Jump to content


Dreams and Sacrifices: Part 5


  • Please log in to reply
No replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Winter_Bloom_*

Posted 05 October 2003 - 09:55 PM

Elideira reflected upon the course that her life had taken up to this point. She was genuinely happy with her life, and it wasn't all due to the success of the High Hunt either. If someone had asked her before she left her family's estate to find her father what she would have done if she was unsuccessful in that endeavor, she would likely have answered that she would become a ranger roaming the lands of Faerun. That last part was true, but on her way to Everska she had met a small, mixed race group of clerics led by a middle aged human woman. The half elf accepted their offer to journey with them to the elfin city, especially since she was alone and therefore vulnerable. Elideira had not expected those women to be so friendly, and when she told them that she was searching for her elfin father they gave her their support and surprisingly their sympathy as well. The head priestess of the group was named Rosetta, and she made the half elf feel so welcome that she felt that she had at last found her people.

Rosetta had asked Elideira what her beliefs were and what she wanted to become, and the pretty blonde had answered that she wanted to become a ranger. She explained that she already possessed some of the skills she needed, like being able to track an animal through the forest and searching for edible plants. The woman had listened intently to the half elf as she described her wishes to her, and then she wondered if Elideira would like to watch them perform a ritual later that night. The would-be ranger had shied a bit at the mention of the word ritual for the word meant something sinister for a church near her old home. Rosetta had assured her that she and her fellow priestesses did not practice an evil religion despite the surprising inclusion of a dark elf or two to the group. It had taken all of Elideira's willpower to not turn and run at the sight of Drow. Once they made camp for the night, Rosetta promised she would inform their guest as to the nature of their faith.

The woman had indeed made good on her promise, and surrounded by scantily clad women Elideira was informed of the exact nature of their faith. All of them were priestesses in the service of Eilistraee Silverhair, the dark elfin goddess who had voluntarily exiled herself from the Seldarine when the Drow split from the rest of elfin kind. The Dark Maiden knew that there would be dark elves that would need a good goddess to call upon for aid, and though it was possible for the Lady to rejoin the Seldarine, she most likely would remain a close ally of them but not actually a part of them. Quite naturally one of the cornerstones of Eilistraee's faith was the belief that Drow could live productive lives on the surface.

It was a slow process to bring people out of the Underdark, but the clerics were confident that eventually they would succeed and Lloth would be left without any followers. And the more Rosetta spoke of her goddess the more Elideira wanted to hear all about her. All of the ways of the Dark Maiden's faith matched so closely with the half elf's own beliefs that it was almost as if she was born to serve that deity. In addition to promoting peace between all the races that dwelt on the surface, the Lady favored beauty, song, dancing and sword work. And that was the oddest thing that the blonde woman found about these women clerics. They all used bladed weapons, swords especially, and were not really permitted to use blunt weapons like maces.

Later Elideira asked shyly if she could possibly join the women in a prayer session. Rosetta informed the young woman that she had invited to the camp that she was welcome to speak to the goddess, that indeed she would be happy to guide her, but it was almost moonrise and all the priestesses were about to call upon Lady Silverhair to replenish their spells. The half elf, undeterred by this development had made a request to take part in those prayers as well for she had felt a strong desire to serve when listening to the priestess's tales. The human woman Rosetta had instantly become serious upon hearing those words and bluntly informed Elideira that she would not be permitted to utter those prayers unless she was a cleric herself.

Elideira countered with the statement that becoming a priestess was exactly what she desired. The head cleric replied that the half elf was young and pretty, and since men were not allowed to become priests that might be a difficult thing to deal with. Having no real idea that she was in fact being tested on her suitability for the faith the half elf briefly lost her temper and demanded what that had to do with serving the goddess. Rosetta smiled and said that Elideira was absolutely right, and if she wanted to join the others in a midnight prayer session she was more than welcome. When the blonde half elf asked if that would make her a cleric, the older woman said the decision would ultimately be left up to Eilistraee.

