The Arcane OrderThe Library Arcane: The Lord of the Dead


The Search

by Myra Sunveil

"Near Wrong"

The words kept running through her head. As she and Glor hunted harpies, as they spoke in the shop, and even now, sending him off for a night's rest.

"Near Wrong"

Myra smiled softly and watched Glor make his way up the stairs. She knew it was going to be a long night, if not a long next few days. She heard his door shut and she slipped her gloves back on and picked up her bow.

She jogged to the rune library, and perused the books until she found the one she wanted —"Wrong". With a slight *whoosh* the ether washed over her and she appeared in a large open space before a building that reminded her of the Yew Crypts.

She began jogging, her eyes searching each house to see if it might be his. Hate, a feeling she had never known before now, drove her to new lengths of endurance she had not known.

She jogged along the mountain chain and all the way around it, completing a circuit around the entire chain. She had done a thorough search, zig-zagging her way back and forth, from shore to mountain, her eyes seeing each home. And nothing. She traveled out the many peninsulas, and further off into the woods, all the way down to the Yew-Minoc/Vesper highway.

More than once, she found herself a prisoner of a group of brigands, who took her prisoner, finding she carried no gold on her. Finally, escaping from one group, she knocked her guard unconscious and stole her clothing. Dressing like a brigand made it much easier to traverse the lands.

Her feet became sore, the night grew darker. "..roof lit with Faerie Fire..." Surely she couldn't miss that out here in the near pitch black night. She kept searching. She searched the same areas over and over. The sun began to rise.

She stumbled. She closed her eyes a moment, tempted to fall asleep where she was, until she heard footsteps approaching her, very stealthily. Myra froze, thinking perhaps she had found who she was looking for.

She felt a boot in her ribs; apparently the person thought she had passed out. She heard a rough male voice call to someone. "'ere's a livun." Closing her eyes, she thought it best for who ever this was to think she was unconscious. The man roughly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder... Myra's bow was still lying there on the forest floor.

She was carried into a camp. An all to familiar camp - brigands. Suddenly, *thud* she was dropped on her back on the ground. Letting out a gasp of pain she couldn't keep up the pretense that she was out cold.

"'Ey! Lookie that! She is alive!" a man standing over her grinned a toothy grin, minus just a few teeth.

Slowly Myra sat up, taking in her surroundings. There were four of them. All men. Two had knives, one a staff, and the other a cross bow. The odds were not good, as her bow was lying somewhere in the forest. After a moment, three of them went about other duties leaving her alone with one of the men.

"Not gunna give us no troubles, is ya gurly?"

She shook her head slowly. One of the men, carrying a knife moved over beside her. His breath reeked of bad liquor. He slowly traced the tip of his blade down over her cheek and the side of her neck.

"Purdy, ain't she? And an elf ta boot!" the man said as he flipped off her hat and pushed her hair back.

She jerked her head away from him, so he pulled her hair to keep her in her place.

"What's a purdy gurl like yous doin out here alone? Lookin fer trouble, 'ould be my guess..." He chuckled, a rattling, unattractive sound. He put the knife down on the ground next to her leg and used that hand to turn her face towards him. He pressed his lips against hers roughly, while keeping a tight grip on her hair.

Not knowing what else to do, Myra reached down and grabbed his knife... and shoved it deep into his belly. She felt the warm blood flow over her hand and she pushed him away, holding tight to the knife.

The man fell back with a shocked look on his face, and took in a breath. She was certain he was going to call the other's attention to what had happened, so she quickly lunged forward, shoving the knife into his windpipe. By pure instinct it seemed, she pulled the knife to the side, slitting his throat before pulling the knife away from him.

Not considering what she had done for a moment, she looked around the camp. Each of the other three were spread out on what looked to be guard duty. Myra silently came up behind each of them, slitting their throats and lowering them to the ground.

The last she killed was the bowman. She took his bow, and added his arrows to her own. And suddenly it seemed her senses came back to her. She gasped and looked down at herself. Her hands and clothes were covered in blood. There was even some in her hair and smeared across her face from the feel of it.

She shook her head, looked around the now massacred camp and pulled out her rune book. She didn't want to be here any more. With the power words spoken, she was whisked home. She pushed open the door to her little tower and stumbled into the foyer. She tripped over the edge of the fur there and simply fell asleep where she lay, curled up and bloody on the floor.

by Dolenamo

Crimson eyes regarded her with a mix of amusement and hostility. At first he thought it happy chance that he should stumble upon her, then as he observed her from a distance and saw that she seemed to be seeking a specific home, he realized she was there seeking him. He had thought he had made his intentions clear. If Glorfindle came seeking revenge, his dear love would pay the price. And yet, here she was herself trying to find him.

He was tempted to just slip off again into the dark. She was heading away from his tower not towards it after all. Then he heard the commotion when she was beset upon by a band of brigands. He held his position in the shadows for some time. They seemed to have her subdued.

After a few more minutes he made up his mind. Silently he loosed his mace and crept forward. He would help her out of this predicament and be gone from here quickly. His eyes widened a bit as he saw the heat surrounding the brigand closest to her dim slightly and the body slump over. He stopped, and watched. One by one they fell as she crept up on them and silently, yet viciously slit their throats. The actions would make even the most seasoned drow assassin proud.

He turned and slipped away silently as he heard her utter the words of power to the recall spell. She was not the helpless kitten he had envisioned. She had claws after all. He found the fact that she was seeking him out in his new home disquieting and decided he would have to pay her a visit and leave her a warning.

Over the River and Through the Woods

by Myra Sunveil

Myra had awakened to the sound of a pigeon. It was from Glor, and he wanted to come over. Hurriedly she stuffed her bloody armor and clothing in a bag and into a chest. She cast a small cantrip to clean the blood off her skin, and changed into one of her lighter dresses.

She went up to her roof, to feel the breeze and listen to the sound of the sea. She was so intent on nothingness, she didn't hear the door to her tower open, or the footsteps coming up to the roof. Finally she heard someone step close to her and her eyes snapped open. It was just Glor, she relaxed.

They spoke for a while... he knew where she had been, she couldn't seem to hide anything from him any more. And she remembered the book.

Glor and she traveled to the house where she found the strange book about daemon lords and such. She made a copy and they headed back to her tower. Glor told her some tales of the past and took his leave. She sat there a few moments, then slipped her copy of the strange book in a safe place.

Glor had asked her not to go looking for Dolenamo again... But she couldn't help herself. "South of Wrong, across the river" he had said earlier today. And that was her destination.

She hefted her bow, then realized it was still the brigands bow. She tossed that in her trash barrel and went to the shop. Vivian tried to give her a new bow, but Myra refused and gave Vivian the fair price for it.

Glancing around, she didn't want anyone to see her using the Tel'Ruid library and let Glor know she had gone anyway... So she flipped through her runebook and headed to Dennar's castle. She knew there were runes in the back there.

She traveled to Wrong and ran south. She hit the river and followed it till she hit a bridge and crossed to the bridge's east side. Running through the woods, she didn't think she'd find the small tower.

Suddenly it loomed up before her, shadowed by a tree that grew in front of it. She stopped quickly and retreated a few houses away, after checking the sign... "House Evensky" Yes, this was it...

She moved a few houses away and pulled out a rune. Binding the essence of the spot to a small rune, she flipped to her rune home and quickly departed.

Reaching her house, she felt a bit relieved that Dolenamo had not been around... so far as she knew... She sat down in her chair, musing over the stories Glor had told her and feel asleep.