A note was left on Theria's bed, addressed to Countess Threadstore; it read, "I am taking a few days off on Kingdom Business, please cover for me I'll be back with news within a week at the latest; warm regards Theria" beside it "Dear Findel, Please see the other note is delivered, don't wait for me, please head South with the Army, keep Grey Elf King Amathithren as safe as you can, thanks Theria"
The energies of green lightning blessing arced around the racing DireBear and Regent Duchess Theria 'BigBear' Adalbern Sceaðaslayer even as she took time to doze, and what would take about 30 days of 8 hours of travelling a day when travelling about ten times the speed and not stopping took about 24 hours, following the memorised map and the compass in her hand Theria willed the DireBear directly to the glades of the Night Elves. Following the curse trails, she held that she had meticulously cut off of the 40 Dawn Elves. Leaping over other travellers, a couple of roadblocks earned some arrows, but none got close to her past her lightning, and indeed she jumped villages for speed's sake. Theria's entrance at speed in to the glade of the Night Elves set off perimeter alerts. Still, by the time the response went to the perimeter, Theria was deep in the glade territory heading to the Night Elf Temple and to where the Night Elves' ceremony of Assassination Tree burned with purple fire showing if the Assassins lived or Died it currently showed 40 Assassins lived, the ritual would have been carried out before sending the Assassins. Like a bear with a sore head Theria and her DireBear roared it shook the Temple, and startled the priests, The high priest of the glade village they were in, with staff aflame in purple fire, challenged, "Who goes there". Theria answered, "Change", and her green primordial nature lightning sparked around her and as she approached, the ritual tree sparked with green fire, and the 40 people formerly in purple all turned Green.
Theria dismounted and, clad in her Adamantine armour, transformed into a WereDireBear before the High Priest's eyes and stared her down, still sparking lightning, then asked, "How many more Night Elves must I transform to Dawn Elves to get you to stop sending Assassins?", the High Priest in shock "How are you here?" she would have moved to action, but the green lightning made her question. Theria purposefully misinterpreted the question and replied as the green lightning intensified and the glow filled the temple, "Thank you for asking how I am, I am fury, and I am here, and this temple will feel how I am." pausing. "If I can slay the gargantuan Primordial Ice Wyrm, Sceaða ColdDrake, what makes you think I can't face you down in your temple here and now." and the more she thought about the question, the more challenging it was for the High Priestess to answer. Night Elves came in force to surround the Temple; the closer they were, the more lightning they were hit by. Those who tried to attack Theria immediately got chainlightninged with the primordial green force of nature's storm surge power, stopping them before they could reach Theria. Some Night Elves stayed away out of reach. Theria kept this up until everyone within range was either green or blue; when she checked them on her ring of discernment,
Theria turned to the High Priest about an hour later and asked, "How many more Night Elves do I need to visit to make peace?". "I do not know, but there are ten villages of the night elves in these glades". Other Night Elves settlements are a very long distance away. Theria then went to each Temple of the nine villages and did the same thing again. Some Night Elves avoided her; some embraced it as it worked. The last three villages were evacuated completely, so she left them be and returned to each of the seven, letting them know what she had done. At each village, she asked the High Priests what they knew of the Necromancer, and they knew about the contract on her King and her; the first six knew nothing other than rumour and hearsay confirming a Necromancer was active. At the first village, the High Priest confirmed the Necromancer had placed the contract on Human Kings and her, that a skeletal Centaur had been the go between. That by not fulfilling the contract, they might face repercussions. I told the High Priest that he would need to meet with his other people and decide what they would do, but for any who wanted it, Clan Adalbern would provide sanctuary; if any wanted no contact, they could have it. If any wanted to fight her, they were welcome to try. It was noon when Theria climbed back on the DireBear, and like a Whirlwind, they powered away back to the North.
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On the way back, Theria wondered what the repercussions of her actions would be? However, they might splash back on her; she thought that maybe this would be enough to keep the Royal twins alive long enough to inherit their Kingdom. She dozed on the way back, and by the early evening, she was awoken as a roadblock almost a third of the way away from the Night Elves, and a group seven of heavily armoured Knights with lances waited, and Theria stopped; this was more than before, she thanked the DireBear for waking her, and now she wanted to know what was going on, so she stopped also because she sensed it was a danger to continue. Theria was still clad in purple armour with a green glow riding a DireBear, so quite intimidating; she noted her ring was orange or red with the strangers. Theria asked, "Who seeks to stop me and why?" A mounted knight in heavy armour, who had a white glow about them, called out, "In the defence of the realm, we ask all to stop, pay tax and state your business. Theria enquired, "Which Relam?" and the Knight replied, "The Theocratic Protectorate; I have answered your questions before you ask more; please answer my questions." Theria mused and then replied, "Our King and Queen were murdered, and assassins came for me also, so after I dealt with them, in my fury, I went in all haste on a diplomatic mission to find the source of the Assassins, I was told a Necromancer was responsible, do you know of any such individual and where I might find them as this Necromancer has very much earned my Ire." The Knight dismounted and spoke more quietly, "I think we know some of what you speak of; we are not in the habit of telling others about the Necromancer or, indeed, discussing them publicly, and I do not intend to break the latter habit today but in private if you accept my hospitality then the former can be overcome? You match the description of the Regent of Fecundity; are you indeed the Wyrmslayer?" Theria 's ring was now yellow; she dismounted and softly spoke, "I did not know of a tax on this road, and I travelled in such haste that I did not think to bring my purse for your undertaking of safe passage North and agreement to waive my tax through your lands on my previous journey and on this my return journey now as part of your Hospitality, this weary traveller might be persuadable to try your hospitality and may even agree to trade names too should you be a charming enough host to warrant it" As the conversation continued she got a smile from a few of the Knights who had raised their visors when Theria dismounted and now looked visibly more relaxed her ring was yellow, blue and green for the knights about her and the knight afore her for them it was green, as they said, "I offer you hospitality and waive your taxation through our lands this first time, absolve you of any offence for your previous unauthorised journey through our lands and waive you of any return taxation, and offer you safe conduct North after receiving our hospitality" Theria nodded. The road passed outside a large town, and Theria was invited towards the large Tavern built like a Keep that lay 400 yards off of the crossroads; a mile further on was the town gate, and Theria said, "One more condition, I note the stables you have at this Tavern, my Bear sits with me and eats with me, they'll not like it in the stables, and an unhappy bear will not quieten the horses." and the Knight smiled "Alas we do not have a chair big enough for your friend". Theria said, "My friend likes honey and doesn't mind sitting on the floor. to eat it." the knight smiled and replied, "I do not know if in the whole protectorate, we have enough honey to fill your friend or, indeed, I have enough in my purse but we'll see what we can do with your friend sitting on the floor with us."