⬥︎ Events that changed her mortal soul ⬥︎
❖︎ EVERMEET Prior to leaving for the Western Heartlands
⧫︎ Chapter - The Death of Zaor Moonflower, King of Evermeet
Tragedy struck, in 1321DR. The aged Zaor, beloved King of Evermeet was assassinated in the gardens of the palace. As it had for the populous at large on the Green Isles, it was the event that brought the young bladesinger in training much heartache. Elyssa, a Symbaern and living in the capital city of Evermeet Leuthilspar, it hit her immediately. She had inadvertantly born witniss to the body. King Zaor was a good king. But the event had strikingly disabused her of the notion that violent conflict between her peoples, similar as seen in the ancient times was appropriately relegated to history. A relic of a different era for the elves. Not so.
⧫︎ Chapter - Where is the King?
Leuthilspar, Palace - 1321 DR Year of Chains
Resounding from the gardens of the palace grounds a scream is heard, the keening wail of a woman elf is echos through the trees. Master Arran’Kess walked with haste towards the noise, Elyssa Symbaern his apprentice in tow.
It was unusual to have these sort of events happen around the royal palace, urgency carried in their legs. Arran’Kess, a Bladesinger now of high repute at the court of Leuthilspar and the Council of Evermeet. He took on regular voyages of an itenerant bladesinger life to a multitude of places in Faerûn, experienced in his long vocational duties towards the People. Today was a planned visit for the court, but not for the royalty. As they narrowed themselves through the gardens, they came upon the scene the wail of a woman was heard from.
“What is the matter,” the old and revered Bladesinger said. “two guards are here where five would be”
“The palace has been surrounded in search of an assassin, we can’t let—”
“Where are our king and queen?” Arran-Kess insisted.
“An attacker has taken to our king. He has been slain!” the sun elven guard replied, distraught at the elf working himself past the guards. “It is too late!”
The Bladesinger took Elyssa with towards the inner garden, where the assassin had struck. His hand grasped the pommel of his sword, hawkish in his look around for out of the ordinary signs of entry. An assassin on the grounds near the King was unheard of, the gardens itself would be in disccordance with the attempts of intrusion. Magic was rife along the palace, subtle protections everywhere. The bellflowers were an especially wonderful find upon the garden, ringing subtly with a music lost to many but for those with the ear to hear their chime. Master Arran’Kess could hear them in a dissonance, normally with a beautiful tune. It was a first Elyssa could experience these rumoured flowers at the gardens.
Moving through the maze, the pair arrived at the inner garden where the guards stood dejected and angrily upon their task. “The other royal members could be at risk!” The Bladesinger insisted. The guard could not speak words, and his only action was to look through the tree’s arch toward the figures standing by a elf dead on the ground.
Arran’Kess’ heart sunk, for he recognised the man easily even from the distance. The size and the blue locks of hair, it was none other then King Zaor who lay dead on the ground, surrounded by court guards and court ladies.
“The king. . .is dead.” Arran’Kess exclaimed, shaken in his voice. There laid the familiar form of King Zaor, the same form she'd seen years ago. Elyssa witnissed the king Zaor on the ground.
It had been years ago, Elyssa had seen the King at the side of Amlaruil Moonflower in the various festivities and parades, and official events. He stood proud alongside his love, kind and attentful. Only once had she seen him up close in a parade, still as child. She along with the many Bladesinger students performing a rite of passage, showing their abilities to possible patrons and Master who were in search of a student, if they did not already have someone in the family to do the instruction.
Many would be already introduced, had they shown the aptitude to become one of the revered self-contained warriors. It was at this ceremony, and the right of passage where her family had arranged for an old bladesinger to review her progress. The day she had seen King Zaor up close, was also the day she met her Bladesinger master, for the first time.
⧫︎ Chapter - The Retreat
In the many years throughout her youth and training, Elyssa acclimated to her romantisied fantasy of the itinerant existance of the Bladesingers of present era. The days of the grand realms and ancient bulwarks, and grand armies on the continent had passed, where Bladesingers could more easily work together, or found themselves attached to military orders.
The calling of the Retreat by the elven court in 1344 DR ment that the elves remaining to face the more hostile lands, would do so now by themselves if they would not answer the call or are still in travel. This has made the purpose of the Bladesinger all the more poignant. To set out from the great safe havens like Evermeet and Evereska, to be their guardians and champions, wherever that may be.
Leaving Evermeet - The Voyage East to the Mainland
❖︎ FAERÛN After arrival upon the Western Heartlands
⧫︎ Chapter - First mark upon mainland
It was the first time Elyssa was faced with numbers counted in legions, wars rather then a skirmish or battle. The end of 1351 marked undead armies marching upon Baldur’s Gate. The General first, who preceded the Blight and its diseasing horde. Her efficacy in battle against the sheer numbers that would overwhelm the city, would teach her one of the most valuable lessons she had learned. Upon the walls of the human city racking undead bodies cut down with her sword, as still a youthful Bladesinger apprentice, it became quite apparent to her. Here, on the walls, now, she is but one sword among many. Nothing she could do on those walls would create a marked difference to turn the tide. Elyssa resolved herself then, that if she was not sufficient to solve a problem, she would find the force multipliers that could turn that tide.
