briarthorn

[!] A missive would be pinned up all over Elvenesse and on the roads on the way to the City, penned in scarlett ink To the citizens and future citizens of the City of Caras y Tennallar or to whomever it may concern, Are you interested in fighting alongside your brethren? Are you interested in protecting the Hinterlands, and the nation of Elves? Then a position in the Elvenesse military may be for you! The guardsmen of Elvenesse pride themselves on honor, loyalty, and courage. They are responsible for protecting the nation, and the citizens that call Elvenesse home. Ambitious warriors and courageous mali are all welcome and encouraged to join! Seek out Mavis Vuln’miruel for more information on how to join.

Aislinn Brylynn nearly spit out her morning tea as she read over her copy of the Silver Scandal. “Goodness,” the ‘aheral muttered, “So much scandal, is ne one safe?”

Mavis Vuln’miruel read over the missive while having her morning tea. With a smile she showed the letter to Elliphas, “Exciting, looks like we’ll have to bust out some more dance moves very soon,”

A Fox's Coming of Age [!] Birds would be sent all over Almaris, with special birds being extended to the Vuln’miruel family, the Taliame’onn Family, Mélawen Taliame’onn and Kosher, Lord Elliphas, Eugeo de Astraea of Elysium, High Prince and Princess Evar’tir and Medli Oranor, Prince Amaesil and Ayliana, and the Sylvaeri family. (AND VALLEIN VULN’MIRUEL) To whom it may concern, I would like to invite you all to my coming of age celebration scheduled to take place at the end of this coming year (Sunday, March 27th at 6PM EST). For Elves, while we mature at the same age as humans do, we are not considered fully adult culturally until we reach the age of fifty. This years end I shall come of age, and I would like to invite all of Almaris to witness. So long as everyone comes with peace, they shall be welcome into the city of Elvendom. I look forward to seeing you all. Sincerely, Mavis Vuln’miruel the Honest, She-Fox of the Family Vuln’miruel

Mavis reads over the missive, sipping on a cup of tea. A small smile comes over her face as she finishes it, “Ti, may they never underestimate you. I hope this fosters a new beginning,” she sighed, before folding the missive up neatly and placing it in her desk drawer

Thimble, a little patchwork colored musin who had known Basil when she was small, smiled. She had passed sometime before him and was happy to see her friend once again. Wherever musin ended up she’d be sure to greet him with an energetic “Hello, hello friend Basil!”

El’Lenniel il’Taynuel An Elven Masquerade [!] A letter would be sent out to all of the kingdoms and cities of Almaris. In emerald green and bright gold ink is written: The season of spring is upon the people of Almaris, and should be a cause for celebration! The flowers are in bloom, birds are singing, and the chill of winter is finally disappearing at long last. This Sunday, the Crown of Elvendom will be hosting a masquerade in the town square, in honor of the beginning of spring. Each invite is asked to don the mask of their choice, and to come in their best outfits! Events will Include: A CRP tournament to first blood, → First prize is a skin made by: _mady07 A Mask Competition → First prize is a skin made by: alex2271 There will be plenty of Music and dancing! All with no ill intent are invited to come participate in the festivities! **partners optional, but highly encouraged!**

Mavis rushes over to her father with a sigh, “Maln,” she begins rummaging around in her satchel, “You forgot to take your medication, you’re hearing the voices again,” With that, Mavis shook her head like one of those retirement home nurses.

Mavis smiled as she read over the letter, folding it neatly before placing it into her desk drawer. The elfess looked out her window at the snow that seemed to always be there. “I will probably have to get something to wear,” she sighed, “Perhaps I should contact my step-haelun.”