If Elideira was accepted into their ranks as a full-fledged priestess her training would begin tomorrow, and part of that training involved dancing and learning how to perform all of the important rituals properly. Keeping in mind what the half elf had said to her earlier, Rosetta added that even if she chose not to follow her religion she knew of an old man, a ranger in fact that lived near Everska who could teach her all there was to know about being a ranger. Then the cleric admitted with a smile that there was more than one woman in the ranks of the priesthood who also followed the ways of Mielikki, so if that was the path Elideira wanted to follow then she would receive aid for that as well. So that night, in the middle of a clearing and under the light of a full moon the half elf sent an appeal to the Dark Maiden, and when she finished her chanting she found in her heart that she was accepted as a priestess.

Rosetta had not been joking about the training that Elideira was to undergo, and that training began in earnest. First the limits of the half elf's physical fitness had to be tested, and while the clerics traveled closer to the city that was their destination, the half elf was made to literally run in circles around the group of women. Then while a tired Elideira was slumped in a saddle she was taught the words to many rituals, and Rosetta found to her delight that the newest cleric of Eilistraee was quick of mind and grasped the lessons easily. She asked many questions, and she always strove for the deeper meaning behind any stories that she was told. And when the party made another campsite beside a small lake dotted with willow trees along the shoreline, the head priestess made the decision to stay in the area a few days in order to give Elideira some more training. The blonde half elf was given her first lesson in sword work that day, and later that night she was taught how to dance. It was hot, heavy work that left her drained though her fellow clerics said that she was a natural at both. And since in the minds of the priestesses the art of sword fighting was a dance in and of itself Elideira was full of promise to become a master at both.

The half elf was given her own tent, and she had in short order made the place neat and tidy. It wasn't that large of a living space, but it was hers and she could do with it what she liked. She was also handed her first outfit to wear to a feast, and Elideira had been too shy to wear it at first. The clothing was nothing more than small scraps of beautiful cloth which, if worn would expose more of her flesh than Elideira was used to showing. With the encourage of her sisters in worship the half elf soon abandoned her reluctance to dress herself in a skimpy outfit, especially when half of them were singing and dancing around the campfire without a stitch of clothing on. That was when she realized that many of the Dark Maiden's rites called for little or no clothing to be worn.

It was during the feast which had somehow turned into a celebration welcoming the newest member of the priesthood of Eilistraee that Elideira revealed her background and why she had made the journey alone to Everska in the first place. The half elf started her narrative by speaking of her parents. She was born of a human mother and an elfin father. She was not sure if her father was a Moon or a Sun elf, but since she had very pale skin she assumed it was the former and not the latter. Her sire's name was either Norhilaul or Nereniel, he had white-blonde hair and lightly colored skin and the last time she saw him was when she was five years old. He had promised that he would come back for her one day, however he had never again returned to see his mixed race daughter.

Elideira knew her mother better since she lived with her in her family's estate until she was twelve years old. Her mother was a member of the aristocracy, and her name was Teila Lorengold. She was a typical noblewoman by being young, beautiful and utterly bored with her lot in life. So she ignored the wishes of her father to stay home and groom herself for marriage, and one day she had run off with a handsome elfin warrior, Elideira's father as it turned out. Teila had returned to her family's estate a couple of years later with a young daughter in tow, begging for her parents to accept her back into the family. Eventually she was allowed to live under her father's roof with her only child, though her countenance was permanently tinged with sadness. Teila had brightened up when her elfin lover came to visit her once, though she was devastated when he left. He never returned despite his promise to do so, and Elideira experienced a further loss when her mother drowned in a boating accident just shy of her thirteenth birthday. It really was an accident and a stupid twist of fate, and for the longest time the half elf had blamed her absentee father for her mother's death.

That sorrow had marked the real start of the loneliness that Elideira felt throughout her childhood, even within the ranks of her own supposed family. She was a half elf after all and considered to be a burden by many members of the noble class. When she wasn't outright teased for being a half human, half elfin child she was ignored by most people outside of her immediate family. That suited her just fine for sometimes being left alone was better than being called a half breed and other ugly names. Elideira could have become very bitter with her lot in life, but instead the awful teasing she had to endure made her more tolerant of the differences in others. She never developed the belief that the rest of her family held that most other people of the realms were dirty, stupid and not worth knowing except perhaps to relieve them of their coin. Her own sire, who had run off and left her mother to raise her alone, was brought up so often as an example of the badness in other races that she could recite all of the idiotic arguments by heart.

