A story of Sartei, Er'din, Hadrian

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*The following pregame story concerns the characters played by
Haleanna, Jason and Kevin. This is actually the first of several
exchanges that were either constructed by the GMs or pursued by the
players. I will post them in order. I thought it was pretty cool the way
 the makeshift team interacted both before the game online and during
the game:*

The Elven Council deliberated. That’s basically what they did. There was
 rarely anything that required an immediate answer and if it did it
probably didn’t concern them. That was the nature of most elves. Not
all, but most. There were, after all, times of crisis that required more
 immediate action than the tree-bound elves of Doro Y’Edhel were capable
 of making.

In the summer of 503, for example, the elves of the great forest were
faced with a number of crisis moments that seemed to multiply like
pixies in the Vesve. Foremost, the Queen was dying. It wouldn’t help to
say that the Queen was sick. That had been said for years. No, the
Council and the Court were preparing for a passing to the Other Place.
It wasn’t exactly a sad moment for the elves, but it was one of
uncertainty because there was no heir, only half-substantiated rumors of
 half-heirs who were only halfway aware that Doro Y’Edhel even existed.
To complicate matters, the monster hordes of Uragoth had apparently
united under one banner. For the first time in recent memories, the
long-feared Orc Army was stirring in the Dark Forest to the east, and
with a mighty king bringing all monsters, Orcine and Gobloid alike,
together. Monsters united in purpose. A frightening prospect, even for
elves. Despite reports from scouts and travelers, the details of the
monster army were mostly sketchy and vague. It seemed a large portion of
 them were moving south toward Quivera, which was basically at Doro
Y’Edhel’s back door.

For Saetei, the summer of 503 had been bittersweet. Queen Thielora was
preparing to enter the Fey, where she would be whole once more. Saetei
had served as a Court Scribe for most of her adult life, but when the
Queen became so infirm that she permanently adopted her childhood
language of the ancient Fey, she became the Royal interpreter. Despite
Thielora’s feeble state, Saetei knew that the Queen would defy her tired
 body until her duties were fulfilled. It was sad to see the Queen in
such pain, but Saetei drew strength and courage from where she could to
help in whatever way she could.

For the last few weeks, Saetei had been working very hard with the Queen
 to settle several long-delayed matters of state with the Council. The
rush was unnatural, but Saetei got the impression that the time for
contemplation was well past. The Council was also a constant problem.
They seemed unconcerned with the Queen’s need for decisive action. They
knew that she wouldn’t live to see her most recent edicts through and,
while they were not intending to be insensitive, they did have their own
 agenda.

On her way to the Queen’s chambers, Saetei passed, for the tenth time in
 as many days, a human man, dressed entirely in black, rocking back and
forth on the balls of his feet with his arms crossed. The gesture was
distinctly human. It meant, “Okay, people, let’s get a move on. I’ve
only got about another fifty or sixty years before I die of old age.”
Saetei found the impatience of humans somewhat amusing, but she
frequently reminded herself that she was twice the age of the oldest
human and still considered young by elven standards. They barely had
time to groom properly before they passed to... she didn’t exactly know
where humans passed to. She hadn’t exactly spent a great deal of time
with them.

On this particular day, however, Saetei found that the Queen’s outer
chamber was relatively crowded with humans. And Black Rose knights, and
Council Members and prominent Court officials. Of the elves there was no
 one that Saetei did not recognize, but they were uncharacteristically
solemn and the concern etched on their faces was atypical. Saetei’s
first thought was that the Queen had passed without the Ceremony, but
the look of sadness that must have been growing on her face was quickly
interpreted by Erdhiro, the wizened aide to the Queen who often acted as
 herald to any human visitors.

“She’s fine,” Erdhiro calmly stated. “But these humans are demanding
help from the Black Rose knights and the Council refuses to act without
the Queen’s authorization.”

