Daelthrien Silverleaf

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“...It was a night darker than normal. The owls were crying constantly and the wolves were singing to the moon…”

“…The elven woman was in pain. The child fighting his way out was like a trapped wild animal trying to escape his cage. The father was at the mother´s side trying to ease her suffering. Suddenly for a moment, the wolves and the owls went silent and everything became quiet. The next moment the child cried…”

“– How should we name him? – Asked Legewiel Eriamyn. The father, Serion Eriamyn took a moment to think and then, came the answer – He shall be named Daelthrien Eriamyn. – Legewiel stared at the kid for a moment and finally said towards him – Welcome, Daelthrien, my son…”

“…The kid was growing up fast, and he was at the age of four in the night a group of drow elves came from the shadows of the earth. The wood elves on that groove were no warriors and the drow came heavily armed and armored. A terrible slaughter. Legewiel hid her son in a bush nearby a great tree and tried to run as far as she c1ould. But when she was about five steps from the hideout, a drow blade came piercing her back ending her life in front of the elven child hidden in the bush and completely horrified with the scene of his mother staring lifeless to him.
Afraid and unable to do anything, the kid stood hidden and watched as his home was slowly destroyed by those dark skinned people. When there was nothing more to destroy, the hunting party have left, leaving none alive but the small elven kid. When he left his hideout he had just a moment to cry at her mother´s corpse before some wolves came to feast on the rests. He never had the time to find the body of his father. The kid had to flee now…”

“…He had no idea how long he have been wandering in the forest of Neverwinter Wood but the kid had learned how to survive in part due to his natural skills in tracking, hiding and moving silently. The other percentual of the reason of his survival was luck…”

“…Daelthrien was inside the shack he had improvised with some sticks and some large leafs when he heard something outside. Perhaps some other owl wandering around that could be easily sent away using a stick he kept around to defend himself. But the truth was not as good as he imagined...
A Forest Troll. Big, ugly and too strong for the kid. That was the end. It did not matter he escaped the drow. He was going to die anyway. He tried to run as fast as he could. Although he thought it was useless, something just kept him running.
After a time running, the air of his lungs went heavy, and he could not run anymore. He fell. He thought all hope had gone away on that moment… when an arrow came from nowhere.
The arrow hit the forehead of the monster and then another arrow came from behind hitting the head again. Suddenly a rain of arrows came from different sides of the forest and the attackers were finally revealed.
A group of elves all of them different from Daelthrien, for their skin was lighter than his, almost silvery, and their hair was blonde. They continued attacking the monster that was agonizing with every hit. Then, the elves stopped throwing arrows. The monster was expecting more of them but just one elf came from behind and threw a pouch containing oil at his back. The oil spread quickly. The Troll turned to face the new threat but almost like instantly, an elf dressed in a shinny light armor and using a cloak shot an arrow with the point on fire at his back. The Monster was slowly consumed by the fire and more pouches came flying at his direction. It did not take long and the foul creature was no more…”

“ – These creatures can only be defeated with fire, or acid. – Said the elf in the shinny armor. – As I believe you had no source of both, then I think it was fortunate we were guarding this region. – The elf said with a soft but deep voice to Daelthrien. – Say, child, Are you all right? – But Daelthrien´s only reaction was the one expected from a child that lost everything on his life and spent his last months wandering in the forest alone. A thing that he couldn´t let himself to do for a long time now. He started crying…”

“…King Lomelas Silverleaf was the leader of the Silverleaf clan of Neverwinter wood. He was a mighty ranger devoted to the lady of the forest Mielikki. The Silverleaf clan lived in a sacred sanctuary in the forest of Neverwinter Wood for many years, and they took the duty to protect the forest from foul creatures like the Trolls. This one was the 134th Troll king Lomelas and his guardians had slain for the sake of cleansing the lands, and this time, for the sake of a small elven child as well.
–It´s all right… let the child take his moment. We´re bringing him with us. Provide anything he needs… water, clothes and food. He must have been trough much. The forest can be treacherous. – Said Lomelas to his warriors. After that he just whispered to his general, Lotelaar – He must have a long tale to tell…”

