Telatha settled herself onto the plush divan, sighing as she took the weight off her feet and stretching her legs out across the cushioned surface beneath her. The past day and a half had seen much activity and she was feeling the strain both physically and from the tension of their perilous position.
Telatha turned her head, looking at the small table standing beside the divan in her suite of rooms, studying the objects there and smiling. While others might have a vase of flowers or perhaps some decorative piece of art to brighten a room, Telatha had a circlet sitting beside her with two demon horns firmly affixed to it; a gift to her for a task she'd completed for some of the local warlock covens of Silvermoon. Beside this sat her journal, which she reached over to pick up, casually dismissing the wards on the book's cover.
Braeth'el had not liked the idea of Telatha reaching out to the community of warlocks within the city, but by the same token he knew that they were somewhat neutral and not affiliated with any particular House. If Telatha's goal of connecting with a friendly group like House Felo'melorn failed, she would always have this network to potentially fall back on, however potentially dangerous they might be. At the very least, they had connections to the Magistrate and it could only help Telatha's position.
All of this was far from Telatha's mind however as she opened her journal to a fresh page, taking the magical quill from the book's binding and setting it to paper. The enchanted quill began to write, squeezing demon's blood onto the page as Telatha swiftly jotted down her thoughts for the morning.
My mission has been a success thus far. Although I have not yet managed to establish contact with the other Houses, I have at least been able to secure us a safe place to stay within the city thanks to Braeth'el's efforts. Our small portion of the coven has opened a small portal in our suite of rooms, allowing us to connect with those we left behind on Dawnslight Isle. Laerille has already been seen to by one of our priestesses and she will make a full recovery, praise the sun.
Yesterday I approached several of the other covens within the city, hoping to gain favor with them by performing some deed or another. Although I am wary to deal with my own kind due to the nature of the magics we handle regularly, I have little choice in the matter until I am able to gain more powerful allies that will protect us from our potential foes.
Of our enemies, I have seen little thus far. Beyond the ambush at the portal's opening in the ruins of my father's spire, none of the other Houses are aware of our presence yet, nor could they strike at us in the heart of the city now. I know this will change in time, and I feel the fear of it in my heart. I can only pray that we succeed; at least we've been able to send back some much needed supplies to help bolster the failing spells on the island. Our people will eat for another season thanks to our bold move to come to Silvermoon, so I do not regret this choice.
There is another matter that weighs heavily on my mind this morning, and I feel that only by writing it down will it leave me be long enough to concentrate on other matters. When I approached the warlock covens in Silvermoon, they asked that I obtain for them several spell components deep within Blackrock Mountain. Cultists have sprung up within the ruins once more, or perhaps they never left that place to begin with. Regardless of the cause, I purchased a magical portal to the area and sought out those objects that the other covens had requested. I think it made Braeth'el upset to know that he could not come with me, but I could not expose him to the dangerous powers that our coven deals with regularly; I value him too much to risk him to that.
While within the bleak depths of that place, I had an encounter that I could not have anticipated. Within the dark passageways I found a lone Sin'dorei wandering by herself, her body and clothing in a deteriorated state that lead me to believe that much hardship had been inflicted upon her. Whether she was a newly escaped prisoner from one of the cults of that place, or someone who had run free and then come back with only vengeance in her heart I cannot say. What I do know is that she was wary at first, more so than even I myself was. It took great effort just to gift her enough magic to partially mend her more grievous wounds.
She called herself Darva, and she claimed that she sought something within the black depths. Seeing her state and knowing that she could be further injured, I decided to accompany her as I myself had to face the dangers down below and thought to offer her some protection. Never have I been so wrong! It was not me who afforded the other protection, but Darva herself who protected me. The magic at her command was beyond most of those of my coven, her felfires burning so hotly as to scorch and crack the stones beneath our feet as we progressed.
Needless to say, few of the cultists of that place offered us much challenge. Darva's magic burned them away when they sought to stand before us, and we spent much time walking alone in the echoing dark stone passageways. Always she sought something, always she pushed forward, like a person driven.
During this time I took many opportunities to study her. Her behavior was erratic, but not unbelievable given the tale she told of her imprisonment and the horrors that had been inflicted on her. Even so, I had to be sure, and I studied her closely for signs of contamination. I was pleased to note that she does not appear to be demon-possessed or corrupted by the powers she wields; quite the opposite actually, I witnessed her using up the very soul essence of demons countless times during our travels together.
Had she shown signs of having fallen to the will of the Legion I would have struck her down where she stood to prevent her power from spreading across Azeroth. As it was though, I could only pity her, seeing her state as the result of much undeserved abuse and degradation at the hands of her enemies. I felt some kinship with her in this; although my prison was far more beautiful and comfortable, I too was forced to sit apart from the world for many decades.
I fear that my current position leaves me little ability to aid this unfortunate Sin'dorei. I have one hundred and twenty-three souls already in my care, and I must make decisions for them first and foremost. Once their needs are seen to and I have afforded them some level of safety, I can add the one hundred twenty fourth person to worry about.
That being said, I did what I could for Darva. I left her in a place that I believe will do her good. A place where the sun will shine on her and her isolation will at least be in safety. Perhaps it will do something to quell her raging mind and put her at ease. When chance allows I shall visit her again if I can, and do what I may to aid her. I do not wish to bring my own troubles down upon her already troubled head of course.
There are so many factors to consider in the position I find myself in. At least in this case though, I can be at ease in knowing that there is little doubt that aiding her was the right thing to do. What fate will befall her and myself time will tell, but at least I have that.
~Felmancer Telatha Dayfire, Scion of House Dayfire
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