The elven ship carefully approached Baldur's Gate's harbor while the moon was high, gently docking near the warehouses. A few Elves had been waiting for its arrival, about a dozen. All of them were there, uncertain, rubbing their hands, staring blankly at the marvelous ship just arrived.
"Another dozen of knife-ears that retreats back into their nice, little island" thought a human Sailor while he was aiding the ship in the docking maneuvers. The first detail of the ship that everyone noticed was a male Sun Elf, clad in a fine silken shirt and trousers, with a rapier strapped to his belt. He disembarked from his ship, addressing the crowd of elves gathered at the docks.
"To each and every kin present here today - said quickly the ship captain - I am Calendil of House Aelorothi, commodore in Evermeet's navy. I have come here to escort you back into our land, where you shall life in peace and harmony, away from this simians"
One elven woman approached to him, her hand grasping tightly the hand of a human. She murmured something to the officer, before being dismissed with a quick, and scornful, wave of his hand.
"There is no place, in the land of our fathers, for those of the same ilk that caused our retreat into it. Nor there is place, in the land of our fathers, for those who willingly consort with them. I cannot bring you back to Evermeet if you remain at the side of that human."
The elven maiden started to cry, while her human husband tried to draw a sword and aim it at the officer, clearly enraged. The officer, though, was more quicker in the draw, and in a moment's notice, the human found himself staring down the tip of an elven rapier.
"I'm willing to pretend that none of this actually happened. I don't want to cause a diplomatical incident, and even less to leave behind me a widowed kinswoman. Just begone, fools!"
The two of them quickly went away, while the other elves simply embarked on the ship. Strangely, though, a Sun Elf female, one of great beauty, disembarked from the ship. She bore Hanali's insignias on her dresses, and carried herself with confident grace and a faint smile on her lips. She approached the officer.
"Are you really sure you want to remain here, in this land of simians?"
The sun elf officer stared worriedly at the sun elven woman, who just nodded in return.
"I think that the kin of this continent needs me more than Evermeet, father."
"You know, Luthien, you don't have to do this....you don't have to demonstrate anything, to anyone."
"I'm doing this of my free own will, father. There is more need for me here than in the Island, as I always say. Send my greetings to my mother, and tell her that I am sorry that I won't see my soon-to-be newborn sibling."
Calendil simply nodded, before hugging her daughter one last time.
"Always remember: you have Aelorothi blood in your veins. Behave yourself properly."
"Fear not, dad, I shall. May the Seldarine keep you safe."
"May the Seldarine keep you safe first and foremost, my child. Take care, and contact us as soon as you can."
The departure was quick. Luthien gazed at his father's ship - The Smile of Sehanine - departing from the docks, headed towards Evermeet. The sun elven lass stared at the moon: it was shining, radiating hope and faith. She knew she was in an hostile land. She knew she didn't speak common well. She knew many humans were hostile to her. Yet, she also knew that, no matter what, the Seldarine would have watched over her. Luthien smiled at Selune one, before turning her back from the dock and heading towards the east gate district. She didn't have a clue about where to begin her mission, but that didn't scare her - after all, when people are clueless the Gods intervene....
Red Swan Rising
-
Darksider_war
- Posts: 873
- Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:36 pm
- Location: Atlantis
Red Swan Rising
Shamshir wrote:It seems that when coming to RPGs nowadays, common sense is like the Abominable Snowman: everyone knows what it is, but none has really seen it.
-
Darksider_war
- Posts: 873
- Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:36 pm
- Location: Atlantis
Re: Red Swan Rising
After renting a room in the Elfsong tavern, the sun elven woman started to update her diary, with the help of a magically enchanted quill that needed no ink to write.
"It is indeed strange how things are different here in the mainland. The place and lives of those that live into it seem chaotic, bleak and...almost sad. The idea that the cursed red fiends have an enclave in this place, undoubtedly obtained with a huge amount of gold and "offerings" to the dukes, sends a lot of shivers down my spine. Nothing here is similar to the Island, not even a bit. The people are different, the air is different - much smellier - even the sky is different.
It is only the presence in the sky of Sehanine's gift, and its light, that is capable of reconnecting my mind and spirit with the Island. No more ballrooms for me, no more gossiping in Hanali's temple, no more watching amused the acolytes of Corellon, to whom I was once comrade, and still are, from a certain point of view, parading through the streets. Someone, if not everyone, back in the Island may be asking to himself "why did she leave?".
