C.A.R.P.S.

[X-GM Fesko]

Twilight slumps in Solari’s arms as a ball of mystical light rises from him and shoots across the Glade into the Oak.

The Oak shifts, large amber eyes opening amid the foliage. A booming voice thunders across the Glade.

“SELFISH LITTLE SPARKS, YOU NOW STAND DISARMED! NO MORE LAND WILL TURN UNTO ASH BY YOUR DESTRUCTIVE HANDS! YET I SENSE CURIOUS THINGS AMONGST YOUR NUMBER. HOW DID SUCH FOES COME TO POSSESS BOONS OF NATURE AND LIFE?”

[Rianna Lindsay]

* to the oak in a controlled voice*

By what knowledge to you say we turn the land to ash? Two of us here live with the land, not agaist it and do all we can to protect it. The others are of the same when it comes to life and land. We have done you no harm. Yet you remove our abilities to help and protect. We were merely here to help others not do damage to living beings of any kind.

*stops and looks slightly pink in the face*

[Solari Son of the Mother]

*Solari takes a few steps back instinctively but never loosens his grip on Twilight*

You assume all that approach to be foes? Why? Your probing of our magics and abilities should have atleast gave you pause when you sensed me and the other wood elf here. If we came as foes would we not have spells readied to ensure your destruction as opposed to a spell that protects me from undue harm, a spell to make cyclebreakers complete the cycle, and a spell to leave in case I found myself overmatched in this endeavor.

*With a long glance at Sylas*
I can undersrtand that you may have felt attacked by the invasion of sensin. Personally I avoid it whenever possible, it feels like someone is invading me whenever it is done to me, but I can assure you that he meant no harm by it. As Aurora, the wood elf that you sense has boons of nature and life, has stated atleast a couple of us try to protect all life. *Glances quickly at Sylas* I will not try and decieve you to make you believe that we all have the same philosphy, but we all here seek to advance nature and life in our own ways. Some just have not come to the realization that you must use water to douse a fire and the best that you can hope to achieve is to control fire with fire for a limited time.

I humbly ask your forgiveness for our trespassing amongst your glade and for our inconsiderate treatment of you in sensing you. And I ask that I be allowed to come and talk with you on the matters of nature, life and their protection.

[X-GM Fesko]

“IT MATTERS NOT WHO YOU ARE, LITTLE SPARK. ELF, DWARF, GA’VIN, GNOME, AVIANA, GUTHRIE, HUMAN, ORK – YOU ALL FIGHT YOUR PETTY WARS, PAYING NO MIND TO WHERE OR HOW. IN SO DOING YOU ALWAYS DESTROY SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST YOUR CHOSEN ENEMY OF THE DAY.”

The Oak turns its branches skyward and bellows into the air.

“YOU EVEN DESTROYED THE FOREST-BY-THE-OCEAN, AND ME WITHIN IT!”

Slowly the branches again lower.

“BUT BY SOME UNKNOWN GRACE ARE WE RESTORED, THOUGH NOT FULLY. NOT EVEN CLOSE. MUCH OF THIS LAND REMAINS UNPOPULATED BY TREES. WHAT BETTER JUSTICE, THEN, BUT TO EMPLOY THE DESTROYERS OF THE WOODS TO REPOPULATE AND PROTECT IT? AND YOU ARE ALL FOES OF THE FOREST!”

“BUT TELL ME, LITTLE FOES, HOW YOU CAME TO POSSESS OUR BOONS? ONLY SUCH AS A TREANT MAY OFFER THEM, BUT NONE WOULD EVER HOLD COUNCIL WITH A FOE!”

[Solari Son of the Mother]

Listen to your own words, to your knowledge have the elves of the forest or the fae of the green ever participated in any of those wars? Other than the war against that which is the opposite of nature and life, that which is undeath and death, that which feeds on the essence that those like me seek to protect at all costs. Your anger is overwhelming your logic. Believe me I was once filled with the same type of rage that you now posess over the slaughtering of many where I lived, I believed that whatever by whatever means that people and nature needed to be protected from necromancy. But as I watched the battle rage around me where the undead I followed to the area was slain I realized that if I let that anger fester it would eventually drive me to bring deadly force against a living being, something I am more than proud to say I overcame and have never in my 135 years intentionally caused any living thing no matter how smal to leave the cycle to kill it as you say. Anger and hatred are the enemy of our kind, you should know that as well if not better than me, those are the fuel for many wicked deeds. Love and understanding will never fuel a wicked deed.

You say the boons some have cannot be given any other way, how do you explain them then? How do you explain the presence of somewhat sentient essence working with Aurora here? You say that none would hold council with a foe, yet some have been given those boons, you say we are foes, yet we made no move to harm you even as you stole our magical ability from us, you say we are guilty of not caring about the cycle and essence, then dispatch us all, you have the obvious upper hand and none of us here will even lift a hand to defend ourselves against you. You have made the mistake of assuming that all of our kinds of people are the same, we certainly are not. We have our own thoughts and minds and see the world differently. Just as I don't judge every talking tree by the few necromantic ones that I destroyed because they sought to leech the life from this place you should not judge an entire race on the actions of the few or even the many for that matter but on an individual basis.

