“Each species of Dark One had its own place in the Darkhold. The Maldoks were on top, fell sorcerers of dark repute that the Dark Lord chose to captain his legions and guard against treachery from the Erlikarrin, especially Cthar, whose designs on the Throne of Terror were well known to the Dark Lord. After the Maldoks came the Jixari, the cruelest of the Dark Ones and Cthar’s favorites. I touched their thoughts, Jerilyn, and you can’t imagine the depths of their depravity. After these two came the lesser Dark Ones – Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Giants and the rest – great in numbers but naught else. The Ulgarja were bred with strength to rule but lacked cunning and never amounted to being more than Zara’s pets. The most feared denizen of the Darkhold, save the Dark Lord and his godlings, was none other than the Traitor; his malevolence dwarfed all others. He may once have been as you or I, but his resurrection in the Pits transformed him into a primal force for evil. Neither Dark One nor Elder Race, he was both more and less than either.” Kandol Elf Lord
On Trust
“Trust is a funny thing, Jerilyn. It can’t be given away, it can only be earned, and that’s not easily done. My parents trusted little, due, perhaps, to the Seeress’s interference, though it would be unfair to lay all the blame at her feet. I’ve tried to learn from their mistakes and be more trusting, but when I have, I’ve questioned whether it’s been worth the cost. You know, if I hadn’t been betrayed, I’d have been in the Towerof Renk when the Cataclysm came and I might have saved some of the people, but it wasn’t meant to be. Now it is just you and I in this new world, old friend, alone with our memories of what has been and wishes for what might be. And soon, when the Herald’s curse takes you, even that will pass,.” The Wizard of the Blue Lagoon
On History
“Ripples, Tarik, that’s all that history is. Ripples resounding from a singular point echoing across infinity. You’ve seen the patterns, we both have, but after my sojourn with the Herald, I’m convinced that there’s more to it. Like the tip of an iceberg, we’ve only seen the surface. Toss a pebble into the pond and watch the ripples. Then, throw in a second stone. You might think that you’re seeing two distinct sets of overlapping concentric circles, but you’re not. There’s only one pattern and it keeps repeating.” Jerilyn of Colcester
On the Prophecies
“Thanks to the Lady, I know more of the Prophecies’ secrets than most of the Gods and until today, I’ve kept them close to my heart. I’ve lived on Sangrar a long time, Jerilyn, many lifetimes worth, and I grow weary of the world. But, thank Finbardin, I have seen signs that we’re moving towards the final confrontation. The day of my rebirth in the Outermost Heavens is at hand, and so I must pass on the Lady’s wisdom. I have chosen you, Jerilyn, to put the Prophecies down in writing, a feat never before done. The Prophecies must not be lost so I leave it to you, old friend, to preserve them for posterity, but take caution. This is a loose translation at best. As originally rendered, the Prophecies assaulted the Craeylu on a multitude of levels, containing hints of the future far too complex for mere words to express.” Kandol Elf Lord
On Sorcery
Quote
“Daeryss was the first of many evil sorcerers I’ve seen in my time. Sorcery is not a force for good or evil, it just is and how the Spire’s power is used depends on the wielder. Some use it to do good, others to wreak havoc upon the world. Governed by the Towers, the wizards and mages of your day haven’t a tenth of the power of those born before the Reckoning, let alone those born under the Full Radiance, but the choice to do good or evil remains. Uranol, Horatin, Numkargol, the list goes on and on. Surely your memory’s not so far gone that you’ve forgotten the Witchghoul’s wickedness?” The Wizard of the Blue Lagoon
On Earth song
“I was like a blind man regaining his sight. Deprived of the Stones for so long, I welcomed their song as a long lost friend, little realizing what my actions portended. After the Reckoning, I realized that was the moment of victory. If not for that, I might not have known how to make that which was dead live again.” Kandol Elf Lord
On Good-byes
“In a way, I’m glad that I slept through the Reckoning. After everything I’d been through, I don’t know if I could have handled it. I don’t mind that I missed the appearance of the Balance. By Deridean, I’ve seen enough of it in my time, though I’d liked to have seen the Herald and the Primals. My biggest regret was not saying goodbye to those I loved. You have to understand, Jerilyn, it was different back then. These were people I’d shared many lifetimes with. We’d laughed, we’d cried, we’d loved and we’d survived. To awake and find them gone was like losing part of myself. Thank Finbardin Velora decided to stay behind. I don’t know what I’d have done without her.” Kandol Elf Lord
On the Prophecies
“The Prophecies tell us what will happen, Jerilyn, not how, and as you’ve no doubt learned, they’re easily misinterpreted. You have to remember, the Craeylu withheld them from the Firstborn at the Congress of the Gods, sharing what they deemed necessary, but no more. My wife’s kindred devoted centuries of study to understanding the Prophecies yet they pierced but a fraction of their mysteries, only, I suspect, what the Balance wanted them to know.” Kandol Elf Lord
On Blood Dwarves
“The tradition of the Blood Dwarves is an ancient one. In the earliest years of the Elder Days, the clan flocked to the banner of the clan chief Grandig and delved Redhaven. Fierce tattooed warriors, they proved their honor in the Battle of Unending Night by making the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of Caradar. Millennia later, Dar the Second reestablished the clan, thereby restoring an ancient tradition that would outlast the turning of the ages. Even in this new world, the Blood Dwarves have a place and their champion stands vigilant at the Temple of Garaspin.” Jerilyn of Colcester.
On … You know
“You have no idea how happy I was to see him, Jerilyn. It had been nearly three thousand years since we said farewell near the Ravir dens of Jahar. He’d taken up service with the Beast Lord so long ago that I’d given up any hope of seeing him again, just as I’d abandoned all thought of a reunion with Andis. It’s ironic, isn’t it? We’re so tightly bound to one another, yet not once have the three of us been together.” Kandol Elf Lord