Queens Palace is, no doubt, the most beautiful place in Blood Wood. On the 12th of Raquas 1513 TH legations came here, alarmed by reports of the next Scourge coming. Before the Queen stood T’skrangs from House V’strimon and Syrtis, Dwarfs from Throal, envoys from Iopos and some Blood Elfs, who decided to prevent the Scourge together.
Queen was verry specific – Blood Elfs elaborate a powerful magic ritual that would stop the rapid growth of magic. For its implementation, however, people were needed, or items, strongly associated with the pattern of Barsaive. Thus, brave Adepts, dividing into four teams, went to Barsaive to get the support of Garthlik One-Eye, Omasu, Shivalahala of House T’kambras and Merrox. Each group received support from one Blood Warden.
Not everything went well. As far as Merrox wanted to cooperate, just like Shivalahala, Omasu was delivered to the Blood Wood in the chest, unconscious, and Garthlik in ties. Dwarfs from Throal even managed to take the ships of King Neden to the Forest, which almost burned down the Blood Wood, while one of the Heroes brought the Air Spirit.
Ultimately, however, the goal has been achieved. A group of the most meritorious Adepts from all teams, with support of Blood Wardens, went to the Citadel of Magic, where the ritual was to take place. Already on the spot they had an additional task – to convince the unconscious two Namegivers to cooperate, which they finally did.
Mages have prepared a ritual. Four of the legendary Heroes have been bound by it’s magic. But the Forest decided to impede the task of the Adepts. One of the Wardens died in mysterious circumstances, the second disappeared and the army of all creatures of the Forest itself rushed to the Citadel to break the ritual. One of the Adepts, therefore, called for the help of the mighty Air Spirit, but in the vortex of his materialization, at the top of the citadel, no ghost appeared but the Elven Queen herself, accompanied by Vistrosh. Alachia demanded to stop the ritual because it’s purpose was to reverse the Ritual of Thorns not to stop the Scourge. Mages hesitated. That was all the Blood Warden Takaris needed to lose his patience. He threw himself out of the tower, changing his shape in flight. The elf’s body quickly transformed into a powerful dragon, taking on red and gold colors.
Alamaise and Alachia clashed in a verbal battle but dragon had no chance to convince Adepts to continue the ritual. The risk of killing the Heroes they had promised to protect was too big. The furious dragon attacked. The dragon fired seized Queen of the elves, but, to the amazement of all present, it did not kill her, only deprived her of the thorns. Vistroshes and Alachia’s magic turned out to be stronger than the dragon’s magic. In the last, desperate reflex, Alamaise gathered all his power and, with a flame of fire, hit the Citadel with his body. Adepts felt the tower banging. They saw naked Alachia, raising a wall between them and the dragon, and their consciousness went out in a flare of dragon fire.
Brave Adepts woke up in the Palace. Healthy, equipped with new robes, and the Iopos envoy in thorns which she got when she abruptly interrupted the ritual. The heroes they brought also did not suffer. Alachia herself greeted them. Beautiful, with no thorns tearing her skin, glowing, nice, smiling. The exalting elf with a threatening glance disappeared somewhere.
And what happend with Alamaise? That wasn’t told to Adepts. They left the Forest, convinced that the dragon had killed himself by hitting the Citadel.
More than two years have passed since memorable events. At that time, there were groundbreaking changes in Barsaive. King Neden recapture Triumph from the hands of the Thera and unite the province against the Theran. The Battle of the Sky Point deprived Theran of illusions about the subordination of Barsaive, but it also brought huge losses. Neden paid with his life, so was one of the Great, Vasdenjas. Throal was plunged into a home war, until the armed annexation of Iopos at Jerris, which called the dwarfes into agreement and led Kovar of the House of Maksei to throne. Barsaive, temporarily, took a breath.
The Great Dragons were not allowed to mourn their brother for a long time. In his legacy, they found evidence that Alamaise had survived the attack on the Citadel of Magic. The mysterious object clearly indicated that Elfbane did not give up his plan to regain the Forest. So the Council of the Greats decided that Alamaise should be found and brought to order. Great Dragons gather their Drakes. The time has come when the most powerful Namegivers in Barsaive have to take matters into their paws.
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