History

'I will be attempting to recall and put in order events that took place over the last ten years in regards to Dolenamo, Delphianne, Daemons and Druids. Much went on over the last decade, some pleasant, some not so much. Do not expect exact dates, I've never been good with exact dates. I will simply do my best to lay down events as I remember them. That said I shall start at the very beginning.'

'I met Dolenamo while out in the wilderness. I was on an extended hunting trip away from the glade. At this time the glade was a small collection of buildings and had not yet been given the name of Tel'Ruid. Dolenamo was also not Dolenamo yet. He was Tel'Halda, so he called himself, in the common tongue 'The Shadowed'. Subtle eh? He was very young at the time and seemed lost. Handsome yet haggard. At the time I met him he was sneaking up on me in an attempt to murder and rob me for whatever he might find of use to him in my camp. I said he was young, he was also inexperienced and getting the drop on him was not difficult.'

'With Tel'Halda now my captive I regarded the young elf. His lineage was obviously a mixed one. Skin a deep ash color and hair a snowy white. After a bit of conversation he admitted his mixed race and told me he was half-drow, half-gray elf. He remained bound to a tree while I fixed us a meal. He looked to be half starved. I told him I would forgive his trespass and feed him well on venison that night in exchange for his story. He readily accepted and after checking him for hidden weapons, unbound him and made him a guest in my camp. Looking back now, I should have put an arrow through him when he first menaced me and have been done with it. I couldn't then and still cannot today.'

'So we ate, and I listened as he recalled the sorted events of his life. I will skip most of the less pertinent details and relate what I felt important. His mother had been a gray elf. A drow soldier had raped her during a raid of the surface. Although the drow that hurt her thought her dead as they retreated back to there stinking holes in the ground, she in fact, was not. A short time later Tel'Halda was born. He was raised among the gray elves, by foster folk as his mother had died in childbirth. As he grew the gray elf children labeled him as Tel'Halda, a name that stuck with him. When old enough he fled that way of life and began to try and make it on his own.'

'After our meal and listening to his tale I made my second mistake that evening. I offered him a job. My deal was that he would learn the trade of alchemy and mix potions I could sell at my shop. In return I would give him a roof to live under, hot meals and a daily wage of 25 gold pieces. When he became good enough to mix saleable potions I would also give him a percentage of the profits. I did this mainly because I felt sorry for him and I hated to see any elf, even a half-drow, forced to live by murder and theft. He readily accepted my offer and came home with me to live under my roof. And that is how Tel'Halda came to live in the glade.'

'The elves of the glade did not trust him from the start, no real surprise considering his appearance and lineage. Tel'Halda rarely spent time among the other residents. When he did venture out in the glade he was met with suspicion and distrust. For a time he spent all of his time in the glade in my little shop, mixing potions by day and sleeping on a cot at night. Things remained like this for another year until Tel'Halda met the Wind Faerie, Libra.'

'Libra was well liked among the residents of the glade, and her pairing with Tel'Halda afforded him some level of respectability as well. It was not uncommon to see the two of them together at the Silver Arrow, talking and laughing with the other residents. A month or so later Tel'Halda even purchased a home for the two of them with the gold he had saved. It was a difficult time for me. I saw Tel'Halda now as more of a foster son than an employee and his moving out of my home made me simultaneously sad and proud.'

'Feelings and stirrings that all was not what it seemed came to me a short time after. At this time Tel'Halda had been given a new name by my mellon Talanithus. Tal was a priest and a very kind sort who could not call Tel' by the name given to him in cruelty by other elves. He named him Dolenamo... The Hidden One. The name stuck. Dolenamo continued to spend time among the elves and chat with them all at the Arrow. He called himself an ex-assassin at the time, which confused me to no end. After some investigating I found how he had been spending his off days over the past three years. He had been learning how to mix poisons of all kinds and how to apply them to weapons. He made a tidy sum I supposed putting the poisons to use for gold. I had had no idea. I felt betrayed and lied to. At this time I severed all relations with Dolenamo and refused to purchase his potions to sell at my shop. I found out later just how much my actions angered him.'

'It was around this time that the dryad Delphianne appeared in the glade.'

'Delphianne's grove of trees lay to the north west of our own glade. There she existed as a Yew tree of grand height and stature. Her duty for the last 400 years having been to protect this part of the forest from all that would seek to harm it. In a way she was the soul of that grand Yew, and as such could never wander to far from it. She had seen elves arrive in the area and had watched them with a curiosity as the passed to and fro on their business. She also saw humans, and humanoid monsters of all kinds. She protected the trees under her charge from all manner of lumberjacks, careless campers and beasts that would do harm to her grove.'

