"Good morning, Iodaem," Authiel replied as she saw heard the young man greet her.  Placing her hand in his, her happy smile turned just a bit introspective and her voice lowered as she went on, I rested well, but...may I speak with you?"

Iodaem raised an eyebrow, and then nodded.  "I...  yes, of course - what is it?" he whispered, and motioned for her to walk with him, thinking that if it was something best kept in private, standing about outside the inn might not be the best idea.

"Innarlith," the young elf quietly yet emphatically said as if that one name said everything.  "You spoke of Innarlith.  I...am looking for somebody...the last place...we know where she was...was...Innarlith," Authiel went on, her voice showing her obvious fear.  "It is not over-large.  Perhaps...you could...help me?"  The pleading look she gave the young man would be enough to break the hardest of hearts, and it was clear that this missing person meant quite a lot to the pretty little elf.

Iodaem stopped, let out a deep, heartfelt sigh, and turned towards Authiel.  She looks so much alike her. . .  can it be? he wondered, but decided against jumping to conclusions, for the moment, at least.  "Innarlith," he began, and took a brief pause to focus his mind.  "That is a place I have tried to erase from my memory, yet no matter how hard I try, my thoughts always return to it, eventually.  What is it you want to know, Lady Authiel?" he whispered, and slowly started walking again, just going around the block the tavern was on, so they would not get too far away from the others.

"My sister, Iodaem.  She is lost.  We have not heard for her in quite some time.  And Innarlith was the last place where we heard from her.  Our father's raven would check on her and then report back to him.  But the last time...my sister, Ardiella, could not be found.  I have to find her.  Where could I start?  Do you have any ideas?" Authiel spouted quickly, urgently.  Gone now was any attempt at a smile.  Her brow was drawn, her eyes had lost their luster.  Authiel was showing her worry and desperation despite herself.

"I...  I think I may have seen her.  You are the second of your kind I have seen, Authiel, of the gold elves.  The first, was a lady I met in Innarlith, who bore a striking resemblance to you.  She. . .  she did not tell me her name, though, for she could not.  I...  I should start at the beginning, though.  Innarlith is ruled by a Senate, but above them stands the Ransar - 'first among equals'," Iodaem began, nearly spitting out the words at the end.  "I...  I worked for him, and he was a cruel, cruel man.  In the dungeons, far beneath his castle, was it I first saw the lady, her hands tied up, and her tongue cut out.  She could not speak to me, but from the way she looked at me, I...  I knew that what I was doing there was wrong, I knew that I had been doing foul deeds - and that I had to stop.  I...  I rescued her from her cage, and we made our escape through the palace."

Then, he quietly began to describe the lady he had tried to save.  She was slightly taller than Authiel, with darker hair.  Her eyes, unknown to Iodaem but unlike most sun elves, were a brilliant green color, just like Authiel's, and he could still see them whenever he closed his eyes.

"We...  we made it to the roofs, before she was...  she was cut down by an arrow, and...  she died, in my arms.  After that, I ran, as far as I could - all the way to Waterdeep,"  finished, having stopped again in the middle of the sentence.


"I...  I'm sorry," he whispered at the end, and lowered his head.  He felt bad for delivering such bad news - if it was indeed Authiel's sister he had seen - and twice as much so, for not having been able to help any, to save the lady, even though she had saved him, in her own way.

Throughout Iodaem's story, Authiel began to realize the horrible truth.  Not only did the man describe her sister physically perfectly, but he also somehow managed to capture her essence, her personality.  Ardiella was most definately the type of woman who could make someone realize their wrongs with just a look.

As the horror of her sister's torture and demise became evident, silent tears slid down Authiel's face.  When she realized for certain that her only, beloved sister was dead, Authiel's legs collapsed beneath her and silent sobs wracked her body.

As if by reflex, Iodaem grabbed Authiel, held her up, and let her cry on his shoulder.  It was the least he could do.  "I am so sorry," he whispered, and as he held Authiel in his strong arms, even he began to cry, not able to stop himself from thinking back at what had happened.  And now, he had a name to connect with the elven lady, too. . .

Crying out all of her sorrow, Authiel nevertheless clung to the guilt that had already begun to gnaw at her.  Guilt that she was alive and her sister was not, that her sister had died horribly while she had done nothing to save her.  Had she but known, Authiel would have given her life for Ardiella.  She would have walked to the ends of Faerûn to save her.  She would have given anything for her precious sister.  But she had not known, and she had not helped.  And Authiel knew she would never forgive herself.

Many minutes passed before her crying ceased.  Had Iodaem not kept her from falling, she likely would have stayed in a heap on the ground.  But she drew strength from the comfort he provided, just as if it had been her loving parents or a true friend.  Of course, she did not know Iodaem that well.  But already there was a link between them.  He had tried to save her sister, and she owed him everything for that.

In between sweet little hiccups, remnants of her crying, Authiel slowly pulled away and looked up at the human man whom she now knew she would give her life for as if he were her sister and whispered, "Thank you.  Thank you for trying to save Ardiella.  Thank you for your gentle hug, for letting me cry on your shoulder.  I am forever in your debt, Iodaem.  Whatever you ask of me, know that I will do my best to grant it to you."

