Eldárien wakes early, long before dawn, and his heart is restless. He rises from bed and dresses, then sits in a chair, his head resting against his hands. Only gradually does he remember what woke him: a dream, or rather a nightmare. Many of the specifics are gone now and may never return, having fled […]

The clatter of wood against wood echoes through the training ground as Rórlain parries the strike of the captain of the guard. He then lunges forward and seeks to land a blow on his trainer, but the latter deftly steps to the side and blocks the wooden training axe with his shield and then, in […]

The earth crunches softly under Tilliána’s feet as she paces slowly between the ruined buildings of the ghetto. Long already have the burned bodies of her fellows been removed and buried, and the roads—more like paths of loose dirt and stone—cleared of rubble and refuse. But even with this, the ghetto remains, and may always […]

A few days later, Eldárien walks through the fields surrounding the city of Ristfánd, immersed in thought. Scattered homesteads dot the landscape, simple houses of wood or stone with thatched roofs, and here or there a larger estate, smoke spiraling into the clear sky from many a hearth. There are numerous livestock fenced or stabled: […]

Rórlain walks alone through the streets of Ristfánd and passes through a high archway of stone into the southwestern section of the city, where the barracks and training grounds of the militia are located. So much has happened already in the short time since he and Eldárien arrived in the city, and he finds the […]

Fire surrounds him, licking at the hem of his garments like poisonous tongues and billowing forth smoke of blackest night, filling his lungs and blinding his eyes. It sweeps across the land, scorching earth and sky, turning the air itself into living flame. He opens his mouth to cry out, but no sound emerges. Instead, […]

Eldárien and Rórlain make their way through the streets of the city to the haeras’ palace, an imposing structure of stone in the center of Ristfánd, surrounded by a grove of trees and a narrow moat dug more for decoration than for defense. Its water glistens in the dappled light of the sun shining through […]

Eldárien and Rórlain navigate through the streets of Ristfánd, leading their horses by the bridle, until they come to the courtyard in which the temple of Nirániel rises before them. They tie the horses to a post and ascend the steps to the large wooden doors, in which are carved ornate designs and runes—the temple […]

Elmáriyë rides into the city in the late afternoon and, after entrusting Fenárion to the stable master, walks to the temple. The streets are filled with anxiety, even fear, and she does not know why; but she also feels another emotion, which it takes her a large part of the walk to the center of […]

After gathering their supplies, Eldárien and Rórlain set off on horseback, their faces to the early morning sun. The land before them is flat, an almost uninterrupted plain stretching to the east, dotted with farmland of wheat and beans and strawberries, and pastures for livestock as well, interspersed with groves of trees and ponds or […]