The answer is simple: I left my homeland because I love it. I cannot simply stand by and watch while everyone retreats to Evermeet, leaving the continent a place devoid of Elves. We cannot simply turn our backs to the continent and hope to survive. Sooner or later, if someone doesn't intervene, or the trend doesn't stop, we will find some ravenous humans - like the damnable red fiends - knocking at our gates. And even if we could survive the first wave, there shall always be another, and another one...until there won't be any elf left. We are not a frisky people, hence a war of attrition would be doomed to failure from its start.
What we can hope to do is remain here in the continent, and try to garner friends and allies for our cause...without losing ourselves, or our traditions, in the process. We can't possibly do the same mistake that turned Nimbral from a place of elves to a place of inbred simians. Aglarond is another nice example of what could happen when humans start to grow unchecked. Cultural and biological assimilation is another way for a people to become extinct, and sure as Arvandor I do not want such a fate for my people. We can't possibly do like the elves that inhabit Waterdeep, so used to the gutter that most of them, from what I have been told, simply forget that they are elves and behave like pointed eared humans.
No, I cannot tolerate this. There must be a middle way, a path of balance to satisfy all the needs of the Folk. And sure as everything, I intend to do whatever in my power to find that path. My House has always been on the forefront. Members of my House were slaughtered during Siluvanede and Myth Drannor, so that other kinsmen and women might run for their lives. I intend to do the same; from a cynical perspective, after all, I am barren, and with a good number of siblings: my death won't mean the end of my bloodline, and so there shall be other Aelorothis in the future to hold the line in my place.
I can only hope, and have faith in Hanali, that martyrdom will not be necessary."
"It is indeed strange how things are different here in the mainland. The place and lives of those that live into it seem chaotic, bleak and...almost sad. The idea that the cursed red fiends have an enclave in this place, undoubtedly obtained with a huge amount of gold and "offerings" to the dukes, sends a lot of shivers down my spine. Nothing here is similar to the Island, not even a bit. The people are different, the air is different - much smellier - even the sky is different.
It is only the presence in the sky of Sehanine's gift, and its light, that is capable of reconnecting my mind and spirit with the Island. No more ballrooms for me, no more gossiping in Hanali's temple, no more watching amused the acolytes of Corellon, to whom I was once comrade, and still are, from a certain point of view, parading through the streets. Someone, if not everyone, back in the Island may be asking to himself "why did she leave?".
The answer is simple: I left my homeland because I love it. I cannot simply stand by and watch while everyone retreats to Evermeet, leaving the continent a place devoid of Elves. We cannot simply turn our backs to the continent and hope to survive. Sooner or later, if someone doesn't intervene, or the trend doesn't stop, we will find some ravenous humans - like the damnable red fiends - knocking at our gates. And even if we could survive the first wave, there shall always be another, and another one...until there won't be any elf left. We are not a frisky people, hence a war of attrition would be doomed to failure from its start.
What we can hope to do is remain here in the continent, and try to garner friends and allies for our cause...without losing ourselves, or our traditions, in the process. We can't possibly do the same mistake that turned Nimbral from a place of elves to a place of inbred simians. Aglarond is another nice example of what could happen when humans start to grow unchecked. Cultural and biological assimilation is another way for a people to become extinct, and sure as Arvandor I do not want such a fate for my people. We can't possibly do like the elves that inhabit Waterdeep, so used to the gutter that most of them, from what I have been told, simply forget that they are elves and behave like pointed eared humans.
No, I cannot tolerate this. There must be a middle way, a path of balance to satisfy all the needs of the Folk. And sure as everything, I intend to do whatever in my power to find that path. My House has always been on the forefront. Members of my House were slaughtered during Siluvanede and Myth Drannor, so that other kinsmen and women might run for their lives. I intend to do the same; from a cynical perspective, after all, I am barren, and with a good number of siblings: my death won't mean the end of my bloodline, and so there shall be other Aelorothis in the future to hold the line in my place.
I can only hope, and have faith in Hanali, that martyrdom will not be necessary."
Shamshir wrote:It seems that when coming to RPGs nowadays, common sense is like the Abominable Snowman: everyone knows what it is, but none has really seen it.