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Chapter Two -
Passed the Castle and through the woods to Waterdeep we go.
The pair had little to go on from the beginning. The prophecy and a brief idea of what was being plotted out in dark alleyways and underground tunnels. They only had one real location - Waterdeep. They headed west through a rarely known secret passage underneath the mountains, shown to them by the treants and into the Marsh of Chelimber. The mud was thick and the Lathander's grace was beginning to light up the area before them even though the muck and climate of the marsh created a thick fog it was still nice to feel warmth on their faces.
They paused for a moment in an area that seemed to be near the center of the marsh, a large oak tree sat in the mud though it was obviously sinking slowly into the mud at an angle, sloping upwards out of it as though it were a sheathed sword. Jianah climbed onto one of the upper branches and Lamithel stayed below surveying the land for any possible threats. Jianah smiled for a moment in thought before she spoke. "Say, Lamith-" He cut her off quickly, spinning around and looking sharply to her with an index finger over his mouth. She appeared angered at first, but then calmed herself and glances about. After a few moments she crept as best she could towards him.
"Do you hear something?" She asked quickly.
His features quickly went from serious to playful as he bopped her on the head lightly. "No, but how could I if you were talking so loud? You've never been outside the glades have you?" He smirked again, looking into her eyes.
"Yes I... well, no. Not really, I guess not." She then shrugged halfheartedly, and then smiled herself. "But that's why you're here, right? Because you have been outside before... you can be my guide, right?" She tried to hide the hopeful look in her eye, though she didn't really do that well of a job.
"Right. Though I'm here to keep you safe as well, we're a team in this you realize." He nodded once with a smug grin before continuing. "It is safe to rest and we have... a while before we reach the location given to us by the Feywarden. I suggest you conserve your strength, at least for now." He placed a hand behind his head and turned once again looking to the west. She did as he asked then... if only for a little while... and perhaps she accidentally slipped into a quick reverie.
What seemed like moments later she awoke, slightly startled she caught herself on one of the branches just before rolling off into the muck of the Marsh holding her call for help inside of her mouth only managing to make a muffled groan. She sighed briefly and steadied herself before she glanced to her right. Lamithel was looking at her. Oddly at first though the same smug smile returned to his lips just before he took another bite of some kind of fruit. She sat up slowly and he offered her a piece and they sat together.
"I know we don't really have nightmares... so what was it?" He asked as he swallowed another piece, slicing another off for her.
"It is just... well. You know. This whole ordeal is a lot to take in for me. The passed ten years have been... harder for some reason. I guess it is all catching up to me." She snatched the piece of fruit from him and consumed it quickly, relaxing on the log afterwords.
"I don't know... but try not to almost fall into the mud next time, hm?" He chortled slightly in her direction before finishing off the fruit.
"It's time to go" Speaking as he looked around once again to make sure the area was safe. "Are you ready?"
"Of course I am ready to leave. Marshes are not exactly my most favored spots... though it is nice to experience a different kind of flora."
They gathered their belongings rather quickly and set off, further west with only idle chatter along the way. About a day and a half later they rounded the Serpent Hills, and crossed into The High Moor.
They walked side by side, though it was more of a half-jog than a walk. They knew that the sooner they got to Waterdeep the sooner they could find out more about their mission.
"This area isn't very safe." His words were very short, and quiet. "We are going to pass by the ruins of an ancient Castle... this whole area was part of the Crown Wars." He stopped a moment and looked at her. "You need to be on your guard, and perhaps cast a few of those defensive enchantments you've told me about... the ruins are perhaps the most dangerous area we'll be going to at this point... well besides the city itself." He then continued walking and she followed suit. They walked on for a few days. She absorbed the knowledge he gave her like any scholar would, tucking away the words, sights, and sounds as they walked by. Taking it all in, she remained silent for most of the duration until they saw it, Dragonspear Castle.
