“After the fall of the dynasty, the Coliseum of the God-Emperors was torn down and slavery outlawed. Thereafter, gladiators were considered members of an honored profession, not slaves, and they battled in a new stadium, not built upon the blood of its victims.” Jerilyn of Colcester
“All heroes of the Prophecies suffer from loneliness, it is the price exacted by the Balance. Take me, for example. My promises isolated me from those I loved most. If not for Velora, I would be as mad as the God-Emperors. Even Valdarag, who wore the mantle of the Warrior for only a short time, paid the toll when he became the Eternal Warrior. I feel for Andis, she has been without others of her kind far longer than she deserves, but her loneliness, and mine, is nothing next to the loneliness born by he whom I shall not name. He has truly been alone.” Kandol Elf Lord
“In my day, long after the time of Hali, a council of elected lords had responsibility for setting and upholding the law in Sangrithar. They were led by the Lord of the Vaulted Dome, named for the great hall in which the council met. Strangely, given that the rest of the council was elected by popular vote, the leader was determined in a trial by combat held once every seven years. I always thought that might have been a remnant of the God-Emperor dynasty, a bone thrown into the city’s charter to appease the nobility after Hali’s departure.” Jerilyn of Colcester
“Kandol had no reason to mourn the loss of his Earth Magik; there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish with sorcery. Trained as a high adept by my parents in the Grove of the Silver Birch, he knew spells that others could never hope to master and the depths of his power ran deeper than the Halls of Ruling. Nor did the Age of Man cause his power to dim. The Towers of Sorcery did not bind him as they did mortal wizards and he could tap the Spires unhindered.” The Wizard of the Blue Lagoon
The evening bells tolled and I looked out my apartment window, hoping to catch sight of Tarik. The setting sun reflected off the roof of Castle Glass, the Duke of Arvon’s familial palace, and though beautiful, I missed the Three Suns of my youth.
“I remember my journey to Pel Aesylle, Tarik. It was not so long ago that I’ve forgotten, though the haze clouding my memories is doing its best to make me forget. I had no Elf lords to guide me, only determination and desperate curiosity. The haunted woods were frightening and I almost turned back many times, but continued despite my fear. In the end, Kandol rewarded my perseverance by regaling me with tales of the Elder Days. Yes, the way to the summit was arduous, but I would undertake that journey again in a heartbeat.” Jerilyn of Colcester
“After Emerre slew the barbarian warlord Korak, the legionnaires of Sangrithar searched the hills for Avara’s son, Ardyval, but came up empty-handed. For thirteen centuries, the line was believed lost and Priest-Kings ruled the City of the Golden Star, bringing an age of prosperity undreamed of. But, unbeknownst to all, the child prince was rescued from the battlefield by an unnamed benefactor who took him to Pel Aesylle. Kandol Elf Lord raised Ardyval and his heirs, though they remained ignorant of their heritage until Ataryl, the last of the heirs in hiding, learned the truth. He came out of hiding in Sangrithar’s hour of need, defeated the Shadow Lord and became the first God-Emperor.” Jerilyn of Colcester
“Sangrithar was not a pleasant place in those days, Jerilyn. I did visit from time to time, always incognito of course, not that anyone would recognize me, but I’d invariably return to my home in Tyrnavalle. I much preferred the wilds of the subcontinents to Sangrithar’s civilization. By your day, things were different. Mad emperors, deluded by false claims of divinity no longer sat upon the Pearl Throne and some semblance of order had been restored, though the City of the Golden Star never again attained the splendor it had achieved during the reign of the Priest-Kings.” The Wizard of the Blue Lagoon
“I was unaware of the momentous events unfolding in Sangrithar until the Lady told me of Hali and his predicament. Yes, I had means of scrying, several in fact, but by then I was content on my mountaintop and loath to spy upon Mankind.” Kandol Elf Lord
“I miss the Earth Magik, Jerilyn, more than I could possibly describe. You, who never heard the rhythm of the earth song, who never heard its harmonies run beneath the earth’s mantle, could not hope to understand its chorus, nor the rapture of the Maiden. In the height of our devotions, She would come to us and we would revel, spurred on by her honeyed-musk scent. Sometimes, She would do more than appear before us, sometimes She would take over our bodies and our spirits and then, our ecstasy knew no bounds.” Kandol Elf Lord