| Able
walked into the tent of Talia and looked around. He heard
a noise that sounded distinctly like a chicken coming from what
appeared to be a cage covered with a cloth. When he looked
in to investigate whether or not to release the poor creature,
he was turned to stone by its gaze.
[Able's perspective]
Suddenly you are back in the West Moon Forest. A robed
figure pulls back its hood to reveal the weathered, serene
visage of Keith. Behind him is an Elf woman that you
have never seen before. Her dress and demeanor suggest
she has spent most, if not all, of her life among the Elves.
Keith turns to her and adopts a pose of deference.
He says quietly and clearly with great respect, "Thank you
Ariel, your presence graces us and your powers make us strong.
May the forest always be your friend."
The woman looks to him as if he has pulled her from the fog
of though. She nods ever so slightly and walks to the
edge of the small clearing which you do not recognize.
Before the forest swallows her form, she seems to disappear.
Keith turns back to you and answers the question in your
eyes, "You have not heard of her because she wishes it so.
Ariel is a great friend to us. Her powers and knowledge
are such that she is treading the fine line between being
a powerful spell caster and a force of nature. She lives
and breathes the forest. Our woods have been her friend
since before you and I were even born. I can not fathom
why, but she seems to . . . like me, and she answers my humble
requests. Of course, I make very few, so perhaps it
is simply a matter of my discretion." He smiles.
After years of learning from Keith, you have learned how
to tell when he is finished speaking, and he isn't done yet.
You take a seat on a nearby rock. You are startled for
a moment by how comfortable the rock is, but you settle in
and look to Keith.
Keith notices your slight surprise and interrupts the flow
of his monologue to explain, "Ah, yes. I see you have
discovered something about this place. The power of
this spot is such that the very rocks themselves have the
twinkle of life in them. Luckily for you, you sat on
one of the nice ones. There are others that do not enjoy
such an arrangement." He gestures softly to a nearby
rock that simply looks jagged, but after a few seconds, it
is apparent that the points of the rock shift and reform,
as though the rock was creating the points by force of will.
Slipping into your student-teacher mindset, you counter with,
"Perhaps it was a jagged rock and it struggles to be less
so. Then which rock is truly the most friendly?"
Keith smiles with a hint of nostalgia, casting his face into
a mat of wrinkles. "Good point, but if you talk to them,
all becomes clear. However, that is for another time."
His smile fades, "I have brought you to this place because
it is a safe place. It can sense when beings opposed
to our ways, its ways, approach, and it deals with them harshly.
Most of the higher circles know of this place, but few every
come here. Whether they are supremely confident in their
relationship with the forest and thus feel no need to prove
themselves or they are afraid that they will be discovered
as
pretenders is not certain. To avoid the question, they
have deemed the area as sacred and only the duels for the
position of Grand Druid occur here."
He pauses, scanning his vision across the clearing and then
nods slightly to you, "I brought you here because I was confident
that of all my students, you walked the path best. Of
course, you are still young and make mistakes. I had
to do a little convincing. The forest was uncertain
of your response when your friend Magnus tried to burn down
a row of trees."
You start to defend your actions, but Keith holds up a hand
for you to remain silent and you contain yourself.
He continues, "I explained that you are a quiet man.
Like the sturdy oak, you are steadfast when the storm rages
about you, unlike the willow which sways and laments the storms
abuse. For now, the forest is content with that, but
it waits and watches to see if your actions will support this
belief."
He shakes his head as if casting out stray thoughts, "But
I am getting away from the heart of the matter. You
are here because you can be. Many others can not.
The young and foolish of our faith are too uncertain in their
beliefs to be allowed in and those that would betray us are
repelled by the very forest itself. It is here you will
learn the prophecy. As is our way, I will recount it
for you and you will commit it to memory. No written
record will be made of it and you will only recount it to
other members of our faith. To others that you deem
worthy, simple questions may be answered, but you will not
recount any passage, no matter the size, to them."
He stands before you and adopts his familiar, old, story
telling voice,
"Hear now the Prophecy of the Lifesinger:
A people will come from an old world that is not.
Their seed will spread, for good or ill.
They will find us.
They will enrich and taint us in equal measure.
A mixed seed will form.
Of them, one will be born.
From the forest, but not of the forest.
The Lifesinger, wielder of the powerful Song of Life.
Abandoned by us in infinite ignorance,
Raised by children in infinite kindness.
As the Lifesinger is born, so shall the evil seed of corruption
be.
A weaver of magic will rise up among the newcomers,
finding keys which should not be found,
unlocking doors which not should be opened,
unleashing forces that should not be freed.
A dark river will form.
It's tributaries being death, waste, and diabolical flame.
It will swell and flow freely in the desert,
washing down to the field of the final battle.
As water washes away dirt, so will this river wash away
life.
Salvation will lie in stone, heart, and song.
One who was dead will rise up to ride again.
Children will become men.
The Song of Life will be heard once more.
If any falter, all will fail."
Suddenly he stops. You are surprised at how brief it is.
After so much energy being invested in fulfilling it, you had
somehow expected it to be a long litany. He mentions that
the prophecy was written by some long dead Elf.
Keith spends ten days teaching you the prophecy in various
languages. Every time, he emphasizes how important it is not
to recant it verbatim. You understand that you are not
to even acknowledge the prophecy's existence to those you
do not trust and even those you trust the most are to be given
only the most simple of answers, preferably "yes" and "no".
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