"Greetings Vhal, it was good of you to come so quickly. We are waiting on Gorfor's presence but shall be proceeding without Shaylen as I have been informed by King Welf that he has already started his journey to Ireland ahead of my calling of this meeting."
Nevyn leant over a table and picked up a goblet and a plate with bread on. He offered them to the Paladin with a dutiful nod and the words "the bread is fresh and warm and the wine not so strong that you'll regret it! I have cheese and water if you would like some or prefer that to wine."
Sitting back down, and waving to the other chair so that Vhal might know he's welcome to sit down should he wish, Nevyn then said this.
"My sources have informed me that The Pale, a region in the East of Ireland, along the coast has become unsettled and that people there are jittery and upset over something. The very nature of the area means they are secluded from the rest of the Isle by their own purpose built fortification ditch and Stake palisade. They are wary of letting others in or out and wish to remain their own peoples. So whatever has caused this disquiet must either be internal, or something they have willingly let in without knowledge of the future causes, or possibly something alien that has pressed itself on to them. We need to find out what. Do you have any suggestions?"
Vhal sat down, hearing the jewellery upon his person jingle and echo the sounds of mighty mithril silver, feeling the inprint of his Circlet of the Ljósálfar upon his brow, he gazed and watched Nevyn Speak before thinking his words over.
Vhal sat quietly for what felt like an age, but it was more rather not having much to respond with, he didn't wish to offend Nevyn, but he was unsure of what else to say. After a minutes pause of silence, looking like Vhal was on the cusp of speaking, he finally let his tongue speak.
"Without meaning to cause offence dear Nevyn, but I am not customed to all the ways of Humans, I'm here to guide them, dealing with such narrow peoples in the back waters of lands is utterly beyond me, or perhaps beneath me, or perhaps both. I know these are your people, the Kaldron, but essentially you are talking to someone here who has very little knowledge in this area. I'd love if not adore to say I could help you with centuries of wisdom, but I'm afraid i'm feeling a little in the dark.."
Vhal paused, almost squinting his eyes, thinking over what he could perhaps do to give some insight.
"It might be prudent if I meditate on these matters, and perhaps see If I can retranslocate my mind to the dream world, or at the very least watch the threads of fate, the ever song of the universe, and see if I can see too what the three spinners of fate can see.. That would be what has been, what has yet to be, and what could be.
This might offer some sort of insight, some form of vision.
Alternatively also, are you aware of anything more, this is all very vague."
Nevyn looked surprised. He managed to keep in check the look of disdain however, and instead in a rather uncharacteristic diplomatic way said, "Did I hear you correctly state that it might be 'beyond you or beneath you'?" Without waiting for a reply he carried on with, "You, good Sir, are a Paladin and an Elf to boot. I don't presume to tell you your place but is it not so that Paladins are commanded with helping whoever needs help? Be they a beggar on the roadside to the King with a bad case of gout? Please Vhal, no more talk of this being outside of your abilities. Learn and grow wise from this trip and may Tasmina help us with finding knowledge on this subject. And maybe aid us in getting to The Pale once Gorfor shows himself. She might not be my most favourite Lady at the moment, and I doubt I'm her favourite Spirit Warrior, but I still owe her due."
"As to the matter of this being all very vague, well, yes it is. I admit that. But I have no magic to help me with this apart from calling upon March Hare or maybe thinking of using my Mystic, and very unreliable and has-its-own-agenda, Chalkboard. Which, quite simply, I am loathe to do for reasons that were made very obvious at our recent gathering in foreign lands. So if you have means and ways to come up with possibilities I ask you start them. And we shall wait patiently for Gorfor to arrive, and then shall ready ourselves to leave for Ireland. Though I'm not sure how to even get there at this time!"
"Well.. As we wait, this will be a good time to understand you nevyn Swiftarrow. Time is one of those things in which the Calaquendi is blessed with having."
Vhal paused and spoke again.
"As to my nature, worry not, I am here, as to being an Elf, thats a matter of debate, as Wood elves aren't necessarily good and caring, High Elves are most often Lawfull, but not always 'Good' or are good to an extent, and then of course we have our darker cousins, the foul spawn which split from there true heritage towards all that is good and precious."
Vhal looked very strongly into Nevyns eyes.
"As to the Ljósálfar, the Calaquendi of light, or essentially a different type of High Elves, we are usually good, if not the embodiment of all that is good, but like our High Elven brethren, we too suffer the disdain of not appreciating those who care not for etiquette and honour of words.
