Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

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Khaela Mensha Khaine
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Khaela Mensha Khaine » Sun Mar 05, 2017 1:59 pm

It was not his land. The gargantuan boughs and infinite leaf canopies of great Arcorar were not there to cast their shade, to give validation to his brooding attire of black and dark, pastel greens. Instead it was open skies of vibrant blue or sombre grey, underfoot a lighter shade of green muddied with brown and very occasionally the white of snow yet to fully melt into the landscape.
The trees, too, were unequivocally smaller and sparsely strewn about, lending little in the way of cover from unfriendly eyes. Only night now offered him a shroud to pass by unnoticed - and those nocturnal hours were, also, the times of hunting for beasts and fiends. Such as he'd already been warned about, such as he'd already borne witness to.

Indeed, the lands away from ancient Cormanthyr were altogether and eternally alien to his eyes of pallid blue. For over a century after his birth the mountains had been a distant thing, no more than a backdrop for closer landmarks. His ventures thereafter had only been what could be called a skirmish, a brief flirtation with the incline of the Earthspurs.
Since his pursuit over those very mountains, on the trail of a marauding band of savage orcs, he had been forced to learn the vagaries and nuances of Impiltur; the lakes, the fords, the creeks, hills and plains. The winding paths, the rickety bridges, the concealed shortcuts, the abyssal caverns - of these things he had become acquainted as best he could, occasionally to the detriment of his wellbeing.

Conditioned to the change in climate, though, he was not. Even on a milder day such as this, the crisp winds that whistled over the snow-peaked slopes sent an involuntary shiver through his slender frame and thus forced him to tightly tug his black cloak around his slender body, the subtle runes about the hem shimmering like starlight with his swift and deliberate movement.
The wanderings he had undertaken inevitably led him back to the place Kallian had shown to him; the place she seemingly called home. A footnote of a cave spartanly decorated with apparent keepsakes and souvenirs, the origins of which he had not pried into. Their conversation had been scarce, and he had often wandered out without a word to scout the mountains for signs of the bugbears of which she had warned him.

It was habit, and it availed him of the anxiety that idleness fostered.

But now, so close to the cave, he heard voices - one of which he was not familiar. Of Celith's tone and inflection, he recognized. But there was another masculine voice at work in the small cave, and of it he had no recollection. Brows of faded blue burrowing into the bridge of his nose, the trepidation of uncertainty prompted him to put a hand about the grip of one of his blades before he took his first tentative steps therein. Skirting around the corner of the cave's mouth, the sight revealed a tall elven figure - presumably another wood elf by hue of skin and hair - accompanying Celith and Kallian.

A subtle breath drawn in through his nostrils, silvery lips parted to give vent to the air before he made his presence known with words of Elvish: "A star and a song to mark our meeting again, my friends; who is your companion?"

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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Xanthas » Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:13 am

Celith listens quietly as Firess and Kallian speak of the message, keeping a watchful eye on the tall elf and stoking the fire. He glances to Kallian as her abilities are mentioned, the dark corner drawing his gaze and holding it in thought for a time before he turns back at the mention of a brethren foe. As Firess tells of this new foe and what they have done Celith turns to Kallian briefly with a knowing expression, his own wary and reserved manner towards Firess seems to fade away some as this news is told, the apparent mistrust shifting slowly into a concerned frown as he runs a hand through his hair.

As Firess breaks the silence with his foot girding across the stone Celith looks to him nodding and standing up “It is.” then looking to Kallian about to speak but turning to Yeserien as he enters the cave surprise showing briefly as Celith glances to the hand on one of Yserien's blades and replies “A fine wind that brings you here, friend, though it offers ill news as well.” He gestures towards Firess with a hand taking in a slow breath before saying “This is Firess, one who hails from the same place as Kallian and I.” then to Firess offering a few words of the elf "A friend met in our time here, Yserien. " He stops in thought a moment glancing back to Yserien and then to Kallian and Firess "What you spoke of orcs might be of interest to him." Celith takes his bow from where it was propped against a log often used a seat and runs his thumb along some of the empty settings across it and falling into another one of his silences, the elf's words seeming to come as a sudden wind and leaving as only a whisper just the same.
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Kilaana » Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:20 pm

