everything. He rose silently and made his way over to her, he reached for her shoulder and whispered…

… Before th hand on her shoulder she heard his voice caress her name, she turned and kneeling next to her, there he was, almost as if by thinking about him, she’d conjured him up; she fairly launched herself at him her arms hugging him close. Her words started to tumble from her like a bubbling stream as she relaxed against him and stroked his cheek and looked into his eyes.

“Oh Kel, my beautiful Kel, is this what you have lived with for so long? How did you stand it? How will I stand it? Perhaps I should quit now and go teach or something, before I fail and it happens again, I don’t if I could take hurting someone again like that. And, what if it was you? That would truly destroy me, yes perhaps that is best, leave and not come back for then I cannot hurt anyone.

“The group will be better off without me, it’ll be easier that way don’t you think, I should go now. Del will feel much better if I am not here, she will never trust me now, she didn’t in the first place and I’m not sure she ever really did…”

She stopped as his fingers gently pressed against her lips, stemming the tide; he looked as if he wanted to say something.

 

"Ciana.... I am not much for rhetoric, but I'll try to explain something." He cleared his throat, and shifted his weigth to a more comfortable position. "It is not something that can run from, it would follow you. Wether you become a teacher or something else. If you ran it would run with you, and you'd be lost to it with unfamilars. We can help you, and we won't abandon you." He pasued, and then pressed his lips lightly on her forehead. "I won't abandon you, stay with me and I'll help you. You have elven heirtage, you don't want to live centuries with this curse. Stand with me and fight, I seem to have defeated it with determination, and love. Love for nature, love for this world, love for my firends..." He was about to say love for her, but he wasn't sure if he meant it yet. He wanted to, but his heart was still locked shut. He fell silent, then started agian. "Find a feeling strong enough to fill your thoughts, a feeling that can erase all others. Then, forget it, lose those thoughts, cast them away. When you your mind is free of thoughts, it will be free of it." He stopped talking at that point, and picked up a small daisy and pushed her hair away from a pointed ear, and slipped the flower's stem behind the mark of her heirtage.

[ April 13, 2007, 17:20: Message edited by: Dalamar Maximus ]

 

Rosie finished braiding the dwarf's beard slowly, and abruptly sat down at Day-Day's feet. She looked about at her surroundings; small people running and being merry, and large outsiders walking around casually. Rosie glanced around for Unky Kel, but failed in her attempt to locate him. She craned her neck back to look at Day-Day, his white-silver hair spilling down over his shoulders.

The drow's ominous presence gave her a feeling of security as he scanned the Grove with his olive eyes. She chewed her lip as she thought about how her life had changed since meeting her new family. Although they were all so different, her love for all of them was the same. Delinos stood out moreso in her mind. He was like, a father.. a mother, brother and sister.. caretaker and lover.. all in one person. She realized that this drow was the only one she truly trusted so far.

At this sudden revelation, she began to hum a tune, this time slow and harmonic.

Mmmm.. if I could melt your heart
Surely, I would and ooooh!
Look, the season's changing, the leaves they fall
The winter's coming, oh look how they crawl
But all they wanted was one last kiss
She said to him, Don't you leave me like this!
He said to her, Oh you know I have to, my love!
As the hearts broke, the leaves fell from above.

Oh, the children prance, and the parents dance!
The teachers preach, and the lovers' speech,
Echoes, through this hollow world
Oh it echoes, and the leaves they curl'd!
As this land, OH! This land!
It moves, changes, shifts and dies!

Your heart lies to you,
As they often do
It shields your feelings and fights
From those who look where shines the light
It shields from you, the beliefs and thoughts
That you fought so hard to hide, you fought
You may think you hid them forever
But they will spring when and wherever
So hide them you may as well
But this is to no avail

Oh, the children prance, and the parents dance!
The teachers preach, and the lovers' speech,
Echoes, through this hollow world
Oh it echoes, and the leaves they curl'd!
As this land, OH! This land!
It moves, changes, shifts and dies!

Oh, you can never have too much, even at peak
Oh trust, is of course what I speak
Surround yourself
Complete yourself
With those you trust, those you love
And as these hearts melt, the leaves fall from above..

She finished her song and opened her eyes, only to find that most of the population she had been scanning unseen earlier were gathered 'round. She smiled as there was a polite round of applause.

