IV.

List of Names

* Herónus (heh-ROH-nuss)

* Dómeir (DOH-meh-ir or DOH-mayr)

* Cersis (CEHR-siss)

* Zorraia (ZOH-rahy-a)

* Aulónna (aw-LOHN-na)

* Sylvanalor (sil-VAHN-a-lor or sil-VAN-a-lor, by dialect, Land of Stories)

The Master Swordsman was the first to greet them. As Aurimar and Alquilan stepped beneath the tent, he strode forward, offering the elf his hand. “Hail and well met, brother!” he cried, beaming at Aurimar; he was a tall, strong man, several inches above the latter’s elven frame – his eyes were merry, a bright gray. “It is good you have come – we need a Knight of the Lily among us. Hope breathes in your presence, and that of your order. We have brought encouragement, but what these men face is dark. I am Herónus,” and now he turned, bowing to the loremaster, “master-knight of the Iris, assigned by the elders to lead this mission. Be welcome.” A cloak was on his shoulders, and it was indeed a piercing blue; his armor was chainmail of the lightest silver, bright even in the shade of the tent.

Herónus stepped back and to the side, gesturing behind him to another man. “This is Dómeir, fellow Iris-knight, a master also.” The man was just under average height, for a man – making him similar to Aurimar, who was tall for an elf. His hair was darker and shorter than the first man’s light-brown, just-above-the-shoulders length, and his eyes were light green. He was built strong, though slimmer than Herónus; and instead of the first’s knightly armor, he was arrayed in quiet brown leather, of very intricate craftsmanship. A short sword was at his side, in a scabbard of black and silver, and on his other hip was a dagger similarly sheathed. A silver-gray cloak was upon his back. Dómeir bowed, and Aurimar did likewise; as he did so, he noted that even his keen ears detected not the slightest rustle from the knight’s movement.

“This,” Herónus continued, turning to a man beside Dómeir, in the shadows of the tent, “is Cersis, chieftain of the rangers who patrol the wilds in this area. He has roamed the length and breadth of this north-eastern land in his duties, and has made a particular study of foul creatures. He is a good friend of our order, and an honorary knight for his watchfulness, service, and valiant deeds.” The ranger stepped forward, hand laid to his breast in greeting. He was tall as well, close to Herónus in height, but arrayed more like Dómeir: he wore strong leather armor, and a silver-sheathed sword was at his side. A cloudy gray cloak was on his back, a beautiful bow – of ornate, gray and white wood – slung upon it. His hood was drawn about his face, and brown eyes peered from the shadows within. Hanging from his neck Aurimar saw a symbol: a branch of lightning – glittering, light-blue crystal – upon a silver background which was etched with a maelstrom of storming winds. This was the symbol of Zorraia, lady of tempests, a spirit of passionate freedom.

“Welcome, master-knight of the Lily – and loremaster,” said the ranger, as Aurimar bowed low. “Your knowledge of the area and of the foes we face will be most useful. I have fought many kinds of undead monsters before, and other evil creatures, yet the rumors I have detected in my scouting are of something even I do not know. But we will speak of that soon.” He stepped back, returning to the shadows at the edge of the tent.

“Indeed we will” said Herónus, nodding gravely. “But first, the final member of our group. This, friends, is Aulónna.” As he gestured, Aurimar’s gaze was drawn to the far corner of the tent, where a woman stepped forward. At her beauty, he caught his breath; his body tensed. Long dark hair flowed down her back, and eyes of clearest light green held his, as they studied him. She wore robes of pale indigo and lilac, and did indeed seem to shimmer as she stood there, tall and straight, holding in her hand a staff of willow gracefully carved. Her loveliness stole his words from him, for a moment; a fey power seemed to radiate from her, flooding his mind with the colors of twilight and the rustle of shadowy leaves. After only a second or two he recovered himself, and bowed deeply. He said nothing, his words still momentarily stolen from him. In true elven fashion he was not embarrassed, but awed to lay eyes on such majesty – and to behold it in a human woman!