'Then one day her world came apart. There was a strange elf in the glade that day. Ashen skin and white haired. She had seen him simply resting, leaning against a nearby tree. She thought of using her powers to call up a wall of brambles and grabbing roots to drive him away. Instead she simply watched him. A short time later a sudden burning pain consumed her as her grove was enveloped in a powerful magic. The trees surrounding her grand Yew were instantly killed. The Yew itself was hurt beyond hope of saving. She should have been too. She knew all to well that if the tree she was were to die, she would die along with it.

After the wave of blasting magic passed she made an attempt to join with her tree as she had for hundreds of years. There she would die with her tree she was sure. But she couldn't. She found some sort of barrier prevented her from entering. She realized she herself was now very vulnerable. The strange elf she had seen earlier now came towards her tree as if he was looking for something. He held a large sack and a length of rope. Delphi tried to hide but was unable to. Then there eyes met.'

'Delphi was unsure what the elf had said to her. It had been said in elvish and she didn't understand any of it. He had lowered the sack and seemed to stop advancing on her. Then he spoke again, louder and in the common tongue. 'Run!' He had said. And run she did, in the general direction she had always seen the elves go when they returned from their hunts. She eventually found us at The Silver Arrow.'

'We all pondered the implications of her tale and the unanswered questions before us. What had caused the destruction of her grove? How was it, with what she told us of the nature of dryads, that she still lived if her tree was indeed dead? Who was this strange elf that had at first sought to bag her and then instead told her to flee?'

'We had no answers at this point, and Delphianne was without a home. She seemed so weak and frail. At the time I didn't realize she was made of sterner stuff than she appeared. I told her to seek the aid of the Faerie Witch TirNaNo'g and the other faeries of the Tuatha de Dannan. I knew that they would take her in and give her a place to call home. On that I was correct.'

'All seemed to return to some semblance of normalcy for quite some time. But events would soon unfold that would cause a stirring in the glade the likes of which has not been seen since.'

'Delphianne met the drow Khalin. Khalin, at the time I believe, was seeking entrance into the Tel'Mithrim, The Grey-Company. The two became fast friends and seemed to develop a relationship based on a bit more than friendship. Delphianne was also being plagued by nightmares. The nightmares were centered on the destruction of her grove and she kept hearing a name in them as well. 'The Shadowed'. There was no longer any doubt who the strange elf was that sought to catch her when her grove was ruined.'

'Dolenamo was sought and questioned about his part in the destruction of Delphi's grove. He was able to shed some small amount of light on what had happened but not much. He claimed to have been hired by an old man, a druid, who's name he had never learned. He was to be paid well for waiting by the grove and capturing a creature that would emerge from the large Yew in its center. The burst of energy came as a shock to him he claimed, as did the destructive force of the magic on the trees. He was more shocked he said when he saw the 'creature' emerge. Seeing the dryad, naked and trembling with fear, took all desire to carry out his employers orders from him and he had instead let her go.'

'Completely unrelated from this the Wind Faerie Libra suddenly departed on a quest of her own. One that would take her into the depths of the earth known as the Underdark. I am to this day unclear on what she sought there. It had something to do with her mother. A group followed her down, certain that she would not return should she go alone. Khalin, Dolenamo, Shalia and another drow friend of Khalin's, Sevana I believe her name was, followed her down in hopes of rescuing her. They must have met with some success as all returned a few weeks later. The details of their journey I cannot recall at this time. For those that had never before been to the Underdark, the adventure affected them deeply.'

'Even though she was home and safe Libra would not be the same. A short time after there return Libra left Sosaria for parts unknown and to my knowledge has not returned. This was a shattering blow to Dolenamo. It is my belief that the horrors of the Underdark coupled with his 'bond mate' leaving him behind drove him quite mad. Somehow, he got it in his head that I was to blame for her leaving. That hatred would build in him over the next several years until it came to a head with devastating results. We will get to that in time.'

'Perhaps someday I shall put on paper my own history for the sake of preservation. Not now however as only a small part of these events concerned myself. The following is one such. My uncle, a bowsinger of no small talent made the journey to Avernaith. His body laid to rest and his possessions given out to remaining family. I was pleased to learn that my half-brother was coming to see me and brought with him my uncles prized bow. This bow now hangs on the wall of my bowyery. The price in receiving it was a great one however.'

