Lilly's search

[Cahaal]

This morning was just like every other one Lilly had as far as she could remember. She woke up and got ready for her long day at the Temple of Lathander. She was in training to be a priestest there and serve The Morning Lord. This was forced on her by her adoptive parents who had seen her sister fall into league with the troublemakers that had eventually gotten Aiea killed. Lilly was serving this penance for her sister.

Every afternoon, Lilly always stopped by the gravesite where her sister was buried. Well there was no body buried there becuase none was found. All assumed that some freak lightning bolt from the sky had evaporated her on the spot. Everyone but two people believed this to be true. Lilly didn't believe her sister was dead. And she had a witness that had seen Aiea ascending in the lightning, not being harmed by it. Lilly left flowers once a week here for her sister. Orchids, the rare beauties that grow in the harshest environments up on the volcanic peaks. This week it was Aiea's favorite color, lavender. A merchant brought them to town on his way to the city and always had a special one for Lilly to give to her sister.

From the gravesite Lilly headed into the woods. The place always drew her there. The tall oblisk beaconed to her. She couldn't help herself; she had to figure out what had happened. Absentmindedly she traced her fingers across the runes on the oblisk. She had been trying to decifer them for years. It was the only thing that kept her going back to the temple day after day. She always approached the sages with care, a symbol here and there to get them to decipher the whole thing. The message was almost complete. Just a few short weeks and she would know what it said. Lilly of the Valley was not sad as she slinked off into the woods. She would have an answer soon.


Someone from the shadows had witnessed this event transpire everyday. Awakened by the touch of a young halfling girl on the object that it had placed on that very spot. Everyday, hoping that the halfling had solved the riddle. Patience was key. The halfling had to be ready for what was to come. The halfling had to be strong enough to survive.

[Cahaal]

Lilly picked her way among the brush swiftly, trying not to marr Nature's sculpture. She had a favorite spot back here. A spot where she would go to think. It wasn't that her adoptive parents were unkind or mistreated her; Lilly was well taken care of. She just didn't feel at home with them. She decided not to visit the spot and head for home. Her parents worried about her being out after dark so she quickened her pace to make it home by sunset.

Weeks went by with Lilly repeating her routine. On the 4th day past the new moon, a bard "wandered" into the town. It was the talk of the town because she literally stumbled into to town in some kind of daze. She was the oddest looking woman. She remembered seeing bards in the city but this one was more flamboyant than any of them. She wore what could only be described as a "bodysuit" in bright pink and flourished a lemon yellow cape around. It was hard to decide if the cape was there to cover up her clothes or to reveal them everyone. In either case, she was THE news in town.

Lilly saw this as her opportunity to decipher the last bit of the runes. Bards are known to be well versed in such things, but this one seemed a bit of a nitwit. She conceded that it was worth the try. She grabed her copies of the runes and headed to the Raging Bull Inn where the bard was staying.

She wanted to speak to her alone and so hours passed as she played her pipes and sang her stories of far away places. Places where Dragons enslaved all the races to do their bidding. Places where Drow had abandonned the isolationism and recruited humans and halflings to further their ambitions. Where the light of the north shinned for a period and then fell with the collapse of a group call the Fists. A place of war and heros. Of monstrous machines of death and where traitors did not suffer the traitors death, but lived on.

The Inn slowly emptied as the moon climbed into the sky. Feeling the timming, Lilly approached the bard with a glass of the Elven wine she had seen the bard drink all night.

"Might I have a bit of your time? I work for the temple here and there are some runes we have yet to decipher. I was wondering if you might look upon them and help me understand them?" Lilly was nervous as the bard gazed into her soul for several uncomfortable moments that felt like a lifetime. There was wisdom in those eyes that held her.

Out of nowhere in a very cheerful voice the bard excailmed, " OH, of course. 'Tis my specialty ya know. I've seen about all that can be seen and some that shouldn't!" She said with a wink. "Show me this writing."

For hours the bard studied each of the parchements Lilly had brought. Leaning back in the chair the bard finally spoke. "So where did you say you got these from?"

Lilly responded, " I didn't but they are important to me, ma'am"

With a nod the bard picked up a sheet and pointed saying, "This is the runic symbol of Auril, The God of Trickery. Not well known in these parts, but in others Auril is very well known. It seems that Auril has left a message to find a chest located near where these runes are written. The chest is hidden but glows with a soft golden hue. In that chest you will find that which is lost to you."

The bard lit her pipe and puffed a few short puffs. She then blew rings in the air above Lilly's head. The frantically shouted, " Go GIRL! What are you still here for? Go find what you lost." Startled, Lilly fell from her chair and scrambled with her things as she bolted from the inn in a dead sprint.

She heard the bard call after her " See..... I AM helpfull!"

[Cahaal]

Scrambling into the moonlite night, Lilly was desperate, exicted, and terrified. The God of Trickery? Was this a trick or maybe a trap?
What did Auril want with her?

Blindly running, her mind racing, she stops. Before her looms the oblisk. The chest ! The bard said to find the chest. Carefully Lilly picked her way among the brush. She used a spiral pattern. She was counting on seeing the faint glow of the chest in the darnkness. Blast the moon! If it had been darker it would be easier to see. Oh, but he moon helped her see better. Where could it be? There was no time. It didn't exsist. Only the pounding of the blood in her ears and the stirring of the nighttime forrest. "He said a chest not a coffer so it should be easy to see" Lilly said outloud. She had been all over these woods. Tracking deer and the occasional cougar that happened by, but had never seen a chest here.

Her eyes were strained. Things moved in the shadows stirring her fear. She had to rest. She needed to close her eyes just for a moment, to focus. D e e p . B r e a t h s. WHAT was that? The sound of small claws scratching. Scratching METAL! Slowly Lilly stood up and without opening her eys focused in on the direction of the sound. Lilly opened her eyes and passed silently toward the sound. A glow? Could it be? Or was her mind playing tricks on her. No there was definately a faint glow. As she approached a startled racoon scampered into the forest. It was here, not more than 30 yard from her special spot. Here all along.

Carefully Lilly inspected the chest. Seemed normal enough. Solid wood bound in iron. Having throughly examined the chest she was confident that it was not trapped. Cautiously she open the top and peered inside.
A pair of smelly old boots lay inside. So foul was the stench that Lilly gagged for air. Then she notice a small crystal statue discarded in the corner of chest. Ignoring the smelly boots she reached down and picked up the statue.

FLASH! Light flooded the area and Lilly felt her body being ripped into a million pieces. And a voiced chidded her, "Remember, Child. You asked for this ! "