Chapter 2. Destiny in Elzere

The heroes awoke from their night of revelry and jubilation in the Green-Man Tavern, in the village of Weldgrenz. A few are a little beaten, hungover, but mostly everything is in order.

They set forth with thanks from Lady Gisela and blessings from the Priest of Travellers who gave each of them a pair of new boots for the road.

On the road, the weather was grim. Rain fell. They encountered a group of 13 grey orcs and traded insults with them. This enraged Lohar the most and he dispatched one with his hand crossbow immediately. A fight erupted in which the group were victorious. After which Rakab decided to spare the lives of the orcs and sent them on their way.

They continued on horse-back around the wood and towards the Village of Elzere. They reached Elzere at Dusk the next day.

Elzere: a fine village that borders the Forest of Tertravalle, a mystical woodland where the elves retreated into after their destruction at the hands of the humans and half-orcs. Elzere is built around and upon three hills. Atop the each hill is a temple of a different god. Embedded into each hill is a tavern. Green faerie-fire lanterns illuminate the village, and the group investigated but found them to be harmless elf magic. Before they entered the village, Pascal disguised himself as Romari, his alter ego, and not so well known in these parts.

They saw the first tavern, The Golden Goblin, a rich tavern with a balcony and noble human clients. Rakab comments that he wants a dung-heap of a tavern where rumours and miscreants can be found. The others are not so fond of this idea. They see Underhill, a tavern fitting Rakab’s description exactly, with merchants and travellers using it as a hostel. However, the group decided to go to The Faerie Fire, a tavern lit up by different coloured faerie lights and a porch with outside seating. They hitched up their horses at the stables nearby. They noticed that the customers are disproportionately half-elf, considered an abomination by many humans, infertile and sterile.

As soon as they sat down, they were greeted by the woman from Pascal’s Candle-Vision, Pereya. A beautiful and diligent lady, she controls the workings of the tavern. She checks on every table, serves drinks, orders the kitchen and takes orders, whilst cleaning and organising staff at the same time. She is the soul of the place and all fawn over her. Pascal tried to get her attention...

They ordered beers and Pascal set about asking strange questions that stumped Pereya, mainly about her child. But this tactic did not work, so he reverted to singing a song about the Lady Pereya of the Faerie Fire Tavern, a great performance that roused the inn. They decided to drink until Pereya had free time. Meridius asked around the tavern if anyone had seen anybody who looked like him, dressed in the same garb, but none had.

Nearing the end of the night, Pereya headed over to the group and they questioned her further, but more directly. Pascal cast detect thoughts, but Pereya, strong of will, only showed her surface thoughts “I think they are the ones.” The group recognised Pereya’s son from Pascal’s description, helping out in the kitchens and running around fleet of foot, a half elf.

Rakab asked about the nature of the child’s beginnings and Pereya invited them to her home and told them the story of her child, Aemaeon, and his birth.

She was alone gathering firewood for her father one evening, when she was taken by a strong, hooded and cloaked man with a silver rope. He bound her to a tree with the silver rope, on a forest path in Tertravalle. The hooded man heard a monster howl and he left her company leaving her tied there. She was tied there for one full day, and in that day three people journeyed the forest path.

The first visitor was at Midday.

A yellow-hatted goblin merchant with a cart of oddities.

The goblin merchant tried to cut the rope with the “sharpest blade in all of Azarak”, or so he claimed. But the silver rope would not be cut. He then attempted to kiss Pereya. But she resisted. He offered to make her a wealthy woman if she married him. But she resisted. So, the yellow-hatted goblin shrugged his shoulders and with not a care in the world, left.

The second visitor was at Dusk.

A drunken troll with two heads stumbled along the path. He carried a “jug that could never be empty.” He drank and drank and drank. He saw Pereya tied there and threatened her with many things. Rape, murder, torture. But he passed out at her feet. He awoke a few hours later and was sick by the side of the tree. His head was hurting and he tried to wrench Pereya free from the tree. But he could not. So he left in a fit of anger, cursing and salivating.

The third and final visitor was at Dawn.

A tall and beautiful fey, with golden skin, cloaked in green. He sang a mirthful tune that turned into a tune of love for the maiden tied to the tree. The tune dazzled Pereya and stirred her. She was entranced by the elfling. The fey kissed Pereya to no resistance, she embraced him and the silver rope fell to the floor.

He lay Pereya down on a bed of flowers and whispered into her ear, “name him Aemaeon.”

They made love under the dawn light. A child immediately grew in Pereya’s stomach and after ten minutes, the child was born onto the bed of flowers. The elf held Pereya the whole time, whisper- ing spells that soothed her and healed her. He told her that he would see her once more before he died, and that he would treasure her in memory forever. He also said that the child is important and will be remembered in the land of Azarak. The fey then escorted her to the forest edge, for he cannot leave, and she left with a last kiss.