'Dolenamo had learned of my brothers coming. He lay in wait and intercepted him before he could reach me. Holding him for a large ransom, Dolenamo confronted me for payment in return for his life. I flatly refused. When I did, I found myself on the wrong end of a poisoned blade. Dolenamo fled swearing that he would have the 'Daemons' holding my brother make his death slow and painful, as painful as my death would be now. With fire running in my veins I managed to call for aid. I was cured and healed by the elves that answered my call and a hunt for Dolenamo ensued. In the end, my uncle's bow was recovered, but Dolenamo escaped. As promised my brother was slain where he had been being held. Hythloth. Such a death for an elf leaves me troubled. To this day I am certain my brother is unable to go to Avernaith. His remains are still in Hythloth and not at rest. A quest for another time perhaps, but more pressing matters are presently at hand.'

'I leave it to my toror Khalin to tell of his unclosing wound. A crippling wound that seems unable to heal. I mention it in passing because I cannot shake the feeling that it is somehow connected to the events yet to come. I have the same feeling for the strange illnesses that seemed to have afflicted some of the residents of the glade, now called officially Tel'Ruid.'

'More strange events began to take place. Tel'Ruid and the Silver Arrow seemed to become a haunted place. I leave it to others to recount the details of the haunting of the Arrow. It was an unrelated event. The reapers however, are another matter. They began to appear all over the glade. To this day I am unclear from where they came. If the ranting of a mad druid I will introduce to you shortly are true, he was responsible. Some doubt remains to that. In my mind however he spoke the truth, at least partially.'

'Regeas Maletite's search for a dryad that had escaped him led him finally to Tel'Ruid.'

'He seemed fearless of the elves of Tel'Ruid. He was obviously mad. He sent in an apprentice in the guise of a druid attempting to stop Regeas. Geoffrey was this young druids name, and at first we believed he was what he claimed. He said he was charged with stopping Regeas and protecting the dryad. Through Geoffrey, Regeas was able to learn the dryads name and that Delphianne was in fact residing in the glade. When Geoffrey was found out, we were able to extract some information from him, before he took his own life right inside the Silver Arrow.'

'What we learned of Maletite follows. He was a druid of an order that resided near the Abbey in Yew. He was also near 300 years of age. It seems that at some point as he grew old he also grew quite mad and began researching rituals that were forbidden by the order. He made a pact with a daemon in an attempt to prolong his life. The deal was simple, Regeas would seek out dryads. These protectors of the forest were bound to the trees they were born to. They would die if the trees they inhabited died. One of the old, forbidden rituals would allow for the removal of the dryad from her tree and leave her vulnerable. He had been feeding on the life force of such dryads for nearly 200 years. He would perform a sacrificial ritual and gain their life force. The Daemon he was in league with would gain their souls.'

'Delphianne had escaped such a fate, and Regeas was here to correct that.'

'Then an opportunity presented itself to Regeas that he couldn't pass up. He learned that the half-drow he had hired to capture Delphianne still lived in Tel'Ruid. Not forgetting his betrayal and failure, the mad druid set the wheels of revenge in motion. I myself was the one to find Dolenamo lying dead in the morning dew right outside The Silver Arrow. I myself took his lifeless body and laid it to rest in the cemetery in Yew. I had loved him, and still did despite his wickedness. I prayed his soul would find its way to Avernaith. As much as I prayed, I suspected, and was right, that this would not be the case. However I didn't expect to ever see him again. On this account I was wrong.'

'Then came the time. The conjunction of the moons Felucca and Trammel. This was the time that Regeas was to perform a ritual that would spell the end for Delphianne. She would die and her life force given to Maletite, her soul to the Daemon he served. No one knew where Maletite was performing his ritual. Nor did any know what would happen when the time came. Everyone Delphianne had met and knew gathered that night with her at The Silver Arrow. Delphi herself tried to remain in high spirits though she was obviously nervous. When the moons came together at last she seemed to fall into some kid of trance. She rose from her seat and headed for the door of the Arrow. No one seemed to notice anything amiss until she stepped out into the night.'

'She was heading out into the forest. Due west towards Yew and those horrible Crypts. Her friends tried everything they could to stop her without injuring her. All to no avail, she entered the crypts. After a few moments inside she seemed to return to her old self as if a grip had been released. It was known that when the conjunction of the moons was over that the ritual of the mad druid could not go on. Still, Delphi wished to continue further down into the crypts. The pleas of the others would not deter her.'

