As the valiant trio made their way to the eastern reaches of Thre'more, their path wound through the once verdant Eldergrove, now a barren wasteland. Zacarya, driven by a scholar's curiosity, sought to unravel the enigma of how the Necromancer had woven the dark pestilence—a vile concoction of hybridized bacteria—into the very air of the realm.
Dismounting amidst the now deserted roads of the once majestic city, they stood in the heart of desolation. The grandeur of Eldergrove had been reduced to whispers of its past splendor. Zacarya's voice broke the silence, "Perchance this forsaken place still harbors secrets we can wield. I warn you know my compatriots: partake not of any sustenance here, for my quest lies in discerning the vile methods through which the Necromancer's plague spread."
With but a few hours dedicated to his meticulous search, Zacarya combed through the remnants of arcane knowledge that was taking from the arcanist lodge where they defeated the necromancer. Meanwhile, Enai, ever the opportunist, scoured the ghostly avenues for lucre—golden trinkets and gemstones that might one day tip the scales of fate in their favor.
Reconvening in the town's hollow core, they found Lyrielle in solemn repose, her prayers ascending for her distant kin, lost to vile this plague. A soft plea escaped her lips, "May Axiel's light shepherd you from the dark to the light."
Enai, with a triumphant flourish, hoisted aloft his spoils—sacks brimming with the glittering promise of wealth. His companions offered silent accolades, their expressions a tapestry of respect and trust. Zacarya's gaze swept over the forsaken city, a silent sentinel in search of answers. Enai mirrored his contemplation, eager to aid in piercing the veil of this mystery.
It was at the well's edge, where Enai's hand came to rest, that revelation dawned upon him. Gazing upon his palm resting on the edge of the stone brim of the well, he squints his eyes and tilts his head, a moment of clarity seized him. "Could it not be the well's waters that served as the Necromancer's vessel? The lifeblood of the city drawn from these very depths," he postulated.
Zacarya regarded Enai with newfound admiration. "Indeed, the wellsprings of Eldergrove would be the most cunning conduit for such a curse. Yet, I shall not venture into those stygian waters to confirm your theory." With a heavy heart, he conceded, "It is time we set our sights beyond this place."
Zacarya turned his gaze towards Enai, his eyes reflecting the urgency of their quest. "We must dispatch tidings to the Starforged bastion of Para'trose. Their forges craft the mightiest arms in the land, and they must be forewarned of the encroaching doom."
Lyrielle's eyes shimmered with a glint of hope upon hearing his words. "Could your arcane messengers reach the other great enclaves of the Tion villages? If they heed our call, they might rally to Para'trose's defense against the relentless undead legions."
With a solemn nod, Zacarya affirmed, "Aye, it is a sound stratagem. Messages shall wing their way to Para'trose's dwarven sovereign, the chieftains of Tion, and even unto King Vhoadan himself. Though time may betray us, we must endeavor."
His resolve steeling his voice, Zacarya withdrew the venerable tome inscribed with sacred ice elf script, its cover proclaiming it the 'Tome of Conventional Spells.' He leafed through the ancient pages until he alighted upon the desired incantation. "Behold... the Flock Of Ravens."
With arms outstretched towards the heavens, he intoned the mystical syllables, "Dullo, Borello, Aractis!" A hush fell as he knelt, whispering a solitary word that beckoned forth from his spirit a host of ethereal ravens. They soared, spectral wings cutting through the silence, bound for the realms of the three sovereigns.
Enai, awestruck, sought understanding. "What sorcery is this?"
"The art of arcane correspondence," Zacarya replied with tranquil assurance. "The spell weaves my thoughts into these ghostly messengers, which shall transmute into letters upon reaching their destined rulers. Simple, yet unfailingly effective."
With their mission set in motion, they mounted their steeds, embarking on the treacherous journey through eastern Thre'more. A week's ride lay ahead, and they dared not succumb to slumber's embrace, lest the undead horde—unfettered by fatigue—overtake Para'trose. They spurred their mounts onward, enduring the relentless cycle of forty-eight hours of daylight followed by a mere eight of night. Guided only by the Ulumbrian constellations, they persevered through hunger and weariness until signs of Xyclirion life heralded their approach to the verdant lands of Ora'gor which was just past eastern Thre'more.
