S’Kra Dragon Priest Follower Killed At Shard Wren Sing

(Whistling Wood, Ilithi: 393 Nissa 355)

It was a frigid early winter morning in the Whistling Wood south of Shard, on the fringes of the Dark Hand, near where the mighty hunt the Adan’f. The worm-riddled ranks of the whispering woods open onto a great clearing, and a streambed cuts through the ground, running from the mouth of a large cave and towards the east. Both streambed and cave are layered in a thick coating of ice.

As I waited for the ‘Wren Sing’ to begin, I noticed a young S’Kra Mur in the crowd, and someone whispered he was Philosopher Jonapth Pizolac, Besita’s beloved. He huddled in a scarlet mage’s robe embroidered with the Wind Elf glyph for the Burning Sun, but there was no burning sun here, you could hardly tell it has risen.

Finally, the controversial Besita Lagdalen arrived, and hung a cut glass wren medallion around her neck. A fair young elven bardess, she has hazel eyes and a long thick braid of golden hair. She wore a side-laced suede vest, some black suede leggings, a golden silk sunflower and a deep blue embroidered silk stole. Besita blinked at the assembled crowd, then hugged Trynie and Jonapth.

"If you would like to sing, pray, or say anything, let me know and I will add you to my list," chanted Trynie, trying to get the crowd settled. Besita smiled at Jonapth, while Trynie asked her, grinning, "You got your medallion back?" Besita nodded and ran a finger down the length of her wren medallion. The snow lessened to a light flurry, but a faint wind stirred the branches of the trees. As the breeze filled the holes in the branches, the area echoed with a haunting wail that chilled my blood.

Besita fretted, asking, "Where is Anlise?" as she paced back and forth.

Trynie grinned, saying, "She can’t be here till later so she asked me to be in charge."

Elothean Moon Mage Ogredd De’ogdor arrived just then, sporting a wooden ring, a witch ball, and a silver talisman engraved with the sigil of Tezirah. Ogredd waved to Besita and grinned.

Trynie smiled at Ogredd and announced,"We will begin in a few minutes… if you want to sing or pray or say a few words, please tell me so I can add you to the list."

"So if I’m a Barbarian, should I leave?"

"No!" Trynie exclaimed, "We need and want all races and guilds…."

Ailill said, "Not if yer a quiet barbarian."

Meronda asked, "So all non-bards should go?"

Ogredd chuckled and repeated, "Everybody stay!"

"We need all guilds and races," Freye explained.

Trynie echoed her words, adding, "We must be united in this."

"We need skills of all races and professions to destroy the wall of ice," said Chaelen.

Grenio chimed in, "Yeah, open the cave, I’m hungry for some Spirit Dancers!"

"Somethin the Dragon Priests were too afraid of so the locked em away," adds Dseth.

Besita grumbled and whispered, "Sorry, I have to get this out of my system. We aren’t here to open the blasted cave"

"We are here to show our love to Wren and hopefully help her find her way to us, there is no need to open the cave," explains Trynie. "If she comes, do not touch her, heal her, or tend her, or apply any herbs. She has been through a lot and may run from us if we startle her. Please refrain from touching or startling Wren in anyway if she shows…I am her aunt, if she comes, let me speak to her…."

But then the trouble began…

Lupaz arrived, hissing.

Lupaz Lusumo was a fairly young S’Kra Mur, with slitted green eyes and green scales. He wore a salt-stained shield, a plain ridged armet, some embossed half plate, a tiny silver telescope pin, a bronze dragon pin, a troll-claw necklace, an ornate scabbard, some scale greaves, a pair of mesh flat-black handguards, and an Elothean silverwillow crossbow.

"Who isss behind thisss all?" he hissed angrily.

A swirling vortex of shadows drew itself from the ground and coalesced into a black Moongate, which Riackard tumbled through.

Besita winced. Ogredd blinked and frowned. Lupaz snarled at Besita, and she glared back at Lupaz. Jonapth blinked at Lupaz, as Trynie moved over to guard Besita, snarling,"Can it, Lupaz, this is not the place."

A laughing echoed all about us.

Lupaz demanded, "Get out of here," and hissed,"Thisss isss not the place for thisss event"

"I’m not going anywhere," replied Besita, as Wildmann got out an ebony longbow and loaded it.

"You insssult the dead who lay here," hissed Lupaz angrily.

Trynie demanded, "Lupaz…who are you to say where or when we may sing for our friends?"

Lupaz just hissed, "You ssshould not be here"

Trynie scoffed at Lupaz.

From all around us a voice echoed, "Quiet, DP lover."

"And why shouldn’t we, Lupaz?" asked Myranthia.

"I’ll remember to ssslaughter sssome child on your grave" was his reply.

Firannion shuddered. With a waver like a mirage, Hunter Dritzfury faded into view, closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Good, Lupaz, you may… but leave our ceremony alone… you don’t belong here so leave," Myranthia requested.

Jonapth scoffed, "That was fairly petty Lupaz." Kriht chuckled at Lupaz, while Freye blinked incredulously. Dritzfury went north. Dseth got out a magnificent purple heart and osage Elothean battle bow fitted with an onyx arrow plate.

Kriht grinned and said, "You shoulda joined da Barb guild, Lupaz…"

"Someone wanna take this trash outta here so we can begin?" snapped Trynie.

Symphonia asked him, "Is this sacred ground for someone?"

"It isss the Dragon Priessst ground and you ssshould not be here!"

Storym asked, "Umm, aren’t the burial grounds the other way?"

"He thinks it’s sacred Dragon Priest ground or something," added Sesuro.

Freye pleaded "Lupaz, why are you so… adamant that we not sing here? "

Dritzfury grabbed Lupaz’s arm and dragged him north, then reappeared immediately, chuckling, "he can stick around if he wants." Dritzfury grinned and pointed north, where he had left a webbed Lupaz struggling in Haraweep’s Bonds. Jonapth beams at Dritzfury! Storym leaps to his feet goes north.

Besita exclaimed, "Enough!"

I do not know who did what. All I can say is first I peered north and saw Storym, Huntress Zephyria, and a webbed Lupaz, then moments later I peered north again and saw Storym, Zephyria, a webbed Lupaz, and Riackard, then I peered north a third time and saw Storym, Zephyria, Riackard and a freed Lupaz. Storym then came back into the clearing, and… * Lupaz was just struck down! *

I peered north one last time and saw only Zephyria and Riackard. Ogredd chuckled as Storym went back north. The ceremony proceeded as if nothing had happened…

Salamae questioned, "They killed him? Is that our purpose?" She shook her head and went north.

Freye asked, "Who killed?" A tear ran down Freye’s face, and as she glances upwards to the falling snow it landed like teardrops upon her cheeks, as she prayed for Wren.

"Besita has written a song for this occasion…..would you like to sing it now little one?" asked Trynie, hugging Besita. Besita nodded, and began her song.

The songs came from many of those assembled.

Everyone prayed, hoped, and sang. Perhaps the sound of music will guide her home. [Editor’s Note: There was a gradual decline to some sort of screaming session before this was over, but we will leave that misguided part for someone else to tell who was an eyewitness. There was no sighting of Wren, even though some people thought there might be. As most people remember, the words of the Alfar told us that it is out of our hands, and she must find her own way back.]