“ – Daelthrien, sir – Said the child while the last tears were falling. Lomelas took a while examining the child and then turned to the kid – Daelthrien… good… - Said Lomelas – At least, now I know that you can speak. – with a smile in his face. – And for the first time in a very long time, Dalethrien had seen a friendly face. The kid smiled back washing his tears.
– So, Daelthrien, what were you doing alone in the Forest? I believe this is no place to wander alone. Where are your parents? – A shadow covered Daelthrien´s face and he felt like he was going to cry again, but he stood firm and answered – Dead, sir. A group of dark skinned creatures attacked our groove. Everyone was slain. They looked like us, except for the skin tone. – Lomelas knew what the kid was talking about… He had faced drow elves before and had been successful, unlike the child´s relatives. – Come, child – Said Lomelas – We have much to discuss…”

“… Years have passed since the events with the Troll. Daelthrien was adopted by king Lomelas and his wife, queen Narawiwien Silverleaf and became prince of the Silverleaf clan. With his natural skills Daelthrien was now training under the tutelage of Lotelaar to become a guardian of the Silverleaf Sanctuary in Neverwinter Wood. Young Daelthrien was not a child anymore, but a young elven guardian ready to take the ultimate test to become a ranger of Mielikki…”

“…The rules were simple. Each student had five days, ten arrows and a bow made by them to search in the wild and bring the corpse of five kobolds. Doing so, they would be helping Mielikki cleansing the wild from evil kobolds and training their body and mind to protect the Silverleaf sanctuary.
The Silverleaf students rarely failed the test to become a ranger because the years of training with general Lotelaar were far worse from staying mere five days in the wild hunting some kobolds. Eventually, it would take a whole party of kobolds to face one Silverleaf student. The most difficult part, actually, was to track the kobolds and kill them with a perfect blow. Most of the students were back in four days with one or two arrows remaining. For Daelthrien, being on the wild was much too easy because he liked it. Many were the days he spent in the wild with fear, but those days were past. He felt like that was home now. Daelthrien came back to the sanctuary in two days with five arrows remaining…”

“…It was a day to celebrate. They were students no more. King Lomelas was proud of his son. The child he found abandoned in the wild afraid and confused was now a Ranger, a guardian of their sacred sanctuary. And now the novice guardians were ready to protect the Silverleaf clan. Or so they thought…”

“ – We are under attack!! – Shout the border Sentinel. There was an unexpected attack the Silverleaf warriors had nothing much to do. Nearly a thousand Bugbears came from every side of the sanctuary killing and destroying everything they saw. King Lomelas caught his bow and his sword and went to battle. They were outnumbered.
As one of the youngest, Daelthrien stayed with the women and the children protecting them if the outer barrier was trespassed by any filthy Bugbear.
Many Bugbears were slain but many elves were becoming tired of the fight. And many of them had fallen in the battle. Daelthrien watched that remembering scenes from the past events when his parents were slain by the drow. He wanted to fight in the borders but also he knew the Bugbears were too strong for him. ‘It doesn´t matter’ he thought ‘I prefer to die in battle than seeing all that I love go away again’. And so, not listening to the shouts of the other novices, he went to fight beside his father…”

“…Lomelas saw Daelthrien arriving in the battlefield. – Stupid boy! What are you doing?! – Said him to Daelthrien. – I won´t let them kill anyone else!! – Daelthrien answered with fire in his eyes. – Go Back, NOW!! This is an order from your king! – Lomelas shouted at him. Daelthrien never saw Lomelas speak like that to him. He was always gentle, like the first day they met. – They stared each other a while and then Daelthrien went back. The moment he turned around and started running, Lomelas whispered to himself – Farewell, my son… - And then fell on his knees with a Bugbear Axe in his back…”

“With their king dead, it didn´t took long until the Elder Warriors were fully defeated by the giant horde of Bugbears. It was time for the younglings to fight for their lives. The Bugbears losses were too many but they stood in a number large enough to defeat the rest of the elves. Daelthrien went searching for Narawiwien.
– Mother!! – He shouted desperately. When he found her, she was killing a Bugbear with a spell of flame strike. Queen Narawiwien was a skilled sorcerer and this time she had to show her skills.
– Daelthrien, quickly this way! – She took his hand and started to run. Daelthrien was resisting – No! I want to fight! – He shouted. – There´s nothing we can do now, my son – Narawiwien told him. – But they killed Lomelas, They killed my FATHER! – Daelthrien had fire in his eyes. – I´m sorry my son, but you leave me no choice. – Narawiwien started casting a spell. Daelthrien remembered scenes of the drow destroying his people and turned to see that happening again, but now they were Bugbears. A tear came in his eyes – No, please don´t… - and then he fell asleep…”

