~
Soon we were safely in open water and well out of range of any cannons or any other range weapons that could be brought to bear upon us from Port Town. As I stood on deck I could see other sails behind us, it was obvious that the other merchant vessels in Port Town had quickly grasped the opportunity to escape along with us, the thought made me smile, especially my imagined thought of the look on the Harbour Masters face. There was a favourable wind blowing and the sea was whipping us along at a rate of knots. The crew and everyone else on board were now relaxed and went about their duties as they would do normally, the crew obviously enjoyed the freedom that the open sea offered. We filed back into the captain’s cabin and Captain Greol broke out a bottle which he offered all round. I tried to decline gracefully but our good captain winked at me and said, “come m’lady celebrate, we have escaped the gnomes without damage to our ship or loss of any of our company and are set full o’ sail to Dahl’Ambronis, you must all have a drink to our good fortunes.”
At this he raised his glass in salute and called out, “to my friends, I thank ye for your aid,” he took a sip and then said, “for a brisk wind and a good sail, may we be born safe and sound on this journey.”
At this he took up his glass again and in one gulp emptied its contents down his throat. The rest of us followed suit. I felt the fiery liquid go down and coughed a few times. The captain then turned and proposed another toast to Tnie and Łĩnwéé who were only too happy to receive all the attention.
The captain then asked, “so master gnome, how did you manage to stop the cannons from firing at us?”
Tnie smiled and reaching into his jerkin pocket pulled out two metal rods that looked like two large nails. “These,” he said, “are the firing pins for the cannon, without them the cannons cannot be used.”
A laugh went up from the assembled company followed by a loud cheer and much clapping of hands on the backs of both Tnie and Łĩnwéé. Everyone laughed out loud. I heard a loud clatter and laughed even harder, for Łĩnwéé had released the straps of his Pnook uniform and had let it all clatter onto the deck. He now stood there in his undergarments. He just closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, then he took in several long deep breaths of air and his broad chest seemed to expand back to its normal size. We all cheered again and another round of drinks was poured.
We settled down to our sea journey at last, and over the days that followed we managed to chat to our captain on occasion. He seemed to suggest that his main income was gained from shipping merchants wares, and that he was often asked by the gnomes as he referred to them, to ship all kinds of things to the far reaches of the globe and return finished items, even gnomes seeking passage homeward, or indeed in the other direction. In fact he thought so highly of the gnomes that I would have assumed he was one if he wasn’t so tall. However, he took pains to say that the gnomes of port town were not included in those lists of likes as they were corrupt and not the ‘king’s gnomes’ as he put it. He then thought for a moment and sighed, saying, “but I guess that Port Town is closed to me know, at least for the foreseeable future, I will have to find another trade route at least until sanity returns to Scienocropolis.”
Of course both Tnie and Łĩnwéé took an immediate liking to our captain and to his first mate Master Føurnâl from the start and could be found conversing with them regularly during the voyage. Teouso and Jon seemed to strike up a friendship during the voyage also and I allowed them their time. They could often be found on the forward deck where the sea breeze was constant, leaning on the gunwale gazing out to sea. I’m not sure how much communicating they actually did but I had no doubt they enjoyed each other’s presence on what was after all quite a boring journey with very limited diversions.
It felt good to be in the open again, the fresh sea air gently caressed our faces, it wasn’t the forests and woodlands of my home, but it also wasn’t those contrived nameless streets of the Pnook city either. To my and Serinae’s great delight Captain Greol offered the use of his personal quarters. He referred to us as his ‘two fine ladies’ and we used his sumptuous cabin in which to sleep and during the day time hours when he was not needing them. So we spent many hours chatting together in the privacy of the Captains rooms. In the days that followed I learnt more about Serinae’s past.
One day as we chatted in the cabin I remarked on how she may have come by such rare and special items of gear and asked her from where the various items originated.
“There was a time Mini when Eny’Nin’Rel would send his spirits upon the world in great numbers, they were there for us whenever we needed them. In times of battle, in times of great need, but also in times of great joy. The spirits would come whenever we asked and prayed, for the spirits of Eny’Nin’Rel dwelled among us teaching and caring for his people. He would rejoice with us in the birth of a child, he would send his spirits to celebrate the passing of the seasons and in all our merriment. When Eny’Nin’Rel’s trumpet call finally came, his spirits were there to guide those who had passed on, escort them home to Elit G’fedrel. The spirits would teach us in their own way, how we should live this life, how we should treat each other, how love and forgiveness and selflessness were the true way to live. How hatred, mistrust, greed and all those negative feelings destroyed the soul of the barer and they would fall into darkness and be lost to Eny’Nin’Rel forever unless through love, against which even the worst of evil fails, they came once more into the light. For all who truly repent can be truly forgiven.”
