The satyr snarled, it's
voice like gravel as it chanted the words to a spell in demonic. Fel
energies rose around it, bathing the ground in an eerie green light and
competing with the illumination of the moon far above. Standing on the
highest hill rising over the ruins known as Sargeron, the creature
smirked to itself as it continued its casting. For years now its kind
had been intent on corrupting the last of Elune's relics in the ruins,
and with this spell it would take one more major step towards that goal.
It was only a matter of a short time now.
Almost as soon as the thought passed through the creature's mind, a single word was uttered from a creature with a much more lovely voice. A counterspell slammed into the satyr, destroying the fabric of his magic utterly and throwing several weeks worth of work into ruin in a second. The demon snarled, its teeth bared as it looked around for the source of the interruption.
Standing nearby amongst the broken pillars of a once beautiful temple stood Malandrae, her face a mask covering her emotions. The creature paused, taking stock of the elf before it.
"You've come to seek the wisdom of the goddess," its voice grated. "Yet there are far more powerful sources of magic to be had. Let me show you child, let me give you true blessings."
Malandrae's voice was cold and hard as she replied, "If you say one more word to me, I will utterly destroy you such that there will be no trace that you ever existed. It is only because you are standing in a holy place that you continue to draw air into your body, and even then I suspect the Goddess would make an exception in your case. Begone. Now."
The satyr frowned, looking her over more closely. Something about the elf put it on edge, but it couldn't quite identify what it was. "You have no idea what you are giving up by rejecting my offer. You can't imagine the po..." It's voice trailed off as it studied the elf. Her head had tilted to the side, as if she was listening to something and behind her silver eyes something stormed and raged. The demon could feel it, even if he didn't know what it was.
It creeped him out.
The effect only became more creepy as the elf (which he now realized was a Highborne based on the fact that the air around her had begun to glow with magic) began to glide towards him, her boots making no sound on the stone floor of the ruined temple. She didn't see him, he could tell when he met her gaze. She saw through him, beyond him to something else. At that point the elf-turned demon did the most prudent thing he'd done in thousands of years, he ran for it.
As soon as the satyr had stepped foot beyond the confines of the temple, Malandrae stopped pursuing him, pausing and blinking. She shivered once, coming back to herself and looked around before nodding. Almost immediately her voice rose in song, and ancient wards laced into the structure of the temple responded to her magical call, glowing again after millennium of inactivity. The exterior of the ruined temple took on a faint glow as the wards and spells of ancient times activated, called to by one who had been alive when they were at their most powerful. To the satyr beyond the perimeter of the temple they were almost painful to look at, and the creature stumbled away, shielding its eyes and cursing as its access to the structure was sealed off, possibly indefinitely.
As her melody faded, echoing off the stone pillars, Malandrae smiled and sighed, feeling the security of the magic surrounding her. She looked to the center of the stone structure, seeing a small pillar with a bowl set on top. It was the object the satyr had been trying to corrupt, but she could feel even from where she stood that it had failed; Elune still blessed the temple, even after all the time and evil that had passed. The Highborne could feel herself relaxing in the pale glow of the moonlight.
"This is just like back home, only, ya know, without being hauled out of the temple by my ears," she joked quietly to herself.
She sat down, quickly unlacing her high boots and slipping them off. She set them to the side, putting her jewelry, hair clips, magical components, cloak, and other accessories in a neat pile beside them until she wore only her dress. Slowly she rose, walking barefoot towards the bowl, pausing before it and kneeling. Her silver eyes closed and she whispered the words to her prayer.
"Goddess, I know it has been long since I last sought to commune with you. I beg your forgiveness for my presumption that you would even wish to hear from one such as myself, but I come to you not for my own needs but those of others."
The Highborne paused, taking a deep breath and organizing her thoughts. "Many of my friends face danger daily. My beloved Florinai actively seeks it out, even going so far as to bring it into her own flesh at times. I beseech you to protect her, to guide her that she may live a long and healthy life. I would not ask you to change her, for I know that her precious spirit is a gift from you, and it is one that I will treasure always. I ask only that you keep her safe, in whatever way you can."
