Melting Silver

[Smithers 388]

Two golden elves stood high above the clouds, gaze cast over the realm of Athera below. The night was dark - only the watchtowers of Petrus, Cerulin, and Leuvaarden shown below, and they cut sharply through the murky gloom. The blonde elf sneered at the world below, and his companion stood beside him, as resolute as always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Degenerates." snarled the Sohaer Kalenz Uradir as he paced back and forth. Standing by his side was he who was perhaps Kalenz Uradir's most trusted advisor, Silir'ilume - he who ensured, above all else, the dominance of the state in the face of all opposition. The golden-robed elf stood quietly for a time, visage like stone as the spitting high elf raved beside him. He broke his silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You would do well to taper your thoughts towards overcoming this situation, Mr. Uradir. You know just as well as I the massive forces that stand against the Silver State. They are the same as they have been in the past and shall be for years to come".
 
The Butterfly, eyes bloodshot and neck pulsing, seethed back as he paced. 
 
"Nae, for those of ages past would not spit upon Crimson Silver with ease. The men of Oren have devolved from those once noble to those who slither along the ground— snakes seeking not the honor of their ancestors but blindly diving towards power wherever it lies. I shall accept no peace with these vile beasts. I shall not let my kindred serve under them".
 
The golden-robed swordsman broke his stone-faced vigil and glanced to the raving despot with a sneer. He had stood by the side of Kalenz Uradir for an eon, and he had yielded his advice where necessary. He spoke down to the Sohaer in a way that none who still lived had done before.
 
"Your opinions are of no consequence, Mr. Uradir. You know full well the ramifications of your actions. You acted irrationally, Mr. Uradir, a most grave mistake of one who believes that he has the ability to lead elmali'aheral towards enlightenment. Your leadership is ineffective, and you shall not lead the race of elmali'aheral further towards leaping from a cliff from which there is no return."

 

It was then that silence once more overtook the scene. All was still with the exception of the Sohaer, who shook with pure rage, though whether he did so at his advisor or in defiance of the circumstances which had been leveled at him was not clear. The night was silent, but the energy in the air was incalculably electric - as if the two figures stood at a crossroads in time, with both paths untested and uncertain. In another time, perhaps, the Butterfly may have foreseen the actions of Silir'ilume. The mind of the Sohaer, however, was clouded. He was withdrawn - he spoke only to his inner circle in fear of attempts on his life, and trusted only them to carry out the actions that he dictated. He might have seen how a rift had grown between him and elites, and that each time an order was given it was carried out with just a little less eagerness. He had not been vigilant, and for the shortest time he had dropped his guard. 

 

The shining swordsman had not called Kalenz Uradir to the top of Haelun'or's highest tower for mere conversation. A murmur broke the silence.

 

 

 

"Your sacrifice shall be for the Children of Silver, Uradir."
 
The raving elf stiffened, his visage stricken with the deepest confusion. It was too late that understanding did finally grace his features and, for one of the first times in his life, the Sohaer felt legitimate dread. 
 
"No".

 

The tension in the air exploded into the world - a sudden a flash of light erupted from besides Kalenz and cut through the murky darkness, searing the peak of the tower with all of the light of a newborn star. He drew his dagger from his side with a swift motion, moving to swiftly dispatch of the swordsman. But the Medi'ir Silir'ilume had not expected Kalenz Uradir to merely accept his fate with ease. The Swordsman's actions could not fail - the terms leveled at the Silver State of Haelun'or demanded it. The robes of the Shining Swordsman swirled as he twisted and drew his spatha, and the Sohaer's dagger crashed upon its edge and spread sparks across the ground.

 

 

The council chambers shifted in an eldritch breeze as the chairs rose from the ground, and the room throbbed with the energies of the Sohaer, he himself as formidable a warlock as he was a leader. A dozen council chairs hurled across the room and to the ground far below, shattering the tower's ceiling of glass and fracturing pillars of marble, filling the air with a maelstrom of sparkling, swirling shards of purple and white. The actions of Kalenz Uradir had been swift and immense, a tribute to his immeasurable skill in the eldritch arts, but the Swordsman had been ready. Silir'ilume twirled through the maelstrom and struck with overwhelming swiftness, dodging by mere inches the chair that shot over his head. The Sohaer, Kalenz Uradir, was knocked back with a vicious sweeping kick and hurtled over the edge of the tallest tower in the realm of Athera. His expression was not one of a leader who had understand that he had done wrong; it was that of rage and fear.

 

 

"Maehr'sae hiylun'ehya."

 

 

Thus ended the legacy of the Butterfly, Kalenz Uradir, 

 

[Dohvi 622]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.