Dark Times

Braeth'el sighed as he walked down the corridor, feeling somewhat anxious. Physically he was in much better shape than he had been only a day before. Having been attended to by a skilled priestess, his wounds were on the mend and he was only a little stiff now. He'd been given comfortable quarters, several delicious hot meals, and even the opportunity to stretch a bit in a practice room and training area that the estate had on its grounds.

Although he'd had only a little time to explore, he understood the basic layout of the place where he found himself now. The estate was a large complex that sat atop a rise on a tiny island. There were only a few acres of land beyond the estate itself; just enough for a few small gardens and the like. The island itself rose from the sea, the water crashing against jagged rocks that formed its coasts, making landing a ship near it difficult if not impossible. How the estate even came to be on the island in the first place was a mystery that likely had an answer involving the word 'magic' in it somewhere.

Braeth'el brushed the thought aside as he came to a double door. His escort, the same priestess that had been tending to his injuries, stepped forward and opened the doors for him, leading him into a small council chamber. In the center of the elegant room was a long, polished hardwood table designed to allow a group to speak in conference. The priestess guided Braeth'el to an empty chair at the conference table, pulling it out for him and waiting for him to seat himself comfortably before pushing the chair in for him and leaving. In front of him Braeth'el found a glass of wine and a small empty journal with an attached pencil should he wish to take notes. It was all very formal and business-like, and he found himself grinning at the strange situation.

After situating himself, he glanced around the room, taking in the other elves who were also seated at the table. At the head of the table stood a large, high-backed chair that was currently empty. The two seats closest to this chair were occupied by two female Sin'dorei, both of whom were wearing intricate robes and had magical Fel markings on their faces. One of them had similar markings running down her arm where her sleeve allowed him to see her skin. Clearly the pair were part of a coven of warlocks that were present on the island.

Braeth'el turned, studying the next Sin'dorei along the length of the table and the one sitting opposite from him. An older elf, he was equipped with fine golden and red chainmail armor, a captain's rank pin affixed to his brilliant red cloak. It was clear from the look of him that he was the island's captain of the guard, and would be advising on military matters.

Towards the end of the table sat two older Sin'dorei with somewhat graying hair, a male and female that were both wearing robes but had no sign of magical artifacts on them. The female seemed to radiant a calming presence, and Braeth'el's keen eyes caught sight of a holy symbol at her throat as she turned and spoke to the old elf across from her in a soft whisper. He smiled at her, reaching to pat her hand as he replied, and it became obvious the two were likely a pair.

Just as Braeth'el had completed his evaluation of the elves in the room, a second door leading into the chambers opened and Telatha Dayfire entered the room, walking to the table with a confident stride. She sat elegantly in the large chair at the table's head, smiling at the others in the room. Braeth'el was again struck by her similarity to Biara Sunfire, and found his eyes traveling down to the Fel markings on her face. Did she know how similar they were to the Magistrix's own markings? Did she do it on purpose? With a start Braeth'el realized he'd been staring and when he brought his gaze back up, he found Telatha's eyes affixed on his. She offered him a smile and wink, seeming to confirm his thoughts before she turned her attention to those at the table.

"Good morning everyone, thank you for joining me today," Telatha began, her eyes looking over the others in attendance. "As you all know, the portal to our island has been reactivated after all these years, allowing us to easily reconnect with Silvermoon City and the rest of Quel'Thalas. This momentous event has the potential to be a great boon for our people here, but may represent great harm as well."

Braeth'el shifted in place, stunned to realized that not only had Telatha invited him to a meeting, but to what would likely be a top-secret, extremely important meeting with her advisors. And yet she didn't know him at all. The naivety of the gesture was unbelievable; it was clear she had never navigated the cut throat politics of Silvermoon. Either that or she was overly trusting in nature, which clashed with the fact that she was literally covered in Fel magic. It was almost surreal to the experienced spy, and yet he found himself already starting to like the young noble.

Telatha looked around the room, studying each of the people seated there before continuing, "I have gathered you here today to discuss what our next steps should be. As you know, we have many needs here that must be met, and I do not believe we should throw away the opportunities this event offers us. However, I know some of you will have concerns that we must all discuss."

To Braeth'el's surprise, the older elf at the end of the table actually spoke without being asked; clearly Telatha allowed her advisors freedom to speak their mind, "My Lady, as you know, our little island contains one hundred twenty three souls. One hundred twenty four once Galadry gives birth. Since the fall of the Sunwell the spells that once allowed us to magically grow food and produce fresh water have been waning. Even with our efforts to reinforce the spells, other momentous events such as the Cataclysm damaged the wards and even the anchor stones that were used for this magic. In time, the spells will fade completely, and we will no longer be able to provide for those who live here. I urge you to consider this situation carefully as a result."