Of course it hadn't helped Elideira that she agreed a great deal with what her grandfather said about the elf who begot her and then forgot about her.

When Elideira was left alone she often went to the woods bordering her family's lands to explore and discover nature. She had one childhood friend, the daughter of a maid whose name was Amilie who first showed her the beauty of the forest by leading her to a hiding place near a large, old ash tree. That ritual went on for a few weeks until Amilie's mother, previously a widow, got married to a farmer and moved far away with her daughter. The half elf believed at the time that the woman simply had enough of her family's condescending attitude and had taken the first way out of their influence. Elideira was sad at the loss of her friend, but her love of the forest and the sheer amount of life she found within it had never left her after that.

She would, when the opportunity presented itself, help animals that were injured or sick recover from what ailed them. In one instance that had always stood out in her mind her grandfather was about to kill a horse with a sledgehammer for no reason other than a deep bruise he found on one of the animal's hooves. Elideira had snuck into the stables and taken the unfortunate horse into a spot she had picked out in the woods where she nursed it back to health. She had been forced to sell the animal least her family found out what she had done, and the man she sold the horse too had turned out to be a member of the Harpers. He was a mage with long, dark blonde hair, and the young Elideira though that he had a wonderfully deep voice. He was average in looks, neither handsome nor ugly and the half elf had taken an instant liking to him. He was kind and patient with her, and the two had spoken for many hours. Never had the sale of a horse taken so long!

All good things must come to an end and Elideira reluctantly bid the man farewell. She had impulsively kissed him on the cheek when he got ready to leave and made a wish right then and there for them to meet again.

By the time the half elf returned home the sky was already stained with the purple shadows of twilight. She was, as per her usual habit when something made her happy, humming softly to herself as she strode up the crushed stone road leading to the front door of her grandfather's estate. Her cousin Alianna, one of the few people she trusted, was waiting for her on the front porch. She was only fifteen, but the young woman was turning into quite the beauty with her hair the color of ripened wheat and icy blue eyes. Elideira was not jealous of her cousin's beauty, unlike most of the catty set of young noblewomen who were of marriageable age. The half elf was older than her favorite cousin by a few years and was also considered to be a beauty, even more so some said than her younger cousin. She knew as well as Alianna did that their grandfather and grandmother were juggling offers of marriage for both the young women, and that process made Elideira feel cheep since the rest of their family looked upon girls who were husband material as one more way to increase their personal assets and influence.

Alianna snuck her cousin into the house and informed her in an excited whisper that their grandparents had some very important guests over for dinner, and that the entire household had been looking for Elideira. When the half elf had asked her cousin why, she was merely told to go meet the people who were waiting for her. She was concerned since Alianna seemed to be way too impressed by these mystery guests, but since she had warned her of the recent developments in the household she did as her cousin suggested.

When Elideira walked into the main dining room she found a set of very angry grandparents glaring at her over their repast. Sitting close to the elder Lorengolds was the Baron Ferolt, a rich and influential man who was known to be in the market for a fresh, young bride. The half elf couldn't stand him since he was also a cruel, sadistic man who nevertheless had escaped punishment for his many misdeeds, even though on occasion a servant of his or one of his peasants (in Elideira's minds those unfortunate peasants were treated less kindly than the baron's cattle were, and he was no great lover of cows) had dug up some incriminating evidence against him over the years. His first two wives died under very mysterious circumstances, and Elideira always believed the whispered rumors that he murdered the women. Worst of all though was the Baron's covert, sometimes open support of the church of Bhaal. She had found, to her disgust and horror that her family's "guest" had brought with him some men dressed in dark leather armor, black leggings and black capes. She recognized the strangers as being Bhaalyn guards, and those people were studying her with a strange intensity. Her intuition told her that their interest in her was only partially on behalf of Baron Ferolt, though what they could want with her was something that she never wanted to find out.