The area around the castle ruins appeared near-dead. The sounds of animals was far from this place, as was peace. She didn't notice it at first, but she had stopped and stared blankly at the ruins. Something inside her, a deep sensation of fear and warning was telling her to stay away, possibly even run. The evil that had gathered there in ages past had left a lingering taint in the very air surrounding the ruins. Lamithel glanced back at her ghostly expression with concerned eyes. He started towards her slowly, reaching his hand out to touch her shoulder.
"Jianah..." He said softly.
Nearly the instant his fingers touched her shoulder she blinked out of it and shivered slightly. The shiver caused his hand to jolt back with a swift glance back to the ruins to clarify that they were not in any danger. She spoke softly and quickly. "We need to get away from this place... as quickly as we can. Something is... wrong here. Very wrong." She closed her eyes for only a moment before Lamithel grabbed her hand and took off.
They ran for what seemed an hour or so before they hit the road. A rather large caravan, possibly five or six carriages long was passing by as they came into view. They were both running so quickly that their senses had not yet caught up to them and Jianah nearly ran into one of them only to have Lamithel pull her back. She glanced back and upwards to him, shocked but a thankful smile his way was all he needed to assure her comfort.
They followed behind the caravan, and traded with them for food and supplied when they stopped to rest. It was mostly humans, a few half-lings, and a lone dwarf though all in all there were about thirty or so. They gained what little trust they could from the traders, which allowed them to travel with them to the city. They also learned that the caravan was actually from Calimport, and they had traveled through Tethyr and Tethyr castle, even through Baldur's Gate just to come to Waterdeep and also that everyone on Toril was still pretty shaken up from the gods walking the earth and all that had happened during that time which came to them both as some kind of relief... knowing that the other races were just as shaken.
They traveled with the caravan for nearly a fortnight, and kept any thoughts about some form of time limit on the precipice of their minds - Elves are known for taking their time with things after all, and aren't used to having strict deadlines. Though they had another reason for staying with the caravan for so long, the head guardsman had agreed to allow them both to enter the city as members of the caravan, a little deal that Lamithel somehow set up. And there the were...
Waterdeep.
Passed the Castle and through the woods to Waterdeep we go.
The pair had little to go on from the beginning. The prophecy and a brief idea of what was being plotted out in dark alleyways and underground tunnels. They only had one real location - Waterdeep. They headed west through a rarely known secret passage underneath the mountains, shown to them by the treants and into the Marsh of Chelimber. The mud was thick and the Lathander's grace was beginning to light up the area before them even though the muck and climate of the marsh created a thick fog it was still nice to feel warmth on their faces.
They paused for a moment in an area that seemed to be near the center of the marsh, a large oak tree sat in the mud though it was obviously sinking slowly into the mud at an angle, sloping upwards out of it as though it were a sheathed sword. Jianah climbed onto one of the upper branches and Lamithel stayed below surveying the land for any possible threats. Jianah smiled for a moment in thought before she spoke. "Say, Lamith-" He cut her off quickly, spinning around and looking sharply to her with an index finger over his mouth. She appeared angered at first, but then calmed herself and glances about. After a few moments she crept as best she could towards him.
"Do you hear something?" She asked quickly.
His features quickly went from serious to playful as he bopped her on the head lightly. "No, but how could I if you were talking so loud? You've never been outside the glades have you?" He smirked again, looking into her eyes.
"Yes I... well, no. Not really, I guess not." She then shrugged halfheartedly, and then smiled herself. "But that's why you're here, right? Because you have been outside before... you can be my guide, right?" She tried to hide the hopeful look in her eye, though she didn't really do that well of a job.
"Right. Though I'm here to keep you safe as well, we're a team in this you realize." He nodded once with a smug grin before continuing. "It is safe to rest and we have... a while before we reach the location given to us by the Feywarden. I suggest you conserve your strength, at least for now." He placed a hand behind his head and turned once again looking to the west. She did as he asked then... if only for a little while... and perhaps she accidentally slipped into a quick reverie.
