Miss, thank you for understanding. I promise not to do that again, really.

But...um...what did you just say to my bird? He did not understand you, nor did I. I'm not too terribly well versed in languages...

ooc:
For the group that hasn't gotten to the meeting hall yet, please check the bottom of page 6. The order in which you post your approach to the the building will be the order in which you arrive. Or you could head in another direction and see what happens.

You stand a few inches taller than the elven woman, and can look over her shoulder with ease. In front of her, Ralora kneels over a small girl, who lies on the floor looking back up at you. She wears a very pretty robe, and has a figure that would make many women envious. If not for one particular detail of her appearance, you might mistake her for the daughter of a successful halfling merchant. Sprawled out behind her, a pair of gossamer wings lay idle against the woven branch floor.

Your observations are interrupted by the approach of yet another elven man. This one carries a heavy burden on one shoulder, and at first it appears he has a dwarf in chain mail hefted over his shoulder. He announces himself with an idle comment about the day. The elven woman looks back at him, and though you cannot see her face, her voice seems pleasant, "The day has come and gone, young one, and has found me little different from days before. Now the night comes, and I hope it proves pleasant. What is your name?"

Taylen

When you arrive to join the small gathering, you get to see what all the commotion is about. You now recognize a second face, as the daysprite Saeessira looks back up at you from the floor. She appears healthy and calm, and perhaps a little red in the cheeks, smiling meekly.

The elven woman looks up at you, and gives a slight nod. Her dull green eyes, laced with streaks of grey much like her hair, look calmly back at you. "The day has come and gone, young one," she says to you in a soft voice, "and has found me little different from days before. Now the night comes, and I hope it proves pleasant. What is your name?"

Reyolen

You are not the only one who has taken an interest in the lady Elder. The human girl you saw in the entryway walks up shortly after you, and peers over the Elder's shoulder at Saeessira. Taylen approaches shortly thereafter, and introduces himself to the conversation in typical traveler fashion. Though she seemed interested in you briefly, she now turns to Taylen. "The day has come and gone, young one, and has found me little different from days before. Now the night comes, and I hope it proves pleasant. What is your name?"

Falaanla

The fellin leans in a little closer to you, and says quietly, "Do not worry about it. After the induction ceremony, please come with me. I'll get you and your little friend something to eat, and we can talk in more detail."

She turns to look up, as a familiar face appears beside her. Taylen walks up, carrying the same heavy burden that has been on his shoulder since midday. "Good eve," he says pleasantly, looking around at the group, "does the day find you well?"

The elven woman looks back at him, and answers in a pleasant voice, "The day has come and gone, young one, and has found me little different from days before. Now the night comes, and I hope it proves pleasant. What is your name?"

The induction ceremony? What is that? I've never heard of an induction ceremony...

Taylen Ashenbow, Ralora, elder person, this daysprite, and mister coy elf here. Alright then.

[ 04-05-2003: Message edited by: Dr. Pvednes, PhD ]

Quiet there, Mr Prissy froofy elf. You give the rest of your wonderful bretheren a bad name. I'm tryin to talk to this nice Fellin here...

Kay, that's pervy elf's name too. Silvan Koras.

[ 04-06-2003: Message edited by: Dr. Pvednes, PhD ]

"It's... it's terrible... Such warping of nature's beauty..." He seems to almost shrink into himself as he heads further into the city.

ooc:
Pokedy proddeny Alta Janusificus Diakrugenai!

"Losing your hearing already, young Silvan?" the elven woman laughs. "Yes, yes, I remember you, despite your years away. Your family's departure spared you much of the unpleasantness of these times. We should catch up after the induction. Taylen Ashenbow, well met, and I'm impressed. Since you're not from one of our hunts, I was uncertain whether you would recognize my station. As for names, I am known as Naeatalle." Looking around at the small gathering of people, the elven woman's tone grows level, "Ah, the hour has come. If you would all take seats near the center of the room, we can get things under way." She then begins to walk towards the entryway, reciting quietly to herself, "Six, five, four, three..."

"Gather round, young travelers, gather round, and know why you have been gathered here!" a slightly hoarse male voice shouts suddenly, echoing through the room. In the very center of the small clear space at the very center of the meeting hall, a slender and tall-looking elven man fades into view. Two other elves appear up on the balconies; a short distance from you, a slightly heavy-set male elf appears on a balcony nearby, wearing long green robes much like those of the elder elf, and another elf in green fades into being on a far balcony across the room.