“The Council is right,” Saetei found herself more sharp than necessary.
“The Black Rose knights are the Queen’s to command, not the Council’s to
 assign.” Erdhiro nodded more deeply and formerly than necessary. He was
 simply relaying the information, but was wise enough to recognize that
Saetei’s rise in emotion was the result of her fear that the Queen had
passed without the formalities of the Ceremony. “I’m sorry,” Saetei
replied in Elven. “I’m certain I am needed in chambers. She placed her
hand on Erdhiro’s arm in thanks before skirting the crowd of eager
diplomats.

In the meeting that followed, Saetei learned that the humans were from
Quivera; an envoy sent directly by King Howarth V, the current king of
Quivera’s many duchies. In the presentation that followed, the King’s
man requested a legion of Black Rose knights to fight against the armies
 of Uragoth’s new king. The Earl, well-spoken even for a human,
explained that the armies of Uragoth were currently massed along
Quivera’s northern border. It had been less than a month since Saetei
had translated the words of an Elven Ranger who had first seen this
monster army under control of what he had described as a mammoth Orc
king. The thought had made Saetei shudder and General Kyril Faenor, the
Black Rose leader who was present for the report, openly wonder what
this would mean for the elves. Now, to hear from a Quiveran human that
the army was massed in a posture of war, made the realization all the
more frightening.

As it turned out, the Council wasn’t interested in the Queen’s
permission -- they were fully prepared to send the Quiveran emissaries
back to Quivera with nothing. What they actually wanted was for the
rejection to come from the Queen herself.

After the Earl graciously bowed to signal that he was done, Saetei
turned to Thielora, who, looking even more perplexed than normal, said
the unexpected. “What do you think Saetei?,“ the Queen almost whispered.
 “What would you do?”

Saetei was almost stunned. The Queen had certainly asked for her opinion
 before, but never in front of official emissaries or members of the
Council. The only words that escaped Saetei’s lips were those of Oultori
 Endirikish, her former mentor’s. To Saetei, her answer was so contrived
 that she felt as if some spell might be upon her. Would she have
uttered the words otherwise?

“Any knowledge worth having means there is a journey worth taking to
learn it,” Saetei spoke. The advice didn’t even make sense. What Saetei
wanted to say was, “We must prepare our own borders for the
inevitability of war with the monsters,” or “Send a few scouts, but keep
 the Black Rose knights where they can best serve you, my Queen,” but
instead Saetei sat back and let her useless, non sequitur stand as her
opinion.

The Queen laid back and closed her eyes in what had clearly become a
gesture of deep thought. She sighed before she turned her head toward
Saetei and smiled.

“You are a beautiful flower, Saetei. How can you allow yourself to
wither in the darkness of my chambers when you need sun and perhaps even
 a bit of adventure to bloom.” The Queen’s words were quite out of place
 to Saetei, who suddenly became acutely aware that the men in the room
were waiting, nay expecting, an immediate translation. Saetei gulped at
the men before making up an excuse rather than a true translation.

“She asks for a glass of water,” Saetei stated plainly. An immediate
shuffling took over the chambers as the seven elves in the room
stammered in vain to procure glass of water, of which one was within an
arm’s reach of the Queen, who, either by coincidence or unconscious
design on Saetei’s part, leaned forward for a drink.

The Queen sipped from her glass before turning to the chamber, this time with some sadness that Saetei could not read.

“I have decided to send a scouting party of Black Rose knights to the
Silver Forest in Quivera to investigate this monster army,” the Queen
was definitive but much more wooden than normal. She did not speak these
 words to Saetei directly as was the practice, but rather to the entire
room of observers, none of whom could fully comprehend her ancient,
unused language.

Saetei translated for all present, some of whom opened their mouths as
if to protest, while most just bowed their heads in respect for the
decision.

“If there is a genuine threat, it will affect all who share a border
with Uragoth,” said the Queen, who had not spoken so clearly and
decisively for many months. Saetei again translated the words into
Common. The Earl seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, clearly receiving
more than he had expected even though he had only been given a small
fraction of his request.

“Saetei ‘in’ yae Aulushte Traikauop,” the Queen intoned in her ancient
language. It took Saetei a moment to realize that Thielora was not
addressing her directly, but actually mentioning her by name. “...will
lead the knights to Quivera to confirm the presence and ascertain the
motives of this monster army. After she returns with the report, the
Council will have my orders.”