Her lessons learned then informed much of her future actions when faced against overwhelming odds, by putting the pieces together that would allow a victory. First, when the forces aiming for Candlekeep barreled down with their main army, attempting to thin the veil between planes so it could crash upon the walls of Candlekeep with great numbers. Elyssa recruited Ameris, a Priest of Ilmatar in hopes to attempt a daring plan to abduct the ritual casters through a gate. Should they succeed, it would thwart the veil thinning further, dissallowing their main army to join the vanguard. The plan was a success, earning a measure of renown that day publically from the then Guide of Candlekeep, lauded her a hero. Her first mark upon the continent of Faerûn was made that day, as the youthful bladesinger apprentice.
The second time, was when Baldurs Gate was in the middle of the undead siege. The walls were getting breached, and the Tower district was sure to be overrun. An idea that formed from creative desperation, and having learned from the boasting of an adversary about a Gold dragon nearby, Elyssa would assemble a party with her friends to search for this dragon, hoping to recruit him against the armies of undead. Going through the forest to find him, clearing the remaining infesting blight monsters, Ghandiron the Gold Dragon was found already dead. A victim trapped against an endless fight. But, not all was lost. Emerging from his tomb, Elyssa and her party were met with a great amount of forest spirits, one of which being Ghandiron himself. His gratitude extended to the party, for he would come and fight. On another day of the siege, Ghandiron and the forest spirits would attack the flanks that were in the midst of breaching the docks districts of Baldurs Gate, aiding the defenders on that side and secure the city from that end while the rest of the battles raged. Ghandiron would face the Blight on his own, one more time in the Tower district, but that was the last Elyssa had seen him.
⧫︎ Chapter - Queen Amlaruils Moonflowers Expectations
In 1360, a host of Doron Amar elves and their allies were given a prestigious mission by Queen Amlaruil Moonflower, Queen of Evermeet, and the Hill Elders of Evereska. The prestigious mission for a reclamation of a piece of Askavar was undergone, along with the pending offensive campaign the elves would bring upon the orcs still within the Glimmerwood, one that had a long time coming.
Around the same time, the destiny of the Zathir family recently immigrated from Evereska was revealed. A revelation that led to the declaration of nobility, the first to have originated from Doron Amar itself.
The recognition of House Zathir, along with the resolution of the campaign embarked on by the elves necessitated the emmissary from Evermeet to come. It was Matron Imil'Casianna of House Nierdre from the Council of Evermeet who arrived, bringing gifts in recognition of the effort, and for the acknowledgement of ennoblement of House Zathir, first noble House of Doron Amar. Queen Amlaruil herself was who had selected the gifts.
One by one did Matron Imil'Casianna call the elves forward to present them, and with a message. Among those called to receive a gift was Elyssa. She was given the belt once belonging to Aera’Lafavel, a bladesinger. He was a good friend and bodyguard to Zaor Moonflower, and also his close advisor.
Aera'Lafavel originally had lived with Zaor in Myth Drannor, before he was king. He was one of his early bodyguards. But by the time Zaor became King, Aera’Lafavel was already an old elf, and served as bodyguard until 957, when he had finally found someone entrusted to be his replacement. Aera’Lafavel faded away to Arvandor two years later, after more then 600 years of dutiful service to elvendom.
It was Queen Amlaruils wish that this belt was to be carried by a Bladesinger once more. The matron further shared words of her Queen.
“To guard the People, for there is nothing of greater importance. The charge shall be the people of Askavar, and perhaps once a ruler is named, to be their bodyguard.”
In elven culture to be given the choice is the norm, they were not orders, but the Queens expectations. It roused deep emotions within the bladesinger, many complex ones which hurled her back to past events, future and present. Among them it swirled back to the assassination upon the King only 39 years ago, and the failure of his then present guards.
Aera’Lafavel being an elf from Myth Drannor that saw its fall, a fate the Symbaern House shared that managed to evacuate from the city and come to Evermeet. He did not live to see how King Zaor’s guards had failed Zaor, when the assassin struck.
To have been seen, and been brought the weight of the widowed Queens expectations assured the dissolution of Elyssa’s previous notion of what kind of Bladesinger Elyssa was to be. No longer an itinerant bladesinger, but one ordained with the wish of her Queen to see to a specific task.
Her eyes turn to the realm of Askavar, which Corellon within a revelation refused to bring word of his will toward Askavar’s fate, by decree of his Celestial Knights, for the decision would be left squarely upon the elves themselves what to do about it.
Elyssa’s focus is now upon Askavar, and the People of the Glimmerwood which will come to live there. She now wears a constant reminder of the complex histories and feelings roused from those times and present implications, in form of Aera’Lafavels ’belt, around her waist.
