"The only good elf is a dead elf." - Nikita Poshca, Ranger General of the Second Elmaiya Empire, circa 22 VA.

Palace of Bones

Tohrmutgent, Central Ptolodecca

Lichdom of Ptolodecca

4th day, 2nd week, 3rd month, year 80 VA.

"What does grandpa need us for?" Aideen asked as she walked down the corridors of the palace of Bones, together with Kestera and Diarmuid. Ahead of them was Yvgenia, Drietven's daughter, who had come to their house - they had houses of their own in the same area where the Unliving were housed - and said the Bone Lord had asked for their presence. Aideen and Kestera, specifically.

"I am unaware of the reason, young lady," said Yvgenia in reply to Aideen's question. "All I know was that his holiness had gathered the elders amongst us elves, and some of the unliving as well."

"Curious," commented Diarmuid. Despite recently hitting his seventies, Aideen's elder brother was still quite fit, especially for a man of his age. He wasn't summoned but since the matter apparently involved his wife and sister, he had joined them regardless.

When they reached the throne room in the Palace of Bones they found the Bone Lord seated atop his throne. To his left stood elves, five elders of Drietven's generation, including the butler himself, four others of Yvgenia's, whose lines she joined, and four others of the youngest elven generation, to which Kestera was part of. Another five youths, all elven descent children under a hundred - most of them not even fifty yet - were also present, Mimia and Éirynn amongst them.

To the Bone Lord's right were a similar line, most of them were his officials. Myrddin was present, so was the aging Adalbert, and several high priests from the various temples as well. Several representatives from the small unliving community were present as well. Aideen recognized Mallard who waved at her, and took her palace between him and the throne.

It was an unusual assembly. The Bone Lord usually only summoned those directly relevant to the matter at hand, so having representatives from so many groups like this, was truly a rare occasion. Aideen couldn't even recall when was the last time they all gathered like this, if ever.

"An envoy has arrived in the city just last night," said the Bone Lord once everyone was at their positions. That raised eyebrows from the gathered people, since usually such envoys were just handled by the officials instead. "An envoy… from the Shadow Forest."

"I do believe that your people generally do not negotiate or send envoys, no, Drietven?" Added the Bone Lord to his elven butler, who confirmed his statement for everyone else present. "That is why I gathered you all here. To see what changed so much that they would even send an envoy to us."

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Before long, the supposed envoys were escorted in. Leading the procession was the oldest elf Aideen had ever seen, a tall, gaunt, heavily wrinkled old woman with a hunched posture who walked with the aid of a staff.

Behind her were four other elves, curiously arranged by generations like their own elven line, one man who looked to be Drietven's age, another a generation younger, and two young women, one and Kestera's age with the other being much younger.

The elven matriarch tapped her staff to the tiled floor after they entered the room, and as one, the five elves prostated themselves before the throne, an act that surprised Aideen. From what she knew of elves - stories of old, many confirmed by Drietven - elves do not bow or prostrate themselves, unless faced with someone they acknowledged as their betters.

"We, the children of Ævietønavæel, greet the Bone Lord, and thank him for his generosity in granting us an audience," intoned the elven matriarch from her posture. Aideen noticed that Drietven had looked surprised when the elven delegation had entered, but she had no idea why. "We beg forgiveness for the reckless acts of our younger generation half a cycle ago, and came to make amends, and to beseech a boon."

A "cycle" was how the elves called a century, and by those words, the matriarch had clearly meant the elven raid from four decades ago, the one where Faerghus was killed.

"Rise, and speak your mind. You have my ears," said the Bone Lord from his throne as he gestured for the elves to rise. They remained on their knees, but lifted their heads and faced him. "For what reason would the children of Ævietønavæel seek the aid of others? I have lived beside your land for millennia and this is the first time I see your kind seek outside aid."

"My people was a proud people, o Bone Lord. Stubborn, and often too proud for their own good. Now we are paying for that. We are dying, and thus we seek for aid and protection," said the old matriarch with a solemn tone. "Many of our more impulsive youngsters and those who cherished the old ways, had perished in this last half a cycle. The unwarranted raid against your lands had taken most of the vocal ones, but constant assaults from our western neighbors had also bit deep into our numbers."

"And you yourself do not adhere to the old ways? That is a rare claim to make," said the Bone Lord from his throne as he pondered her words.

"I used to be, but no more. The past cycle had shown me that the old ways would just lead to our annihilation, and even now, we are already dying," said the elven matriarch with a sad shake of her head. She looked at Drietven with a melancholic smile as she said her next words. "If you require proof of my intent, then I do believe one of yours in this very room can testify for me."

"Indeed, your holiness, matriarch Fareesa had aided those who wished to escape and migrate to our lands ever since the raid four decades ago," said Drietven as he bowed to the Bone Lord. "I will also admit that my life here might be the reason she has been so amenable to adopting new views, as after all, I am her eldest son."

"I see," said the Bone Lord. "Do tell then, what does the children of Ævietønavæel seek from us, and what do you offer to us in return?"

"We offer all that we are, o Bone Lord. Our lands, our selves, our children to come, shall heed you as our leader and be your people," declared the elven matriarch to the suprise of most everyone in the room. Only Myrddin and the Bone Lord himself seem unsurprised. "What we ask for is protection, that even just your name would likely grant us, so that we can continue on, instead of dying off. "

"This is true, sire. In the past two decades, rangers from the Elmaiya Empire has been actively raiding the Shadow Forest, but they had refrained from large scale military action so far." Myrddin reported when the Bone Lord glanced his way.

Aideen had also heard of those news, the rangers being a special unit in the empire that were mostly composed of people who had lost loved ones to elven raids in the past. Their mission was supposedly to cleanse the scourge that is the elves from this continent, but they had always lacked the numbers to do so, while the empire saw no benefit in taking the forest over considering the price likely that will likely have to be paid for fighting desperate elves on their home ground.

"What your spies probably have not reported, if they are even aware of it, o Bone Lord, is how we are running low of those who could fight," said Fareesa sadly. "A plague had struck us in these past year, our best shamans rendered impotent before it. It had taken many, and incapacitated many more, and if possible, we would ask for aid in dealing with it as well."