The introductions brushed distantly against the back of Kallian's mind as she stood watching those of House Galiner welcome their guest into their midst. He smelled of ice-cold river, upon the banks of which frozen soil mingled with crystal clear water, turning the pristine to mud. Ash, too. Thin, dry ash, like paper... money-paper... these they burned dipped with the fragrances of chrysanthemum and neroli oils each morning at Waukeen's Promenade to herald the day with the goddess' fortunes. There was none of that on Stagheart - only the remains of a cold, dead fire and bittersweet memories of midnight's moss whose intoxicating perfume were used to draw the unwary while the black mud around its roots would slowly claim a meal for itself.

Kallian felt herself bob a wordless greeting. The pipeweed - two Halanths for the good stuff - did little to suppress the sensation of dread that flowered from a deep place in her heart as she struggled to hold back fragments of a century or more of a life that had hitherto been of little consequence here. Her mouth felt dry, and her palm felt hot where the left arm was covered with its odd geometric tattoos, and despite the chill in the cave she began to feel warm. A human would have broke out in perspiration by comparison. Selvin, like Celith, seldom spoke as much as their kind might do but if he did, it would not be without meaning. She caught Celith's look out of the corner of her eye: he felt her agitation too.

Unbidden, the mocking countenance of Hroin materialized suddenly with its characteristic sneer. Something went still and silent in her - something that was equal to the steel she kept sheathed nicely in her left boot.

She turned then to Firess and said, "Let us go then, now that our guest has returned. For he too, has asked to meet with our elders and I have given my word that we will not turn him away."

Throwing the jackal's pelt around her small shoulders, she touched sensitive gloved fingers against the array of tools lined on her belt to ensure all was in order. They would not go too far today, she surmised as she followed the males out into dusky cold, casting a wistful glance into the all-enshrouding, comforting blanket of darkness behind her.
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

Kallian | Delorwyn Lle'quellas | Wilhemina Alencar | Zalika Maszim Zartusht
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Obsidian Sea » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:45 pm

Firess keeps his appraisal of the Moon Elf brief, and he is sparse in his verbal exchange with this new arrival and with those estranged fellows of House Galiner that brought him hence. When the prospect of Yserien Stagheart joining them on their journey is raised, it is not Firess' prerogative to object. A look to Celith Galiner almost means to inquire with how extensively the Druid is inclined to trust this new companion: has recent information brought some paranoia to Firess' character? And has it extended into House Galiner entirely? They now undertake the journey that will surely provide the answer on the matter.

But venturing forth, four Elves - four Elves being as many as Impiltur ever did see altogether in light of the Elven Retreat and the nation's fundamental lack of involvement with the race - take to a quiet path. On the rocks, Kallian's soft-soled boots will make no sound. Where there are leaves, they are saturated wet, lacking any Autumnal crunch to denote the passage of the Elven party. Whilst they maintain a relative proximity to the lair of Celith Galiner and Kallian, it is Celith that guides the party best. Progressing beyond those rocky steppes and into a more forested depth of the mountains, it is Firess who naturally takes the initiative to bring them where they must.

Joy for Elves that Goblins rule the mountains more than Orcs: and though Goblins are no friend of Corellon's children, their lack of the raw, wanton destructiveness of Orcs has offered some mercy to these deep and green reaches of the mountain gorges where Warswords never walk. Had it been Orcs, this all might be fiery ash - one Elf among the party knows that more certainly than any other. But Goblins are not Orcs. By a varying degree, a Moon Elf is not a Wood Elf. In their party, one Elf is not like his others, and the silver of his skin; the lightness of his bearing, is something inherent and less grounded than what Wood Elves carry themselves with. The same is true even of Kallian, whose urbane edges lose some of their prevalence out here in the earthen places, and although there is some distinction of spirit between she and her male kin who walk beside her, yet there is a sense of homogeneity with them too that singles Yserien Stagheart out.

Yet they were all kin - extended kin, maybe, but kin. So too were those brethren foes of which Firess had spoken - of which Yserien Stagheart was not as yet aware.

