Hello, Everyone!
How are you? We’re getting to a very interesting part of Mary’s story and I’m so eager to share it with you!
Currently, our heroes are on a quest to investigate and hopefully prevent the attacks from undead creatures that have been observed through Eastern Erathos in the past several months. We found out that similar attacks have happened a few times already – once eighteen, and once six years ago. Since the last time there was a culprit found in Myth Adofhaer, the trio headed that way, taking on the role of Agents of Pamagos in order to be let in the elven city without any trouble.
Let’s see how that goes.
They arrived in the Red forest in the early afternoon. The trees rose above their heads and formed a crimson tunnel above the road, but the approaching winter had left its mark here, too. The forest was quieter now, with most of its songbirds having flown south, and the leaves were gradually changing color. Otherwise, everything was just as magnificent as it had been when Mary and her friends were here to send lord Dwendel off.
The few patrols they met let them pass undisturbed: three people openly riding through the forest probably didn’t seem like a huge threat. A short while before they reached their destination, a peculiar group came from the direction of the city and walked past them. There were four elves, three on horseback and one riding a cart with an empty cage on top. Bruno pointed discreetly towards it.
"It's the same as the one I saw, back when we were going to Belfast,” he said. “Remember? That time, when you two left me for your little solo adventure."
Mary and Aurum pretended they didn’ know what he was talking about.
The elves didn't pay them any attention. They were wearing dark-green cloaks and each of them had a bluish glint on their lapels. Upon inspecting them a bit more carefully, Mary furrowed her brows. Those were golden brooches with sapphires in the middle. The same as hers!
Remembering how she got the sapphire and suddenly afraid that someone would try to take it from her, Mary removed it from her lapel and hid it in her bag. She told herself that she'd ask about it when they entered the city, and then return it if it was safe to do so.
They reached the wall. An unfriendly elf met them and looked them up and down like he was inspecting the filth under his feet.
"State your business," he barked at them.
Mary started explaining their task with the undead, but his stare was making her so uncomfortable that her words came out all hesitant and scattered.
"Documents," he said.
She nervously handed him the papers they got from Captain Roche and tried to tell him about the letter from Dynatos Perres.
"Perres, huh?" he looked at her with disdain and snatched the paper from her hands.
The elves made them wait for almost half an hour. When the unfriendly guard finally came back, he didn’t explain anything. He spoke in elvish and two of the others--a black-haired and a blonde one--approached.
“Drawing your weapons in Myth Adofhaer is forbidden,” the black-haired elf said flatly. “And so is any offensive and, especially, mind-altering magic. Any violation of these rules will be severely punished. Do you understand?”
They nodded.
“Have you been to the city before?” he asked, his voice just as even.
They told him about their last visit which had ended in front of the gates. None of them had ever stepped foot in the actual city. The elf sighed, faced Bruno and reluctantly put his hands on his shoulders, only the tips of his fingers touching the dwarf. He said a few words and Mary realized she understood the language. Good thing she learned Celestial back in Frinkeltong's library, eh?
"[A pure heart crosses the threshold of your home,]" the words translated.
“What’s that? What did you do to me?” Bruno said, pulling away from the elf.
The guard sighed again.
“I placed a ‘Key’ on you. Entering Myth Adofhaer without it is impossible.”
He turned to Mary, put his arms on her shoulders, looked at her with a puzzled expression and then went on to Aurum, enchanting him with the same phrase as Bruno.
“Wait, did you do it to me?” Mary asked. “You didn’t say the words!”
“You already have a Key,” the elf said.
“Nnnoo, I don’t,” Mary insisted. “I’ve never been here.”
“And yet, there is a Key placed on you,” the elf shrugged. “Welcome back to Myth Adofhaer.”
The two guards led them towards the city wall. The moment they passed through the opening in the base of the giant trees, Mary felt a bit of resistance, like going through an invisible barrier, and then, the resistance was gone and she was able to continue walking in.
“I can’t have a Key,” she whispered to her friends. “You know that I didn’t go in the city when we were here last time!”
“Maybe it’s the sapphire,” Bruno whispered back. “You saw that the elves with the cage had the same as yours.”
“Oooh, yes!” Mary said. “You must be right.”
She felt the jewel in the bottom of her bag and regained her composure. Mystery solved. It was all fine.
I love Bruno, always with the simplest of explanations! After all, it makes sense, doesn’t it? The jewel is Myth Adofhaerian, the Key is Myth Adofhaerian. Isn’t that convenient?
But you have no idea how my heart leaped when I learnt that Mary had been in the elven city before. What could that mean?!
Anyway, several plotlines are converging in this place, we’ll see what comes out of them :) Our DM is a mastermind!
See you next time!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)