[X-GM Fesko]

“MANY ELVES WERE ON THE FORFRONT OF THE WAR THAT REDUCED THIS LAND TO DUST. THEY ARE AS GUILTY AS ANY OF THE FLEETING RACES. BUT THE GREEN FAE ARE AS TRUSTWORTHY AS ANY TREE, AND I FEEL I MUST APPOLOGIZE FOR MY CAUTION AGAINST YOU. YOUR STRENGTH WILL SOON RETURN. BUT SO MUCH THAT I HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED, AND THAT YOU AND THE DREAMING FAE HAVE CONVAYED, IS VERY CONFUSING. I MUST DELIBERATE ON THE NATURE OF THE WORLD AND THESE CONFLICTS YOU DESCRIBE BEFORE A DECISION CAN BE REACHED ON THE NATURE OF THE TRUE FOE. PERHAPS A FEW DECADES WILL SUFFICE…”

[X-GM Fesko]

Twilight awakens.

[Solari Son of the Mother]

*Solari holds Twilight until she seems to stand on her own then lets her go*
May I ask a few questions of you? You said you were destroyed in a war next to an ocean, when did this happen and where? You say you do not know how you have returned, do you know how long it has been since your return? It seems that you were here before the waste, the barren areas you sense, was the waste an ocean at one time? Is the war you speak of the one that created this wasteland? Were there others of your kind here before? *Glances at Aurora* Can you sense any others of your kind near? Mayhaps Ulrich's sacrifice is what has awoken you, his essence is what has created this lush land we are in now.

[Faerykin]

*Autumn steps back from Solari and speaks to him*

You do realize the more questions you ask the longer it will take him to answer - 'tis in their nature to think on things for quite a long time.

[X-GM Fesko]

“WHOA, THERE, LITTLE ONE. DON’T BE SO HASTY. YES, AN OCEAN WAS HERE ONCE, A LITTLE WAYS TO THE WEST, BEFORE THE WARS OF THE FLEETING RACES REDUCED ALL TO DUST. I DIED, THEN, AS DID EVERYTHING I KNEW. I KNOW NOT HOW I HAVE RETURNED, NOR WHAT TIME HAS PASSED, BUT NOW I TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT SUCH DESTRUTION FROM AGAIN BEING WROUGHT, AND CANNOT FORGIVE THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.”

[Faerykin]

*Twilight appears perplexed*

I am uncertain if it was the first breaking or the second breaking that turned the sea to dust. I do suspect that Ulric's Gift is what has brought them back - and I do hope that we are able to keep the wars from raging here once again.

*she frowns as she looks to the Great Oak*

And I do hope that we are able to protect you from the destruction of our kin.

[Solari Son of the Mother]

I apologize for my zealousness, there are quite a few things that I am trying to work out and trying to accomplish to aid in the retaking of part of my heritages homeland from the darkness of undeath and the possibility that there may have been some information that may help overwhelmed me. We have lost many good people in the fight and some of the somewhat recent events have made those losses much greater than it ever needed to be and anything I can do to end it quicker that does not compromise my values I will do. I ask if we may have leave to come and visit you in the future. I will also make sure to include this area as a must include in my patrols of the forest.

[X-GM Fesko]

“MORE WARS! WHY DO YOU SPARKS FIND PEACE SO DIFFICULT AND HARMONY SO DETESTABLE? AND YOU, LITTLE FAE, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!”

[Faerykin]

*Autumn frowns deeply*

I must pay a visit to the other side of the mountains - and until my power returns, it shall be a long journey.

*she bows to the Great Oak*

Fare-thee-well

*she then turns and begins walking back toward Legacy*

[Solari Son of the Mother]

*Solari suddenly looks very sad and forlorned*
Believe me, I wish it were that easy. But cyclebreakers and their ilk of undeath do not rest. I yearn for the days when whether or not the wolves would come to play with me today was the most of my worries. I don't know if Magic was different when you first graced Phatara, but necromancy and essence oppose each other now, essence is the magic of life and necromancy of death and undeath. Those existing outside of the cycle need to return to it, it is the way of nature, it is the way of essence. Even though I may never truly walk the path of essence I will do all that I can to foster it's growth and spread it's teachings as I have come to understand them. That unfortunately includes destruction of that outside of the cycle, that which would steal the life from all it comes in contact with on Phantara, I CANNOT allow that to happen. Perhaps once you have had time to deliberate on what has changed and the stance most of your kin have taken, you will see and understand my plight. I will return in time.
*Turns and follows Twilight*