Upon the crest of the seventh eve, the weary travelers beheld the soft glow of amber lanterns, a beacon amidst the encroaching dusk of Eastern Thre'more. With cautious strides, they neared the threshold, for among them walked Enai, a son of Gongoria, whose kin had sown discord with the Xyclirions through the ages.
As they drew nigh, a cadre of sentinels clad in weathered leather and steel emerged, their weapons unsheathed, a silent challenge hanging in the air. "Halt!" the foremost guardian commanded. "Declare thine intent, and speak swiftly of you purpose on these lands?"
Enai, his gaze descending upon the guards, noted the variance in their skin hues—a few of the guards similar to that of Gongorian lineage, yet altered, their skin a paler reflection of the golden sheen that marked his own people. Among the more customary Gongorian genetics, hair like freshly fallen snow was common, though strands of amber and auburn were woven sparingly, a rare sight to behold.
The lightest skinned among the Xyclirions, his countenance marred by distrust, proclaimed, "Thou shalt not tread upon our soil! The one thou escorts bears the mark of treachery, a possible spy for the fool King Adwin!"
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Enai's voice rose, clear and unwavering, "I bear no ill will, for my roots are not in the Gongorian city of Nev'rene but within the verdant embrace of the Tianin forest. My fealty lies not with King Adwin."
As he spoke, the palest sentinel pressed a finger to his temple, his eyes sealed shut in concentration. After a moment's pause, he confessed, "His thoughts elude me, his motives obscured. I cannot ascertain the veracity of his words."
Zacarya's voice cleaved the tension, as resolute as a forged Zweihander, "He speaks naught but truth, for his home is indeed in the land of Tianin. His loyalty to the Gongorian crown is non-existent."
The sentinel leader, his hand falling away from his brow, conceded, "Truth resonates in the elf's words. Yet, how does the Gongorian shield thy mind from me? Please, tell us thy name Ic'la."
Enai met the leader's inquiry with a solemn declaration, "I am called Enai, and necessity compels our passage through your realm. Would you grant us papers of safe conduct, that we may traverse Eastern Thre'more without hindrance?"
In the waning light of the seventh day, the Xyclirion chieftain addressed them with a decree that bore the weight of ancient custom. "You are to be summoned to the presence of Lady Hazel Stormheart, the arcane guardian and revered high priestess of our kin." With reverence, the trio dismounted, leading their steeds by the reins as they fell in step behind the warrior escort.
Passing through the grand wrought-iron gates, they entered the city's embrace. To their surprise, the Xyclirions thrived in the twilight, their daily rituals undisturbed by the encroaching dusk. Enai and his companions, strangers in this land, drew curious and wary gazes from the populace.
The city's sentinels, their spears a forest of pointed defiance, guided them to the bluffs that cradled the sacred temple. Here, the Priestess communed with the divine. Towering pillars of marble, graced with the intricate sigils of Anulle, the demi-goddess of nature, stood as silent sentinels at the temple's entrance. The lead guard, with a gesture both solemn and ancient, caressed a translucent orb. It responded with an amber pulse, igniting a luminous trail that beckoned them forward.
Descending the marble staircase, they emerged into a sanctum of emerald and alabaster. At its heart, a young Xyclirion priestess meditating, her aura one with the chamber's tranquility. Enai's gaze, unwavering, admired her ethereal grace. Her gown, a cascade of white silk, pooled around her like moonlight on water.
As they neared, her voice, soft yet commanding, dismissed the guards. "Depart from us. I shall parley with the Gongorian alone." The guards' spears struck the marbled floor in salute before they ascended once more into the fading day.
Her eyes, like twin sapphires, unveiled their depths as she beckoned Enai forth. With a grace that belied her power, she bade him kneel. Enai, entranced by her presence, complied, lowering himself until they were face to face, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
In the hallowed sanctum, Lady Hazel Stormheart, the mage and high priestess, beckoned Enai closer with a gesture of sacred intimacy. "May I entwine my fingers with thine?" she whispered, her hands outstretched like delicate petals. Enai, with a reverence reserved for the divine, placed his hands gently within hers. Together, they closed their eyes, and she began to chant in the ancient tongue of Anulle, beseeching the demi-god to convey her plea to Axiel, for she too was entwined in the tapestry of the creaven.