Mavis read the missive, a neutral expression donning her face. After a moment of thinking she finally said to herself, “Perhaps they’d like to come to Elvendom. Would be nice to have some druidic tomes and such for the druids and aspiring druids who reside here.” And with that, the Vuln’miurel began to draft a letter

Mavis Vuln’miruel reads over the missive at her desk humming thoughtfully, “Wonderful work as usual- feels like I am truly there,” Mavis nodded. As her eyes happened upon her father’s title she snorts a bit, “of course he threatened death- couldn’t have said it better myself,” The Prince-Heir’s daughter folds up the missive then, tucking it into her satchel for later reading

Mavis sniffled as she was escorted out of the vale, for being friends with the wonk man out of all things. “He was a strange little creature, very slippery,” Mavis said to herself, “but a friend of mar’haelun’s is a friend of mine. His antics will be missed.” As Mavis arrives home, she tells her grandmother Sonna about all that took place. How Elmer had seen Mavis and thought that they had looked alike, and how Elmer made Mavis hold his hand as he approached the gates of the Vale. How strange that a little frog creature would cause all this trouble. Though from the way the frog had spoken about her grandmother, she knew that he must have been important to her. So Mavis told the story nonetheless.

Mavis Vuln’miruel would read over the missive under her favorite tree in Elvendom. With a small smile, the elfess remarked to herself, “….nice.”

old man! (jk sorry) my question is what keeps bringing you back?

[!] A letter would be sent out to the elves of Almaris- the sender anonymous. The letter would be penned in emerald green ink and would read: To the Mali of Almaris, I call upon you in times of war, not asking you to look past it but instead asking you to divert your attention to a possible common problem. I believe we have spent long as a race debating who is right and who is wrong, trying to prove how one sub-race is more just and right than the other. However I think we have lost sight of a common threat: Humans. Specifically the ones who wish to attack and harm innocent mali simply for being of a different blood. This is not a call to slander all humans- it is a call to look out for the ones who discriminate and bring harm against us. My own sisters were attacked, one of them being tormented for years by a man who claimed mali as a threat. As bad. The man has since been dealt with, however the threat still remains. How many more Mali are being targeted? How many more will be? This is not a commentary on the current wars, nor is it an ask to put them aside. Simply, all I am asking is that as a race we look out for people such as this- who wish harm upon our race. We have spent so long fighting we have lost sight of what truly connects us. I ask that you stay vigilant; if you see an innocent mali being tormented by a human that wishes harm, I ask that you put your differences aside even for just a moment to help each other. Instead of focusing on who is right or wrong in this sort of situation, just help. Bloodshed is inevitable, but when we lose sight of each other we become susceptible to the bloodshed of the innocent. I pray that we can fix this and unite among this problem. I understand we have our differences, but we are all mali at the end of the day- are we not?

Mavis Vuln’miruel read over what seemed like the one hundredth document today. She sighed reading over her father’s words nodding slowly. “They must listen now,” Mavis shrugged pinching the bridge of her nose, “Lest maln’s words fall of deaf ears… I just hope even unity is closer.” She eyed her weapons that laid on the ground next to her.

Her Ladyship Mavis Vuln’miruel sits at her usual writing desk in her room. After reading the missive she had unloaded her thoughts into a small journal, appalled at the idea of mali enslaving other mali. “I had thought we were over the whole ‘one mali is better than the other’ thing,” she mused to herself, “suppose not,” she shrugged going through her many weapons and pulling out her trusted axe and short sword. There was lots of training to be done.

Mavis looked over the letter with piqued curiosity her emerald gaze glittering. The elfess let out a small laugh before muttering under her breath, “Hm….nice one oem’ii.” Mavis continues off after that, probably to prepare to watch

A similar auburn haired ‘ame watches on from somewhere beyond the mortal realm. A small smile comes over her features as she watches her daughter with pride. “Aspects guide you little flower. I will be with you all the way.”

