#48 - Hydras and Lady Elves

As told by Magnus of the Island of Seren.

After the Xen'drik tent we were all a bit worn out and we decided to review our shadow pieces and see if we were ready to leave. Most of us had over ten so we'd be invited to the dinner party. Since it wasn’t too late, and some of us wanted one or two more pieces we decided to stay for a few more games.

But first, we saw another elf woman. Like a Xoma, she was a drow, or appeared to be, and she wore pale scorpion-style armor. On a silver leash she had a dog. Well, perhaps not a dog—a massive hound as black as the night sky above Seren on cloudy nights, it may not be a true canine. Like a hunting dog that had grown too long and had rolled around in shadow mud. Hard to say.

The beast was staring at Aleae, who did not seem happy about it. She walked up to the drow woman to have words about her pet. I didn't hear what was said between the elves, but Aleae soon walked brusquely away, leaving both Cypher and Clarion were left standing awkwardly. Which now seems to be a pattern. Rendar also went up to the hound to pet it. Cypher tried to analyze it like he would his iron dog. The shadow beast seemed calmer and more like a dog now with Aleae gone. The drow also seemed friendlier.

Shadows mastiffs, it is said in arcane circles,
originated in Mabar, the Plane of Endless Night

Elves.

Looking around we saw a tower-climbing challenge and a drinking challenge. Closer to hand were a spinning wheel, a juggler, and an ice carver working near the steps of a little roofed porch unattached to any building. (I heard this is called a gazebo. There are no gazebos on Seren or Argonessen. Back home, we call Khorvaire the Land of Demons. Gazebos are therefore demonic.)

Kard led the charge to the spinning wheel. The game was that you had to throw a dagger—made of shadows?—at the wheel and hit one of the slots marked winner. The higher the number, the greater the reward. It cost a shadow piece to play. I didn’t understand the wheel and I asked Cypher to help me see if it was likely for me to win. He said that the game was even. I wasn’t willing to give a shadow piece to get one back.

As the party gathered round, it turned out that you could bet up to three shadow pieces and that the wheel could be....controlled somehow....and the chances were better if you confessed a secret to the crowd. Elves seem to like shadows and secrets. I had no secrets for sale, but Kard was really ready to go.

Kard took the dagger hilt, which then grew a blade of shadow, and shouted out his secret:  “All warforged are an abomination and should be punished for their crimes!” or something to that effect. In the stunned silence that followed, he threw his dagger and I can’t even remember if he won or lost. He casually left the area and the entire party started to chatter about what he meant and what to do about it. I don’t understand what his problem is, but I think it could be a problem for the party.

I wasn’t paying attention to the rest of the spinner game, I was looking at the climbing tower. Soon the party approached the juggler—who juggled shadow coins—who appeared to be offering a shadow piece for the answer to a riddle. He said: "Somewhere in the Carnival is a House Phiarlan performer who I love above all others. Discover her name and tell it to me. If you are correct, you will receive one—or several—of these shadow pieces. For every wrong answer, I will take one of yours and add it to my collection."

The many-headed hydra is the
symbol of House Phiarlan.

I don’t think it was actually a woman, elf or not. No one had any guesses, at least not yet.

At the climbing tower we all gave it a try and I almost made it, but at the top was an illusion of several hydra heads which I tried to ignore, but just at the last bit I fell and was floated down to earth on some magic like Xoma used to do. Cypher alone made the climb successfully, I think that he was the only one. I recall that Clarion, like me, nearly made it to the top, but slipped at the last. Rendar, too. Aleae didn't get very far at all. She is limber and quick, but has proven to be a better jumper than climber.

After falling to the ground, we looked for easier challenges, circling the drinking challenge. All the past contestants were unconscious on the ground, and I wasn’t ready to get dead drunk...yet.

Near the ice sculptures, was a challenge we overlooked. There was an pale elf, like Aleae, but with solid, blood red eyes. Her name and title, as we heard other people say, was Amaryllis, the Lady of Ice and Blood and Mistress of the Carnival. Carnivals elves said, "Any who can make her laugh, or impress her with a story—preferably a personal one—can earn one shadow piece."

Laugh? I had the perfect joke! I worked it through in my head first to be sure I would have it right.

Sadly, Cypher and Clarion went up first. These warforged don’t even really understand humor—what were they doing? As they stood mute for a few seconds, I pushed up and told the old joke about the lady in the bar. The ice elf chuckled and gave a signal to the others that I was to get a coin.

But actually, no, Aleae went first—and wow, whatever she said to the ice elf was clearly not funny at all. She is terrible at this. I was expecting her to walk away brusquely like she did with the drow, but no, this time Aleae maybe had been pleasant. She had a long conversation with the red-eyed elf woman, she even pulled out her bauble, that orb of crystal, to share with her. Eventually the elf lady smiled in the end and gave Aleae a coin. Finally Cypher found his voice and had a conversation of his own with the lady elf. No laughter, but she gave him a coin anyway. Out of pity, perhaps? Clarion also told some tale in his voice, did some music and won a coin. Entertainment, I guess, is more important than laughter?

While Clarion told his tale, it occurred to me that this ice elf might have the power to unlock my bone mace—for the medusa priestess insisted that strong elemental cold was required to release more of its power. I asked Cypher what he thought, and we agreed to ask Aleae what she thought. She said it was likely, but she wanted my bond on a future promise, which she would hold me to later. Many have tried to tame the Serens, when the time comes I will see if she is worthy of the promise she extracted.

Together we approached the ice elf again. She insisted on knowing who my enemies were, since she may already be involved. I told her about the tribal conflicts that made me leave Seren. She agreed to help, but would only talk at the dinner party two nights hence. Glad I have a ticket for that!

When we left, Kard started in muttering to me about small dragons and that he might have seen one on the roof of the little porch while I was talking to the ice elf. It sounded like a pseudo-dragon—a tiny and distant but true cousin of dragonkind. We went back to her (again!) and asked if she knew about it. She said yes, and we would talk about it later.

Pseudodragons are said to
be the size of domestic cats,
have poisonous stingers on
their tails, and can mimic
the sound of any animal.

At this point Aleae insisted on returning to the juggling elf, convinced she had solved his riddle. Evidently the elf Mistress of the Carnival was one of her own kind—"eladrin" is the word I keep hearing tossed about—and had stayed on Eberron and married a normal elf. Aleae believed the juggler was the elf in question.

Aleae was wrong, though, so she lost a shadow piece. The mistress wasn't the one the elf "loved above all others." Maybe this is good for Aleae; she isn't always right. She was very upset by it, though.

Elves.

I guess we are done here for now. We went to the gate and traded in our shadow pieces.  Many of us got a magical pouch of holding, which seems really useful, but kind of small. I wonder if they make bags? Others also got stuffed animals, and I think Kard got a special Carnival ring. The ring I wear, which I bought in Graywall, is much better, though.