Chapter 7 - Elven tales and the price of pride.
- There is a legend in the forest tribe. It says that in the depths of the Umbra Forest there is a forbidden zone, it is a strange swamp, covered in toxic gases, where venomous creatures and other monsters unknown to us live. They say that in the middle of the swamp lays a cursed stone coffin, and entering this place means sure death.
- Long ago, one of the elven tribes settled near this place. The proximity was a double-edged sword: on the one hand they were close to this dangerous place, but on the other the danger of that swamp kept many other creatures away, ensuring some safety for the tribe.
- They lived there for four generations, till in the fifth generation appeared in the tribe a boy who all lauded as a genius. Whether it was combat, strategy, knowledge of plants and magic, he was unparallel. His only fault was that he had no bond with Arboreus, and could not learn the way of trees.
- Given his genius, the boy grew up to be arrogant and foolhardy. He took his hunting party to dangerous places without permission, putting his brothers and sisters at unnecessary risk. He didn't like to share credit, was selfish and self-centered. But, even so, in various events, he did saved the tribe from incredible perils.
- Because of that, in his mind, the position of leader of the next generation of the tribe could only be his and no one else's. That would be the only way to survive. But everytime he asked for it, the answer was no, because, from time immemorial, only a priest or a priestess can occupy the leadership of the tribe; the only exception is if there's a lack of one of them.
- So, sick of being denied over and over again, he took to him the responsability of creating the perfect cenario. On one night, this man invaded the temple of the tribe and killed all the young priests there. His actions were filled with madness and driven by arrogance. He believed that if he killed every single priest and priestess, he would become this generation's only option for leadership; and being a genius, the tribe would forgive him as his actions were in the best interests of all, and would make him their leader in order to survive.
- Of course, the tribe did not react as he had expected, seeing the bodies scattered on the ground, the other elves immediately began to boil with desire for revenge, and charged against the assassin.
- Seeing the other elves throw themselves at him, the assassin soon realized that they did not share the same idea as him. They did not see his power and ability, his greatness, and how those priests were standing in the way of the glory only he could bring to the tribe. The assassin's heart swelled with rancor againt his countrymen, and in order to survive, he fled.
- The hunt lasted for days, and as capable as he was, little by little, the assassin was cornered.
- However, even after being surrounded closely, he still did not give up. So, in a fit of madness, he bargede into the forbidden zone, choosing to risk a slow death in the swamp rather than a quick death at the hands of the elves. The tribe stood guard around the perimeter of the forbidden zone for days, and seeing that the assassin did not apper again, they left him for dead, and went back home.
- Months passed and slowly the tribe got over the incident. But then something nefarious began to happen in the tribe. In the night, a cold fog would surrounf the trees, and in the morning after, an elf would be found dead within the tribe. Some died poisoned, others stabbed, others had signs of suicide and madness. The killings continued, until the tribe Elder forsake his pride and asked for help from the priest in a neighboring tribe.
- With the power of the trees, the priest retrivied the memories of and old tree in the tribe, and the elves could finally get a glimpse of the culprit: a humanoid being, with cascading whitish hair, purplish dark skin and dark green eyes with red pupils; besides, what caught the most attention, was the pair of long and pointed ears he had. During the night, this creature would leave the forbidden zone and go to the tribe, where he would then murder an elf and return to the swamp before dawn.
- So, knowing what was happening, the tribe set a trap, and managed, after losing many lives, to capture the creature. What they discovered that day was that that creature was no one else than the murderous elf, who had been hiding for months in the forbidden zone. After this day, to preserve the elves' dignity, the priests excommunicated it, and named that corrpted being Drow.
Hearing the story, three very different expressions could be seen in the young people around the table.
Gih had a frowned brows and a pained expression; all her life she believed that elves were the superior beings in Arkron. They were more elegant, refined, beautiful and thoughtful than all other races she knew of, especially their moral values were infinitely above the rest. But the story the Elder told had just shaken her confidence in the elven folk.
Luh, on the other hand, closed her eyes thoughtfully. He always imagined that village life they led was far from the reality of the world. She always imagined what the world would be like in the other corners of Arkron; how other people would live and interact with each other. Listening to the lady in front of her, she could see that she really was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well, thinking that that little piece of sky she could see from below was the whole world. Without realizing it, a desire to leave the village and travel the world began to well up in her heart.
In turn, Ed had a watchful gaze, with an indecipherable glow. He clearly knew what a drow was, even he knew of various ways an elf card could become one. But while his knowledge of the creatures of Arkron was extensive, clearly the stories and local culture had a different, down-to-earth, twist that caught his eye.