I was quite surprised at Serinae’s beliefs. I knew she had a faith in the old religions, but until now I hadn’t thought just how deep that faith went.
She sat in deep thought before sighing and carrying on. “But as time passed all the races grew selfish and thought to master their own futures. We, began all of us to rely more on our own selfish thoughts and less on the guidance of the true spirit. We became arrogant to the point where we each felt we were superior to the others. We forgot that Eny’Nin’Rel, the Father of All, created each of us equal. Our arrogance led even to war amongst the races. War forced many changes Mini, our smiths and artisans turned more and more attention and time to designing and making articles and gear of battle, rather than items to be used in peace. Then picking up her bow from where it lay against the ship’s hull by her side she lovingly run her hands across its smooth surface.
She paused before continuing. “This bow belonged to my mother. It is my prized possession, made many thousands of years past by our people Minervar, it has seen much service within my ancestral family even before it came into my mother’s possession. The wood from which it is made belongs to a tree called a S’Apli’Baum, in the common tongue that is Great Arm, for such trees were enormous and their spirits had such strength. But alas they are now so rare in the world even I in all my travels have never seen one. Perhaps all those spirits have forsaken the earth.”
I looked closely at the bow, “it is indeed a work of intricate art.”
“I don’t know if you noticed how the tree spirits revere its presence Minervar?”
I didn’t know what she meant for a while, but then thinking back I remembered feeling a welcoming feeling amongst the trees, but did not tie this directly to the bow in Serinae's hands, it must be very special in deed.
My eyes fell to the quiver lying in the corner under her cloak and seeing them rest there she laid her cloak aside and told me a tale of when she was a ranger in the final years of training. She was set a task by the Guild elders as are all rangers. These tasks are like a final proving, a final task to test the intern, to make sure they had learned their lessons well and could apply such knowledge when faced with great trial. She was tasked to gather various items from the wilds as a test of knowledge and resourcefulness. Those chosen for the tasks could expect much hardship and toil, they would be tested to breaking point. Well after many years of travelling the world only two of her number returned successful. One was herself of course, and one other, a
brother ranger, at this point she remained deep in thought and I notice a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“Are you alright Seri?” I asked.
She flinched and looked at me her features resuming the expression I have become used to.
“Yes Mini, it is no matter.”
So she told how the items they collected were in fact the components for these unique quivers, this one was awarded to her on her completion of the Guild training in Ter’Resell. She remarked how proud she stood that day, and wept that neither of her parents could be there to see her triumphant. I asked what manner of creature provided the feathers, claws and other components, at this Seri told me of an island within the Sea of Beadreas, an expanse of water around the other side of the world to Dahl’Ambronis. There lived upon this island a particular large bird-like creature, some say these creatures were related to the dragons of old, a lesser manifestation of the breed, some say that they were mistaken for dragons and that is where the legends originated, but the beast is formidable all the same.
She described the adults as standing around three metres high, their feathers red and black, looking like flames leaping across a night sky, perhaps this is where the link to dragons came from. Each with wings that were very short, for the creature was flightless, each wing had a clawed hand at each end which the creature used when fighting or hunting, both to great effect. The head had two bright intelligent eyes that could see great detail over great distances making the creatures very difficult to stalk. Each had a cruel curved beak that could tear through a man’s armour. Standing on two muscular and powerful legs, it seems the creature could also run at great speed. Each of its two feet were armed with three toes each carrying a curved sickle like claw which it used to great adept in dispatching its prey, for the creatures were omnivores yet preferred meat if they could get it. One of the amusing things about the claw on the largest toe was its ability to hinge right back against the top of the creature's foot; it could then be flicked downward at great speed like a hatchet. The creatures had a habit of standing still and tapping their claws in this fashion on the hard earth or on rocky places like an impatient mother. This habit is from where the creatures got their name of Itahl’Q’Thjilee or ‘hammerer of the rock’ in the common speech.
I asked how she managed to get the items from such a fearsome creature; all she would say was, “with great difficulty and with carefully planned cunning teamwork and a fair few bloody wounds, but I got away lightly compared to some.” Curiously her hand seemed to go up to the back of her shoulder she rubbed at the area deep in thought.
Next she offered information about the twin swords she carried.
