Kaedrin

Kaedrin was immersed in a Sylvan tome on the various monarchs of the Feywild when Naexi showed up to needle her.
“Communing with the dead again Kay?” Naexi joked, as she climbed the oak branches up to the other elf. Kaedrin rolled her eyes.
“How large is that graveyard you carry around now?” Naexi continued, having long insisted that Kaedrin’s library, which she had been collecting for well over three hundred years, was worth no more than the paper it was made up of. Of course Kaedrin mourned for the trees who had been cut down in order to fill her Haversack, but she had had this argument with Naexi enough times to ignore her younger sister now.
While both wood elves, Kaedrin and Naexi were not related by blood. They were tied together by the much stronger bonds of the Lanulan Circle. Along with their five other sisters, the two of them served as protectors of the Grove of Eljor.
Unlike most other moon druids, the seven Lanulan worked together to watch over their grove. Kaedrin had been initiated to the circle when she was still a child. She’d grown up in one of the small forest villages inside of the Grove. When her natural talents had emerged, she was proud to join the warriors protecting their home.
Naexi began waving her hand in front of Kaedrin’s face. “Hello? Anyone in there? Or have we finally lost you to the world inside of your head?”
“I am not lost, the land inside of my head just happens to be much more appealing than you are right now.” Kaedrin retorted in Orcish, enjoying mixing the roughness of the language with her insult. It also helped that Naexi had no idea what she was saying.
“She speaks! I can only assume what you said was ‘My most sincere apologies Naexi. It’s all my fault that I’m such a dreadful bore!’” Naexi leaned back until she was hanging upside down from Kaedrin’s branch. Kay was tempted to push her off.
“Why would you even learn Orcish, Kay?” the other elf continued. “It sounds like it hurts your throat.”
Kaedrin smiled mischievously “The orcs had the bloodiest wars. Translations of their histories don’t have the words to do the stories justice.”
“That sounds awful.” Naexi shuddered, and swung back up to sit. “On a cheerier subject, I’m not actually here just to bother you. A pair of halflings arrived. Neither of them appears to speak Common, but I’m pretty sure they’re lost.”
Kaedrin’s face lit up. Travelers were her greatest delight, they provided opportunities for her to practice speaking anything besides Elvish. The library Kaedrin kept in her Handy Haversack gave her ample opportunity to read languages; her pronunciation, however, had led to many embarrassing misunderstandings. If she was very lucky, the halflings may even be willing to exchange books!
“Very well sister, take me to our newest friends.”
***
The halfling couple introduced themselves as Hartmut and Euric. That night, after the Circle had invited the couple to dine and rest with them under the stars, Kaedrin awoke to screaming. She rolled over and grabbed her Haversack, dropping down from her hammock.
The scream was coming from her guests. Euric appeared to be coming out of a daze as he batted his small fists against a vampire. One that was currently occupied drinking Euric's husband.
“Let go of him!” the tiny being cried.
Kaedrin leapt toward the vampire. In midair, her body morphed. Her paws landed on the vampire’s chest, pushing him backwards and causing him to release her new friend.
“Gah! A direwolf!” Euric helped his husband to his feet, backing away from the fight. “Just our luck, Hart. You manage not to be killed by a vampire, just in time for a wolf to eat us.”
Hartmut pressed a hand to his bleeding neck, and did his best to remain upright. “Don’t be daft Euri, it’s the elves.” He looked around at the array of large animals that surrounded them. Kaedrin’s sisters had joined the fray. Their enemy was surrounded.
Kay made eye contact with Naexi, who was wrapped around a tree in the form of a giant snake. She piosed her fangs to strike, when the vampire turned impossibly fast. He pulled the snake’s neck to his own fangs and tore into it. Naexi dropped to the ground, an elf once more.
The vampire fought hard. Before long half the Lanulan had lost their animal forms at least once (Naexi was on her third transformation, a saber tooth tiger this time). If the monster kept this up, none of them would have enough energy to call on the moon. Kaedrin’s own direwolf was waning.
The couple, at least, had been safely deposited on a high tree branch and were now shouting cheers at the druids. “Good dodge, Wolfy!” “Bite that bastard in the neck like he bit me!”
On top of possessing deadly teeth and incredible speed, the undead was also skilled with a blade. His sword caught Kay in the shoulder, and the direwolf’s spirit left her body. Naexi soon followed.
“We must lead him to a safe space so the others can incinerate him.” Kaedrin told her sister in Elvish, pleading to the moon that the monster would not understand her. The two elves dashed towards a clearing, leading the vampire even further away from the halflings.
The vampire was nearly where they wanted him. Kaedrin turned to keep him in place until one of her sisters could entangle him, backing up slowly. He swung out with his sword, barely missing her. It was so close that it severed the straps on her Haversack. She nimbly jumped over it. Vines shot up from the ground holding her enemy in place. All she had to do now was grab her Haversack and dash away.
She did not count on the vampire picking up her books. It appeared he did know Elvish, and he was smart enough to recognize something valuable enough to use as a shield. He smiled “Come now,” he said in her native tongue. “You wouldn’t let them hurt this would you?”
His words grated against her mind, Kaedrin fought off the compulsion to protect him. The compulsion to protect her library, however, caused her to hesitate. Surely she could save her Haversack and then get out of the way so her sisters could immolate the vampire.
“Kaedrin!” Naexi tugged at her sister’s arm.
Kay sighed. Took one last look at her life’s collection and then followed Naexi towards their sisters. She heard the vampire’s screams as the sunbeam set his skin on fire. She tasted ash in the air as the entire night sky lit up from behind her.

Home before Strixhaven
Grove of Eljor

Affiliation with Strixhaven
Biblioplex Book Garden Librarian

Age

420

Pronouns

she / her