67th September 353

Elves arrive in Yew

Then one morning Smaed awoke and lay with his eyes closed. Listening, he could hear that the wind had dropped and all was quiet. He snapped his eyes open and quickly rising, went to a wind-eye to look out. It was a beautiful autumn dawn. The sun shone out of an azure sky on a forestscape of gold and yellow and red and brown, showing autumn in all its magnificence. He flung open the wind-eye and the stillness was striking.

Quickly he dressed and marked how ravenously hungry he was. He bought several loaves of bread from the abbey provisioner and bolted them down, but was still hungry. He bought and ate several more before he felt full.

Leaving the abbey he headed for the town of Yew. The barriers were gone, as were the bog denizens, not one did he see, not even a giant rat. The earthquakes and airquakes that had troubled the forest all through september had stilled and all was wondrously beautful. Yet the traffick was if anything heavier than ever: men and women in garish costumes and mounted on neon-coloured giant beetles rushed about, a jarring contrast to the silent beauty of the forest.

There in the middle of Yew Town he stopped and gaped. A strange silver portal shimmered in the sunlight, its form unclear from its rythmic rise and fall. Unlike any moongate it was, or even witchcraft recall portals. He could see numerous adventurers running into the portal and vanishing before his eyes, while yet others appeared from it as it were out of nowhere and raced away into the forest.

By the portal stood a tall and haughty elf, dressed as an emissary or ambassador. Smaed approached to ask what was going forward. But he received no reply. He returned to the Abbey in the late afternoon and enquired there. Unusually among the contemplative monks, the abbey was abuzz with excited conversation. Smaed learned that the portal in the centre of Yew Town led to an elven community in a mighty tree. It was hard to comprehend. The elves had come to Yew!

But Smaed was too tired to think of what this might mean, and he was ravenous again. He bought and consumed large quantities of bread. He would explore the portal on the morrow. Then lying down, he fell immediately into a deep sleep.


68th September 353

The Elven Treetown, and a chance meeting with Kaine

Smaed rose early to another glorious autumn day. Ravenously hungry again, he bought several loaves of bread and bolted them down before setting off to the portal.

He arrived in the centre of Yew and stood watching the portal for a while. Now when it came to the moment of truth he felt divided. As a lowly teenage footman he had been through many moongates and also gates summoned by Militia soldier-priests casting witchcraft spells, yet he did so under orders. Now faced with the voluntary use of a portal he hesitated. All his background as a child in Leafsta and as a youth in the Militia had taught him that magicks were not to be trusted. It took him some time for his curiosity to overcome a lifetime of mistrust. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the portal.

The sounds of the forest disappeared, and he found himself in a long narrow way, as if it were the inside of a treetrunk. He stood a while, wide-eyed with wonder and some fear. Elves stood around, offering quests of varying sorts that Smaed ignored. Many adventurers walked or rode up and down this throughway. Numerous bags and pouches lay around, filled with weapons - bows of many kinds being the most common. Here were also rings and bracelets, doubtlessly magical, and other items, all for the taking. Ignoring these he followed the main trunk to where it branched.

There out of the corner of one eye he thought he recognised one of the Silverleaf elves hurrying by. A few moments later he returned and greeted Smaed warmly: Kaine the Silverleafstan alchemist!

It was a glad meeting. It had been long since Smaed had met a Silverleaftan other than Riva, the tavern barkeep. He asked after his father and they talked for a while of Silverleaf and of the elven treetown. Then Kaine asked Smaed if he wanted to do the quest that would gain him recognition as an elf, and if so that he, Kaine, who had completed the quest, would guide him.

Smaed accepted gratefully, despite some misgivings. He had not known of such a quest and it was a big step to take, yet the offer was generous and could not be refused. Here he had a chance to decide his identity - man or elf - and end this half-existence, in which he was neither one nor the other. To be accepted as a member of the elven race - even as a half-elf - was tempting indeed, and here was the chance! Would this be the moment of decision when he would choose his path - man or elf - and decide his identity?