Telatha nodded, turning to look at one of the warlocks sitting nearby, "And what of the portal, Laerille? Has the coven managed to secure it on both ends? Will it remain stable and can we open and close it as needed?"

The Sin'dorei she addressed nodded, smiling, "Yes, my Lady. Our spells have been effective and control of the new portal is now established. In addition it seems that when our guest, Mister Braeth'el, arrived he unwittingly destroyed the portal wards that had been present over the island. With time and materials we will be able to open additional portals to other parts of Quel'Thalas. The one we have now leads to the ruins of the Dayfire Spire, and is not entirely useful for transporting large amounts of goods and materials."

Telatha took this news in, smiling at her coven leader before looking at the others, "It is my belief that we must take advantage of this situation. As Astrael indicated, our food and water supplies must be seen to first. We cannot allow what remains of House Dayfire to die out due to the lack of basic necessities. We either need to establish new portals to other parts of Quel'Thalas, or make arrangements for ships to arrive to deliver the needed supplies."

The elf across from Braeth'el stirred, clearing his throat, "My Lady, I should point out that entering Silvermoon could put our people at risk. There are clearly going to be hostile Houses that would not wish to see you succeed, not the least of which is House Sunfire. I would recommend we send diplomats first to make arrangements for such materials. We cannot fend off an attack by one of the other Houses with the few men we have here."

Telatha opened her mouth to respond and the elf named Laerille cut in before she could answer, "He's right of course! We should send a diplomat first as it might be dangerous. I will volunteer to reach out to some of the other Houses to see what aid we can gain."

Telatha smiled and then shook her head, "No, I will not allow any of you to put yourselves in danger for me. I will do this task myself, although others may accompany me."

This was met by a chorus of objections, the old elf at the end of the table the loudest and talking over the others, "My Lady...you represent the only hope that the remnants of House Dayfire have. If you are killed or captured, the rest of us will be bereft of our homes. I urge you to reconsider this course. You do not even know for sure if the other Houses will accept you given your weak blood line. They may dismiss you out of hand."

Telatha smiled, holding a hand up to silence the objections. Braeth'el noted with some surprise that the others at the table fell silent not because they feared this noble, but because they respected her. He could see it on their faces, see it in the pride the older couple had for her, or the joy of friendship the two coven members had for her. It was completely alien to Braeth'el given his dealings with Telatha's half-sister Biara.

"Please, everyone, I understand your concerns," Telatha said softly, looking at each of them in turn. "I know that this course is dangerous, but I believe that if we are to prosper, if we are to truly restore the Dayfire name, that I must be the one to step forth. The other Houses will not respect me or aid any of us if they do not believe I am willing to take matters into my own hands for my people. I will, of course, defer to each of you in terms of making sure we have security and the like, but I know in my heart that I must do this."

This was met with silence as each of the elves looked at each other. After a moment, there was a general nodding of heads as they fell into agreement. Into the silence, Braeth'el spoke, his voice still somewhat froggy from his injuries, "My Lady Dayfire, if I may speak?"

Telatha turned to him, smiling happily, "Of course, Braeth'el, that is why I invited you here. Your insights may aid us in choosing the right path. I do not wish to come into conflict with your former employer unless she challenges my rights to a name that she cast aside."

Braeth'el nodded, looking at the others, "I would suggest then that you consider carefully who is most likely to aid you, and who might seek to destroy you. You will likely be safe in Silvermoon for a time, as the other Houses are unaware of your existence. Once that changes, then your concerns will come more to the fore. Before that happens, you need to secure alliances, or at least friendships, lest they come down on you like a hammer."

Telatha nodded, obviously soaking in the advice, "What do you suggest then, Braeth'el? I am open to hear anything you would recommend."

Braeth'el smiled, leaning forward as if sharing a secret with the young noble. He spoke only two words, but he knew he was steering her in the right direction, steering her to the safety that she deserved. The fact that he actually wanted her to be safe went to show how charismatic she was.

"House Felo'melorn."

Telatha smiled, nodding at Braeth'el and then looking at the others again, "So be it. Let us begin our preparations then. We will take steps to begin establishing new portals, begin taking inventory of what supplies we need, and each of you shall prepare suggestions for who will be accompanying me on our expedition. We shall set forth in a few days and seek to contact this House Felo'melorn. If need be, I shall beg them to aid us. House Dayfire will not fade while I guide this ship, I promise you that."

The others all smiled, each of them rising and bowing as Telatha herself did. Braeth'el rose with the others, watching in wonder as the noble walked from the room, the doors closing softly behind her.

In that moment, he actually believed she might be able to redeem the name of Dayfire.