Elves at Last

“You have the last lens!” Elhan exclaimed. “Then we are ready to enter Suldenesselar. Come!”

The weary group followed Elhan and his soldiers to a clearing in the woods. Tybalt had explained what had happened since their capture in the island fortress to Haer’Dalis, concluding with Durlyle’s sacrifice. The bard had listened gravely, saying nothing until the end. “I wish I could have met such a brave wolf,” the bard said. “Truly he was worthy of your love. Perhaps the planes have been merciful to him; you say you did not find his body. There is always hope, my raven.”

Tybalt nodded but did not believe this. He didn’t want to speak any more of it, however, and focused on regaining Haer’Dalis. “I love you,” he told the tiefling.

“I know,” the bard replied, giving a wink and a quick kiss. “But as I’m sure yon druid is fond of reminding us, the quest is not yet over. There will be time for the lovers after the curtain closes.”

Tybalt walked with Haer’Dalis as they followed Elhan, now. He didn’t want to let the man out of his sight again.

“Take these,” Elhan said, handing out quarrels of bolts. “Irenicus is reported to have an army of rakshasa under his command. These blessed bolts will slay the monsters on contact, so use them wisely.”

“Will you not be joining us in your precious city?” Jaheira wondered.

“Most of my troops must stay here to guard against further Drow attacks,” Elhan admitted. “I will go up with a small contingent to escort refugees to shelter. It will be up to you to find the Exile, however.”

“Typical,” Ajantis muttered. “We must do all the work. A hero’s job is never done.”

Aerie hugged him. “But we are doing the right thing, love. That is what matters, is it not?”

The paladin smiled. “You are right, my lady.”

Jaheira and Valygar walked hand in hand. “It is almost over,” Jaheira said needlessly. “Any thoughts on what to do after this is behind us?”

“I was thinking of spending the next few years in retirement,” Valygar laughed. “We’ve enough gold to support us until we are old.”

“Until you are old, you mean,” Jaheira said. “I will still be young.” They grew quiet at that and spoke no more.

“Here,” Elhan said, pointing as the mages held the Rhynn Lanthorn up to the light of day. As they chanted, a wall of trees vanished, replaced with a series of ladders and stairs around the base of an enormous tree trunk. The entrance to Suldanessellar. “Be on your guard, danger will be around every corner. Find priestess Demin once inside,” Elhan advised. “She will know best how to proceed. Good luck and…thank you.” They climbed the tree.

The view the party received upon reaching the city was breathtaking. Elegantly spired buildings mixed with the surrounding foliage to create a blended landscape. The border between city and forest was almost impossible to discern.

Of more important notice were the flashes and flares erupting across the city. Sprays of magic burst throughout the buildings, hinting at the rakshasa and other wizards raiding the city. Screams could be heard over the rumble of destruction.

“This is what the most beautiful elven city has been reduced to,” Elhan said sadly. “Please, you cannot let such beauty go to ruin.”

“On the contrary,” Haer’Dalis began, but Tybalt laid a restraining hand on his arm.

“Demin should be in the high temple to the east,” Elhan said, pointing. “She will help you if able. I have done all I can.”

The party headed toward the temple, a large building near the center of the city. Another building, presumably the palace, stood nearby, surrounding an enormous tree. “The Tree of Life,” Aerie marveled. “I heard stories of it in childhood. It is the elven people’s link to the Seldarine, and a treasure to all elven people.”

The party raced across platforms, encountering stray golems and skeleton warriors. The latter were dispatched easily enough, though the golems ranged from human sized to twice that, and needed the whole party’s focus to bring down. Rakshasa occasionally darted into view, but Valygar took aim and fired the deadly bolts into the creatures, causing them to fall over dead before casting their first spell.

“What a scene of chaos,” Haer’Dalis marveled. “Had we the time, I would wish to sit and watch it unfold.”