Elideira, disgusted by the things that were occurring in the household, had wanted to leave immediately, but since her grandparents spotted her as soon as she poked her head in the door she was forced to attend the meal. They placed her right beside the Baron who had told Elideira in a flat tone that he had already paid the bride price for herself, and she should get ready to leave in a forenight when he would return with more guards. The ruthless man had also told her that, despite her very public dislike of the followers of the Lord of Murder, she would definitely have to learn to keep her mouth shut as he had a
lucrative contract with some of the largest Bhaalyn temples. Despite her protests that night her grandparents said that the deal was done, and Elideira should be happy that such an influential man wanted her for a bride.

With the aid of her cousin Alianna, who decided to remain behind in the house, Elideira left her childhood home that very night and never looked back. She had kept in sporadic contact with her cousin over the years, and she told Alianna that if something urgent came up in her life to write to her immediately and she would see what she could do to help. Despite her family's badgering in the first couple of years after Elideira left Alianna never revealed where her cousin went. Sadly, or not too sadly for the half elf Elideira's grandparents officially disowned her, and then they publicly denied that she ever existed.

When Elideira reached the city of Everska at long last she failed to find her father there, but since she found a home among the priesthood of Eilistraee instead, the half elf was able to let go of the hopeless dream of reconnecting with the elfin warrior who had sired her.

 

"That is quite the tale dalninil," Tey'Lena had told her beside the glowing embers of the campfire. "It sounds like your family would do well in the Underdark, if they would ever be permitted to live there as non-slaves that is." Then the C'rintri added with a wicked grin, "Did you ever meet your mrann d'ssinss again?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Elideira replied primly. "You must have heard wrong for you know full well I have never taken a mrann d'ssinss."

The dark skinned priestess of Eilistraee did not want to stop teasing her friend, at least not yet. "I seem to recall a tale of a certain tu'rilthiir who found the buyer of her horse so attractive that she planted a firm kiss on his cheek. Perhaps this pretty little woman had more on her mind than just the exchange of coins, hmm?"

Elideira flushed a pale pink before she regained control of her emotions. "You are incorrigible abbil," the half elf told the grinning Tey'Lena. "I admit to wanting to meet that mage again, and I am positive that by the Lady Silverhair's grace that will happen."

She glanced up at the full moon hanging in the sky, Eilistraee's moon that shone like a beacon of good fortune over the two women. The blonde half elf decided that now would be a good time to perform the ritual of true sisterhood with her C'rintri companion since after all Elideira though of her as more of a sister than she did of any of her blood relatives. When she formally asked Tey'Lena if she would agree to become her sister, the dark half elf sat frozen in her place, stunned by the offer. For the first and probably the only time that she had done so in front of others, the C'rintri woman had tears falling from her eyes for she was just as removed and isolated from her former life and family as Elideira was, and she really did care for her lighter colored companion.

Under the light of the moon, with somber music playing in the background, the entire campsite had gathered around the two women who were placed in the middle of a circle drawn in the dirt with a silver sword. They were kneeling on the ground with a single wineglass taken from Elideira's tent, and the last of the wine from Tey'Lena's bottle was poured ritualistically in the glass. The elfin priestess Ser'lentianna presided over the ceremony, invoking the blessing of the Dark Maiden as she had the two women take a single sip out of the wineglass before she poured the contents over their heads. Then, as Elideira clasped hands with Tey'Lena the entire crowd of priestesses began a chant that ended with a great shout of joy. The pair of half elves, one light and the other dark hugged each other fiercely for they were now true sisters, closer than if they were born of the same bloodline.

And since the Ceremony of Sisterhood required that they pick a name to share to demonstrate the fact that they were now siblings, the two women had decided that Silversong was the perfect last name as it honored both their goddess and their favorite musical instruments. It was a beautiful end to a glorious night.




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

Skin Designed By Evanescence at IBSkin.com