The room fills with a sudden commotion, as people head towards the inner rings of seats. Some people head for the aisles, while others simply climb over the rows of seats... or try to climb over them. Nearly every human, elf, and half-elf in the room either falls over the first row of benches reached, or bends down to untie his or her shoes. Most of the fellis have no difficulty, however, as they have no shoes to begin with. The lizardmen and gnomes, who had gathered in small groups on far sides of the large room, both avoid difficulties by following the walk lanes. Gatherings near the front of the room slowly take seats. The male daysprite who had been with Saeessira before also hovers towards the center of the room.

Aanile, Drakkenmaw, Ukko

As you approach the enormous dome, you can see something going on inside, however your view through the entryway seems oddly hazy. Both of the wayguards enter the building, one stepping to either side of the doorway, out of sight.

The six elves who entered with you all walk ahead, approaching a large brown bear lying beside a guard. The bear sniffs for a moment, then they each spend a moment patting or stroking it. The one elven woman still among them ruffles the bear's cheeks, and scratches it behind the ear. After a moment, three of them walk away in one direction, and three in the other.

Janus Krug

Your travelling companions, whether elven or more recently met, wander out of sight towards the flattened dome. Only the elven woman who ran up behind the group now remains with you. "Well?" she asks sharply, "are you going, or do I need to kick you where your armor chafes?"

OK then.

Sae then grins

Of course, I'm not gonna fight for a seat...she says, as she hovers about 5 feet higher than the benches, and flies forward to the frontmost row of benches, to get the best possible view...

[ 04-06-2003: Message edited by: Falaanla Marr ]

"Mmm, that feels good," Ithar hums in your head, as you hover away. "I hungry. When can we - hey, berry!" Following that, Ithar's speech consists mainly of the sounds of your bird companion thinking about eating, "...num, num, num..."

From above the heads of some human traders in the front row, you get a pretty good look at the elf in the center of the room. His hair has turned almost entirely silver, and shimmers slightly under the lights. He has tied it back behind his head in a pony tail, where it hangs down behind his shoulders. Long braided sideburns reach down to his shoulders. The man's face appears thin, and though it still holds the fair nature of the elves, the marks of age have worked their way into his brow and beneath his eyes. Unlike the elves up on the balconies, he wears an emerald green shirt, with leather pants and an open vest. A long earthen cloak drapes down behind him to just below his knees. If not for the attention everyone seems to have given his words, you might mistake him for an ordinary old traveler.

Relmido hovers up beside you. "About time," he whispers, cupping his hand to direct his voice in your direction. One of the humans below takes a swat at his foot, "Hey, would you two mind not swinging your feet in my face?" "Sure thing," Relmido responds, kicking off the top of the man's head before climbing a bit higher.

Pvednes

Climbing over the rows of benches, you reach a seat in the front row. Other than the pair of little winged people hovering over humans off to your left, you have a clear and close-up view of the open area at the center of the room. At least the little girl is alright, as she and the winged boy idly torment one of the humans with their feet.

In the center of the open circle, an elven man looks around casually at the gathering audience. He appears slender, and unusually tall for an elf, with silver hair, and long strands hanging down past the front of his ears. Unlike the old elven woman and elves up on the balconies, his clothes resemble the garb of an average traveler. He wears an emerald green shirt, with leather pants and an open vest. A long earthen cloak drapes down behind him to just below his knees.

Reyolen

As you once again approach the entryway, you notice that the elder, Naeatalle, stands in one side of the arch, looking outward. Two new elven guards have appeared just inside the entry way, on either side of it; they appear to be the same two elves who had approached Taylen and the others when you first entered the city. The female guard nods to you as you pass.

Walking down the aisle towards the center of the room, it appears that just about everyone has gathered in the front three rows. You can see an open space on the second row bench, to the right of the aisle, which could comfortably accommodate you. It will take you only a moment to get there.

Taylen

Silvan places his backpack against the wall, then your companions wander away, as does Naeatalle, leaving you standing beside the fellin woman in her pink apron and knee-length white skirt. She stands slowly, leaning on her cane, then resumes stroking the belly of the little blue bird on her finger. "If you don't know the air tongue, perhaps my own native words will soothe you," she says to the bird in Sylvan. "We should find you something to eat. A little thing like you won't need much, after all. Let's see..." Reaching into a pocket of her apron, the fellin pulls out something small. She opens her palm, revealing half of a small, red berry.