The others laughed. “So she affects the elven-folk too!” cried Herónus, joining in the mirth. After a few moments he continued. “Your pardon, master-knight, but she affected us all the same way. We are just relieved that Men are not particularly weak in regards to her presence! Aulónna is the high priestess of Arrendiel in this region of the land, and the fey places of the wilderness are her interest. She has had dealings with our Order in the past, and when she was contacted for her lore regarding this area, she immediately volunteered to come. I departed alongside her to escort her here, though she is quite capable. She wields much of the mystical and fey power for which Arrendiel is known.”

The lady beheld the knights in amused understanding, her freckled face lit with a gentle smile. “I am honored to meet you, Aurimar” she said, her voice subtle and musical, “and you as well, Alquilan. It is a pleasure to see you again.” Aurimar and the others turned in surprise to the loremaster, who was beaming at the lady; he looked delighted, as if meeting an old friend.

“Yourself as well, lady Aulónna” he said, bowing and speaking low. “It has been too long since I have shared in your company. Now then,” he said in a louder voice, turning to the group at large, “it seems we are all assembled. Tell us of the situation, Herónus!”

Surprised by the loremaster’s sudden authority, Herónus nonetheless stepped forward again. “I will assume your knowledge of the basics,” he began, his voice becoming serious, “and cut to the heart of it. The presence of undead monsters here is unsettling, yes, but we have all encountered them before – skeletons, zombies, ghouls. Here and there across the land dark sorcerers arise; men fall to evil, and practice evil arts. But the power of these undead is what is unusual. The men can testify themselves, and we have seen firsthand: a stroke that should fell a zombie, or shatter a skeleton, fails to do so here. Some greater will upholds them, so that they can be destroyed only with difficulty. And there are the other monsters.” Here he nodded to Cersis, who spoke up.

“We have found that wights often accompany the lesser monsters during attacks. Pale, twisted beasts, with sharpened tooth and wicked claw, eyes red with hate, carrying cursed blades. These are a terror to the men, even after we named them; for their touch and the touch of their blades drains life. I have encountered these before, but only in very evil places. And they are guided by the same will that upholds the lesser undead. A dark power is at work.”

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Here Aulónna joined in. “And my holy powers have less effect. The lady Arrendiel’s grace is strong, and still burns them away; but I have observed in our battles that they resist, more than is normal, before they succumb. All of this is not to say that things are hopeless. Your courageous knights, unaided, have managed to keep them back. And, since we arrived, they have had an easier time of it; my skill in healing has also aided the cause, lessening the threat of the wights and their blades. But this unknown power that seems to lead them has not been challenged.”

“And this is where we come in, now that we are all here” said Herónus. “Six men and women of our caliber should be able to face the dangers, and investigate. Perhaps we possess enough strength between us to strike back, or at least to discover more and withdraw. But we were ordered, wisely, to wait until all six of us were here together. I would like to ask the lady Aulónna, and the loremaster Alquilan, to speak now, and share with us what knowledge they have; and you two with experience in this region, Aurimar and Cersis, contribute as you can.”

The lady Aulónna began. “As Herónus said, this region of Sylvanalor is under my charge, and in particular its mystical and fey places; for such is the passion of the Lady of Loveliness. My lore of this area – the entire Silverwood, those mountains near it, and all lands within a hundred miles of it – is deep, especially concerning its enchanted places, and my dealings with the fey would encompass many tales. In the more immediate area there lie a handful of shy spirits, who either wander the lands about or else dwell in their own hidden groves and valleys. In my wanderings I meet them, now and again; but in the last several months the area had been strangely quiet. Five months ago now, I ventured near here, and sought out one of them.

“She was troubled, and afraid. Her dwelling is north and west of here, but she could sense a presence of evil upon the land, south of where we stand. Also she had not heard from her brother, who dwelt that way, and she feared for him. When I questioned her she spoke of shadow, and old evil; and she mentioned the horrors of ancient wars in the Elven Days. Their understanding is not always the same as ours, and she knew not exactly what she feared. So, not knowing what to expect, I went south of the road to find out myself.”

The others gasped; apparently she had not shared this tale with any of them, even Herónus the leader. “You went alone, lady?” asked he, as shocked as the others. “That was perilous, despite your ability! But you have seen more than any of us. What befell?”