And now, stepping into the momentary settlement of House Galiner he witnessed Wood Elven architecture as it might too have been known in Cormanthor. Where Moon Elves conceive marvellous structures, Wood Elves merely carve out their place amidst what already is. To the human eye - even the untrained Elven one - there might only have been a forest there but for the presence of several of the Or'Tel-Quess and their bows, turning to regard the arrival party. The canopy of trees seemed almost intentioned as a cloaking device for the settlement: long, curving trunks of deciduous trees and thick branches served as bridges and pavements for the fleet of foot (which accounts for all Elves, or so 'tis said), and the crude expanses of farmland that humans go to pains to construct is needless when the very homes of the Or'Tel-Quess grow berries and offer herbs. A plentiful place it was, shrewdly selected by those that have brought House Galiner thither. Before the Elves have even departed, it is already clear that when they do, it will be imperceptible to another that they ever were...

And then there is Selvin, standing on the forest floor and overlooking the current life in the settlement. He does not lead with impatience - he has time, even in his older days of Elvenhood. When Firess comes before him it is with respectful deference.

They speak for a short time in poetic tongue - even some vile things can be transposed to beauty when spoken in that language. Selvin learns of what they have learnt, and in time his eye turns also to Yserien Stagheart with appraisal.

The leader of the Elven contingent does not greet Celith Galiner with especial warmth; it is a moderate show of re-acquaintance, and surely in the Elven calendar it had not felt so long at all since last they met. But still - and despite the fact that he was not the best example of it - Yserien Stagheart could see the once-more inherent differentiation between the emotional expressiveness of his Elven people, and the more patient aloofness of the Or'Tel-Quess.

"You know something already of why you have come. Kallian, Ches' bounty to you," he says in greeting, briefly deferring to the Shadowdancer. He looks then to Yserien Stagheart, "Who is it you bring to House Galiner? Knowing what you have just come to know from Firess, I would think you think it folly to do so, Celith - and that would be wisdom. And despite it, should Thelandira bless our action in this place, I should think that from fate's bow this arrival - this arrow - has landed precisely where it ought. And so, to you, Teu'Tel-Qussir cousin, I extend both my tolerance and my interest. Speak, and let me know who you are."
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Khaela Mensha Khaine » Sun Mar 12, 2017 1:23 pm

Of comfort in company and lightheartedness, the Moon Elf had demonstrated little in spite of his people's well-noted affectations. Rather, Stagheart maintained a dour, pensive expression and a pointed silence throughout the journey; an air of trepidation and a guarded posture in the company of these Elves that were kin and yet not.

Even in the presence of Kallian, whom it could be said he was most acquainted with, the ivory-skinned hunter showed the same tension in bearing as when he had first arrived in the unfamiliar human lands that had become - for all intents and purposes - his new home. As the journey wore on, his thoughts turned back to Leaf - the wolf pup he had rescued from certain death beside the beast's mother. A son of Fenmarel. A companion, perhaps, to return to Elventree. If, indeed, he could ever return with his head held high.

At last, though, the wild, nature-preserving constructions of the Wood Elves greeted them. To Yserien's pale eyes, the change was distinct and instant. He knew the subtle signs, the simple markings on the trees, that marked the transition from untamed woodland to carefully crafted homeland of the Or'Tel-Quessir. The Elven Court of Cormanthor had been more splendorous, but it bore all the same hallmarks as these. With pangs of wistfulness and regret, the singular Moon Elf in those woods carried on after those of House Galiner towards the one that he - in truth - unburdened all his blind hopes upon.

Now, though, keeping close watch on those wary Wood Elves that regard him with narrowed eyes, his steps come to a halt when, too, do those of his travelling companions. The patriarch of House Galiner - or so he has gathered - stands calmly before him, and to Yserien's eyes it was immediately apparent that, despite the mellowness about Selvin's person, here was one of his forest-kin that possessed severe sharpness of mind and observational skills that went far beyond what he simply perceived with his aged eyes.