"Hadn't you best join the others?" she asks, turning to look at you. A gentle smile crosses her lips, and she has both her ears raised, pointing towards you. The little bird begins to pluck at the berry in her palm.

Ukko

Your arms reach the top of the arched entryway without difficulty, and you fill nearly half of it as you lean in, looking around.

Inside, rows of entwined vines form rings of benches, leading down towards an open area near the center of the single large room. Several long balconies hang overhead, ringing the edge of the room, with branches jutting out from the walls forming ladders that an elf-sized person could easily climb. Small hidden lights scattered around the ceiling cast an ambient light on everything in view.

A small crowd has gathered in the rings of benches closest to the open center area. A single, slender-looking man stands there, clad in green and brown. A few stragglers continue to walk towards the crowd, or stand near the edge of the room. One elf in particular catches your eye, as he appears to be carrying half a dwarf. However, you can't see anyone's faces clearly at this distance.

A slender-looking elven woman appears in the entryway beside you. She carries a long wooden staff, and wears long green robes draped down to her ankles. Her long blonde hair is streaked with silver, and her emerald eyes glance briefly at you, before staring out at your new acquaintances. "You're just in time, please come in," she says in a pleasant tone. "We are about to get started. Just follow the crowd, and find a seat, young ones. There is much to say and hear, and the night has already come."

Aanile

Dragging the lizardman towards the building slows you down somewhat. Even though he cooperates, he has his eyes closed, and his steps have grown hesitant. As you near the entryway to the large dome-shaped building, the tremendous human (who you first met outside the city) walks around in front of you, and past the large brown bear. He reaches up, taking hold of the entryway's top with his fingers, and leans into the room, his form taking up half of the frame. The two armed elves let him pass, but the one closer to him turns his head to watch the behemoth human.

A slender-looking elven woman appears in the other side of the entryway. She carries a long wooden staff, and wears long green robes draped down to her ankles. Her long blonde hair is streaked with silver, and her emerald eyes stare out at you. "You're just in time, please come in," she says in a pleasant tone. "We are about to get started. Just follow the crowd, and find a seat, young ones. There is much to say and hear, and the night has already come."

[ 04-09-2003: Message edited by: Ford Prefect ]

We'll talk more in a bit. Lets see what this guy has to say.

Taylen walks up to an empty row near the front, then shifts over to stand in front of a bench so as to get out of the aisle.

ooc:
Please note that some of your names appear in multiple headers.

From the moment you take your seat, you recognize the figure standing in the center of the room. Even if you had never before seen his face, is age would prove quiet obvious. Yet he, like Naeatalle, is one of the city's Elders.

Falaanla, Pvednes, Reyolen

For a moment, the old man remains silent, as the last stragglers take seats in the first three rows of woven-branch benches. Then, as all eyes focus on the old elf, he takes one last look up at the doorway, and at the two balconies where other elves appeared. Then slowly, quietly, he begins to speak, and all who have gathered fall silent. "Many of you have travelled far to find sanctuary here. Many have given up all they had, said farewell to those who could not make the journey, those they would wish to save, but could not. These are times of trial for all good people."

The old elf's voice, steady and sorrowful, pauses for a moment as his eyes scan the gathered crowd. "Yet we still have hope. For though none among us have seen such times as these, they have come before. Our ancestors have survived such times before, and far worse. Our tormentors have come to this land before. Dark days we saw then, when elven feet could scarcely touch the earth. As I recall the tales of those elder days, I know we can prevail again. Times of trial bring out the strength in everyone. In the days to come, we must remember..."

"Hey, get off me you beschattendieb!" someone shouts from the audience. Heads turn, as sounds of a scuffle replace the voice of the elder elf.

Pvednes, Reyolen

The word beschattendieb, descending from the Gnome language, translates roughly to "shadow stealer".

Taylen

As you walk away from the fellin woman, she ambles over to the back row bench, and carefully takes a seat, with the bird still perched on her cane hand. You spot Naeatalle as you walk past the entrance, talking to an unusually large human. The wayguards who met you at the city's entrance stand on either side of the entryway. Apparently they have returned from whatever errand led them away.

The voice of the elderly elf at the center of the room greets you as you approach. "Yet we still have hope. For though none among us have seen such times as these, they have come before. Our ancestors have survived such times before, and far worse. Our tormentors have come to this land before. Dark days we saw then, when elven feet could scarcely touch the earth. As I recall the tales of those elder days, I know we can prevail again. Times of trial bring out the strength in everyone. In the days to come, we must remember..."

