Silvanost - A Conversation with Feal-Thas

10 Hiddumont 348 AC (1351 DR)

Cedron leans in to the party members closest to him and whispers “I have the feeling we should follow him. I am not sure who he is exactly but there is something suspicious about that guy.” He looks to the wizards for a response.

Ornforithalas and Alara both frown at the sight of Feal-Thas. The black-haired elf looks at our escort and asks, "What is a dark elf doing here?"

The guard captain shakes his head, "I know not. Last I heard, he was still banished to the Icewall."

Raven looks at the elf as he walks away. "What do you mean by 'dark elf'?" He motions to Shadow. "They exist on our world but he looks nothing like them."

Agnes gasps, "Oh! Not like that! 'Dark' elf does not indicate race. It means an elf who has committed a terrible crime or who turned from the Gods of Light."

Raven, still watching, asks, "What did he do, then?

Alara shakes her head, "He murdered his lover."

Shadow, who missed part of what was being said, bristles, “I have been accused of many things by many lovers and their spouses but not murder. And having just arrived here I am wanting to hear more about what I have done” the Drow crosses his arms and cocks his eye as if to say “l’m waiting.”

Alara replies, "Not you, Lord Shadow the Drow, Feal-Thas, the Dark Elf - one who has turned from the light."

"Oh.... well, in that case, I hope she deserved it," the not-Dark by Krynn standards Dark Elf replies.

Arthur nods, taking it all in and nodding in silence as he listens to everyone speak. Agnes briefly rests her hand on one of his shoulders before excusing herself to tend to her duties at Lorraine's medical center.

Hearing the elf murdered his lover, Kysek quips, “I can neither see mine nor speak with her right now. Yet this one murders his? I can think of million ways to punish him for that atrocity. For now; this will have to do; May the fleas of a thousand camels infest you and your arms be too short to scratch! If only I’d taken up curses rather than wizardry as my second profession!” The gold elf sneers briefly, regains his composure.

“I’m going to follow him, and try to learn a bit more.” Ced whispers to Ra’ziir. The bard makes a hasty but polite exit to his hosts. “Please excuse me. I need to relieve myself. Where is the closest place for …waste?” He asks looking both distraught and urgent. Cedron then heads off in that direction pulling his cloak over his head when no one is watching, vanishing into invisibility, and proceeds to follow Feal-Thas.

Ra’ziir accompanies Cedron and when he disappears the black robed elf hails their quarry, “Feal-Thas, a word, if you please…”

The tall elf stops and turns, "Ah...Ra’ziir, was it? How are you settling in with the Order? Not manynof our kind take the Black. Ladonna must have seen something...special in you."

“Azagoth. Ra’ziir Azagoth.” He replies.

The Black Robed Wizard’s features remain mostly shrouded by the hood of his robes, but the hint of a smile peaks out from the shadows.

“And I must admit, I’m not quite sure what to make of Ladonna yet… or the Order.” The parted skin revealing the crystalline tissue beneath, stretches as Ra’ziir’s smile widens bit. When he extends a hand to Feal-Thas, a draconic pendant becomes momentarily visible from within the folds of the black robes.

“Perhaps you might share your opinions on both.” Ra’ziir suggests.

If the fur-clad elf notices the pendant, he says nothing but he pauses, "Not to be indelicate, but the Test has left its mark on you. I have in my possession, a potion dating back to before the Cataclysm that may be able to heal the physical damage wrought upon your body. It is yours if you want it."

”That is very gracious of you Feal-Thas. Much of what I’ve experienced these last few years has left its mark upon me. What would you expect in return for said potion?”

Ra’ziir begins to walk in the direction Feal-Thas was heading, “and please, I wish not to delay you. Let us speak as we walk."

"I require nothing beyond the bounds of Brotherhood in our Order. We are often objects of suspicion. And walking is fine. The weather where I live does not often allow for leisurely strolls. I have just come from a meeting with the Lord Protector. I have recently been approached by an envoy representing Lord Ariakas with a treaty offer. If I keep the people of the Icewall out of the war, the Dragonarmies will leave us alone. I came to seek the counsel of those who have already made such an arrangement."

Feal-Thas opens his cloak and reaches inside. After a few moments, he produces a ceramic flask and passes it to the Bladesinger. Ra’ziir gazes upon it with his arcane sight and notes that it bears a conjunction enchantment, much like a potion of healing would carry.

A little after noon, Alara arrives with a map of the Silvanesti Woods. She brings it over to a table and unrolls it, weighing down the corners with drinking vessels, rocks, and the like. She motions to the parchment, indicating a settlement, "We are here, in Silvanost." She gestures to multiple red and yellows dots on the map. These are reported goblin and giant sightings, red is for goblins, yellow for... well, you get the idea."

Onforithalas looks at the dark-haired girl, "Each of these locations is more than 100 miles from here." He pauses, looking at the map again and then traces his finger north along the river to a spot roughly fifty miles north. "The towns of Larune and Alinesti are here. They could serve as a forward location for us to search from."

Raven scans the map, committing it to memory, taking measurements, asking how far apart certain points are, what the terrain is like, and so on. "If there are no objections, we can leave within the hour. The march to Alinesti should only take two-and-half days. Then we'll strike out east. It looks like that is where most of the sightings have been."

Alara clears her throat. "I feel like I should emphasize that these are only reported, not confirmed, sightings. It is unlikely that Ariakas' forces would want to face the full might of Silvanesti so they probably haven't been in our forest."

Grotto grows agitated with all the planning. His mind is singularly focused on goblin murder. He has flashbacks to his years bound in brutal slavery under goblins. Grotto speaks up, "Goblins disfigured me, abused me and broke me when I was a young dwarf. I made a pact with my god that I would leave none standing when I encounter them. Enough talk, let's roll out! Let's hunt!"

Knives agrees with Grotto about killing the goblins and is ready to join the hunt.

Kysek nods, "Alright; let’s get this party planned!” He turns his attention to Grotto. “While I understand your eagerness, master dwarf; a good plan doesn’t hurt, especially when the hunt could lead to larger quarry.“

Romulus nods, "Well spoken, Kysek. I am afraid that you may have to begin this hunt without me though. I will be returning to the Wayerth Tower. I am going to research this "χρόνος" so that we may restore the full function to Raven's bracers. If we do find ourselves fighting a war against dragons, I want him operating at full capacity."

Shadow turns to the halfling, “Rom, do you need assistance? Perhaps find a way to make ourselves whole again?”

Romulus shakes his head. "Not until we try to summon and bind this thing. Then, we're going to want all of our wizards on hand."

“Then may your hunt be as successful as ours, my friend. I will not relish in slaughtering these goblins as much as the others but here we go!”