- I imagine that this forbidden zone is the place of rest of a high ranking vampire. The curse of this particular type of undead can affect where he is resting, even if he is sealed, as long as he powerful enough. This curse affects the lives around it in different ways. Weak humans exposed to this curse will become mindless degenerates and will attack everything and everyone that comes their way. Elves, on the other hand, due to their raw life force and the pure magic that runs through their body, end up deteriorating into a different life form rather than simply withering away, so they become a Drow. - Said Ed, pulling the elves out of their trance. - Drows are beings that live only for violence and death, their magic becomes corrupted by a potent curse, and even their blood becomes poisonous. They also develop some vampiric traits such as sensitivity to sunlight, and a thirst for blood, (not that they need blood to live, but drinking it gives them extreme pleasure, just like drinking fine wines, or using intoxicants). - After gathering the knowledge of several cards that have passed through his hands, Ed commented, exposing what he already knew about Drows,
- If what Ed says is true, then Drows are not elves, but something all togheter! Therefore, I do not believe that they can be considered in the same breath as us! - exclaimed Gih, still trying to cling to any possibility of keeping the dignity of the elves intact in her heart.
- Well, that's one way of seeing it; but I think you're being too fussy with the details, Gih . - Interjected the old woman - Don't ignore the facts in order to satisfy the your ego, child. Drow's history shows us that elves are not perfect, and we also have a dark side; elves can also be selfish and arrogant. And only when we are aware of these flaws and vices we can guard against them.
The old woman's voice resounded in the room. For Luh and Ed, those were words brimming with wisdom. But to Gih every word sounded like a hammer, shattering her most precious pillars of faith.
As a child she grew up hearing other people say that the wood elves were cowards, that they fled the forest and abandoned their kin. But in the village, she learned that it wasn't true. They are a spark that keep the elves' flame burning in case something should ever happen in the forest.
Balancing the image of the elves in the minds of other races and the reality she learned from the Elder during fer youth was only possible for her, who was born to be a warrior, after putting all her faith in the ideals she was taught since childhood.
Even so, this afternoon she'd heard, from the Elder herself, how they're not perfect; how their hearts aren't unbreakable. How her people can also be corrupted and degenerate. At last, in the face of all these truths, she cried.
For some time, the room was filled by the sound of sobbing and crying.
Seeing how the young elf was still shaken, Ed cleared his throat slightly. And said, in a gentle tone. - Gih, every living being has flaws; and besides that, we can't take responsibility for others, be it strangers, friends, or kin, since each person has a diferent heart. What you CAN do is ensure that your actions reflect the kind of elf you want to be, and what you hope others will see. If the drow's image makes you sick, then work hard and do what you can to ensure your reputation exceeds his. Become the example the world will use when they think about an elf.
- I couldn't put it better, Ed! - Luh added.
- Look at me; despite being human, I do my part to make a good impression, don't I? After all, the men of the earth depend on me! - Ed joked, breaking the heavy atmosphere of the room.
In a short time several sounds were heard around the table. Luh snorting at the shamelessness of the man who cried countless times after coming to this world. The Elder sighing at the sight of the young people in the room. And finally the light laugh Gih gave, although no one knew if she was laughing at herself, for having shown her shameful side, or at the boy who was not ashamed at all.
....
After lunch, the Elder retired to her quarters to rest, while the youngsters walked around the village. Looking for places they could be of help.
Gih went to the gate to check that the moat was ready and filled. Luh climbed the wall to check the torches, as well as the reserves of arrows available to the archers.
Ed accompanied the girls on their duties, and along the way he was introduced to several other villagers and was able to exchange ideas about the situation around him.
As the Elder had told him, there were 200 people living in Fog Valley. According to the defense strategy that Ed had set up, these people would be divided according to their fighting ability. 20 of them were children and would be housed in the Elder's house; 30 were elderly and would be scattered between the Elder's house, the armory and the wall, serving as messengers and porters; the rest, adults, would serve as a fighting force.
The distribution of these combatants, the vast majority were archers, and theu would be at the top of the wall; besides them, there was a good number of spearmen and swordsmen, and they would be posted near the wall to reinforce and kill possible invaders; lastly, the smallest number, were the elves with the ability to use magic, some of them would be casting the magic Sunlight at the monsters, while the rest would be casting healing e boosting magic at the warriors.
Luh and Gih were the most excellent of them. Luh was a magic archer, with the ability to use bows and arrows in a set with spells, most of which are geared towards improving her combat prowess; while Gih was an arcane swordswoman, she was able to manipulate spells during battle to gain the upper hand in various ways while bandishing her sword.