She went looking for the fey only once, when her father was caring for Aemaeon, but she got lost. She found a sword on the forest floor that she dragged back to Elvere. Her father died soon after, and she had to care for the child and work in the tavern.

After this story, the group are interested in the sword, and in finding the mysterious elf of Tertravalle. They see clearly that Aemaeon is half-fey and Rakab confirms it by casting a spell. Pereya is but a woman. Pascal asked Aemaeon if he dreams. He replied that he does. He dreams of a dark pit, where gold and weapons of magic are being forged by dark creatures in furnaces of purple fire.

Aemaeon fetched the sword and handed it to Rakab, but it scolded his hands and he dropped it onto the carpet immediately. Lohar attempted to hold the sword also, but it scolded him also. Aemaeon gave it to Yaeldrin...and Yaeldrin could hold it, though it felt slightly heavier in his grasp. Pereya told the group that she was told by the fey that one day “The Questers would take your son, and lead him to destiny.”

At that moment there was a knock on the door. An old lady who works at the tavern told Pereya and the group that the tavern has been disturbed. Yaledrin, Lohar, Meridius and Rakab went to investigate whilst Pascal watched over Aemaeon and Pereya.

They investigated, Yaeldrin tracked. He found footsteps in the dirt, seven or more, heading towards the house from whence they came. At that moment they heard a crash and smash of glass.

Pascal escorted Aemaeon and Pereya upstairs and creatures crashed into the house, Pascal slathered oil on the stairs.

The creatures spoke dwarfish and Pascal understood them. “He has to be here, the child has to be here.”

Pascal jumped out of the window crashing through it and casting feather fall, grasping Pereya and Aemaeon tightly, they all floated to the ground just as the rest of the group arrived.

There was a battle between the Dark Dwarves and the Questers.

It began with the Dark Dwarves appearing from behind, snatching the child Aemaeon away and striking at their cousin Lohar. Pereya screamed and Meridius rushed to the child’s defence. The Questers recovered the child and Meridius covered himself, Pereya and Aemaeon in a Fog Cloud.

The Dark Dwarves appeared and grew larger in stature, wielding great mauls. Rakab the Wizard withered Dark Dwarves with a single touch, reducing them to a shrivelled pale heap on the floor. Lohar the Rogue slew with his crossbow, single bolts piercing the faces of his foes, eventually climbing atop a roof for a vantage point, hidden and firing his deadly bolts. Yaeldrin the Plane-Walker swung his short sword around, marking those he wished harm. Meridius the Warrior-Out-of-Time moved in the fog, shielding the child Aemaeon and his mother Pereya. The bard Pascal cast many magics, including faeries fire and heroism, and ultimately changed the dy- namics of the battle with his plan.

The Questers were being surrounded by their invisible foes after felling a few. Pascal went into the fog, transformed from his alter ego Romari into the image of Aemaeon and fled the scene at pace. The Dark Dwarves chased him down. In the chaos, the Questers fled, protecting Aemaeon and Pereya.

In the centre of the square was a hovering hound the size of a horse, it spoke stilted dwarfish and commanded the invisible Dark Dwarves around the village.

Pascal sought refuge in the home of a family, the Dark Dwarves eventually reached where they thought the boy had hid, kicked the doors down and found nothing but Pascal, a measly bard, not the child they sought. Pascal cowered with the children in the cellar. The Dark Dwarves struck him and then moved on to search for the child.

Meanwhile the Questers reached the edge of the Forest of Tertravalle, waiting for their ally Pascal, some wondering whether to go and aid him... they waited... and waited...

On the horizon, in the rain, trotted Pascal with five horses...

Pascal relayed to them what he heard as he stole away with their Zy-Velian horses.

The Dark Dwarves have a leader they refer to as Master (which also translates as Wizard in Dwarfish). A grey robed, white haired, Dark Dwarf with one large white eye and one small red eye. The Hound called him Ofi, the Master called the Hound - Chale. Ofi commands the hound and wields an animals heart in his hand, squeezing it, the blood dripping to the floor and the hound howling when he does.

The Hound-that-Hovers and the Master of the Dark Dwarves conversed. They spoke of serving The King-in-the-Ark, and that the children must be found and taken.

The Questers are nonplussed.

Children? There is more than one?

The King-in-the-Ark? Who is this? One Quester suggested it could be the demon trapped in a box with horns shaped as a crown that Pascal saw in his Candle-Vision.

Why are we the Questers?

Why was the hound hovering?

They pondered these questions on the edge of Tertravalle Forest, famed for being the forest where the elves fled after defeat in the Genus Wars at the hands of the humans and the half-orcs. Humans and orcs daren’t go into Tertravalle.

Pereya reminded them that her heart is intent on finding her one-time-lover, the only man she had loved, and the father of the child they had rescued, Aemaeon, meaning “Dawn” in Sylvan.

All of these questions on their mind, Lohar took a Candle of Past, Present and Future out of his bag and lit it...

So ends the second chapter of The Book of Azarak...