The Temple Gates
Temple Charter
Temple Ranks
A small leather bound book in a small spidery script one of many upon the bookshelves of the libary, This one bears the Tile:
The History of Ranger Montalin
In order to understand my history, one must first understand the history of my people. You see, I carry within me the last traces of the Wilder Elven bloodline, Terris' shortest lived people. I am indeed the last of their kin - and as such, my story is all that we have of them. I will do all in my power to tell it in its entirety, leaving out only details of which I am not aware. The history begins in the heat of Deori's pleasure, many years ago... it begins in Woodtop.
Korlyen was headstrong, of that I have little doubt. He was, though, the heir to the crown of Woodtop, and by all records he was much beloved by his people. The council of elders found him intolerable, but thus was many an elf in his earlier years. Elves, you see, are a much longer-lived race, and so retain their childlike curiosity and exuberance for life for a much longer period than the other mortals of Terris do. Korlyen was no exception, and it is only my place to thank him for this "flaw" for through it he gave birth to the people that have defined me in so many ways.
The birth of the Wilder elves was set into motion by Korlyen's exploratory nature. It was very much his pleasure to seek adventure and danger within the most remote corners of Terris. Of his favourite places for this was a large system of caves located in the northern mountains, just past the area where Dirimloth forest overtook the Great Northern Road. He knew these caves, into their furthest depths, with the same familiarity that he knew Woodtop with, and took advantage of that knowledge to escape the daily strains of being the heir to the crown. It was much to his surprise then that upon coming to this cavern system in the heat of Deori's pleasure, that he found a portal, relatively near the entrance, which he had not encountered before.
The portal shimmered with a dark light, drawing him towards it in fear and in the intense desire to explore it further. With little thought for his own well-being, Korlyen stepped in.
Immediately, he found himself in a place he had never been to, but recognised immediately for legends that the Elders of Woodtop told of it. The temple of Takara, the queen of the dark elves. Fearful but curious, he shuffled through the halls of the temple, which more and more began to take on the shape of a man-made creation. Many times he ducked into corners to avoid dark elf sentries, and several times the sentries walked by accompanied by daemons. Curiosity and the sense of dark discovery drove him on, all the way to the entrance to the throne room of the dark queen herself.
Immediately he sensed her evil. Contorted, twisting visions of the purpose of the elves filled his mind as he stared at her, this beauty of evil composition. To her left and right sat great daemons, hydra, as they were called nine-headed monstrosities of scale and flame. In his staring, he was careless... his breath escaped noisily, and the queen turned her gaze to him...
He only saw her after he had collided with her. A young dark elf maiden, beautiful as he had ever seen... but such beauty meant nothing to him now, for was she not evil? Did she not live with the queen of darkness herself? He drew his dagger and cruelly held it to her throat, demanding that she take him from the temple. Paralysed by fear, the maiden complied, and together they made their way out of the Dark elf temple, and out of the deep cavern network that until this day had been so great a source of joy for him.
Outside, the young dark elf did something no mortal had ever seen up to that point. She wept - a creature chiselled in cruelty and evil, breaking down to weep mortal tears, tears of weakness and of hopelessness. Thus did the dark elven maiden Dandylose baptise the caverns in her despair, for she had done something that was utterly forbidden by both aiding an outsider and leaving the temple without call by the queen - to go back would mean death for her now.
The prince's heart softened, and he sheathed his dagger, so that he would have his hand to offer to the maiden. Together, they made their way to Woodtop... the council was enraged. Korlyen was met with a flurry of anger and absolute hatred that he had brought one of the outcasts among the peaceful elves of Woodtop. He had shown a dark elf the way to the fair forest city, and neither of them could be allowed sanctuary within the trees any longer. Korlyen and Dandylose were cast out from Woodtop in shame, never to return to Korlyen's homeland again.
... the seasons wore on, and the two nomadic elves found no place to stay. They found themselves working to support one another, working to keep each other alive, and gradually, they found themselves falling deeply in love. They made camp in the wildlands, and eventually, Dandylose bore children, three strong sons, and three beautiful daughters, all of them mixed of perfect elven blood and perfect dark elven blood - the first wilder elves.
Laryn was sweet of voice and of demeanour, and I loved her more than any other in the lands. Where I was headstrong and quick to learn archery and swordplay, she was accepting, philosophical even at the youngest ages, and always willing to point out where I fell short, which seemed to make me love her all the more. We were inseparable, mischief and innocence, two sides of the same coin, indeed. Even now, when I look at my daughter Torre, I see some of Laryn in her. I do miss Laryn... Turn The page.