Links to the Past

The door to the old estate house had long since fallen to ruin, and Biara paused before it, her hopes dwindling as she examined the ruined structure. Lost deep in the now untamed forests of the Ghostlands, the estate had likely once been a magnificent Quel'dorei home that was now lost to time. That the structure had fallen during the scouring of Quel'Thalas was undoubted; the walls nearest to the entryway had arrow shafts still sticking from them when weapons had flown off course and the stones beneath the plaster were blackened with the marks of old spells and fires.

Despite the ruination before her, Biara took a deep breath and stepped through the opening, roaming deeper into the ruins. Although she expected that she would find only a sad tale long since lost, she knew that this estate, this address, was the last registered for the Lord and Lady Silverdawn after their marriage. If there were to be any clues as to the fate of Lirathel Dawnslight or her new husband, these ruins would contain them.

As she passed through the remains of the estate, Biara noted many rooms still contained their furnishings, although many were also destroyed. It appeared as if the inhabitants of the place had not had time to flee with their belongings, and several parts of the grounds had evidence of heavy fighting within the walls themselves. There were, of course, no bodies; there never were after a scourge attack.

Believing her best chance at finding clues would lie within the remains of the couple's personal quarters, Biara made her way carefully over fallen furnishings and half-collapsed walls, finding the larger master bedroom deeper within the place. As with the rest of the structure, it had long since been abandoned, although it was in less disarray when compared to the other rooms thanks to being so deep within the estate's walls.

With a whispered word of magic Biara conjured an orb before her, setting it to hover over her shoulder and illuminating the room. Strange shadows danced as her own silhouette was projected in front of her, but the light was sufficient to see a large bed, a closet with a door that hung open with various moldy old clothes laying before it, and several tables, chairs, and divans scattered about. One other piece of furniture immediately caught Biara's eye and she slowly walked towards the bed, her hand coming out to touch a sturdy chest that sat at the foot of it. Unmarked by battle, forgotten by time, the object had sat alone in the darkness for over a decade.

With a whisper of magic Biara unlocked the chest, lifting the lid up and peering within. As to be expected, it contained many much less moldy pieces of clothing, several of them fancy dresses or shoes that would be worn at formal events. Biara grinned when she pushed these aside and found a small wooden container that, once opened, revealed itself to be filled with documents. She whispered another spell, the magic seeking out traces of her own mother's touch, realizing that anything within the chest would have been written by Lirathel herself or perhaps her husband or captains.

Immediately one letter amongst the pile glimmered with magic, and Biara took it up, unfolding it and reading it slowly.

My Dearest Niece,
It has been too long since you have come to visit, although I can lay little fault for that in your lap. I understand why you and Lethas have become hermits in your woodland estate. Once, long ago, I found myself in the same position that you are in now. As I've told you in the past, the pressure to do what the family wishes is great and never-ending. Though you marry out of Dawnslight, the will of my own father as well as my brother will always beat down upon you, regardless of your house or name.

There are times when I wish I had taken the same course as you, my dear. When I wish I had just run with Tel'athar to the furthest reaches of Quel'Thalas to live in seclusion and simply enjoy our love for what it was. The chance to do that, the choice to do that, has long since passed for me however. I must play the part I was born to play, as must we all. Though you have escaped the pressure from your father for now, I fear any time you return to the city it will bear down upon you again. Enjoy what you have with Lethas, and worry not for me. It's not like disagreeing with our 'patriarch' from time to time will result in assassination attempts, right? We're all family, and these disagreements tend to come and go.

As for you, I wish you the happiest of times. Never did you look more radiant than on your wedding day. I will try to slip out to visit you whenever I may, as it is easier when Tel'athar is tending to business elsewhere in the kingdom. We will talk of magic and I will keep you up to date on what transpires in the city. Who knows, perhaps in the near future we will be discussing the coming of your first child if you and Lethas remain close and free of the political influences that can poison your love.

I will write again soon, Lirathel. Until then, remember I am here should you need me. Be well!
Love,
Aunt Seluna

Biara nearly dropped the letter, so surprised was she by the contents. Her mother had always been a cold, distant person even from her earliest memories of the magistrix. To see Seluna in such a way, to know that she once had hopes, dreams, and loves that must have been slowly poisoned and strangled out of her by the pressure of her family, was heart-wrenching. Biara found tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them away, folding the letter up and tucking it into a pouch on her belt.