“After all we’ve been through, you still believe in that?” Tybalt asked in irritation. “I would have thought becoming a vampire, at least, would have changed your views on the world.”

Haer’Dalis became grave. “It is true that I have seen things that are worth far more than entropy. The sacrifice of a total stranger for my life, that is something I had not expected to encounter. Perhaps…perhaps chaos is not the sole reason for life. I will have to think on this, my raven. We shall see.”

They made it to the temple doors and rushed into the antechamber. Three rakshasa menaced a lone elf, who looked to be having a hard time defending herself. Three bolts whirred through the air to clear the way, and Aerie checked to see if the elf was injured.

“Strangers to our city! Has the way been revealed at last?” The elf thanked the group for their intervention and introduced herself as Demin. “So Elhan has found a way in? Good. Perhaps all is not lost.”

Tybalt didn’t bother explaining it was his group which had breached the city. “Not to be blunt, but Elhan said you could explain some things for us. Like why Irenicus is attacking the city and why you call him the Exile.”

Demin sighed. “I had hoped never to think of those times again, but they come too soon. Very well, you are entitled to know this. Joneleth was once the greatest of this city’s mages, perhaps of Faerun. He was the envy of all the men and desire of every woman. He took none other than Queen Ellesime as his consort, and did much good for the city. Unfortunately, Joneleth had a sister, Bhodi, who was less charitable and more ambitious. She wanted power and influence, and tried to use her brother to obtain it.”

“Irenicus is an elf?” Jaheira exclaimed.

“Not quite,” Demin said with a wry smile. “You see, after much coaxing, Bhodi managed to pull Joneleth into her power lust. Somehow they hatched a plot to drain energy from the Tree of Life to connect to the Seldarine and become gods.”

Aerie shuddered. “Such a horrible idea should never have been dreamed in the first place! How could they even think of doing such a thing? They threatened the lives of all elves.”

“Indeed. When we learned of their plans, we found the pair and stopped them. Luckily, Joneleth hadn’t managed to drain much of the tree’s energy, so no permanent harm was done. It was up to Queen Ellesime to decide their punishment, and she gave the most dreaded option available: she severed the siblings’ link to the Seldarine, effectively making them human.”

Aerie and Jaheira gasped.

Demin nodded. “Some question why they were not merely executed, but Ellesime thought that they might learn from their mistakes in a mortal lifespan and come back for penance.”

“Once magic corrupts you, there’s little chance of going back,” Valygar said. “Though it might not be impossible…”

“It was for Joneleth, however, or Jon Irenicus, the Shattered One, as he called himself now. To try to counteract this curse, Bhodi sought immortality in undeath, while Jon increased his magical studies, hoping for a cure.”

“So he stole my soul?” Tybalt demanded. “He thought by having a divine soul he could become immortal?”

“I am not certain what link you hold with Joneleth. All I know is that he has entered the city on a black dragon and brought this army of destruction to the city. I believe he is trying to reconnect to the Tree of Life and achieve what he failed years ago. He has taken Queen Ellesime and locked himself in the palace, where the main trunk of the Tree of Life resides. You must stop him before he kills us all.”

“I plan to,” Tybalt said. “He took my soul, and I cannot let him live. Did you happen to see a young woman with him? A girl named Imoen?”

Demin bit her lip. “He might have. Through the confusion I did not notice everything around me. The name sounds familiar, however, so she might be here. Why, what connection does she have with Joneleth?”

“She is my sister,” Tybalt said. “And Irenicus stole her from me some time ago. He must pay for that along with many other crimes. Tell me how to reach the palace and we can take care of the rest.”

Demin held out a talisman. “With several other relics, this will summon the avatar of Rillifane, one of the city’s patron deities. He can defeat the evil plaguing us and open the way to the Tree.”

“What else is needed?”

“The sacred goblet has been stolen,” Demin said. “I fear the dragon might have taken it as payment. You also need a Moonblade to finish the ritual, but I’m not sure where one can be found.”