The scrutiny which the elderly elf cast his way, however, dissuaded him not even slightly. There was no shame in his being there, no guilt which they could lay upon him, whatever they may suspect him of. When he was addressed, the guarded tension in his demeanor did not carry to his voice:

"If fate's bow is black, then your thinking is not entirely awry. My name is Yserien Stagheart, an arrow fired by the Night Hunter to pierce the hearts of those that wronged me - and so I have, and yet despite my stillness here you attend me still mid-flight. Your home is not my final mark, but my hope is that you might guide me to it."

Then offering a deferential bow of his head, the favoured child of Sehanine continues: "You have my utmost gratitude for your patience and hospitality, and from your words I gather that your people have troubles of their own - troubles that I might lend my hand to in exchange for your assistance. But I am an interloper here, and would not presume my quest takes precedence in this meeting of kin."

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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Obsidian Sea » Mon Mar 13, 2017 1:49 pm

"We are all interlopers here, Yserien Stagheart. These are not the territories of House Galiner. They belong to Maglubiyet more than any other. Of late, the spawn of Gruumsh One-Eye has made settlement more heavily here. But if these are the quarries you seek, though we might direct you to your quarry, we shall not fight it with you. The eyes of House Galiner turn to a nearer threat.

"Our nights are spent in waiting and watchfulness. We came to heed the plea of a Dwarf, and remain to fulfil the oath. But our imminent concern is not with the habitual mountain dwellers.

"Elves living near have offended The Protector. They have broken the peace that exists between us and they - a peace that rests on the laurels of the impossibility of collision that was thought to exist between their agenda and ours. Such is no longer the case. The most sacred of Teu'Tel-Quess artefacts has been taken into their possession wrongfully, and they seek to commit it to their purpose. What they call the work of Corellon, we look upon as a blasphemy against Him. If you wish to know more of these people, then tarry longer in our company. You will find yourself welcome - provided you do not share in their cause."

At that moment, the feeling would become clear to Selvin's son and his companions that arrows are directly upon Yserien Stagheart. Elves stand upon tree branches all about their Autumnal home, so peaceful in the stance of hostility that they hold that it seems as meditative as it does lethal to see their stances held.

Selvin steps back, eyes upon the Moon Elf with cold distance that typifies the isolationist habits of Wood Elves. Age has made him all the more conservative in his dealings, and circumstance seems to harden him a touch beyond even what Celith Galiner might recognise as familiar in the man he calls a father. So honed is his attention upon the Moon Elf that walks with Celith, the elder Elf's eyes do not even turn away to acknowledge his son or Kallian in the midst of the bloodshed which threatens to erupt as a consequence of the reunion between they and he.

"O Yserien," begins Selvin once more, his words solemn-sweet in their contrasting weight and beauty of deliverance, "We do not wish to take up arms against our own brethren. If you say you are our ally, it is our wish to believe it. Where does The Night Hunter turn His arrow next? If it is with the Veluuthra that you stand, The Protector shall forgive our sin of taking that sweetest, more precious life, which is Elven, and we shall take it without hesitation."
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Khaela Mensha Khaine » Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:24 pm

"Veluuthra?" the word left his lips in no louder than a breath, the puzzlement clear. Surely those about him would harken well to that gentle sound, that singular segment of a larger title.

". . . I know of them," Stagheart continued at length, raising his hands to dissuade their attack. "They have crossed paths with me in years gone, though many it has been since last I encountered them. I do not share their goal, if it is as I remember."

There was no escape for him here; these were warriors, clearly hardened by war and forged into a unity that was obvious by the synchronicity of their movements when the time came to turn their weapons of war upon him. No hesitation, no disparity in the smooth drawing of their bows. Were he to move, were he to even posture himself with aggression now, he would be dead within seconds.

"I seek the Moonblade of my family, stolen by the orcs that dwelt in these forests who are now dead by my hand; both of my companions whom are more deeply acquainted with you can attest to that. It is my sole quest in these human lands. Once it is safely in my possession again, I intend to return home, to Elventree. In truth, I do not care for this civil war . . . but if you would force my hand to it in exchange for information on its whereabouts, then I will take up arms in turn."

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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Obsidian Sea » Mon Apr 03, 2017 11:25 am

The seconds span into minutes as Yserien Stagheart's position is considered.

"Very well, then."

Bows are lowered. The Elves of House Galiner resume their actions about the incognito campsite.

