The Adventure so Far 13: Dancing in the MoonFire
General Summary
To Gwen, my closest sister. I'm not even sure why I keep writing these "letters", or how they will find you. For all I know you've been eaten by one of your friends after some poacher finally bested you decades ago.
With it being Imbolc recently I was thinking about home, both yours and kin-home. I went to The Irenic Foundation with some friends to the Settled Elves celebration that's similar The Twilight Soirée I think they call it.
You should see the way they do things over there, I know this one guy Ivasaar he doesn't even like his mate, but they have to stay bonded for some political reason or other.
He received one of these "letters" that flew at him like a diving falcon; I gather it's called air scribe or some such.
His face when he opened it was a sight, apparently, as a term of their binding, Ivasaar can venture as he pleases privately in exchange for publicly supporting his wife on key occasions.
So a group of us went, to the Foundation as Ivasaar’s entourage, in an airship. yeah, a ship but like… in the air. Amdhi helmed. nice guy, has a polite cat,
I get on well with Amdhi, in our own ways we are both outsiders here, quite a gentle genasi really… well, mostly I did once see him punch water so hard it turned into gas, I think you'd like him.
He's an air genasi so it makes sense he would understand the winds. like how back home the sea life always has the best tidal forecast.
Well apparently it doesn't guarantee a smooth mooring, because we nearly crashed Dillweed would have obviously been fine being a winged, but I nearly dropped my basket of painted eggs, something I should have realised no one else brought.
Side note: you should try Dillweeds peatplant vine stew its par excellence, i'll see if I can get a recipe for you.
Nevertheless, we arrived in the foundation and apparently Ivasaar’s kin are a respected tribe here, but you need to see it to understand, it's all wrong somehow.
They have multiple drow all dressed the same all called the name "Butler" they seemed to be quietly afraid if Ivie For some reason, don't get me wrong, lovely guy, he's given me a job; even though I don't know what that is or where he put it. But he's certainly not a scary elf, couldn't last a night in the deep glades by himself.
We changed into the ceremonial attire this lot wear for the soirée; I managed to find quite a fetching gown actually, even if it was a tad short. Then we set off to the camp ground where all the tribe's tents are arrayed.
The nature here, if you can even call it that, is pristine and deeply disgusting. They dominate this land down to every blade of grass and wisp of cloud. IIvasaar says it's all political peacocking and apparently this ceremony is oft used to secure favour and plot the downfall of opponents, I call it madness.
Alas, we finally met Ivie’s wife and im not proud of it, but I was kinda a supermassive bitch to her. From what I gather her kin are less reputable somehow, despite gaining a lot from this binding she starts shouting at Ivasaar for being honest about his feelings.
The people here paint their faces but in away that makes it look like they didn't do anything, I noticed she had done the same and remarked that her appearance was as staged as the nature of this land. She did not take this well…
We also met Ivasaar;s sister again she was there when these elves chief killed Zinzara
She and Ivie spoke about the increasing irrationality of this head chief called "Emperor Iliberos MoonFire and how the kin groups jostle for control over one another.
Everything in this place is a shallow facade. There is even an order in which you must go to the soirée, though I noticed ivy slink off like a mink. He was apparently trying to secure support from his mentor's tribe about the plan to %-#+£8%(#?#(%8£
hmm I might scribble that part out, actually.
Then we arrived at the great hall, truly beautiful but in a cold and sterile way. Dillweed managed to spice up the otherwise bland sculptures that pass as sustenance at such an event. Amdhi and I thoroughly enjoyed the various combinations and fusion of high-elven cuisine and down-home fey flavour that she came up with, that fey can sure cook. I don't think our group were the only ones to notice this as Dilweed had caught the attention of a bewitchingly pretty elf that Dill intended to ask to dance.
Unfortunately, before she got the chance, the Emperor started addressing the room.
He may be a powerful elf protected by celestials but to look in his eyes and only see the fear of cowering prey is worrying, I think Ivasaar sees it as well.
The emperor and him had a very pointed conversation like two stags rutting but locking barbs not antlers.
Nothing was settled tonight, though I think Ivasaar came off the better. His words flow like a rolling fog over a moor, blanketing everything they touch; it's almost fey like.
I empathise with Ivie, a free spirit but mired in the bickering of petty politics.
He explained later that the emperor couldn't move against him in such a public venue based on suspicion alone, without seeming paranoid and unstable. Equally, neither could we pounce without securing more support, for %${¶¥÷®[\{¢¶¥
Ivarsarr was summoned for a brief but tense dance with his wife, which neither of them seemed to enjoy. This gave Dillweed a chance to catch up with that elf she saw earlier.
Dill wasted no time in asking her to dance. If you've never seen a fairy lead in a dance with an elf twice their height, it is as odd and yet graceful of a sight as you'd imagine it to be.
This elf and her son turned out to be Zinzaras's stepmother and half-brother, their tribe is used as the chief emperor's bodyguards Zinzaras's brother seemed much more sorrowful over his sister's death than his mother did. I guess this explains Zinzara being a half-elf and living in Eastmere.
I informed the pair of a plot against them, I had learned of from Ivasarr's sister earlier and suggested that they contemplate if the Emperor they have a duty to protect is fulfilling his duty to protect them in return.
The evening petered out after that, and we soon made our way back to the island via airship I hope Garret doesn't notice the dent but I'm sure it’ll buff out.
Honestly, Gwen it's all so tiring. I miss the simplicity of living with you, but the more I see the less I can ignore, I feel like something is about to erupt, and I have the capability todo something about it..
I dont know what is going to happen; whatever it is... It should be far enough away from our kin though so that's some comfort at least.
I hope you are alive and well.
Lots of love
Llywelyn.
Report Date
16 Mar 2023
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