A Flower, Withered [pk post for Briar Taliame'onn, Lady of The Sunlily, Mother to all.] Somewhere deep in the woods, a small red headed 'ame sat on a log near a pond, surrounded by frogs. Her eyes were closed, her mouth pressed into a thin line as a melodic hum came from within her. She swayed ever so slightly as her hands worked weaving colorful flowers- in fact, by now she was covered in flowers. This had been going on for years, this meditative state. She realized- how long it had been since she had last meditated. She had to make up for lost time. Sitting in the woods, the frog reflected upon her life. Once a quiet, scared young woman she had grown into something fearless, but harsh. She had gone through so much and was forced to grow up too quickly as responsibilities were thrust upon her, and the world around her began to slowly crumble. She had once been so warm and full of life. She had loved adventuring, learning, nurturing- she had wanted nothing more than to be a healer and a mother. But things change as one gets older, and in her case they changed quickly. She had always been considered very motherly and warm, but she was given the role at far too young an age. Tending to the younger 'ame, she had taken on a motherly role adopting two of them as her own. While she should have been preparing to become a woman in the eyes of the elven culture, motherhood and caring for her children became her life. Her own fiftieth birthday had been spent in sadness as hardships began to befall her like trees falling in a storm. Not very quickly, but successively and jarringly. At this point in her meditation she remembered the words of her love, "I often forget how young you are Briar, you are wise beyond your years..." By the time she was seventy, she had already lost so much. Three children, biological and figurative, gone. She had lost friends, she had lost family, she had lost herself. What had happened to the bright 'ame, who valued free expression and spent every waking moment picking and weaving flowers? She had become harder, more vindictive turning a blind eye to everything she stood for. She felt she needed to prove herself, to prove that her seed and family was worth something. But in doing so, she had lost everything she had stood for- everything her family had stood for. She forgot about the balance she had wanted so badly, turning away from color and the arts and turning towards fighting and bloodshed. She was proud of her accomplishments of course, and she was so proud to have been a mother to so many. She loved her new family, the mali she considered brothers and sisters. However, a day hadn't gone by where Briar longed to return to her youth- to see the friends and family she had lost along the years. Loss was a feeling that had become so familiar to this particular 'ame. Eyes still shut, she remembered the years after her attack when she was left crippled. How she had turned to the arts, and knowledge as a way to express herself, and how she had forgotten about that as the years went on. She had only ever wanted balance and peace. How naive she was, even at her older age. Though even now, she was still considered so young. Elves live a long time, a fact that she had known since her youth- but Briar had already lived so much life. Her mind was plagued by those she had lost, faces of those she watched die their voices loud, deafening, she could no longer think about anything except for the ones lost. They haunted her, stood as reminders for what she had become, for what she had turned her back on. She opened her eyes finally, after what seemed like a lifetime. On the opposite side of the pond's bank stood her daughter. Mélawen. She had left her. She was without a mother, just as Briar had been when she was her age. "I'm sorry," Briar croaked, the first words she had spoken in a very, very long time. "I wanted to be there for you but...the voices...I hear them- they call me- taunt me- why won't they stop calling to me?" She broke into a puddle of tears, curling in on herself. Opening her eyes, Mélawen was there, hugging her. With a soft smile, Briar wiped away her tears kissing her daughter's head tenderly. She spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "I will always be with you- long after I am gone. Always, Melly- always...." She trailed off, closing her eyes she seemed to drift into a sleep. Briar's eyes slowly opened and she was submerged in the pond, her robes weighing her down as flowers floated around her. She hadn't known how she had gotten there in the first place. Had she fallen in? Had she gotten in herself? She could not remember- but for once...the voices were quiet. As water filled the confused 'ame's lungs she smiled. The voices had quieted, and Briar was finally at peace. For months after, the frogs didn't seem to quiet. Their croaking could be heard for miles- as if they were mourning a great loss.

Briar had heard the news of Tahlia’s death. Another one. gone. so many were gone. people she had grown to know in her youth had left. her family had left. her love had left. she knew she shouldn’t have gotten attached and yet- she did. She couldn’t help it of course, no one ever can. She made connections with these people, friendships- familial bonds. Those are things not easily forgotten, no matter how hard she had tried to erase them from her mind. she couldn’t comprehend how it had all come to this. she can’t remember who was first to leave, she can’t even remember why they had left. It blurred in her mind, a tornado of goodbyes, of banishments, of arguments and death- it was cyclical- a balance. she knew that. it was what she lived by. Things would die and leave, it was only natural of course. but why did it have to hurt so much? if things were going to die anyway, why is it we get so attached to them? she loved her new family within Elvenesse, her brothers and sisters, children she considered her own. They filled her with joy beyond measure, gave her a purpose she hadn’t felt in years. Yet the ghosts of those who had left haunted her. Made the pit of her stomach feel hollow despite the immense mirth she felt. The frog had been combative for so long. Had fought for what she believed was right, and still believed was right. But she knew in this moment, she had to retire this new side of her. She had a lot of thinking to do. remembering the woods the ‘ame journeyed off. she had always loved the woods.