"The Veluuthra hold your blade now, Yserien Stagheart.," Selvin explains, stepping forward to convene with the group in hushed proximity. It did not seem that House Galiner was unaware of the reality of their current situation, but such words called for discretion among the Elves, and would have the demand for it met even if the nearest human ears were one hundred miles away.

"It was taken from the Orcs. Everwinter settled long and dark in this part of the world, and the Eldreth Veluuthra found, like you, a foe in the Orcs that migrated thence. Both resting within the verdant depths of the mountains until the winter abated, they went to war with one another. Your blade was the taken prize of their skirmirshes."

"But it was you that finished the deed," says a voice from the party's left, injecting itself like a needle. It was Firess again, a seeming confidante of Selvin in this matter. He holds his arms, a judgemental gaze openly cast over Yserien. "Am I wrong?"

"Our Elves have been to the site of the final conflict. A bed of minerality on all sides halted a fire that could otherwise have spread throughout the mountains. It will be a long time before the animals will want to occupy that charred gorge, but the Rangers think that life will grow again - painfully at first, but it will. It cannot surprise those of House Galiner to see the land treated so: Orcs have nothing but contempt for beauty. Many of their own bodies were found burnt among the spoils. It was an assault that a party of Elves would never have carried out."

Firess nods in support of this breakdown of the scene with Selvin provides.

"You may speak of it in your own time. It is our understanding that the Eldreth Veluuthra mean to perform a ritual with your family's Moonblade. One that offends the very Seldarine's ways so greatly that we can no longer stand by in neutrality. I have sent Firess in search of Celith, my son, so that through him we might locate Kallian.

"And now you are here," Selvin concludes, his attention resting peacefully then upon Kallian as a leaf tenderly falls from its tree to kiss the ground. For a moment the Elf considers her dimensions with a total absence of judgement or purpose. She is an aesthetic for a moment: one not yet wholly congruous with the other Elves of House Galiner.

"You are warming to the woods. I have seen your more uncomfortable in the midst of the trees in earlier days. A decade more spent this way would do your heart health," he observes. "There are things to be explained to you, too, Kallian. Are you ready for what comes next? It is to you that I look for a solution for our current conflict with the Veluuthra. It is you, Kallian, who gives us the finest chance of reclaiming the Moonblade, and returning it to its rightful owner's hands."
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Kilaana » Tue Apr 11, 2017 4:25 pm

Small lips parted, on the precipice of a question to answer the one given, but instead the Elf shut her eyes momentarily as a breeze brought to the gathering a scent of sweet Spring: The heady - and perhaps hallucinatory - perfume of ripe cherry blossoms, drawing forth a powerful well of memories that filled the senses so that she swayed slightly on her feet to keep her balance. Yes, she would be overcome in that eternal moment, to be one with the peace that had been promised by the very one who stood beside her, to forget of pain, and yet...

"I shall not be repeating myself again. Now then, let us do this one more time - What is your name?"

"A eam't hmam... "

The silence behind the curtain stretched long. She sat on her heels and waited, patient, watching, but no movement betrayed the presence beyond. She liked the undulating quality of her companion's words though, like music at times it felt, and at others sharp and reprimanding as though quick to find fault with her, though she did not know how he knew, when she could not see him, nor him of her, as far as she could tell.

The jolt of pain bloomed from the leather band around her neck. It stung like a thousand bees, and brought tears to her eyes. She wanted to reach up and claw it off, but she knew he was watching.

"No. Do not play the fool with me now. What is your name?"

She felt helpless, stupid. Most of all, quite hungry. She tried to sift out a name from the deluge of information given the previous days, hoping it would earn her something for the hunger pangs.


The Elf opened her eyes then, and bowed in receipt of his word. The scent faded abruptly, taking with it a piece of her heart in the same manner as Selvin's query did. Decades of discipline did not allow that fear to show, and so it was with steel in her eyes and her voice that she turned to him and replied:

"It is with honor that I am called to service to House Galiner, for none other than yourself have welcomed me with open arms. But with all respect, O'su, I fear you underestimate this one's ability to deal with such a foe." She paused, momentarily doubting the questioning of an Elder's decision, but as incongruous as she was amidst those of House Galiner, so too did that small rebelliousness bid her continue. "But first, tell us of what is known, if you will."