She quickly searched through the remaining letters there, finding many that hinted at the pressure House Dawnslight would place on the young married couple, just as Seluna had implied in her own correspondence. Nothing else immediately jumped out as useful however, so Biara closed the chest and cast a spell over it, sealing it and marking it for one of her elementals to come and collect for further analysis back at Sunfire Estate.

She rose up, looking around the ruined bedroom and frowning; did Lirathel and Lethas meet their fates here? Were they, even now, walking as the tormented undead somewhere in the world? The thought was a disturbing one, for Biara had come to think fondly of her lost cousin and hoped that their tale ended in a happier place.

She shook her head, deciding that there may be additional clues elsewhere in the ruins. The bedroom would not have been a place used for a last stand after all! Quickly she began to search the other rooms, looking for clues as to what kind of battle had overtaken the estate and whether or not anyone had survived. Evidence would be scarce after such a long time, but even so there might be something she could locate that would help point her in the right direction.

A break-through came when she entered the main parlor, finding it in ruins but in a different manner from the rest of the building. Here all of the furniture had been pushed towards the doors, and furniture from other rooms had been dragged in and set as piles before several openings that lead to other parts of the estate. The door Biara entered had been forced open from the outside and bore much evidence of battle damage including arrow shafts and deep cuts and claw marks in the wood. It was clear that some sort of major battle had occurred in this room, and the floor was stained with the rot of old blood spilled long ago.

In the center of the ruined room stood a table, protected from the elements by the study walls and ceiling still standing over them. As Biara approached, she realized that the large document on top was a map, long since faded with time. Although she could barely make it out, it appeared to be of the estate grounds and surrounding forests, and many marks had been made on it conveying the location of what had likely been scourge forces. In the center of the map, a dagger was stuck through the document, pinning it to the wooden surface of the table. Biara reached out to touch it, the weapon falling free and pulling the map over with it. To Biara's surprise, a letter was revealed, pinned to the wooden table beneath the map and hidden from immediate view, likely intentionally.

Carefully Biara picked up the old letter, her heart racing as she recognized Lirathel's handwriting on it. She began to read, her eyes devouring the words on the page.

Captain Skylark,
We've held out here for as long as we can. There is no end in sight to the number of undead that assault these grounds from the forests around us. With Lethas out scouting, I rallied what soldiers we had on hand and even conscripted the servants to fight. I am proud to say we held this estate for more than a day, but it will all be in vain if we stay any longer.

I know that I promised I would wait for you and the other rangers to return before we left, but I cannot in good conscience keep our unarmed civilians in such danger for a moment longer. Lethas has just returned with his own men and reported that they have a clear route to the anchorage. We will abandon this post and flee for House Silverdawn's ship that is docked there. We're taking the remaining men and all of the servants and staff with us to safety. 

I pray you return before the noon sun and retrieve this missive, that you may join us in flight. If you do not but somehow return later, know that we will reunite with you at the properties that Lethas owns in the gardens of Silvermoon City. It is our hope that we can join with Silvermoon's main military forces and aid in the defense of our city. We will make that determination once we are out to sea and can find a place to safely anchor that is not overrun by the walking dead. 

Know that I will not forget you, nor the brave actions of your men. Know also that I will see your work complete and see these civilians to safety even if I must draw my last breath to do so. Farewell, Captain, and may the sun shine on your blade until there are no more foes to strike down.
Respectfully,
Lady Lirathel Silverdawn

Biara found her hopes soaring as she read the letter, her eyes wide. Lirathel had been alive and well when she wrote the missive, and seemed to have a valid escape plan from the scourge threat! She might have survived! Biara quickly folded the letter back up and set it in her pouch with the first she'd found. Although there would be no way to trace the small force lead by Lirathel and Lethas after so much time had passed, she had mentioned Lethas's properties in Silvermoon. Biara had seen records of them, but had not searched there first as that part of the city was still in ruins and it had not been listed as their primary residence in the old census records she'd found.

Still, there was a chance that the couple had successfully fled, and if so, they may have done as Lirathel indicated and returned to that property to regroup. It was a good clue and something she could check relatively easily. She paused, glancing around at the rest of the ruined room. Although there could be more details here, they would likely be of Lirathel's life before the fall of Quel'Thalas and would not help Biara much in locating her. If the elf was still alive, she could tell Biara all about such times and about her relationship with Seluna as well.

"The word 'if' being the question of course," Biara murmured. With a nod of determination she brought her hands up, opening a portal to Silvermoon. It was time to move on to the next step of her investigation.