"I also ask that you watch over Kelliana, who also will not hesitate to seek battle. Though she does so for different reasons than Florinai, her spirit too is precious to me, and her desire to protect her home and people is an example that we can only wish to aspire to. Please protect her in battle, guide her blade to her foe's heart, and bring her home safely when her tasks are complete."
"Another of my friends whom I beseech you to bless has often been in my thoughts of late. She is one of your own, and through her I have seen your hand guiding the path of my life from where I was to this time and place. I ask that you watch over Miss Silveria, and help her to learn the paths within her own heart that she may feel peace and serenity throughout her life. She has done so much to guide and help me that it is clear to me that she does your work, and I only hope that you embrace her with your love as she embraces all of those around her."
Malandrae nodded, one final thought coming to her, "Last I ask that you bless my work, that I may have the strength and courage to do what I know must be done. I ask this not for myself, not for fear of failure on my behalf, but because I believe I could help one who has done so much for others. With your hand to guide mine, I can help Chelody and complete the Quest she's given me, but I will only succeed with your wisdom and grace to support me. I beg of you, let me be successful in this, no matter the cost to myself."
As the Highborne's last prayer faded into silence within the ruins, she sighed and opened her eyes, rising slowly and dipping her hands into the enchanted moonwell water that was contained in the bowl. Purified by Elune's power, it glowed with a beautiful soft light as Malandrae cupped a small amount in her hands and drank from it. Almost immediately she felt her body's tension ease away to nothing.
She turned silently on her bare feet, intending to reclaim the rest of her garments when her eyes widened. All around her, kneeling as she had been were the spirits of the priestesses of the temple, communing with the Goddess as if they had shared in her prayers. Malandrae had seen them before, in the corner of her eyes or when she was observing the temple from a distance, but never before had they been so close.
Rather than disturbing her, Malandrae felt a sense of peace coming from them. She could feel their joy in their service to Elune, and almost felt envious that they could find such happiness. She smiled and shook the thought away after a moment; everyone served the goddess in his or her own way after all.
Malandrae returned to her position on the floor, kneeling beside the spirits and offering her thanks to Elune for everything she had in her life. She remained there as the sun slowly rose, until its light dimmed the moonlight and the spirits of the priestesses faded from sight. It was with a light heart that she donned her clothing and stepped away from the protective wards of the temple that she'd reactivated. As she opened a portal back to Stormwind, the highborne smiled and looked back one last time. She would take the peace of that place and carry it in her heart for the rest of the day.
Almost as soon as the thought passed through the creature's mind, a single word was uttered from a creature with a much more lovely voice. A counterspell slammed into the satyr, destroying the fabric of his magic utterly and throwing several weeks worth of work into ruin in a second. The demon snarled, its teeth bared as it looked around for the source of the interruption.
Standing nearby amongst the broken pillars of a once beautiful temple stood Malandrae, her face a mask covering her emotions. The creature paused, taking stock of the elf before it.
"You've come to seek the wisdom of the goddess," its voice grated. "Yet there are far more powerful sources of magic to be had. Let me show you child, let me give you true blessings."
Malandrae's voice was cold and hard as she replied, "If you say one more word to me, I will utterly destroy you such that there will be no trace that you ever existed. It is only because you are standing in a holy place that you continue to draw air into your body, and even then I suspect the Goddess would make an exception in your case. Begone. Now."
The satyr frowned, looking her over more closely. Something about the elf put it on edge, but it couldn't quite identify what it was. "You have no idea what you are giving up by rejecting my offer. You can't imagine the po..." It's voice trailed off as it studied the elf. Her head had tilted to the side, as if she was listening to something and behind her silver eyes something stormed and raged. The demon could feel it, even if he didn't know what it was.
It creeped him out.
The effect only became more creepy as the elf (which he now realized was a Highborne based on the fact that the air around her had begun to glow with magic) began to glide towards him, her boots making no sound on the stone floor of the ruined temple. She didn't see him, he could tell when he met her gaze. She saw through him, beyond him to something else. At that point the elf-turned demon did the most prudent thing he'd done in thousands of years, he ran for it.