Saetei was too stunned to speak, too stunned to finish her translation.
She wasn’t going to be able to fake a glass of water request this time.
She translated.

“She wants me to go,” Saetei mumbled uncertainty. “I am to lead the party of knights.”

A sudden hush fell over the room as all eyes fell upon Saetei, whose
glare was fixed solidly at her own two feet. The Queen whispered
something in her ear and Saetei turned to General Faenor with the
translation.

“She wants to borrow your sword,” Saetei, more calm than moments before, bluntly stated as she dropped to one knee.

General Faenor, who had always been polite and respectful toward Saetei,
 didn’t hesitate to place his sword in Thielora’s weak hands. The Queen
spoke words that Saetei had heard a number of times before. Words, in
fact, that she had sworn to uphold even though she never believed or
imagined that she would wear the mantle of the Black Rose. The words
were spoken as though incantations of an ancient spell. Thielora tried
to raise Feanor’s sword to Saetei’s shoulder, but she didn’t have the
strength. With a look to Faenor, the General gently stepped forward and
placed the tip of his sword on Saetei’s left shoulder.

“Dost thou swear to serve the Royal Family of Doro Y’Edhel with thy
life?” The Queen asked in the ancient tongue of her ancestors.

“With my life,” was Saetei’s automatic reply.

After another glance to Feanor, the General assisted Thielora in moving
the sword to Saetei’s right shoulder. “Dost thou swear to revere and
uphold the creeds and values of Auberick, Lord of the Fae?” Thielora
asked as though her strength was rising.

“With all my heart,” Saetei answered.

Another shift of the sword back to Saetei’s left shoulder and the Queen
asked, “Dost thou swear to stand for those Elves in need, to speak and
act in their defense?”

“Whenever and wherever I am able,” Saetei replied with conviction.

“Then rise, Saetei ‘in’ yae Aulushta Trailkauop, and join thy brothers
and sisters of the Black Rose. “ When she rose, Saetei was a knight of
the Black Rose.

Thielora laid back in her bed and closed her eyes and Saetei knew the
meeting was over. There would be no discussion or debate about what
would happen next. The Council could ponder the issue for days, but the
matter, as far as the the Black Rose were concerned, was over. Saetei
would travel to Quivera in search of a monster army with the hope of
ascertaining its intention. She was mildly disheartened when
Mythra’noema, an aging scholar of languages, was requested to takeover
translation duties for Thielora. Mythra’noema was old, more in attitude
than in age. She would perform the task well enough, but she would
forget to care for the Queen rather than just recite her words.

In the aftermath of the meeting, General Faenor spoke at length with
Saetei, who was still somewhat dazed by the turn of events that had led
her down such an unusual path. Saetei was given a tabard and a sheet of
paper to write down her needs for the coming mission. General Faenor
never spoke down to Saetei or questioned the Queen’s wisdom, even though
 she was certain that he must have doubts. Before long, Saetei was
introduced to an elf, Er’din of the Duin’lith, who also wore the symbol
of the Black Rose on their tabards.

“Er’din will be under your command,” the General spoke to Saetei with
practiced evenness. “And there is something else.” He paused almost in
embarrassment. “I need you to escort someone, a friend of Menassah’s.”

Saetei tried to evaluate why Faenor might think the request
embarrassing. Menassah is almost a legend in the Queen’s ranks and a
true servant to Arbredhel. Why would she be anything but pleased with
the request.

“The human Hadrian,” Faenor stated bluntly. “...needs an escort out of
Doro Y'Edhel to Rynith. You need only take him as far as the Halgudar
border before he’s on his own.”

“But, I... what if?... how can?... ,” Saetei couldn’t express herself.
She had no frame of reference and very little experience with humans who
 weren’t standing before the Queen or Council with some official request
 that required them to have perfect, studied manners. Her stammering was
 not answered before Hadrian was brought before her and once again
introduced.

“So,” Hadrian clapped his hands together and rubbed them as though they might be cold. “...when do we leave?”

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