After the tragedy that befell Solanthos' family and home he took some time at the Towers to recover from his wounds and prepare himself for the upcoming journey. He found himself in the library more often than not, studying the ways of conjuration and teleportation and trying to figure out how exactly he managed to dart behind his attacker without taking a step. He knew that there were certainly spells that would do such a thing, but at that point in his studies he could not grasp the intricate inflections and gestures needed to master them. He knew that something had triggered the ability at his greatest moment of fear and adrenaline and that it was instantaneous. Even his masters at the Towers could not explain the phenomenon, but they secretly were concerned that the trauma of the events caused Solanthos to forget the exact details of that night.
One particular evening Solanthos returned to his chambers to finish scribing a new spell when he found a peculiar and disturbing thing - a folded piece of parchment sticking out of his spellbook. His spellbook was magically guarded with runes that should have prevented anyone else from touching it, but somehow somebody managed to get by the magical protections on the book. He did a quick cantrip to determine if the note had any magical properties, but the telltale blue aura was nowhere to be found. He carefully opened the note.
In flowing Elven script, the note said simply, "I think we can be of some service to one another. We have a common enemy and common goals. If interested, follow the grey bird that awaits outside Greenwood."
Solanthos folded the note back up and looked around the room. There were no other signs of tampering anywhere in the room, and a quick survey indicated that no one had been seen anywhere near his room. He stayed up very late before falling alseep, pondering who might have sent this mysterious message.
---
Carandor was probably the most unorthodox looking elf the world has ever seen. He towered over most of his bretheren at over six feet tall and had a stocky build that rivaled the strongest of humans. Instead of having the long flowing locks that most elves favored, Carandor was completely bald except for one long braided ponytail hanging down to the small of his back. At first look, no one ever believed he was a full-blooded elf and he got many sideways glances from elves who didn't know him. However, he was just as elven as anyone else in Greenwood, and when Carandor's family moved to Greenwood, Solanthos took Carandor under his wing and as such they became fast friends. Their friendship to many was just as strange as Carandor's appearance; Solanthos was studious, thoughtful, and wise beyond his years, while Carandor was brash, arrogant, and impulsive. However, Solanthos found their differences fascinating and, as always, tried to learn as much as possible from this enigmatic character.
Solanthos arrived at Carandor's home a few days after receiving the note, only to find that Carandor was waiting outside for him, armed to the teeth and with bags packed.
"Wow... going somewhere?" Solanthos asked.
"Yeah - to protect you! You can't run off alone, you'll get killed!" Carandor exclaimed. Solanthos cocked his head to the side, but before he could say anything, Carandor produced a note, folded in a similar fashion on similar paper with the same flowing script. "Besides, you think I'd miss out on the fun and the chance to beat someone up? Give me a break! It's boring here anyway right now."
"Um, a lich just attacked the village. I'd say that's the least boring thing that's happened here since... well, ever."
"Lich Smitch. I'll beat up some pansy skeletal wizard just like I used to beat you! You ready?"
Solanthos sighed. There would be no convincing Carandor the error of his logic. "So, how did you get that note, anyway?"
Carandor scratched his head. "You know, come to think of it... I just found it a couple of days ago. It was the strangest thing..." He prattled on as they headed towards the city gates. Solanthos half-listened as his thoughts deepened into concern that this was some sort of trap. He also knew that he wasn't going to find any more information regarding his newfound latent abilities or the lich that destroyed his family and home unless he could find new tomes to sift through. Plus, he knew it would do him well to get the events of the last few weeks out of his head.
Just outside of the Greenwood gates, it did not take Solanthos long to figure out how they would get to their destination. A grey parrot swooped out of a tree, circled twice, and then landed on his shoulder. He rocked back and forth and cackled, then flew away toward the north. Carandor frowned.
"Are we really going to trust this random grey bird to take us somewhere good? I'd feel safer if we had a map or something." The bird flew back around Carandor's head, then swiftly plucked the earring right out of his ear and flew off, again toward the north.
"YOU SON OF A...!" Carandor bellowed as he took off toward the direction of the bird. Solanthos chuckled. He knew it was going to be a long trip, and knew that he might need to keep Carandor out of trouble, but he was glad to have the company.
(to be continued...)
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