Aerie raised her sword. “I carry one, priestess.”

“Excellent! The find the goblet and bring it back here. Then I can summon the avatar and you can find Joneleth.”

The dragon had apparently landed some distance north of the temple, and the group had to fight through several more bunches of golems, rakshasas, and even minor demons before reaching a large platform occupied by the black dragon. “Ah, challengers for my treasure,” the dragon said. “Do you think you can win over my horde?”

“Wicked creature!” Aerie yelled, pointing a finger at it. The dragon looked surprised for a moment, then shocked, before collapsing.

“My lady!” Ajantis marveled. “Such power. Truly the forces of evil have much to fear in your righteous fury.”

“Best be careful on how you wield it,” Valygar warned.

Aerie blushed and stammered an explanation. “He threatened the Seldarine. I couldn’t let him get away with that.”

Jaheira stood from the dragon’s corpse, goblet in hand. “We can talk about it later. Right now, we have an avatar to summon.”

They returned to the temple and gave Demin the goblet. “Good. Now, Aerie, if you would assist me with the Moonblade, please.” The priestess instructed the girl on what to do during the ritual quickly, then began. Within minutes, the spell was cast, and the room darkened. A glowing green light enveloped the altar and formed a large green elf.

“WHO SUMMONS RILLIFANE?” the avatar demanded.

Demin explained the situation.

“THE EXILE RETURNS AND THREATENS THE TREE?” Rillifane demanded. “THIS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. MY CHILDREN, AWAKEN AND RELEASE THE CITY.” The sound of swaying leaves rushed through the room and into the city. Fresh screams arose, but those of demonic pain and fear, not elven. “THE WAY TO THE EXILE IS OPEN. HE MUST NOT BE PERMITTED TO LINK TO THE TREE OR ALL IS LOST.” The avatar turned to Aerie, who still held the Moonblade in her hand. “BUT FIRST, I WOULD THANK YOU, DAUGHTER OF THE SKY. YOU HAVE HELPED SAVE MY CITY, AND I AM THANKFUL. I CAN RESTORE TO YOU YOUR WINGS, IF YOU DESIRE.”

Aerie started at this offer. “M-my wings? I had thought such a thing impossible. I had even been foolish enough to possess harmful magic in hopes of…” She looked at Ajantis, and then her other comrades. “I would have given anything for my wings, even a few weeks ago. But now…Now I have learned to live on this world, and fight the evils here. I cannot be of use to people flying in the skies without worry. Living is here, on the ground, and I will stay here.” Tears revealed her unspoken desires, but she wiped them away quickly.

The avatar nodded. “VERY WELL, AVARIEL. BUT I CAN GRANT YOU ANOTHER BOON. YOU HAVE A FAMILIAR, YET IT IS NOT COMPLETE. THE SPELL WAS INTERRUPTED. I RESTORE QUAYLE TO HIS TRUE FORM, THAT HE MAY BE OF SERVICE TO YOU IN YOUR CRUSADE AGAINST EVIL.” The avatar waved a hand at Aerie’s pack and vanished.

From the pack, a wriggling form shook itself free. What had been a formless, drab blob before had transformed into beautiful white dove. “Mistress,” the bird cried. “I am free at last!” It nuzzled her head, perching on her shoulder.

“Oh, Quayle,” she whispered, “you’re beautiful.”

“I hate to cut this short,” Valygar said, “but we should find Irenicus soon. If he is trying to connect to the Tree again, we must stop him.”

“Yes,” Aerie said, petting the bird. “Of course. We are ready.”

“Keep an eye out for Imoen,” Tybalt said. “She must be alive, I know it.”

“Maybe the wizard has kept her close,” Ajantis suggested.

“Rillifane said the way should be clear,” Demin said. The Tree can be accessed through the main doors of the palace. If you find the Queen, she may be able to help you fight Joneleth. She is powerful in her own right, and of divine origins like you. Good luck, and may the Seldarine watch over you.”