She smiled, a flicker in her still-gentle eyes. “Yes, it was perilous. Not too far from the road I already felt the evil, growing about me. The shallow grasslands turned to a sparse wood of dead trees, and after that to small slopes and vales. Searching for the source, I followed the evil I sensed ‘til it led me to a large hill, standing out from the rest, sloping gradually on the northern side. From afar nothing appeared wrong, save that the grass on the hill was withered, as if winter’s bite had already come. Then night fell. The stars were blocked by thick clouds. Feeling a growing danger the closer I came to the hill, I decided to turn aside, and headed west. I had gone less than a mile when I was assailed by phantoms in the darkness – wraiths, perhaps. I could not be sure. There were too many of them. I fought, and drove three away, but was struck by others. I felt the unearthly chill growing in me. There were too many. I fled, and by Arrendiel’s grace escaped, destroying one last wraith that tried to trap me. In my flight I turned southwards, giving the hill a wide berth, for I had friends near to the Silverwood that could help me. I used my last strength to send forth a message to them, and collapsed near a small pond.

“I awoke, days later. My friends had gotten my message, and had found me. By their arts of healing they had managed to counter the deadliness of the wraiths’ touch. But barely in time. I lay there long at rest, unable to do anything else. Save this: I sent for the Order. But my message took long to arrive, and by the time it had the knights had already heard from people in the surrounding countryside. And the rest is as you know it. The Order of Paladins sent a group of men, but not enough, and they were driven back with loss. They fortified, as you have seen; and were reinforced, and have held so far. Once I was finally in fit health to travel, I told Árrilir I was coming with, despite his protests; and I accompanied master Herónus. He wanted me to keep away, and remain safe, once he had heard my story; but I will see this through.” The fair lady’s head had been bowed as she spoke of the wraiths’ attack, but now she lifted it again, and stood tall. Her left hand rose and pushed back her long, dark hair – and as it did so, Aurimar noticed, for the first time, a ring on her finger, its band of white silver, in the shape of entwined willow-leaves; on it lay a pale green stone.

The knights’ hearts burnt with anger. The evil deeds of the monsters against innocent passerby, and against their own brethren, had already roused their passion; but Aulónna’s account and her suffering set them aflame. The gentleness of the lady, too, deepened the compassion they felt for her; and each was now, in his turn, restless to set forth and avenge her. Dómeir’s hand gripped tightly his sheathed blade, as he stood motionless. Cersis had stepped forward during her story, and his eyes glimmered with a dreadful intensity. Aurimar’s fury was tempered by sorrow, and his chest rose and fell with deep, quiet breaths.

Herónus, full of wrath himself, was bouncing on the balls of his feet with sudden energy. But he was the group’s leader; and, restraining his own passions, he spoke again. “We thank you for sharing your tale with us, lady” he began, “and we shall, together, destroy what harmed you. Now Alquilan, loremaster sought by our elders, do you possess any knowledge that can aid us in this mystery? Do you know what kind of evil power may be behind these undead, or what could have caused this presence? For it seems to have sprung up suddenly, and yet is potent enough to have repulsed one so mighty as the lady Aulónna.”

He fell silent, and all looked to the loremaster, who was himself in silent thought. His eyes seemed obscured by gray vapor as he stood, pondering, staring into empty space. A full minute at least passed, but the others were patient. At last he spoke.

“I have suspicions regarding the force at work here; and if they are true, we must be very careful. In my own travels few are the times I have dealt with evils such as this. Aulónna’s celestial powers are indeed great, and yet she was set upon by many phantoms; and I think the phantoms themselves were not the source. They were all guided by a purpose, and were sent to drive her off, to repel investigation. I believe the hill that you came to, lady, has a great deal to do with all this. It might be the center of these dark occurrences, from which evil servants are directed as a screen from prying eyes.”

At this point Cersis spoke up. “I have been there before, in my journeys, years ago. It is not an inherently evil place, loremaster. The last I passed near that hill and ascended it, it was a desolate, lonely place, even mournful; but there was no evil. How, then, is this related to it?”

“It is related” said Alquilan, “because that hill is stained with blood. Ancient blood. It was the site of a terrible battle, long ago, of the vanished Silver Elves.”