"Hey, get off me you beschattendieb!" someone shouts from the audience. Heads turn, as sounds of a scuffle replace the voice of the elder elf.

Aanile

The elven woman steps back from the doorway, letting you and the overgrown lizard on the end of your arm walk through. Twin moon flaps nervously as you pass the bear, beating a wing against your shoulder, but the bear just looks up for a moment, then sets its head down on a paw as if going to sleep.

Once inside the building, you spot your travelling companion rather quickly. Despite the sheer number of elves gathered near the center of the room, a few details make Taylen stand out. First and foremost, he's still carrying the bulky armor he found at the orc camp (on an orc). After that, you notice the familiar gear he usually carries, and the glint of light off the studs in his own leather armor. He also happens to be the only person in the room who has not yet joined the audience near the room's center. He now walks down a path between rows of branches woven into long benches, with his back towards you.

Stepping between you and Taylen, the elderly elven woman walks down the aisle towards the center of the room. She glances back every few steps, looking at you and the others. The huge human follows her, obstructing your view of Taylen completely.

Drakkenmaw

The fellin girl continues dragging you through this abomination of a city. With your eyes shut, you cannot tell where you are, nor what goes on around you. It sounds like someone is talking far away, but you cannot discern his words.

ooc:
Due to the extended absence of Janus Krug, Gavin will now be treated as an NPC. Ukko asked me to post his actions for him.

As he gazes around at the marketplace, taking in the sight of the Elven city, Gavin's thoughts are interrupted rather rudely. A slender foot finds a gap in his chainmail, landing directly between his legs from behind. "I warned you," the female elf's voice says, "now get moving." Doubling over with pain, Gavin stumbles in the same direction that the others went, towards the large flattened dome building. The elven woman follows behind him.

Ukko

The blonde and grey haired elven woman steps out of the doorway. At first, she merely takes a couple paces aside, letting the fellin and the alligator step into the doorway beside you. Then, after another few seconds scanning you and your new acquaintances, she turns and walks down the aisle in front of you, following an elf who carries a dwarf on his shoulder.

After a brief hesitation, you follow her. It seems the easiest way to see everyone's faces would be from the center of the room, so that's where you go. At the very least, it would bring you closer to whatever has everyone's attention. Every so often, the elven woman glances back at you, smiles, then continues walking.

[ 04-13-2003: Message edited by: Ford Prefect ]

Though each row has open spaces, only the fourth row and the rows behind it remain entirely unused. Slipping into the fourth row behind a pair of elves, you get a decent view of the open area at the room's center. However, the elderly elven man walks towards one of the other two aisles, and into the second row, past a small group of gnomes. You cannot see much of what's going on beyond that.

Naeatalle walks past you shortly after you step out of the aisle. Behind her, a hulking human with a thick beard lumbers down the aisle. The two of them come to a halt at the frontmost row, where the elven woman turns around to face him.

Reyolen

His lecture interrupted by the scuffle taking place elsewhere in the stands, the grey-haired Elder walks away from the center of the circle, towards one of the side aisles. His head remains in view, as he steps between the first and second row of benches. Due to a group of elves sitting in the first row, you do not quite have a clear view of the goings on beneath the Elder's waist. Whoever is scuffling would need to be small, though. Perhaps the disruption is nothing more than brawling children.

Naeatalle walks past you shortly after you step out of the aisle. Behind her, a hulking human with a thick beard lumbers down the aisle. The two of them come to a halt at the frontmost row, where the elven woman turns around to face him. "Please take a seat," she tells him, "I am certain the ceremony will resume shortly."

Pvednes

The old elf turns towards the source of the scuffling sounds, and walks around behind a group of elves and gnomes in the first row. Their gazes all follow him around. Behind them, the old elf appears to wedge himself between two child-sized people.

Closer to you, a tall, gruff, and handsome man wearing tight leather armor ambles up to the front row with Naeatalle, the elven woman who greeted you at the entrance to the building. He stands a full two heads taller than her, with shoulders that could get caught in some doorways. She motions to the bench on your side of the aisle. Though you can tell she says something to him, they're several paces away, and you have difficulty hearing any specifics.

Falaanla

The elderly elven man, his speech interrupted by something more interesting, walks towards the aisle directly opposite you. He slips into the second row, amidst a group of gnomes, and steps through, pausing between one gnome and someone else. You can see the back of a head, along with shoulders and traces of arms moving about. The long hair looks familiar. "Hey, isn't that..." Relmido ponders aloud.