As soon as the satyr had stepped foot beyond the confines of the temple, Malandrae stopped pursuing him, pausing and blinking. She shivered once, coming back to herself and looked around before nodding. Almost immediately her voice rose in song, and ancient wards laced into the structure of the temple responded to her magical call, glowing again after millennium of inactivity. The exterior of the ruined temple took on a faint glow as the wards and spells of ancient times activated, called to by one who had been alive when they were at their most powerful. To the satyr beyond the perimeter of the temple they were almost painful to look at, and the creature stumbled away, shielding its eyes and cursing as its access to the structure was sealed off, possibly indefinitely.
As her melody faded, echoing off the stone pillars, Malandrae smiled and sighed, feeling the security of the magic surrounding her. She looked to the center of the stone structure, seeing a small pillar with a bowl set on top. It was the object the satyr had been trying to corrupt, but she could feel even from where she stood that it had failed; Elune still blessed the temple, even after all the time and evil that had passed. The Highborne could feel herself relaxing in the pale glow of the moonlight.
"This is just like back home, only, ya know, without being hauled out of the temple by my ears," she joked quietly to herself.
She sat down, quickly unlacing her high boots and slipping them off. She set them to the side, putting her jewelry, hair clips, magical components, cloak, and other accessories in a neat pile beside them until she wore only her dress. Slowly she rose, walking barefoot towards the bowl, pausing before it and kneeling. Her silver eyes closed and she whispered the words to her prayer.
"Goddess, I know it has been long since I last sought to commune with you. I beg your forgiveness for my presumption that you would even wish to hear from one such as myself, but I come to you not for my own needs but those of others."
The Highborne paused, taking a deep breath and organizing her thoughts. "Many of my friends face danger daily. My beloved Florinai actively seeks it out, even going so far as to bring it into her own flesh at times. I beseech you to protect her, to guide her that she may live a long and healthy life. I would not ask you to change her, for I know that her precious spirit is a gift from you, and it is one that I will treasure always. I ask only that you keep her safe, in whatever way you can."
"I also ask that you watch over Kelliana, who also will not hesitate to seek battle. Though she does so for different reasons than Florinai, her spirit too is precious to me, and her desire to protect her home and people is an example that we can only wish to aspire to. Please protect her in battle, guide her blade to her foe's heart, and bring her home safely when her tasks are complete."
"Another of my friends whom I beseech you to bless has often been in my thoughts of late. She is one of your own, and through her I have seen your hand guiding the path of my life from where I was to this time and place. I ask that you watch over Miss Silveria, and help her to learn the paths within her own heart that she may feel peace and serenity throughout her life. She has done so much to guide and help me that it is clear to me that she does your work, and I only hope that you embrace her with your love as she embraces all of those around her."
Malandrae nodded, one final thought coming to her, "Last I ask that you bless my work, that I may have the strength and courage to do what I know must be done. I ask this not for myself, not for fear of failure on my behalf, but because I believe I could help one who has done so much for others. With your hand to guide mine, I can help Chelody and complete the Quest she's given me, but I will only succeed with your wisdom and grace to support me. I beg of you, let me be successful in this, no matter the cost to myself."
As the Highborne's last prayer faded into silence within the ruins, she sighed and opened her eyes, rising slowly and dipping her hands into the enchanted moonwell water that was contained in the bowl. Purified by Elune's power, it glowed with a beautiful soft light as Malandrae cupped a small amount in her hands and drank from it. Almost immediately she felt her body's tension ease away to nothing.
She turned silently on her bare feet, intending to reclaim the rest of her garments when her eyes widened. All around her, kneeling as she had been were the spirits of the priestesses of the temple, communing with the Goddess as if they had shared in her prayers. Malandrae had seen them before, in the corner of her eyes or when she was observing the temple from a distance, but never before had they been so close.
Rather than disturbing her, Malandrae felt a sense of peace coming from them. She could feel their joy in their service to Elune, and almost felt envious that they could find such happiness. She smiled and shook the thought away after a moment; everyone served the goddess in his or her own way after all.
Malandrae returned to her position on the floor, kneeling beside the spirits and offering her thanks to Elune for everything she had in her life. She remained there as the sun slowly rose, until its light dimmed the moonlight and the spirits of the priestesses faded from sight. It was with a light heart that she donned her clothing and stepped away from the protective wards of the temple that she'd reactivated. As she opened a portal back to Stormwind, the highborne smiled and looked back one last time. She would take the peace of that place and carry it in her heart for the rest of the day.
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