'Delphianne ran ahead of the others with surprising speed. When she was at last found she seemed to be in the grip of a powerful force. She stood frozen and before her stood Maletite. He wore a grin of pleasure, as Delphianne seemed to grow weak. We all gathered in the chamber and watched in unbelieving horror. Suddenly it was over, but not the way Maletite had expected. The conjunction was over, he had been too late. Delphi fell away from the magical grasp, its business unfinished and Maletite screamed. He went after her, looking to kill her out of spite. An arrow from my bow convinced him otherwise and he fell dead to the ground.'

'As we watched his spirit silently rose from his frail body. And then suddenly there was another presence. It spoke to Regeas although we could all hear it. It was upset at his failure and would now claim what it was owed. A soul, but not the soul of the dryad as was intended. It instead claimed the soul of Maletite, whose time in the land of the living had passed. It was a Daemon there that day...a very powerful one I have no doubt. It seemed satisfied of claiming the soul of Maletite. I shudder to think of the carnage that may have ensued if it hadn't been. But in a booming voice it assured us we had not seen the last of it. At the time, none of us knew what the Daemon's name was. Though now I have a suspicion.'

'For now the day was won and Delphianne was safe. Not all was well however. At the vanishing of the Daemon from the crypts something else happened. Khalin, who had been present for it all suddenly cried out in pain as the wound on his leg, that all believed healed, reopened. Again the details of this I leave to him. I simply find it too odd a coincidence.'

'All was quiet for another year at least. Strange things still continued. Most of them surrounding Khalin. I don't know many of the details and the tale is best left to those who do. I do know that the eventual outcome left Delphianne with a broken heart as Khalin forgot her through no fault of his own. They still are separated to this day.'

'I didn't approach him. It was defiantly him although he looked somewhat younger than he was when he was killed. He didn't seem to notice me although I could swear he looked directly at me. There was no sign of recognition. How it came to be that he was there remains a mystery to me to this very day. I had after all buried him myself. It didn't take long for others to realize that he was back. After a few months he returned to Tel'Ruid, albeit, a new Tel'Ruid in the land of Trammel. He was not a welcome sight to many.'

'At this point we reach the present. I will tell you all I know now and recount my last encounter with Dolenamo. He was seemingly alive and breathing. He again decided to make his home in the glade. I had in my possession a tower. A small tower that I felt fitting for a mage. I gave it to a long time employee of mine named Ebircs Llacer, an edan scribe and mage. He was thrilled by his new home. A reward I felt for his years of loyal service. I was filled with dread a short time later when I found that the tower was no longer in his possession. It was in the hands of Dolenamo instead who claimed to have bought it legally.'

'I was coming home from hunting that evening. Brigands were being reported in the woods east of Yew for quite some time, posing a danger to all who would travel to Tel'Ruid. I had come upon a couple camps and dealt with the brigands there.'

'I believe many have heard the details of Dolenamo's attack, so I'll skip those. Suffice to say I was ambushed in the woods. A blow from a great mace shattered my knee and thigh. Dolenamo left me lying there. Were it not for the quick reaction of Khalin Wael I would have lost use of the leg permanently I am sure. As it is, it never healed completely or properly. I will have this limp the rest of my life to remind me of him.'

'Still to this day Dolenamo is seen in the glade from time to time. I'm not sure exactly what he is still. He seems very much alive, despite his death and burial. Undead? Perhaps, but again I'm not certain. I have heard claims from him that he needs no food for nourishment, no sleep. He claims that wounds given him heal almost instantly. From others I've heard even fouler rumors. It has been said that he feeds upon the life force of others, mainly those of noble heritage. That he hunts them as one might hunt a deer or rabbit. When I hear this I cannot help but think of Regeas Maletite and the way he lived from the life force of dryads. I suspect that this very same Daemon may well be getting the souls of the nobles Dolenamo kills as it took the souls of the dryads that fell to Maletite.'

'Lately a name has been put to this very Daemon. Baal'morda. Somehow I'm certain we will hear this name again. And I'm also certain that whatever Dolenamo may be up to, he is far from finished with the elves of Tel'Ruid.'

Glorfindle set down his quill and gathered up the written pages. In the morning he would read them through again and decide if anything was missed. When that was done they would be put in the Tel'Ruid library so all might read and learn of the strange events of the last ten years. With this information perhaps they would all be ready for what was to come next.