Ukko

The elven woman leads you to the front row of benches, then turns around. "Please take a seat," she tells you, motioning towards the open bench to your left, "I am certain the ceremony will resume shortly." A pair of cat people sit near the aisle in the second row, and two more now stand in the third row, trying to see where the old elf has gone. Elves fill the seats to your right in all three front rows.

The grey-haired elf, who had been standing in the center of the room, has walked into a group of tiny people. You can't see what's going on behind the elves in the front row, who turn around themselves as the grey-haired one walks behind them.

Aanile

As you walk down the aisle, Taylen steps aside, and back into view. He has stopped at the fourth row, and it takes you half a minute to reach him, dragging the lizardman behind you. Twin Moon calms down once you get away from the entryway, and the bear. She looks around curiously.

Drakkenmaw

The fellin woman's pace speeds up, and her grip on your arm tightens. You can feel yourself walking slightly downhill, and hear a bit of commotion nearby. Keeping up with your eyes closed gets rather difficult.

Janus Krug

"Age has nothing to do with it," the elven girl complains. "I've been on my feet since sunrise. After twelve hourse guiding grumpy humans, drunken dwarves, and, eugh, lizardmen, my day finally starts to look up, until a halfling tries to hide from the guards, under my cloak! Then to top it off, we're late for the ceremony, and you stand around looking at kiosks!" By the time she finishes, you're already standing in the doorway.

The large dome building looks like a conference hall. Rows of entwined vines form rings of benches, leading down towards an open area near the center of the single large room. Several long balconies hang overhead, ringing the edge of the room, with branches jutting out from the walls forming ladders that an elf-sized person could easily climb. Small hidden lights scattered around the ceiling cast an ambient light on everything in view.

The other two elves who escorted you up here stand on either side of the entryway, just inside the building, with their backs leaning against the wall. A fellin woman with a cane sits to your left in the back row. Everyone else in the room has gathered in the front three rows near its center.

You have seen few people taller or more muscular than the man before you now. Standing well over six feet tall, with strong shoulders and a barrel chest, he reminds you of two dwarves, one standing on the other's shoulders. A dark, gruff beared covers much of his face, leading down past rounded ears from a head of short yet unkempt hair. Long slender eyes peer down the bridge of a large yet shapely nose.

Tight-fitting leatherwork covers much of the man's body below his thick neck. He wears leather gloves and heavy fur boots, and carries a stuffed cloth backpack over his shoulder, with a rolled-up bolt of fur strapped beneath it. As he surveys the bench nearby, the large man has a strangely sombre look about him.

Ukko

The bench looks rather flimsy at first glance, but nature often has a way of hiding its strength. Branches several inches thick reach up from the floor in irregular patterns, spreading into smaller branches that have somehow entwined themselves with each other into a level seat. It doesn't give when you put your weight on it.

As for the two cat people behind you, they appear fairly tall, and with the slanted floor, they should be able to see over your head if you sit down, and possibly lean forward a bit.

ooc:
I'll post more for everyone in a day or two, to give anyone who's interested a chance to react to the current situation.

"You left someome outside..." She says to Tay in her native tongue, trying to control her aggitation.

"What is going on?" he says softly.

ooc:
Personal matters have taken Janus Krug's attention for a while. His character will be treated as an NPC until his return. For the time being, I will not describe his actions unless someone notices him, however his position on the map will stay up to date.

Anyone who wishes to may speak or act during these events. You'll have time for a few sentences at most. If you speak loudly, please say at what point during the events you do so.

The old elven woman has turned her attention elsewhere while the process of sitting down distracted you. She now stands a couple paces away, with her left side towards you, as she surveys the crowd.

Taylen

You hear two voices from behind you. Freya's familiar voice calls out your name from a short distance away. Once she reaches you, she comments snidely in the Sylvan tongue, "You left someone outside." Then the deep voice of a lizardman asks quietly, "What is going on?"

Reyolen, Pvednes, Falaanla, Taylen, Aanile, Ukko

After a few more seconds of rustling, a few high-pitched cries and a thud or two at his feet, the old elven man reaches down, picking up what looks like a skinny human child of no older than six years. She flails wildly, as he wraps his arms around her waist, pinning her back to his chest. She kicks and flails as he carries her into the open area at the center of the room.

"What is your name, halfling," the grey-haired elven man asks calmly, as the girl's elbows pound his chest.

"Let - let go!" she stammers.

The old elven woman approaches them, "Be calm, child. We will not harm you."