What seemed like moments later she awoke, slightly startled she caught herself on one of the branches just before rolling off into the muck of the Marsh holding her call for help inside of her mouth only managing to make a muffled groan. She sighed briefly and steadied herself before she glanced to her right. Lamithel was looking at her. Oddly at first though the same smug smile returned to his lips just before he took another bite of some kind of fruit. She sat up slowly and he offered her a piece and they sat together.
"I know we don't really have nightmares... so what was it?" He asked as he swallowed another piece, slicing another off for her.
"It is just... well. You know. This whole ordeal is a lot to take in for me. The passed ten years have been... harder for some reason. I guess it is all catching up to me." She snatched the piece of fruit from him and consumed it quickly, relaxing on the log afterwords.
"I don't know... but try not to almost fall into the mud next time, hm?" He chortled slightly in her direction before finishing off the fruit.
"It's time to go" Speaking as he looked around once again to make sure the area was safe. "Are you ready?"
"Of course I am ready to leave. Marshes are not exactly my most favored spots... though it is nice to experience a different kind of flora."
They gathered their belongings rather quickly and set off, further west with only idle chatter along the way. About a day and a half later they rounded the Serpent Hills, and crossed into The High Moor.
They walked side by side, though it was more of a half-jog than a walk. They knew that the sooner they got to Waterdeep the sooner they could find out more about their mission.
"This area isn't very safe." His words were very short, and quiet. "We are going to pass by the ruins of an ancient Castle... this whole area was part of the Crown Wars." He stopped a moment and looked at her. "You need to be on your guard, and perhaps cast a few of those defensive enchantments you've told me about... the ruins are perhaps the most dangerous area we'll be going to at this point... well besides the city itself." He then continued walking and she followed suit. They walked on for a few days. She absorbed the knowledge he gave her like any scholar would, tucking away the words, sights, and sounds as they walked by. Taking it all in, she remained silent for most of the duration until they saw it, Dragonspear Castle.
The area around the castle ruins appeared near-dead. The sounds of animals was far from this place, as was peace. She didn't notice it at first, but she had stopped and stared blankly at the ruins. Something inside her, a deep sensation of fear and warning was telling her to stay away, possibly even run. The evil that had gathered there in ages past had left a lingering taint in the very air surrounding the ruins. Lamithel glanced back at her ghostly expression with concerned eyes. He started towards her slowly, reaching his hand out to touch her shoulder.
"Jianah..." He said softly.
Nearly the instant his fingers touched her shoulder she blinked out of it and shivered slightly. The shiver caused his hand to jolt back with a swift glance back to the ruins to clarify that they were not in any danger. She spoke softly and quickly. "We need to get away from this place... as quickly as we can. Something is... wrong here. Very wrong." She closed her eyes for only a moment before Lamithel grabbed her hand and took off.
They ran for what seemed an hour or so before they hit the road. A rather large caravan, possibly five or six carriages long was passing by as they came into view. They were both running so quickly that their senses had not yet caught up to them and Jianah nearly ran into one of them only to have Lamithel pull her back. She glanced back and upwards to him, shocked but a thankful smile his way was all he needed to assure her comfort.
They followed behind the caravan, and traded with them for food and supplied when they stopped to rest. It was mostly humans, a few half-lings, and a lone dwarf though all in all there were about thirty or so. They gained what little trust they could from the traders, which allowed them to travel with them to the city. They also learned that the caravan was actually from Calimport, and they had traveled through Tethyr and Tethyr castle, even through Baldur's Gate just to come to Waterdeep and also that everyone on Toril was still pretty shaken up from the gods walking the earth and all that had happened during that time which came to them both as some kind of relief... knowing that the other races were just as shaken.
They traveled with the caravan for nearly a fortnight, and kept any thoughts about some form of time limit on the precipice of their minds - Elves are known for taking their time with things after all, and aren't used to having strict deadlines. Though they had another reason for staying with the caravan for so long, the head guardsman had agreed to allow them both to enter the city as members of the caravan, a little deal that Lamithel somehow set up. And there the were...
Waterdeep.