None the less, you have a very compitent Wood elf, and a Very compitent High Elf involved in this task. The land in which we travel to is truely blessed, well beyond what I expect it to be.
As to your 'chalk board' I've never heard of it, but I did see one at the last Kingdom Gathering.
I'll consider my next move wisely, but I could perhaps gain some knowledge.
Is there anything else you may know of? This all seems very in the dark."
im am am very sorry that the message came late but i would love to join you in this quest
i will get there as soon as posible
Nevyn read the message he had just been handed by one of his runners and smiled.
Looking up at Vhal and smiling again, he says "We shall not have much longer to wait now my Elven friend. Gorafor will be with us soon. I believe he is just gathering together some items he needs for this endeavour!"
gorafor walkes into the tent
im sorry im late the jerny
was long
gorafor take a breath
Nevyn looks up, grins, and says "And there he is now! Greetings Gorafor. I received your message not long ago, it is good to see you. I believe you know Vhal?"
Nevyn offers a chair to Gorafor to sit on and the food and drink too.
"Now, to bring you up to speed - the King has ordered us to Ireland. Shaylen is already on his way. We are to go to an area called The Pale, which is a area surrounded by a ditch and moat to keep people in, and outsiders out. Apparently the place is restless and we need to find out why. There is also the small matter of Carla of course. Do you have any information to share or should we set off fairly soon?"
Vhals Mind closed off for a brief moment as he spoke to Shaylen, his eyes scanned left and right.
During the short space of time of which had passed, something odd did occour, both Shaylen and Vhal had experianced something quite strange, they were where they were 'supposed' to be, yet not.
With his mind comming back into reality he looked back to Nevyn and Gorafor.
"My apologies..
Right, we will be meeting with Shaylen and journeying together it appears, in all likelyhood, we have both spoken about these matters before this time had even occoured. I wish I could explain this further but I'll just say Magic was involved."
Massaging his scalp slightly, Vhal spoke again.
"I have a solution to something important. We should make haste to The Pale... We should make haste to this entity known as Carla."
"Hmm, Interesting. Most interesting. Well, yes, let us head off. I am ready and packed and I see that Gorafor is ready too. The tent will be looked after by the other Mercs of course."
With that the three of them gathered their belongings and set off to their transport and from there to their destination.
Shaylen had doubled back on himself several times over the last few days, retracing his steps from before his memory loss, places seemed to have moved and others sprout up over night he thinks to himself.
He watches as the three leave their camp and mount their horses to begin their journey, Shaylen follows from the trees for several miles keeping his eyes peeled and occasionally speaking with the plants, trees and wildlife of albion, checking for any disturbances or "uninvited guests" in the area before approaching the group
"General Nevyn, i fear for your tongue sometimes..." he laughs "perhaps before discussing your actions you'll remember to ward your tent from being scryed, or perhaps, also useful, a silence spell so that one with such good hearing as myself cannot hear from quite some distance away" he raises an amused eyebrow towards the kaldron archer
"Gorafor, it is good to see you again my apprentice" Shaylen nods at the young vaagan
"And who could forget you my newest friend and fellow Elhadrin, it was quite a journey we just shared was it not?...i assume you still hold the gift?"
"now all of you i am assuming you know of our journey and the route we will take? myself and Vhal discussed this whilst we journeyed together earlier this day, if not please trust me and do not veer from the paths i lead you down"
let us recommence our journey"
With that Shaylen abruptly headed straight through Nevyn, Gorafor and Vhals group and headed back in the direction from which they came...
With surprise Nevyn steps aside as Shaylen walks through the group, but he smiles and said "Well we were in the middle of quite a large Mercenary group... also I do not possess magics like this so I am unable to do such wards unfortunately. Maybe on our travels you would be so good as to teach me the ward? Oh, and for pities sake, drop the general crap! I neither wanted it or like it but am, for now, stuck with it. hmph."
After a short pause he adds, "It is really good to see you back with us Shaylen."
And then he follows as Shaylen strides off. Back towards camp.
Both Shaylen and Vhal's mind echo'd the same sentiments, it was obvious, they were of the Eladrin, and irrelevant of different strands of blood, the pointed ears was still essentially the same, the same heart beated in both Elves chests.
Speaking almost as if at the same time, at the same breath, both said..
"Okay General"