“… When Daelthrien woke up, he was in a bed. A strange thing indeed for he never sleept in a bed like that. And he was inside a room. He was not comfortable with that situation at all. The place was too tight and the air seemed to lack. A moment after, Narawiwien enters the room. – I see you are awake. I think I have exaggerated in my spell. You have been unconscious for three days now. – Daelthrien looked around once more uncomfortable with that situation and finally asked – Where are we? – Narawiwien explained – We are in the city of Neverwinter. More precisely inside an inn. – Daelthrien seemed in pain – Don´t worry, my son, your wounds will heal soon. – Said Narawiwien – Not all of them – Said him. Narawiwien changed her tone. – There´s much to do, my child. We need answers. The clan was attacked and we need to know who did this and why. – Daelthrien was scared with her mother. He never saw her talking like that with him. She sounded just like his father at his last moments. – I saw the Bugbears going south after the battle was over. You must track them and find out what you can. We cannot strike now, but some have survived. In the right time we will gather and the responsible for the attack shall suffer the Silverleaf wrath. – That was not his mother speaking anymore, but a new queen Narawiwien thirsty for vengeance. Daelthrien felt he was the only one capable of doing that task and so he agreed. – Yes, Mother, as you wish. – And then his mother spoke in a soft tone again. – May the lady of the forest guide your steps, my son…”

“… The track of the Bugbears led Daelthrien to the city of Waterdeep. From there he lost track of the group and would need to face civilization again for information. In the city he heard news from a group of Bugbears that had been seen passing not far from the city, continuing their way towards the city of Baldur´s Gate. The next morning, Daelthrien took a boat to the south…”

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Mielikki is always watching the forests and the ones that dwells in it... I have faith in the lady of the forest because when the drow attacked my village leaving me, a small elven child, in the wilderness, I was faded to the destiny the forest had chosen to me... And yet, I have come to meet the Silverleaf clan that shaped me who I am today…

In deep cloakwood, I was investigating a matter with the Treants with some companions when suddenly a group of drow came raiding our party. I could not believe my eyes… Those drow were similar to the ones that had destroyed the wood elves village that I was born and lived before I became a Silverleaf.
Caught unprepared, we fought to our lives until the first wave was completely destroyed… With the second wave, to my surprise, a new member joined our party…

He was a survivor from the Bugbear’s attack in the Silverleaf sanctuary. One of a few of us that had resisted the raid in the Sanctuary, Lotherim was his name. And he was bringing news for me.

Once the last wave of drow was defeated, Lotherim told me what he have discovered: Investigating the past events of my previous village that was destroyed when I was a young child, he found that the same drow that were responsible for the attack were gathering in the Ulcaster ruins, near the town of Beregost, Though he did not why. He told me also that if I were to seek justice for the slaughter I would need some help. He said to me to look for a man named Rialathorn, for he was the one who have been investigating this matter and made some progress in finding the weakness of the drow. Before I left, he gifted me with the armor and the scimitars of my fallen father, Lomelas.

I said to my companions I had to leave and made my way to the Burning Wizard Inn in Beregost where Lotherim said I would find Rialathorn. Once I had arrived, I completely forgot Nevine was by my side and the innkeeper shouted that no animals were permitted inside. That got the attention from a group of elves standing in the corner of the establishment. Apparently moon elves, all of them were bearing the sacred sign of Mielikki. I went to them and asked for Rialathorn.

At first, the elven man that looked like the leader of them was reluctant to give me information, but as I said Lotherim had sent me, he showed himself. That was Rialathorn, ranger of Mielikki and the elves around him were members of the clan.

Rialathorn said to me he had been chasing those drow many moons ago. And had found that they were gathering in the Ulcaster Ruins. He said to me he had not yet strike because nor the land, nor the numbers were favoring his group, but he had found a passage underground that could lead to a surprise attack letting Rialathorn’s men in more favored conditions to face the drow in front.

I was the one to weaken their defenses but I could not do that alone… I would have to find some adventurers to aid me in my mission. I recalled the group that was in cloakwood and went in search for their help. I first saw the monk (or whatever he is) Ujio passing by near the temple of Bhaal. I asked him for help and he agreed under the promise of a good fight. But we needed more people.

