A Deed Most Foul

Part 1 - Shaendrolol (Beginnings)

“If I were a drow stalker, you’d all be feeding the trees right now - and that is most certainly an affront to manure, which at least HAS a valid function around here!”

The female instructor’s voice crashed into the pre-dawn darkness of the barracks, just as she and her three assistants illuminated themselves by unhooding their lanterns.

Throughout the room, young elves crashed to the floor in surprise, either fighting to get out of their bedsheets, or tangling their limbs with their shocked and struggling bretheren. The Instructor, known to the Elves of Crying Leaf as Shalelu, sighed, and eyed the assistant to her left. “You think this lot is worth the effort Sulaarn?”, she asked while rolling her eyes in barely concealed mirth.

“Probably not, but we may as well try Shalelu.” Sularn replied with an eye-roll of his own.

“Get your gear and fall in, drow bait!” Shalelu yelled.

The instructors begin to lay about them with willow switches. Vaeler (Recruits) not moving fast enough got a firm swat on exposed skin, creating a chorus of yelps as the instructors moved through the barracks.

In the bedlam, Lythar Kille'eplith untangled himself from the fellow Vaeler that had landed on him as Lythar was rolling clear of the lower bunk. Lythar’s sapphire eyes seemed to glow in the dim light as he pulled his raven black hair back into a leather thong. Ducking an instructor’s switch as it whistled by, Lythar grabbed his tunic and breeches and began to maneuver his way through the chaotic throng of other recruits.

As he slipped by Shalelu, who was happily swinging her switch at laggard Vaeler and chuckling almost evilly under her breath, Lythar couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe that his group had pulled her as their instructor. Shelelu spent most of her time out on patrol, usually patrolling haunted Celwynvian or roaming the edges of the forest in search of Orodaes (Outsiders). The village of Crying Leaf was awash in stories of her prowess in battle, her propensity for almost disappearing from sight when sitting still, and her ability to get in and out alive from areas that had swallowed entire patrols without a trace.

As far as Shalelu was concerned, she would rather have been out drawing blood than training a bunch of wet behind the ears Thysaer Kasol (Forest Guardian) candidates. She knew, however, the absolute importance of molding this raw material into a premier fighting force. The Mierani Forest seemed to act as a lure for foolish bands of humans and other races who were attracted to the stories of great riches in the nearby ancient Elven ruin of Celwynvian. While the riches were definitely there, and were remarkable, outsiders had no business plundering Elven tombs and priceless artifacts. Besides, cleaning up the bodies after a demon, or one of the other denizens of the ruins got a hold of a group of Orodaes was a filthy business - after all, their bodies couldn’t be left to further corrupt the fallen city, or rise again to plague the countryside.

Noticing one of the Vaeler mooning at her, Shalelu took a hard swipe with her switch at the raven-haired youth’s shoulder, grunting in surprise when he not only dodged the blow, but seemed to instantly once again be in motion as he flowed out of the barracks, easily dodging the chaotic movements of his fellows. “Maybe this won’t be entirely a waste of time...” she thought to herself as yet another yelp sounded at the end of her switch.

***

In the months that followed, Lythar watched more than half of his fellow Vaeler fall out of the program. Many would continue learning the trades of their parents, or become town militia. Lythar, though, took to the program with relish, and often surprised his instructors (and himself) with his progress in training. You see, Lythar was a little different than many of his brethren.

Lythar wasn’t a “City Elf” (though admittedly, a traveled Elf would hesitate to call the small hamlets and towns of the Mierani Forest “Cities”). Unable to stay cooped up in his home, or even in the confines of the town of Crying Leaf, Lythar spent most of his childhood in the forest itself. This “natural” education gave Lythar an edge not obtained by many Elves, and his youth spent running with a friendly pack of local wolves and living “rough” in the wilds had granted him skills in tracking and survival and a physique built for combat. After a while, even Lythar’s parents stopped trying to “civilize” him - “some elves are just born for the wilds” they’d say while clucking their tongues.

While he stayed well away from the haunted ruins of Celwynvian, as a youth, Lythar had come to feel more at home in the forest than inside of buildings and towns. This forlorn childhood made him perfect for Thysaer Kasol. As for his parents, they were very happy to see in him a joy for the hunt, and that he had found a calling that suited his very nature. After all, it was the next best thing to him becoming a Druid and going “wild”.

***

Over the next year of training, the group of Vaeler became smaller and smaller. Lythar quickly established himself as one of the more skilled of the group, and rose to become the Thos Vaeler, or First Recruit. After a year of training, and improving their skills in archery and with blades of many sorts, along with improved skills in tracking and survival, Lythar and the small remainder of Vaeler left in his class reached Graduation. As was custom, the entire town of Crying Leaf turned out to welcome the new Thysaer Kasol into their midst.

Upon Graduation, the Vaeler became Shalaes, or Walkers. Charged with patrolling the forest in small groups as scouts, their first years in the service of the Forest were usually as watchers and scouts, tasked with keeping tabs on any Orodaes who penetrated the sacred Forest, notifying the more senior Thysaer Kasol of their location so they could be appropriately dealt with.

That night, as the celebration feast began to wind up, though, a tired and winded Elf burst into the town proper.

“Orodaes,” growled Zerranthus, “have come to desecrate Celwynvian. To arms!”

At Zerranthus’ rasped call, Lythar’s head snapped up, a mixture of excitement and dread filling him. His hands immediately began to check for the presence of his omnipresent bow, arrows, and sword, as well as the other gear granted to Shalaes, and expected to be on their person at all times.

Tadal (Captain) Kaerishiel Neirenar, head of the Shin’Rakorath, the elite warriors of the Mierani Forest, conferred quietly with Zerranthus, and then immediately called to all warriors present to gather for assignments. Lythar was tasked to a screening force which was ordered to the far side of Celwynvian to reinforce the Shalaes already on watch in that area, and to help prevent any runners from getting too much farther into the forest. Upon receiving their orders, Lythar’s group loped off into the forest to take their stations.

Having seen the newly minted group of Shalaes off, Kaerishiel turned to Lady Elordria and her assigned squad of Shin’Rakorath. “M’Lady, why don’t you and your group see our friends back to wherever they came from?” he said with a smirk.

“With pleasure Kaerishiel!” Lady Elordria replied, as she turned to the grizzled veterans under her command. “To horse! Let us kindle a desire in these Orodaes to be on their way!”

With a hearty roar, Lady Elordria and her Shin’Rakorath retinue thundered off towards Celwynvian....