"I will ask you for only one thing, then.  Do not blame yourself, in any way, for what happened.  I did not know her like you did, but your sister was a strong person - she had the determined look of someone who would always do what they knew to be right, no matter the risk.  I...  I admired that, in her.  It was so different from me, from what I am, but I could tell that was how I truly wanted to be," Iodaem whispered, and sighed.  "I...  I'm not sure...  but I think I loved her," he whispered, almost beneath his breath.  "I wasn't in love with her, but I loved her, in a way that seemed so foreign to me.  Had I seen the arrow coming, I would gladly have taken it for her, even if it would mean my own death.  I wish I could have done that," he quietly finished, and it was obvious to Authiel that Iodaem was nowhere near being able to forgive himself for failing to save her sister.

"I owe you much more than that, and I will find a way to repay you for everything," Authiel began.  "I, too, would have gladly taken the arrow that stole my sister's life.  But there was no way you could have known.  And she would not want you to wish otherwise, to have given your life for hers.  I know that she would not want that.  Please...it would be enough for her to know that she took you from that awful place, even though she gave her life for it.  For her, that would be a worthy exchange."

Fresh tears coursed down Authiel's cheeks, but they were silent.  She did not sob, but neither did she wipe them away.  She knew that she needed to cry, but she also realized that soon their companions would be ready to go.  Authiel needed to compose herself.  Squaring her slender shoulders, a determined look came across Authiel's innocent, youthful face.  "The others will be here any moment.  We should be ready for them.  Please, though, remember that anything you need or want, I will do my best to get or do for you."

"Then promise me, that if you ever want or need to talk about it, you will come to me, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, you will come to me?" Iodaem whispered, and after offering Authiel his hand, he slowly began to walk.

"Know that I will always be a friend to you when you need one," he added as they walked, and almost managed to show her a soft smile.  Almost.

Authiel nodded and placed her hand in Iodaem's, drawing comfort from the contact.  "I will if you will promise me the same," Authiel replied softly as the two walked back around to the front of the inn.  "Friends then.  We will be friends," she added, looking around for but not yet seeing their companions.

Iodaem nodded in reply, and gave Authiel's hand a soft squeeze, before leaning up against a wall, to wait for their companions along with his new friend.

Damion wandered through the streets heading towards the agreed meeting place for their departure, a strange spring in his step. He came upon Iodaem and Authiel, his spear in one hand and his shield in the other.
"Good morrow. I hope you both slept better than I last night. I am entirely too excited to once again be on the open rode to have slept much."

Unable to force a fake smile to her face, Authiel was barely able to keep the tears that still glistened in her eyes from falling down her soft, now pale, cheeks.  "I, too, am excited," the little elf replied half-truthfully.  She had been extremely excited until she discovered the truth about her sister.  And though she still wanted to being their journey, Authiel also wished that she had more time to grieve.  To just sit down and cry out her hurt, frustration, and guilt.

Damion cocked his head to the side ever so slightly when he noticed the female elf had been crying. Seeing this was not his place at this time he nodded to them both and looked for their employer.

As Kalmir emerges from the inn, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, the half-orc merchant Rihen Isothe approaches from down the street.  Alongside him is a Chondathan human, bearing a rapier and studded leather armor; Rihen also has a rapier, as well as a large arbalest.
   "Ah, I see you're up and ready to go!" Rihen exclaims when he draws near.  "I have horses for everyone, and enough supplies to last us a tenday."  He indicates the man next to him.  "This is Chepzur; he has agreed to act as our guide, should circumstances take us off the road or muddle the proper turns in the path."
   He claps the man on the shoulder.  "Very alert, this fellow.  Just last night, he saved me the anguish of losing my purse to a pickpocket.  Anyway, I have everything ready to go; are you all prepared to leave?"

Nodding a welcome to Kalmir, Authiel turns to the group's employer and quietly answers, "I am ready to leave whenever you desire it."  Her eyes still glistened and were red and swollen, her feeling of sadness palpable to all surrounding the young elf.  For those who were unaware of the news Authiel received, it was still obvious that something had shaken her to the core.

"I can not wait to be on the road." the young priest said, a wide smile playing across his face.

Iodaem placed his hand on Authiel's shoulder, and nodded slowly.  "I have learned to always be ready to leave," he replied, and waited for the group to set out.

The young man scans around noting who he will be escorting to Nesmé. As he sees the young elven lady with sadness in her heart, he pauses for a moment, then shrugs.

After hearing another human warrior speak to the young elf, he lifts his chin to ensure the whole party hears him. "If everyone is ready to leave, then we should not hesitate. As my one note to everyone, stay warm."

To the priest, "I hope you have made your prayers to your god or goddess, for it is time to venture forth." Chepzur half-smiles at the dawn of another adventure setting forth at this moment.

Resting his right hand on the handle of his rapier, Chepzur turns his attention to the important half-orc, the half-orc paying him to be his guide. "I will start guiding as soon as everyone is on his/her horse."

In her obvious sorrow, Authiel began to say that she had no horse, but then she felt like a fool as she remembered their employer was providing them.  Thankful she had not said anything yet allowed, the pretty little elf quietly said, "Then let us be off."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:49, Thu 26 July 2007.

Kalmir, having his own horse, declined the use of one of the merchant's horses. Before setting out he paid the innkeeper what was owed to him. Patting his horse on the neck, he mounted quickly and set out when the others were ready.

Damion simply nodded at the guide when he made mention of his daily prayers. He then hoisted himself into his saddle and grabbed up his spear, which he stuck the butt of into one of his stirups for easy use.