In deep cloakwood, I found the companions I left there, and asked for their help. I was surprised how many people hate drow as much as I do. Not long, I was surrounded by an army of adventurers, all with different reasons to face the drow.

I returned to Rialathorn and he said we were to go to cloakwood and go down the caves in the area took by the Lizardfolk.

Arriving there, for my surprise, not only a large group of drow were waiting for us, but also orcs and giant spiders. Something was wrong… I know drow worship spiders, but orcs??? What were they doing there? Anyway, we had to make our way through the army. The fight was intense. Fortunately, no one was hurt. But from the deeps we could hear and fell something was approaching. Umberhulks! Giant monsters from the deeps of earth. Those tunnels were leading somewhere I would not like. We took a time until the three of them were defeated, and eventually some of us, including myself were confused and started attacking each other. Once the Hulks were defeated, we made our way down the caves.

At first glance, the cave was exactly the same way I had seen it last time I went there, except for the drow and other foul creatures that were dwelling inside this time… We made our way cutting every drow, orc and spider that showed up. Then I noticed that something was wrong… We have found a door. A large door but I can’t even think how I had not seen it before in that area. Still we got inside descending even deeper into the caves. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

I had never been to that area before… It was darker than a normal cave and I could feel evil in the air. We continued our search, always fighting against more waves of drow that kept coming and did not seem to cease.

We found a prisioner down there… A deep gnome. He did not know much and meant us no harm, We let him go free. Finding more doors and descending even further, we found something I could only have imagined in my worst nightmares: A Black Dragon!

It did not attack us at first. I tried to negotiate with him but a few misplaced words have irritated him. Lady Pandoriah that is a half dragon took the negotiations ahead. We offered him the chance to turn against the drow, once they have done the same to him. But he did not seem interested. The dragon was greed and wanted our equipment. Then I had an idea. I offered to him the arms and armor of Lomelas in trade for his help and free passage. It was hard to give the set of my fallen father to a giant Lizard, but it was a matter of surviving there. But the dragon cheated me… he took the Armor and the weapons and said he still would not help us… I was disappointed, but at least we had free passage… Or so we thought...

As I tried to reach the door, the Black dragon turned against us and started attacking. That was it… We could not fight a Black Dragon… he was way too strong for us all, even with our advantage in numbers. The only thing I could do that moment was to keep attacking and pray to Mielikki to help us. And my dear lady of the forest heard my prayers. The Dragon had fallen to us…

The door had opened and for my surprise, the armor and the weapons of my father reappeared suddenly. I could not help but thank Mielikki again for the good luck. We stepped into the door and reached the Valley of the Wyverns.

The drow were expecting us and once again we had to fight until we reached the Ulcaster Ruins. There we found two Mindflayers that seemed to be expecting us…

I really don’t know how, but I resisted the control of the Ilithid over my mind. I needed some answers, and they provided me.

Once inside the temple they started speaking directly to my mind. They explained they were responsible for the slaughter in the wood elves village when I was a kid for they sent the drow after some artifact my father, Serion Eryamin, took from them back in his time of adventurer. I did not know what they were talking about. They said it was an amplifier a great brain used to spread control over the minor races. It seems Serion had found a giant problem to the end of his life.

They were still looking for the artifact and eventually they found Serion had a son, and because of that they tracked me to this place where they lured me to find them.

In a moment of anger, I realized I had the chance to end the life of those who slaughtered my relatives and I could not let that chance walk away so easily. I stroked at them and for a moment I thought I had slayed one of them… But I did not, for both images faded leaving nothing but a memory.

I took a moment to calm myself but not long, I heard sounds of battle coming from the valley. Rialathorn and his men were fighting the remaining drow down there and needed help. Me and my companions hurried to him.

At the end of the battle, none of my companions had fallen, but some of the rangers that were with Rialathorn were not so lucky.

Rialathorn have offered my companions the reward given by the city of Beregost to get rid of the drow menace in the region. And called me to make an offer.

He said that with five of his rangers down in battle, the guardians of Mielikki would need a new member in their ranks to protect the wilds. He offered me a place in their guild and I accepted his offer. It was an honor to a humble follower of the lady, as myself, to join the ranks of the rangers.

I bear this clasp now with proud. And this I know: Wherever Lomelas is, I’m sure he is smiling to his son with proud. My duty with Mielikki is only beginning.