Gwen Irima

Fire in the Elven Quarter

Ghastly faces haunted Gwen in her dream. She couldn’t run anymore from them. Exhausted she let herself sink to her knees, burying her face in her hands and waiting for the usual darkness to come. Always the same dream. Yet this time something was different. In the darkness there was a warmth that never was there before. Slowly, surprised, she removed her hands from her face. She was surrounded by a firey light, smoke filled her nose…

“Something burns.” Gwen awoke and started coughing. She had been sleeping in the Quarter as Kelirahc was between moving homes. Her room was filled with thick smoke, entering from the edge between the floor and the door. Light danced behind it. With a shock she realized the Trinsic Rose had caught fire somehow. Quickly she looked for a shirt to cover her naked body with and made her way to the door.

Fire ! Everywhere ! Her coughing became worse as she inhaled more smoke and made her way downstairs. Belana !!! Belana !!! Franticly she searched for the waitress, going down the stairs and stumbling over Belana’s lifeless body. As she lay there staring at the dead woman she found herself surrounded by the flames with no way out. She couldn’t breath anymore, had no more strength to move… yet she could still hear voices calling her name. Amongst them were Venka and Soni, her pixie friends. Especially Venka’s high pitched voice screamed over the roaring of the flames, panic echoed in it. “Alar !!! Alar !!! I see her !!!”

A shadow moved through the flames towards her and lifted her from the floor. “Belana…” she uttered with great difficulty. Alar looked over and shook his head. “It is too late for her... let her soul be freed from her body by the fire.” Pressing her close against him, he coughed and whispered barely loud enough for her to hear: “O’nessa, you must let me know in the future where you spend the night. We could have lost you this night…” She couldn’t hear the rest anymore, the inhalation of the smoke took away her final breath.

She awoke coughing and inhaling fresh air into her lungs. She felt terribly disorientated as if she was awaking from one of her worst nightmares. She was surrounded by the elves that lived in the Quarter. “Irima…” Kelirahc’s voice called through the haziness to her adding to the comfort his arms brought, yet – why was he here? Her eyes met with his bringing a sudden rush, a brief insight, she could sense his feelings, his thoughts and then she realized, and knew he had too.

There was a change in the air, the wind was changing. The Tavern was completely on fire now and Gwen could see from the safe distance firey parts drifting… drifting…. “By the Valar !!! The books ! You must save the books !!!” All looked away from her and everybody’s faces looked in shock at the events unfolding. Triel Leafsong, the Treeshaper, cried out in horror.

Alar took charge now and began to order all present to either start getting means to extinguish the fire that was spreading or to hurry inside the Library to get the books out. As the terrible event unfold he didn’t wince when his own newly gotten home caught fire. Khila led Triel calmly to the Town Hall, telling her she had to use her powers to save the trees there.

As she lay to weak to help in Kelirahc’s arms, Gwen began to cry. The Trinsic Rose was lost and there wouldn’t be enough manpower to save the Infirmary and Alar’s trees. The trees seemed to cry out in pain and their wailing filled her ears and pierced her heart. What happened? Who could have done this?
By the time morning came the affected trees were too greatly damaged by the fire and had passed away, but all other trees were saved. All sat exhausted and looked at the terrible sight. The heart of the Quarter was destroyed…

(ooc: obviously there will not be a tavernshift this friday, but if all goes well there should be a new tavern coming monday)

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Park Su-mi

**

The first, cool signs of an autumn breeze gently whistled through the undergrowth of the elven quarter. The calm and near rhythmic rustle of wind disturbing the browning leaves and foliage offered a soothing backdrop to an otherwise silent evening as the footsteps picked their way through the dark. A face, darkened and streaked with grime and dye peered from the shade of the woodline and examined the proud structure that stood tall and beautiful before him. Picking his steps gently, almost silently, the woodsman wove towards the Rose, low and alert in posture and settled amongst the roots at it's foot, gazing up.

To the keenest ear, the nimble fingers of a cold mind broke the quiet, clawing off the lid of an ornate barrel with a eerie, dull scrape. The figure flinched as the wreak of sulfurous ash filled his nostrils, the course black powder ebbing inch by inch from the miniature keg as his steps circled the popular taverna. A wry smile pricked his lips as the knave plucked a flint and tinder from the pouch about his kilt, arson the easiest as crimes as the tiny spark flickered it's way through the undergrowth. Darting out from the shade the figure hauled his cloak about himself and dived for cover to watch the ensuing commotion, as the soft, sweet amber of flames began to lick and lap their way from the foot of the Trinsic Rose.

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Angst

February 364 Stratics Reckoning

The fire that swept through The Trinsic Rose and burned it to the ground spread rapidly to the Infirmary next door, fanned by the north wind that sent flying sparks from the doomed tavern. By chance, I was sleeping in the Infirmary that night and so I did not realise what was happening. I woke coughing and choking from the fumes and felt my way to the door, but it was too late to escape that way. While I fumbled round in the dark and timbers crashed around me I thought my last hour had come. But before I passed out, strong elven arms lifted me up and bore me away.

I came round in another building, with a burned scar down my left cheek that will certainly remain with me until I die. The limp has mended and now barely shows. But I was luckier than poor Belana. I do hope no-one else was burned to a cinder and whose body as a consequence has not been found...

I only learned later that my life was saved by Alar. I must thank him next time we meet. Relations between us have been cool since I was angry with him for trying to control Gwen's life. And it seems he may now be settling down in the Elven Quarter, having acquired his own house.