 

Johen wandered around the halflings encampment. After being surrounded by dwarfs and the Underdark for so long he had kind of forgotten how simple the hin lived. Everyone pulled their weight and helped out. He had spoken to the burrow warden and listened to the halflings requests about speaking to the dwarfs to send reinforcements. He had told the warden he would take the request but it might be tough.

With the movement of Gruumsh orcs and the like all over the continent had made their moves. Most of the dwarven settlements were under seige and at war. Mithral Hall had been hit hard recently as had the other major settlements. Minor settlements like the one nearby had also been hit and many had been destroyed with the residents traveling to the larger encampments.

Johen left the meeting with lots on his mind. Walking through the village he bumped into Sepp.

"Lad if ye are ready I say we start moving. After speaking to the warden I'm not much liking what ol' one eye is doin'. Lets get us to the Underdark and do ye thing and perhaps attempt to help in the war with the pigheaded orc god."

 

Ciana sat there; her hand went up and touched her ear feeling the flower

"But..." she stopped and seemed to collect herself, “You’re right, and it is the same as I’ve been taught, you can’t run away from problems, you have to face them and overcome them. An old teacher of mine once said ‘There is no try only do there is’ I will stay and fight this, I will stay with you” her hand reached out and cupped his cheek, her thumb gently rubbing the smooth skin.

She stood a short distance away from the pair watching them; she always found this the hard part of her guardianship; when the Children struggled with the darkness that was inherent within themselves. It was always the strong ones that it affected the hardest, those who conquered it became stronger for it, she listened as Earth Brother told LifeHeart Singer that running wouldn’t help and that he would help her; she smiled at the emotions starting to blossom between them…

“That’s the second time you have called me Elven, but I am human as far as I know, I never knew my parents…”

At this point she made her presence known and approached the pair “That I can explain, when you were brought back the glamour that had always surrounded and protected you in your early life was removed. It could not be replaced as your parents had created it, and in doing so they gave their life to it and their spirits held the spell there.

“Your father was a great Bard like you, he was a Wood-Elf and your mother was a puissant Sorceress and Half-Elven, some generations past there was an argument between Elven brothers over an artefact they had found. One stole it and later killed the two brothers left and still later carried the vendetta to the next generation. All that is left of the brother’s bloodline is you and the current bearer of the artefact; he is a powerful cleric, and was pursuing your parents when they bore you. Their love for you was so strong that with the aid of Corellon they cast a powerful glamour on ye so that you appeared human and the scent of your blood was masked from the evil one.

“The spell cost them their lives, but they gave it gladly so that you may live and grow strong enough that you may stand against him, and his evil accomplices, you should expect more attacks like the last one. You should also be wary of losing yourself again in battle LifeHeart Singer, but you are on the right path, you have the anchors you need, this forest which calls you, your love for Life, Friends and your passion in your songs. Hold onto them and you shall prevail, and like I said to Earth Brother here should you need I shall come at your call.” She kissed both on the forehead and left them alone together.

Tears streamed down her face as she listened to the story of her parents and found that once again she had lost them, but that they had been with her always was a great comfort. She wiped her eyes and then stood up, she held a hand out to help Kelvados up as well. She brushed a kiss over his lips and with a brief smile said

“Come Earth-Brother let us join our friends and prepare for the next stage of our journey” And as they walked back through the forest she felt a sense of renewed purpose, she would avenge her parents and end this family feud if she could, she would never let the monster out again. Neither of them seemed to notice that as they walked back, their hands were still lightly clasped.

 

Mistress Bess, rather, Mother Bess came to where Sepp and Nakia sat.

"Sorry to interrupt but I need to speak to Nakia. Nakia, if you would come with me to the cavern."

Nakia rose and followed Mother Bess down into the druid's cavern where they spent a long time. When Nakia returned to the surface her face was, if possible, even more serious. She looked tired and perplexed as if she carried a burden of her own.

 

Kelvados was confused, some woman came and told the story of Ciana's parents. She felt so peaceful, he should've jumped up and drawn his blades. But the sense of peace, and lethargy was overpowering. He gave Ciana's hand a small squeeze, he let go as soon as the camp came in hearing. He fell back and walked two feet behind her, a protective stance, a guardian's stance.