Enai surrendered to the connection, his mind becoming a vessel for visions that cascaded like a celestial river. Memories of Axiel, vivid against the backdrop of the azure sky, resurfaced—a remembrance from his brush with mortality. Then, a vision of his ascension enveloped him, hues of verdant green swirling in an ethereal dance around him. The final revelation unveiled the path through the Orag'orian mountains, guarded by the twin effigies of Elluna, the sister deity to Anulle, sovereign of all Salarian fauna.
As the communion of minds concluded, Lady Stormheart unclasped the amulet of Anulle from around her neck. With a grace that spoke of ancient rites, she adorned Enai with the sacred symbol, murmuring blessings not in her own mystical dialect but in the Gongorian tongue—a prayer that resonated with the adventurers' soul.
"Let this emblem of Anulle be thy shield. Thy path is now clear, young Enai. Walk in Axiel's light towards the liberty that beckons," she intoned.
Enai, his head bowed in gratitude, spoke of the dire tidings. "O Priestess, an undead scourge marches towards Para'Trose. The dwarven stronghold will falter without aid. Though Xyclirion may be but a small nation, its valor is boundless. Para'trose, and indeed all Tion nations, stand on the brink of devastation."
The priestess regarded him with solemnity. "I shall counsel with General Normundy Brightspear. We shall muster our strength. Yet, thou must hasten to Ora'gor, to the Stone Keeper. Time is the essence we cannot squander."
She assured him of provisions for the journey and bade him to partake of their wares. "My skepticism of the creaven once clouded my judgment, but perhaps the lineage that once wrought suffering upon us now rises as our beacon of hope is a fulfillment of our truth of the creaven and it's prophecy."
A smile, a fleeting connection, passed between them, and Enai found himself captivated by her dark tresses and the warm glow of her skin—a momentary enchantment before the urgency of their quest called once more.
Zacarya, with a gaze sharp as the edge of a blade, turned to his companion and let his fingers snap the silence like a whip. "Rouse yourself, oh heartstruck wanderer! The road beckons us forth."
Enai, jarred from his reverie, met the urgency in Zacarya's voice. "Indeed, to the veiled lands of Ora'gor we must venture, northeast where the sun greets the earth. But, my lady, the weariness weighs upon our bones like chains of iron. Rest beckons us as much as duty."
The priestess, her eyes mirroring the depth of the night sky, extended her hands, palms upturned to the heavens. She whispered an ancient incantation, calling upon the spirit of Annulle, the Weaver of natures healing touch. A soft luminescence spiraled from her fingertips, enveloping the weary adventurers in a cocoon of light. The essence of rejuvenation seeped into their marrow, banishing fatigue like a forgotten shadow.
Lyrelle, her eyes wide with wonder, exclaimed, "By the stars, what sorcery is this that invigorates my soul so?"
Enai rose, vitality coursing anew through his veins. A silent exchange of smiles with the priestess wove a tapestry of unspoken promises, leaving a trail of romantic enigma in the air. 'Mayhap,' he pondered, 'the union of our hearts could bridge the chasm between Gongorian and Xyclirion, two peoples divided by time and tide.'
With resolve steeled, the trio ascended the ancient steps of the sanctum, their silhouettes etched against the sanctified glow. They gathered provisions for the journey—food, water, and artifacts of arcane origin, procured by Zacarya's cunning hands. Lyrelle, with the curiosity of a cat, acquired potions of foreign allure, recording their names and virtues in her tome of alchemical mysteries.
Enai, cradling the orb now he knows as the Heartstone of Sucran, beheld the maelstrom of hues and the pulsating Sucran energy within. Zacarya, ever the seeker of knowledge, cast a longing glance at the orb. 'Such power lies dormant within,' he mused, 'a tempest of potential begging to be unleashed.'
Thus, with hearts alight and spirits renewed, they ventured forth, leaving behind the hallowed echoes of the temple, embarking on a quest that would weave their fates into the chronicles of legend.