“These Minervar are also ancient, the workmanship is unique. They are Runic Leaf Blades, T’Ieas’Shar’Bernoct’Lothnien in our own tongue, you should be proud that our race had the skills to fashion such things once upon a time, or even still has, although I have not come across many swords such as these let alone any smith with the knowledge and skill to fashion such weapons. They were given to me by Solin many years ago now, how she came by them I do not know, she would not say, but I know they came with her from Ter’Hadsnefel. The blades of each are woven with arcane links to the vambraces I wear, the design being that the blades when held in the hands becomes seemingly as light as a feather to the wielder, yet still retain the weight to inflict the damage of a much larger two handed blade. There is no direct translation into the common tongue. Complex arcane connections are created whilst the weapons are forged, connections between the swords and the vambraces are termed D’Lothnien’T’Hepri’Doune’Thy, perhaps a rough translation is ‘blade brother with guiding master’, but it doesn’t translate well. It is a difficult arcane phenomenon to understand even more difficult in its creation, but the resulting effect means these swords can be swung fast for long periods without the wielder tiring and they can cut through the strongest of armour both plate and chain. Some say they were designed to battle dragons as they are one of the few weapons able to slice through the thick scally hide of such beasts.”
I wondered at such skill and knowledge, but also was saddened that much knowledge has been lost to us over the centuries.
Finally, I asked about the last remaining item, the chain mail she wore with such effect. This it seemed was her one financial indulgence, a personal treat. After completing her training she was instructed by the Guild of Rangers in Ter’Resell to administer to the needs of the Grûndén King that had his domain of Gwéldølĩn beyond the Tolle’Ambrunista, the mountain range to the north of the T’Iea lands. She remarked that she had already mentioned this to me on the flight from Amentura across the Trad Ocean, I said that I remembered. She said that the Grûndén king had placed a request for a tracker and ranger to reconnoitre, and sometimes hunt down and despatch any Ognod brigands that entered into the Grûndén lands in the north. It seemed that not all the Ognods returned to the far north, following the Ognod war, some remained just over the border and sometimes harassed the Grûndén. During the time she was under his command she amassed a fortune in gold, which of course was mined by the Grûndén and had an enchantment placed upon it which meant that if it left the city of the dwarves it would disintegrate into no more than common rock. The Grûndén were very clever about their gold and smelt it in such a way that anyone bent on stealing it would not benefit by taking it outside of the city, a very effective way of dealing with crime!
So when her time was up she decided to spend all the gold she had on the fashioning of the best chain armour that gold could buy and she commissioned the best Grûndén smith in that city to make her a garb. The Grûndén guard the secret of the smelting of the alloy from which the rings are made, it is very light yet extremely resilient, an amazing material that is able to withstand the piercing of arrows and the blows of heavy weapons. Although the wearer could still suffer severe bruising and even broken bones, he or she could be confident that flesh and organs would not be pierced or damaged fatally. So she had paid a fortune for the metal alloy as it was so rare these days and another fortune for the making of the chain mail.
I wanted to ask a question so I said, “Seri when we had that chat, the one on board the flying ship and you first told me of your working with the Grûndén, you said you were not alone, that two rangers including yourself went to stay with the Grûndén. Well I was wondering who the other ranger was?”
She smiled a broad smile and replied. “Ha Mini you don’t miss a trick do you? The other actually was the same one that had been successful with me on the final test before we passed out of the guild training. The same who had aided in our successfully hunting of the Itahl’Q’Thjilee in the Sea of Beadreas.”
“Ah I see, but the day you rescued Solin you were alone I take it, for she did not mention the presence of another?”
“You’re right Mini. I was alone that day. In truth I had been alone all that trip for the other ranger ….. he …….. well he had to go elsewhere for reasons of his own.”
I was intrigued with all this talk of our past it made me wonder about home, it seemed such a long time since I was there, I wondered how long ago it had been since she had lived in the elven forests of Gel’Te’Ertenya I was starting to feel more than a little homesick in fact, and I think this matched the melancholy mood that Serinae also found herself to be in.
To break the mood I decided to ask another question.
“Serinae, can I ask you something personal?” She nodded in reply.
“You seem so alone sometimes, travelling alone has made you a little distant perhaps, I’m sorry but since our friendship has blossomed I feel I need to know more about you, although we have travelled many miles together I still feel that I don’t know you as well as I should.”
