“The lesson for today is necessity.” Ardilion, a weathered High-elf of some 500 years, said in a gruff voice.
He always started the day focused on what we needed to achieve, hunting relics of the faith was no simple task. Often they lay undisturbed for aeons, when unearthed they had a habit of remaining concealed from the common races. Perhaps a warped idea of a celestial game of hide and seek.
That’s where we come in, members of the order of our Lady Goldheart, 3-man units that roam the lands looking for even the faintest traces of ancient splendour.
“I feel the only thing necessary is a good ale and a bed to rest my weary bones”, I complained. Being a young elf of 25 I was already on my way to not enjoying the privileges of duty that my house bestowed upon me.
“Come now, Selafyn”, Ystrielle, a young Elf female of 30, said; “How will you ever top my record of 34 head shots in a row with an attitude like that?”
“I’m sure it’ll come with time, its not like we lack much of that now do we?” I dismissed her attempt to rouse my fighting spirit. Then lamented, “I should have been born into a house that serves the Scribes…”
“Will you two green-leaves quit your whinin’ and gear up, we’re moving on!” Ardilion barked.
“Necessity...and what pray tell requires our urgent and ever-so-important attention?” I inquired.
“Fill yer head with knowledge, instead of your belly with ale and you’d know.” Ardilion retorted.
“Really Selafyn you must concentrate at least a little, then maybe you’d know what we’re here for, as well as breaking above 20 head shots,” Ystrielle goaded.
I snorted, “I know why we’re here, I merely fail to see the sudden sense of necessity.”
“Well my green little lord-ling; I will enlighten you,” Ardilion sat down on a tree stump. “We are pursuing the Casket of Perpetual Fire, correct?”
“Indeed” I replied.
“In that case, perhaps you would like to entertain me with the details of said relic...”
“Well…” I took a second to recall, “It is said to contain a Phoenix pinion. The source of its power and in the manner of its resplendent provenance it is also said to depart our plane in a conflagration of substantial proportions, only to reappear centuries later.”
“He does pay attention!” Ystrielle, feigned surprise.
“Indeed” I said again, this time through gritted teeth.
“Very good green-leaf, now for the necessity, the relic is stirring, and we believe it to be found in the village down yonder. The scribes have scried repeatedly and come to the same unmistakeable conclusion that the village will find itself kindling for the next departure of said relic. That is, unless, we can locate it and place this sealing scroll on it to bind it out of our plane where it can move on rather more peacefully.” Ardilion produced a scroll from his pouch. “Now gear up, we move out in five.”
As we reached the village, we found it to be fairly unassuming. A standard mix of wooden huts and water holes. The villages mostly worked the local mine and had barely enough amenities by human standards. For elves of our kind used to being on the road, we found it basic, yet strangely charming in its own right.
Upon arriving in the village we immediately began questioning the locals, who despite the promise of coin seemed curiously reticent. We eventually found someone willing to give us what we needed, for a price of course.
“You want to go knock on Willem the Smith’s door, he hasn’t been working lately, lots of tools needing fixing but everyone seems to think our work don’t matter much any more…” The villager said as they grabbed a small pouch of coin and swiftly ran off.
“Willem the Smith eh?” Ystrielle said nodding in the direction of a modest hut with an adjoining awning that covered a large fire pit.
We marched up to his domicile and as we did we felt the sudden soothing flow of heat that rolled over us, the closer we stepped, the warmer it got.
“I believe we have found what we seek and it would appear we need to act rather urgently!” Ardilion spoke as his eyes narrowed and he signalled for us to draw our weapons.
Ardilion, a man of action, kicked the door in with his sword drawn, we covered him with bows drawn. It was hot inside, almost as hot as you’d expect it to be standing by the fire pit outside. However, the fire pit was not in use.
A woman quickly emerged from a side room, dabbing her brow with a cloth, upon seeing us she began screaming. Ardilion lowered his sword and signalled for us to do the same.
“My apologies my dear, we have reason to believe you are in grave danger.” Ystrielle said in a soothing tone that elves regularly employed to settle panicked bystanders. Utilising her faith to invoke a sense of calm. “Now sit here.”
The woman complied.