"Let go, let go!" the high-pitched voice cries again.

"What happened to your hair?" the grey-haired man asks.

"Let me... I... I braided it," the little girl calms down a bit, and stops struggling. She peers nervously at the face of the old elven woman.

The old elven woman leans in, gently running her fingers through the girl's hair. "Strand by strand," she says softly, "this would take weeks, maybe months."

"Three days," the girl answers. "I... do you... have any string?"

The room carries their voices as if they spoke loudly. All the crowd remains silent, watching the events in the center of the large room.

Drakkenmaw

You hear three voices echoing around you which you do not recognize. One is a slightly raspy, yet soothing male voice. A second, very high-pitched voice, speaks nervously, shouting often. A third, soft female voice has greeted you before, though you already had your eyes shut, and did not pay it much mind.

"What is your name, halfling," says the male voice.

"Let - let go!" cries the high voice.

The soft female voice speaks softly, "Be calm, child. We will not harm you."

"Let go, let go!"

"What happened to your hair?" asks the man.

"Let me... I... I braided it," the high-pitched voice quiets somewhat.

"Strand by strand," the soft voice says softly, "this would take weeks, maybe months."

"Three days," the high-pitched voice answers. "I... do you... have any string?"

The elven woman with grey-streaked hair reaches into the pocket of her robe. After a moment, she pulls out a short length of string, at most no longer than her hand. Holding it on her open palm, she offers it to the halfling girl. It practically vanishes from the elf's hand, as the little one snatches up the small strand of twine.

"This won't last," the girl whines, as her fingers quickly begin weaving knots into its length, one butting up against the next. Her fingers move like flies, each with a mind and motion of its own, shifting in and out of each other like folds of cloth ruffling in a storm.

"It should not need to last," the elven woman responds in her ever-soothing voice. Slowly and carefully, she brings her hand up in front of her, until her thumb meets the length of her nose, and her fingertips touch her forehead beneath a tuft of hair. She stares past it at the girl, her eyes transfixed, with her other hand holding her staff perfectly upright at her side.

In the span of seconds, the halfling girl fills the length of the string with knots, then doubles back for the more daunting task of building the knots together into larger knots. The stiffened strand flails about wildly in her grasp, then after a moment, disappears between her palms.

"Lord of Magics, wisest among wise, I beseech thee, grant thy blessing unto me, thy humble servant," the elven woman recites, her tone level and steady, without the slightest hurry or hesitation in her words. "Release this everchild from the blinding will of her tormenter. Let her eyes see clearly, and her mind find clarity in thy truth. Grant thy favor, and lift from her the veils of curse and conjuration." The elven woman closes her eyes.

Separating her hands from each other, the halfling girl drops a small, round ball. What had once been a strand of twine has now become a knot of knots, of yet smaller knots, of perhaps still smaller knots beneath. It rolls from her palms, and plops to the floor. She starts struggling again. The old, grey-haired elven man holds her steadfast to his chest, and takes several blows above the knees from her heels.

Slowly and carefully, the elven woman reaches forward, finding the halfling girl's cheek beside her eye. The slender fingers trace down the small cheek, until they pass under the girl's chin, wrapping themselves gently beneath it. As the elven woman leans forward, she brings her forehead to meet the girl's. The halfling grabs a tuft of the grey-streaked elven hair, quickly storts out a few strands, and begins making a tiny braid. "I... I can't..." the girl's tiny voice stammers, and her small body trembles. "To see the truth," the elven woman whispers, "is to see the Archmage." Her eyelids snap open, and her slender elven eyes stare suddenly and deeply into the seeing circles of the halfling girl.

At once, the halfling girl tries to turn her head away, but the elven woman's hand holds it in place. Both pairs of eyes remain transfixed upon each other. An emerald green glow shines from the elven woman's eyes. The sounds which escape the halfling's lips resemble the beginnings of a scream, broken before it can begin by breathless gagging, as her jaw shudders in the elven woman's hand. Then the glow fills her eyes as well, and she stops struggling, staring silent and motionless back into the eyes across from hers.

Lifting her head away from the halfling, the elven woman stands upright, and takes a step back. Her hair slides from the girl's grasp. As her hand drops back to her side, the girl takes an audible gasp of air. "I... I..." the little one stammers, "I can... can... stop..." The old, grey-haired elf lowers her back down onto her feet. "You asked my name," her small voice weighs heavily with guilt, as she looks up at the elves on either side of her. "I'm Tina."