Rifts and Healing

Faleseth sighed, stretching her back and bringing her arms up over her head to get some of the aches out of her shoulders. She had slept fitfully that day, both from the events of the previous day and the pondering that came with them as well as from the fact that she had been sleeping on a park bench on the outskirts of Darnassus. She had no home, no coin, and none of the comforts that she was accustomed to. Going from the plush life of a Highborne to the part of a forgotten relic of the past was difficult at best to adjust to.

She began to walk as the sun crept towards dusk, having slept most of the day away. Unlike 'modern' Kaldorei, she would likely never be comfortable with being awake in the daylight hours, and it was difficult for her to even begin to take in all of the ways the Night Elves had changed while she was imprisoned. She resolved to begin anew, to find a way to re-establish the lifestyle that she was comfortable with or to at least obtain an acceptable living space.

To do this, she knew she'd need resources or something of value. She had only her Faith and knowledge that was centuries out of date. It seemed a hopeless task until she realized that her knowledge would be the key to realizing this goal. She knew first hand where a cache of magical Highborne artifacts were kept as her personal items and those of the other prisoners and criminals the Highborne had either sealed away or executed likely still existed near where she had been imprisoned. It would be a trek but she could revisit the location and liberate some of these items, selling what would likely now be rare collectibles in exchange for coin.

The other Highborne would hate it of course. Faleseth had seen them, walking through Darnassus in little groups, keeping themselves distant from the other Kaldorei and having a general air of superiority about them. Their opinion meant nothing to her, for in her eyes they were the dregs of society as much as the druids that now apparently ruled. They had either betrayed or failed their Queen, and their loyalty and courage was questionable. The fact that there was no Queen now had little impact on Faleseth's first impressions and she had already decided to plot her own course.

Before she could do any of this however, Faleseth needed to reconnect with Elune. The events of the previous day had shown her that the Goddess had not forgotten her lost daughter, and her divine magic was slowly trickling back to her. It was a positive sign, and possibly the only positive thing she had to cling to in her gloomy thoughts. With this in mind, she steered her course away from Darnassus, walking into the forests of Teldrassil with a singular goal in mind.

It didn't take her long to find one of the moonwells. They were fonts of magic, their waters connected to the most ancient of magics that Faleseth's own people had once used. That they were now sources of druidic power and places of peaceful meditation were curious facts that the priestess noted only distantly as she approached the glowing waters. She had her own purpose, her own need to make use of the sacred place. She looked around, ensuring that the forest was quiet and waiting as the darkness of night fell before proceeding.

The first thing she did was remove her clothing. She took everything off, from her designer boots to her golden jewelry to the expensive dress and undergarments she wore, laying them in a neat pile on the stones beside the moonwell. Fully divested of her clothing, she dipped her toes into the glowing water, testing the warmth of the liquid and finding it to be cool and refreshing in the summer's heat. With a nod to herself, she stepped into the well, walking carefully so as not to splash the water from the sacred space and standing in the knee-high water in the center of the pool.

Faleseth sank to her knees once she was in the precise center of the water, letting the liquid surround her as she closed her eyes and began to sing. Her voice flowed out into the forest, the words not music but an ancient prayer to her Goddess and one she had not been able to voice for centuries while trapped in her prison. Immediately moonlight began to shine down on the pool, the glowing water around her sparkling as if the well itself were the source of the light. Drops of moisture on Faleseth's skin reflected the light away, leaving glittering reflections in the forest around her.

As Faleseth sang, she changed the tone and pitch of her song, the prayer becoming one that she had practiced for over a thousand years. It was not one she had learned in the temple though, but rather her own private communion with the Goddess. Long ago when the Highborne ruled, many had not understood Faleseth's special connection with her Faith and she had been something of an outcast and fringe witch amongst Elune's priestesses. That fact became obvious as the light in the pool began to darken, swirls of shadowy purple energy flowing from the Kaldorei and slowly covering the surface of the water. To someone observing, the moonwell began to resemble a moon that was being eclipsed, the dark eclipsed moon all around the praying elf.

Faleseth revered the New Moon, the Eclipsed Moon. Elune had many facets, and just as the moon brought light to the night, the New Moon still watched over the land even in darkness. And so Faleseth's faith was in that darkness, and many who revered the light that Elune brought failed to understand how important the cycles of the moon were and believed she dabbled in evil magic. In her own time she had often worshiped alone as she did now, deep in the forest in the night where others would not interrupt her vigil. She would commune with her Goddess in the way that she felt most proper, and if others called her a witch and shunned her gifts, then so be it.