A voice shouted out from the same room the woman appeared from, “Greta! What’s going on out there!?”
The three of us immediately placed our hands on our weapons, Ardilion cautiously approached, then entered the room. Inside he found a man in bed, the quilt pulled up to his neck. This was odd considering the heat had only been getting stronger as they approached, by now the three of us had began to sweat profusely. The man’s brow however was suspiciously dry.
Ardilion explained to the man that he was in danger as he scanned the room for the source of the heat.
“We don’t have much time, the rebirth is approaching, it’ll decimate your village if you don’t tell us where you’re hiding it.” Ardilion said.
The man in bed looked at him quizzically, “There’s no danger here, we’ve been blessed by the gods.” He further wrapped himself in his quilt.
“Forgive me but are you not... hot?” I asked as I approached him, sweat dripping from my nose.
“Stay back!” The man shouted.
I tutted, “I don’t think I will I’m afraid.”
I grabbed hold of the bottom of the quilt and pulled, the man gripped tight and despite retaining grip on the quilt he was unable to stop me from pulling it down exposing his chest.
“By Celanil!” Ystrielle gasped.
There, lodged in the man’s chest, was the Casket of Perpetual Flame. The man on seeing our reactions acquiesced and let go of the quilt, choosing to just sit up in his bed.
We looked on with shock, the man seeing our expressions sighed, “You see... I’ve, well, we’ve... been blessed by the gods... one day, last week I was down at the mine, delivering some wares when the foreman asked me to inspect some track deep in a newly discovered vein. I drew up an order of fixings to extend the track when I noticed in the darkness a faint glow, upon inspection there was a flash of white light. I don’t remember what happened next but I found myself on the floor with this in my chest. The next day I found it hard to walk, it doesn’t hurt though and the heat that people say they feel is a warm glow for me. I don’t know what it means but surely it’s a blessing from the gods, I mean look at it! Magnificent isn’t it? I just wish I knew what it...did?”
Ardilion had seen his fair share of esoteric wonders during his many long years but this was something else. He quickly regained his composure.
“Ystrielle guard the door, don’t let anyone enter.”
The man looked worried.
“What can we do?” I asked, sensing the urgency as the heat increased.
“Look at the relic, it’s starting!” Ardilion pointed at the relic in the man’s chest, it was starting to glow.
“Stay back you two!” The man shouted, “You can’t take this gift from me! We need it! Even if we don’t know what it does!”
I dismissed the man’s protestations, he was immobile in bed, he didn’t really have a choice.
I asked again, “What are we going to do to get it out of-”
The relic started humming with power, it was starting to shine incandescently now.
I was starting to panic, “Can we cut it off of him?!”
Ardilion pulled out the seal, Willem repeated his words, “S-stay back!”
I wiped my brow, Ardilion looked at me, “Go to Ystrielle and don’t let anyone enter!”
I emerged from the house, relieved to be in a slightly cooler surround, people had begun to gather. The forming group began to ask us what we were doing and what was going on.
“Please just stand back, its dangerous!” I pleaded with them with my hands up.
Ystrielle stepped forward and in another commanding tone exclaimed, “Stay!” They stepped no further.
The heat began to increase further, it was becoming oppressive. It was getting hard to breathe. The crowd started coughing and gasping, the very air around us began to materialise wisps of spectral fire, the wisps grew denser and hotter.
The people began stumbling back in panic but the air was thick now, our thoughts were muddy. Myself and Ystrielle clutched our bows close, gripping our symbols of faith fixed in our weapons.
A pillar of flame erupted through the Smith’s house, the heat now was intense and the sounds of unbearable screaming could be heard from within. The crowd collapsed onto the floor, rolling, trying to put out these spectral flames.
We looked at ourselves and whilst the heat was intense there was no actual fire. The roaring pillar of flame shot into the sky and disappeared out of view.
Ardilion exited the hut, his garb was slightly singed, he had a feint aura about him, one imbued by the faith.
The crowd began to pick themselves up, in a state of shock and bewilderment.
“What did you do?” I asked.
Ardilion sheathed his sword that was streaked with blood, turned back to look at the ruined abode and merely muttered, “Needs must”.