Tell them. Tell us. What was her name again?

"...Kal-El'Ahn," she whispered.

Eventually, they brought a plate in with her favourite apricot.


--------------

Glossary:
A eam't hmam - I don't know (Elven)
O'su - Father (Elven)
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

Kallian | Delorwyn Lle'quellas | Wilhemina Alencar | Zalika Maszim Zartusht
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Re: Kallian - The Dark I Know Well

Postby Obsidian Sea » Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:03 am

"The Eldreth Veluuthra falsely service The Protector. Their will is to cull the overreaching human population of Faerûn, and in this mission they have held their resolve for over a millennia. Humans do not know of the organisation's existence, save for a rare few of organisations known to cloak the Eldreth Veluuthra's purposes to serve their own ends.

"Culturally, the truth is that the Eldreth Veluuthra are no different from us, save in the unknowing distance they are from The Seldarine's court, and a proclivity towards subfusc behaviours. And yea, it is true that we of the Or'Tel-Quessir - and you as much as any of us - are not the least anodyne of The People, but we can yet take serenity in the knowledge that our Gods shall have us in the next life. For those of the Eldreth Veluuthra, I do not believe the same always can be said.

"But they are Elves. Their eyes are keen and their arrows sharp. The goal they pursue are forever within reach, lacking the racial limitations of their quarry. They turned their attention upon the most-hated Orcs, hating them no less than we, but even that served its purpose to further their agenda in culling humanity's progress. They have taken the Stagheart Moonblade, and seek in an old place of power to repurpose it to their hand that its power might be used to shed human blood. And this we deem a travesty, and a step too far in the betrayal of Corellon's name.

"For this task you are most fit, Kallian. Do not doubt me," assures Selvin, an immutability in that face which had finally begun to betray agelessness for elderly wisdom. His eyes pass then onto Celith Galiner, and to Yserien Stagheart, too, as though weighing what must be said and what not. Time passes in this state of meditation before eventually his focus locks itself to Kallian again. In so doing, he bears forward with honesty - and honesty, most say, is a virtue. Even now it might be, though uttered so coldly, "Their quest has been financed before for pragmatic reasons by many Elven houses. We have been a party to the propagation of their agenda, for we have in the past supplied them. But such is what humans sometimes deserve, Kallian, for they move beyond their means to make a kingdom of all Faerûn."

There is a moment then when Selvin looks back towards his son. Maybe it means something to him to know what Celith would think of such a revelation. To have been complicit, even unknowingly, in a quest that would spite the race among whom much of Celith's recent years had been spent - and indeed, most of Kallian's - might have made for a revelation fit to shift something. Something in House Galiner? In Celith Galiner?

"Kallian," he continues before long, drawing himself back to the object of House Galiner's future intent with the Veluuthra. Upon her he fixes a potency of gaze. He is not unkind to she who had become a member of his family, but the weight of the situation had given the conversation the consistency of clay being pushed, not of a threading needle at work, and Selvin persevered to see his will elaborated and acted upon. "And though some among them do not walk in the light of The Seldarine, yet they are Elves. The life of every Elf is a precious thing. Every axe that cuts the Quessir down ends hundreds of years; every Evil spell that strikes us terminates centuries of life. And we will not raise our weapons to see lives lost among their number, nor risk the same of ours.

"We will take you to the place where the Veluuthra mean to perform their ritual; this sacrilege against the tradition of the Moonblade, and therefore against Corellon Himself. There, you and you alone may walk wholly in the shadows and take back the blade without alerting the Veluuthra to the nature of their saboteurs. House Galiner does not choose to declare ourselves an enemy to their cause, nor end every aspect of it. Another would go, but an old Halfling saying over which I once laughed said that it takes an Elf to spot an Elf, and so it is. If any one of us were to go there, we would be evenly matched in stealth against their senses. But you, Kallian, possess a different affinity for concealment.

"And so, Kallian, it is you that must take back the Moonblade: take back that which Corellon ordained for those of the Stagheart family, one of whom stands at this very moment by your side. Will you do this?"
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