Power ran through her body, and Faleseth felt a moment of peace as she connected deeply with her Faith. The worship of Elune brought serenity, and it was that sanctuary that she most needed in this hour of desperate need. She sighed, her prayer and song trailing off as a feeling of contentment settled into her, finally putting her fear, sorrow and anxiety to rest if only for a moment.

Sadly, that moment was to be very brief indeed as two hands clamped onto her shoulders and she was violently yanked backwards. Her silver eyes popped open wide in shock as she was lifted from the waters of the well, her bare feet kicking at thin air. She felt herself being whirled around and was set roughly on the ground, two druids standing there glaring at her and a third keeping her arms tightly clamped against her body.

The fact that she was naked didn't bother her a bit as she met the gaze of what must have been the group's leader. No armor, no weapon, and no spell was more powerful than her Faith. As long as it was within her she was clothed, her body protected better than plate and her weapons stronger than the sharpest blade. She said nothing as the other druid continued to stare at her in anger.

"You. You dare to enter our forests and defile our well?" he said, his voice menacing.

The druid standing next to him moved, and Faleseth watched silently from the corner of her eye as he rummaged through her clothing left next to the well. After a moment he stiffened, backing away from the garments and turning with a sneer on his face, "She's a Highborne. She has arcane items amongst her things."

The leader of the druids took a step closer, his face inches from Faleseth's, "You will explain what vile taint you were casting over our well Highborne. Explain to me why you should not be executed for the crime of using magic in our domain."

Behind the group the waters of the well had begun to clear, the darkness of Faleseth's worship fading into the moonlight once more. Faleseth merely stared at the druid, saying nothing, her face impassive as the hands holding her in place clamped down painfully on her arms, as if they were trying to force her to speak.

"You believe we are jesting perhaps? You and the other Highborne are not to use magic in our sacred places. The punishment is severe indeed," the druid said, circling her. To his credit he didn't once glance down at her nakedness, despite the fact that she appeared to be in the prime of her life. His voice carried over her shoulder as he studied her things laying beside the well, "You WILL answer to me, or the punishment shall be carried out immediately."

He returned to his original position, standing in front of her and glaring. Nature magic began to build around him, as if to emphasize the threat. Faleseth merely continued to stare. Nothing she said would explain it to his satisfaction, and she was too tired and too distraught to defend herself verbally. She also knew that Elune would not grant her the magic to strike down other Kaldorei, not near a sacred font, and not after she had just finished praying. There were certain lines that even the darkness of her powers could not cross.

He stepped closer, looking almost pleased by her lack of answer, "So be it. If you will not answer, then you will face the consequences of your actions. I sentence you for the cri-"

He was cut off by the cawing of a raven. The sound burst from the nearby forest, unnaturally loud and unexpected in the night. The druid paused, tilting his head to the side and making eye contact with one of the others, who nodded. The sound came again, closer this time, followed by the cawing of another raven.

The group turned, and although Faleseth remained still she could see one of the birds in the trees around them. It was unnatural, made of shadow and night, sitting on a branch and watching her and only her. Her gaze roamed over the tree, seeing a second of the birds, and then a third.

The druids saw them too, and murmured amongst themselves. The leader of the group turned, studying her as if in a new light. "Such creatures do not gather in this place and are an ill omen. And yet....those who use the arcane do not call animals by their sides. Explain this."

Faleseth remained silent, refusing to answer his questions. He had no RIGHT to question her; he was thousands of years her junior. She bit her lip, studying the birds in the treetops. Her lack of answer angered the druid anew, and he stepped towards her, raising a hand as if to strike her.

The forest around them errupted in pandemonium. Ravens cawed from every tree, from every bush around them. Dozens and then hundreds of them, all made of shadows, all screeching as many took flight and circled them. The druids looked up in shock, watching the creatures circle overhead.

The leader of the group lowered his hand, nodding to the druid holding her. She felt the hands clamped on her arms release her, and she reached up to rub her numb skin in surprise. She tilted her head as if in question and the druid stared her down. "There is more to you than meets the eye. You are unlike the others. I am unsure what your connection is with nature or the well, but it would be...hasty...to slay you without understanding first. You will leave this place and will not return. We will be observing you closely."

Faleseth nodded once, turning without a word and walking between them. She kept her strides as dignified as possible for a person who was completely nude and a captive only a moment before. She quickly gathered her things, not bothering to don any of her garments before turning and striding from the moonwell's clearing.

The druids watched her go with some hostility, murmuring amongst themselves again and debating what the birds might have meant. It was only when she was out of sight that they realized that all of the ravens were gone, as if they had never been there. It was a mystery they would spend many hours attempting to unravel, with little resolution in the end.