A small red headed ‘ame reads over the missive. As her tired green eyes scan over the words, she lets out a long sigh, “Why has it all come to this?” she asked no one in particular.

Deep in the woods the Frog would be sitting under an olive tree. Her eyes shut tight she awaited the return of the elf that she had known as a son figure. She remembered the tearful goodbye and hoped that the good luck charm she had sent with him was serving him well. Briar awoke from her meditation after a while, her stomach churning. Running into the hinterlands she looked around for the return of Amaesil. After hearing he had been carted to the mother grove, she took off running. though she had returned to Elvenesse after searching, a few frogs would be seen hopping around the grove watching over.

“Alright….ten, nine, eight…” Briar begins to count down, “Seve- Wait!” She screams out as her guide, friends, and family all begin to run from her. Alone, she takes a deep breath continuing to count, “Six, five, four….” She begins to feel dizzy, the trees warping and changing around her, “Three…...two…..one,” she finishes, looking around. The trees bend and warp around her, the ground becoming wobbly as she tries to take a step forward. She manages a few before falling flat onto her back. She looks up at the sky, the colors changing to reveal a sky with both day and night, sun and moon. Balance. Something she’s held sacred to her for so long. She sat up, the colors of the trees becoming vibrant as the world continued to move and change around her- like liquid. With a goal in mind- Briar takes another step forward. She hears the voices of her family, her friends. They were loud- deafening. Yelling out to her, begging her to stay in the woods. She moved slowly, as if wading through molasses, but she moved nonetheless. The voices were unbearably loud as she approached the shore, her vision blurring and moving, making her dizzy. She reached the shore, the voices halting as she made contact with the sand. It feels fuzzy, and seems to absorb her in a way. The sound of the ocean is different- seeming to be warped in the same way her surroundings were. The ocean parts for her, in her drugged state. She sees the fish swimming about, and all of the flora that lives at the bottom of the ocean. The fish- which usually frightened her seemed welcoming as she submerged herself in the cool water. She was content watching the colors, floating for a moment as she felt at peace for the first time in a long, long time. “What are you doing?” echoed a voice. Briar turned about, seeing a familiar face. “What are you doing?” Asked Tahlia again, floating in front of Briar, her legs had become a mermaid tail. Briar tilted her head, though said nothing of Tahlia’s new legs, “Enjoying the colors- I never realized how beautiful fish were,” Briar hummed, tilting her head back to continue watching the fish, her eyes no longer focused on Tahlia. “You have a task to complete Briar, you need to come home,” A new voice calls. Briar looks back to see Amaesil, with a mermaid tail himself. “Just a bit longer- everything looks so lovely,” she said, outstretching her arms like a child. “Mama, please come home,” A new voice called, and this one Briar knew without looking. Seeing her daughter filled her with a new sense of determination and she willed herself up after a moment to swim, zig zagging through the waves. Everything was loopy and weird- but she was determined nonetheless. As she approached the shore and the Tahorran docks, a wave crashed over her, dragging her under. She didn’t struggle, the drugs making her calm as she looked up at the sky through the ocean. She sunk deeper and deeper, looking up at the moon and sun that appeared for her- perfectly balanced. She laid in the sand at the bottom of the ocean. The water began to suddenly recede from the ocean, draining until only Briar was left dry in the sand. A giant frog appears above her, speaking, “may peace and balance continue to guide you on your journey.” The frog simply stated before hopping away with a large guttural ribbit. Briar awakes in the sand, on the shore of the Tahorran docks. Whether she swam or was washed upon shore by the wave is blacked out from her mind- though she arrived back safe to Elvenesse regardless.