She smiled and nodded, she seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps it was the freedom we now enjoyed and the relaxed atmosphere aboard the ocean Belle. But for whatever reason she opened up to me for perhaps the first time since I had known her. This is wha
t she told me:
Her full name was Serinae P’Arcerial Timbur, an only child of Nathernal and P’Arcerial Timbur. Her ancestry could be traced back to the family De’Timbarial resident in the High Elven City of Ter’Hadsnefel before the Sedral’coronis’et’na’tyuosd, in the common tongue the ‘Ognod Wars’ that divided the races. Her ancestors originally fled following the fall of Ter’Hadsnefel under the Ognod war hammer.
The Timburs followed their T’Iea brethren into solitude in the Gel’Te’Ertenya the greater woods, helping to establish the city of Ter’Fin’Ealle. Here it seemed she was born and she hoped the town still stood sentinel and prospered in the greater woods to this day for she had not ventured that way in a long time. I remembered her knowledge and description of the town as we flew over the marshes south of Amentura.
Serinae’s mother, an accomplished ranger was killed by Ognods in battle following the great burning and sacking of Gel’Te’Ertenya. Serinae it seems was barely twenty-five years old when this sad event occurred. Her father Nathernal rode as an archer with the old T’Iea Kings and the Legions of the Wind at Ge’None’Ter’Etenii in their rout of the invading Ognod hoards. From history books I remembered that Ge’None’Ter’Etenii was famous as one of the great battles during the war and one where the T’Iea and their Grûndén allies were victorious. When her father arrived back in Ter’Fin’Ealle and was reunited with his daughter the sad tale of Serinae’s mother was at last revealed to him and he was sorely grieved at their loss.
There followed a period of recovery and a long peace in the family while Serinae grew into maidenhood and reaching R’Golea’Foed, the T’Iea coming of age, started to learn the ways of the woodlands as per her late mother’s request. During this time, she lived in increasing happiness and security. But as is common with all the long lived elder races this was not to last.
Once the race of human barbarian tribes from the east started to migrate west crossing the Great Spine, the Tolle’Fornosse’Veetri, and upon establishing their outposts in the western lands. Serinae’s father Nathernal decided to make his way to the mountain frontier townships to make his fortune teaching archery and selling his art of fletching. His daughter pleaded to accompany him unable to bare another parting within her family, but Nathernal did not trust such a young T’Iea maiden to be subjected to, in his eyes, the treacherous ways of men and the mixed races. Instead he made arrangements and sent Serinae to be placed under the strict care of the Ranger Guild in Ter’Resell to further her learning in the craft and arts of those halls. Her she paused; she was obviously recounting some memory of her own. I wanted to interrupt her, ask her to continue for I was interested in the Ranger Guilds and their ways. But she had such an expression on her face I thought the memory was a painful one, so I did not say anything. She carried on speaking after a while. Serinae was never to see her father again for he was reported killed by human raiders attacking Penitence Glade, a human outpost close to the borders of the Northern Lands.
On completion of training in Ter’Resell, and after her stint with the Grûndén, Serinae was presented with an opportunity to travel. She found her skills to be in great demand from many peoples. Rangers, especially T’Iea rangers, are accomplished in many arts and skills of the woodlands. She found she was never without some demand and she learnt to charge highly for her skills as word of her talents spread far and wide throughout the lands and many sort her out to employ her for various tasks including her former employers the Grûndén as mentioned before. I remarked how hard her life seemed to have been and I told her that I thought it such a shame that she did not seem to me to have more opportunities for happiness in it, I asked her what her happiest memories may have been.
Then she told me a surprising thing. “I was once betrothed Mini, to someone whom I loved dearly. But it was not to be, and in the manner of our people I have remained true to that one love even though it did not blossom into anything more than a misguided promise. But that one memory of love remains a source of happiness for me.”
"What happened?” I asked.
Serinae looked sadly at her hands on her lap and said, "it was just not to be is all.”
"You mean he died, I'm so sorry Serinae.”
"No, Mini he is not dead. Still very much alive in fact. But he has gone beyond my reach now, lost to vane things, he turned to more important things in his mind, things he could not resist and therefore was seduced by power and wealth and worse. Oh, at first he told me it was for me that he undertook these things, and to start with I believed him because I wanted to have that belief, such is the blindness of love. But as the years went by one thing led to the next thing, it was never enough for him, he never seemed to be satisfied by what he had already done and what he had already achieved. However much he gained materially it was never able to slate his thirst for more. In the end I lost the person I loved and now, well it's maybe not such a bad thing, the years have been many since those times and old wounds have healed. My life has moved on.”
There followed a gap in the conversation, I didn’t know quite what to say to her, but again some deep thought was brewing in my mind, something I had perhaps suspected subconsciously but even though I felt a great sorrow, I had to ask her.
“Do you still see him Seri?”
