Arc 721, 40 Ymiden
The settlers had been assembled, and over the course of the evening, Elisabeth had told the story of The Forging to them. Her reasoning was simple – rumors were already circling. They were no longer isolated, and people came and went on Faldrass. The young mage wished for those she knew to understand the events as she understood them, and as such, she had asked for a settlement-wide gathering at the bonfire.
At the outset, she confirmed what she would be telling them, allowing those that didn’t wish to stay the chance to leave. Elisabeth was offering the information voluntarily and had no desire to make people stay if they didn’t wish to. To their credit, the entire settlement stayed with her, ready to hear the story she had to tell them.
Storm was curled up in the sand, near Elisabeth’s feet, as she sat on a log in front of the settlers of Haven, cerulean eyes gazing about. For his part, it was obvious they had all come to see and adore him but he really wasn't in a scratching mood that evening, so he simply laid there and allowed the people to gaze upon him. Perhaps later he would saunter about but Sir Storm of Haven was perfectly content to remain where he was, next to the big, hot, glowing thing.
Before she began, she searched for the one set of eyes. They were on the only ones that would calm her, and she needed that in the moment. Smiling, she found who she was looking for, holding Balthazar’s gaze for just a moment before her voice began.
“It began with a wish…”
***
As she concluded, she noticed several pairs of wide eyes in the group. To be fair, she understood the sentiment completely – it was one amazing story and she had only played a small part in it. It was vast, reaching back arcs and arcs.
She had shown them her marks. Fintan had manifested, flying down to settle on her shoulder, and Elisabeth explained who the Diri was to a lot of wide-eyed settlers. She explained, as best she could about being Ice Forged, comparing it to Balthazar being Fire Forged, although she wasn't quite sure what it meant to be Forged yet.
As people rose to depart, a several came to her, speaking words of kindness and gratitude. The settlers of Haven were a good people, and Elisabeth was proud to be a part of the settlement. There were murmurs of Immortals and Induks, and she was sure that in the trials to follow, people would have questions.
One settler hung back. Her name was Indira and Elisabeth knew her well, having conversed with her many times. What she couldn’t predict, however, is what the woman was about to tell her.
“Elisabeth, your story reminded me of something from my youth. I wasn’t sure I should say anything, but I felt maybe because of what you said, it would be alright? I’ve heard of the Induks before. My grandfather used to tell a tale of a Pirate Lords who was a child of an Immortal. He said that the Pirate Lord had trapped the Induks, but I must confess that he told a lot of stories that would be considered a bit…well…dubious. I never believed it. I wasn’t sure if I should tell anyone.”
Smiling gently, Elisabeth reached out and touched the woman’s arm. “I’m very glad you told me, Indira. I don’t know if the story is true or not, but I’m going to be doing some research so if I find anything out, I will let you know.” Patting the woman’s arm gently, she watched her walk away, considering the information she had been given.
Balthazar had given her a kiss, telling Elisabeth that he had something he needed to tend to back at Haven House. She didn't want to go back just yet, telling him that she would be along after a bit. The young leader was appreciative of his desire to be supportive, smiling as she watched him walk away. Indira had given her a lot to think about, and something wasn't making sense in her mind. Usually when that happened, Elisabeth defaulted to books - a habit she probably would never shake.
Turning, Elisabeth noted that nearly everyone had departed the bonfire area. The guards remained to tend to the fire - a rule they had in Haven. Storm was happily snoozing next to Balder's foot. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go grab something." Grinning, Ronan, trying to whittle...something...chuckled at the statement. "Books. You are going to get books, Elisabeth. Nine times out of ten, if you say you are going to get something, it's a book." He didn't say it in a negative way, but simply matter-of-fact.
Arching her eyebrow, the young leader just smiled. "A good thing too. Investing in knowledge always has a positive outcome, and has helped us here more times than I can count, good Sir. Be right back." Running, Elisabeth caught up with Balthazar, walking with him back to their house so she could grab a few.....books. To be fair, Ronan hadn't been wrong about her love of them.
***
Elisabeth hauled a few of her beloved 'Baron Books' to the bonfire and found a place near the guards to sit and read. Sometimes with her, she knew when her mind had captured something, she needed to chase it down immediately. The young woman had seen a small section on the Pirate Lords in the books, and it seemed logical to go back over that and see if she could put any puzzle pieces together.
The Baron, although a bit whimsical in his descriptions, had been a meticulous individual when writing his books. The section she had remembered from before dealt with rumors surrounding the Pirate Lords. All of them seemed to have stories and rumors attached to them, but the one she keyed in on was named 'The Ageless'. As the Baron wrote "More often than not, I've come across information that suggests that the Pirate Lord nicknamed 'The Ageless' is, in fact, a Mortalborn. More interesting is the idea being floated out in certain circles that he's been a Pirate Lord longer than anyone can remember."
Settling on that for a moment, something felt like it was trying to connect between what Indira had told her and what the book said. That a Pirate Lord stated he had trapped the Induks was a bold, bold statement. And that the Pirate Lord might be a Mortalborn....
The Warden?
It was not unlike the Warden to assume other identifies. He was confirmed as the Sparrow. Perhaps when the Pirate Lords 'vanished', he simply dropped the guise and moved on. It wasn't as if mortals would realize it. It was a waiting game for him, as the ones that knew him would eventually die off. The Baron even said as much, saying that he felt that the rumor was prevalent enough to be true, and that he had a fairly good idea of the identity of 'The Ageless'. Did she have enough to make that jump yet? Maybe, so she kept it in the back of her mind.
Balder's voice called out to her. Looking up, she noticed Ronan sitting up with a back against a log, but clearly sleeping - the snoring gave it away. Silk was roasting something in the dwindling bonfire, but Balder was curiously looking over at Elisabeth. "What are you reading about?" Rising, she made her way to the three, dropping to the sand again and giving Storm, still napping, a quick stroke of his fur. "The Pirate Lords. Seems like they've had their hands in a lot of things related to Scalvoris for a long time. Even the situation we dealt with. References to them keep coming up so I'm trying to chase something down. The Baron references them a few times too."
Nodding, Balder considered her for a moment. "You said Ice Forged was linked to Ishallr, right? Well, my great uncle used to tell my stories of the Pirate Lords. I always considered them fairy tales, stories, but some of the things you've been saying line up with the stories." The man looked down, as if he was deciding something. "He told me once that the Pirate Lords had this strange ritual of death...and it had something to do with Ishallr. He never said what, but I clearly remember death and Ishallr. It was a very personal thing so, he said, no one ever talked about it." Elisabeth arched an eyebrow gently at the information. "Well, what I'm learning is that a lot of what people thought was rumor or made up stories is, in fact, grounded in bits of truth. I've not heard of the connection to Ishallr yet. I know of a ghost there, Isis. I had some issues with her."
Casting her thoughts back, she went over what Isis had said to her, trying to remember if the ghost had said anything that made Elisabeth believe she was tied to the Pirate Lords, but nothing came to mind. All Isis had done is hurl insults at her.
"Thank you for the information, Balder. I didn't know about Ishallr or the ritual of death. That helps me a great deal."
Rising, she gave Silk and Balder a tired smile. "But enough for tonight. I'm going to go spend some time with Balthazar before bed. Sweet dreams, you two." Turning, she began her trek to Haven House, mind whirling with ideas. She would start researching again in the morning, but for now, she smiled - she had two new leads.