“On occasions, but rarely,” was the reply, “I find the hurt in our meetings does lessen, although I have become adept at hiding my feelings.”
I thought for a while an unasked question still upon my mind, I was loathed to ask it, but I had to know the answer for my suspicions had been roused. So after a few minutes I managed to summon enough courage to ask. "Your betrothed Serinae, he was - is Tezrin?”
She shot me a look a mixture of sadness and slight anger, but she composed herself and just nodded once.
I was shocked at the answer, even though I had the suspicion in my mind, I felt desperately sorry for her. I thought to ask more questions but the sadness upon her face stopped me and I felt it was time we changed the subject. I felt more than a little guilty for my questions and part of me wished I had not been quite so inquisitive. My only unsaid question was to ask about the Ranger guilds and thus I did.
The response took me by surprise, I think she was still angry about the thought of Tezrin and their past. “Those bigoted, discriminating, worthless hypocrites? They aren’t worth the waste of thought!” Her fists clenched and her eyes shone brightly as she stared accusingly at me. “Whatever they once were Mini they are no longer. The Guilds have become more interested in their own self-importance, their own mistaken governance. They no longer hold to the values that once made them great. They should be disbanded, if they are not already! They only seek those they approve of, like a close sect. Once they were open to all, freely giving their knowledge. Now they seek only those like them, those they are comfortable with, those who will support their lies.”
I found I had shied back away from the onslaught of her words. I was going to ask what she meant by this, my teachings told me that the various T’Iea guilds where beyond reproach, they were the bastions of our society. All my childhood friends looked forward to joining the guilds, I myself had done so. Why then should Serinae hold such an unusual and negative view? I wanted to ask, but I felt it not to be wise to press her further.
Instead she calmed. She smiled at me, “it is of no matter Mini, I’m sorry.” She reached into her back pack and drew out an object carefully wrapped in some fine silken cloth. She unwrapped the object and stood it upon the table in front of us. It was small statue made from a combination of a silver metal and a green crystal. The statue appeared to be that of a T’Iea he held a lute in his arms, a jaunty hat with a long feather in its band was worn tilted to one side and his boots had a row of bells around the top.
Serinae sat back while making a slight sweeping gesture with her hand towards the statue and said to me, “Minervar, ask him to play any song or tune you like,”
I laughed at her not believing what s
he asked, but was shocked when the little statue placed both his hands on his hips and bowed low to me, then giving a hop, skip and a jump that made the bells on his boots jingle and in a slight but melodious voice asked enquiringly, “a request my lady Minervar?”
He then raised his lute as if ready to play. Serinae was smiling from ear to ear and I seemed to have no choice but make my request. I rummaged through my memories and then asked for a tune that my father liked, a lively old tune called T’N’Ri’Qeudron that he used to sing to me when I was small to take my mind off a cut knee or some other childhood catastrophe. The little statue man immediately started to play the reel, I was transfixed, he sang and played beautifully and tears started to well in my eyes.
Serinae stood and bowing to me said, “my lady, would thee but honour me with this dance?”
I smiled and standing and giving a low curtsy said, “it would be my pleasure kind sir.”
So there we were, twirling around the room like two young girls at their first dance, smiling and giggling until we both fell on the cushions laughing so much I could hardly breathe.
Then Serinae said out loud in a gasping breath, “enough sir bard, would you have us wear out our dancing shoes?”
To this command the little bard stopped playing and bowing low became once more the beautiful crafted statue of silver green. Serinae leaned over and placed him once more in the silk wrappings and put him in her bag.
“Where did you get him from, I have never seen such a lovely thing Serinae, you are so lucky to have such marvellous things?”
“In ages past our people had the knowledge to make such things. I have had him a long, long time; I carry him everywhere with me. He was a gift from a great friend. He sometimes provides good company when I am travelling alone. Sometimes I just like to hear something other than my own thoughts.”
Captain Greol returned to claim his cabin at that moment and I giggled when he said that he thought he had heard music. The captain then made a suggestion; he said that as we knew, his intention was to travel back to Amentura. Much further south than where we wanted to be, if it was to the dwarves lands we were headed. He suggested that if he made a slight detour to the north, he knew of a small bay, the Bay of Driscal it was called, with a long sloping beach which made for a safe landing. This bay lay on the coast of Dahl’Ambronis in the shadows of the Mountains of Ambrunista. If we were dropped ashore there it would save us days of travel. We could then continue to the dwarven lands by crossing the mountains and he could easily continue south hugging the coast to reach Amentura. Serinae stood and thanked the captain heartily for his kindness.