You are intercepted

However, as you exit the lift and approach the royal administration buildings, you notice a large group of elves approaching you from the other side of the plaza. You had yet to see an unattractive female elf, and there were a great number of them. In any given time period, more female elves seemed to be born than male elves by about seven by ten percent.

The group consisted of nine exceedingly well armed and armored elvish soldiers with six females and three males. Your knowledge of the Elvin culture reminds you that their women are more than capable to perform their duties. Truth be told, you doubt Kathryn would tolerate her brother thinking otherwise based on her own martial talents. Even the three males were lither than they were brutish in stature. This coincided with your martial arts instructors drilling into you that Elvin soldiers rely heavily on their agility, dodging and evading blows while in combat.

The Elvish soldiers appear to be escorting four female Elvin nobles who are wearing robes of the finest cloth. The one who broke from the normal black hair with strawberry red, subtly also wore elven male mixed in. The effect made her seem more as an officer than a noble. Yet she walked with the other nobles. You suspect that the material must be the most popular this season of fashion for the Elvin kingdoms they came from.

You know they must be of a high status in the kingdom because a subdued tiara rests on the female elf’s head who leads the rest towards you. Her blouse literally exploding with light that somehow kept from being painful to look at or outshine the detail of the fabric and person wearing it. Instead the fabric seemed to coalesce and solidify solar radiation itself. An alkemetological substance seems to comprise the skin-tight light refracting trousers she's wearing.

You were in the middle of a small green park with it's own elevated trees, ironically enough. The plaza stretched out around the grasses, as the pathways separated to allow chunks of light shine down below. These were the shafts of light you saw before but in reverse. The labyrinth was built to be simple to navigate, it was never intended to be complicated, just allow for growth below.

You stop immediately once you notice the approach of the elves, but don't say a word to your companions. Elizabeth continues on for a moment before realizing you are behind her. She looks over at you with concern as you had been heading to the inn to meet with Rachael and the rest of your party…

Elizabeth quickly notices the approaching elves and marvels at how beautiful the elven women are. While you didn't have a problem staying away from the wood elves you saw while you were shopping with her, she seems to realize these elves are unique.

Ironically, the elvish princess is wearing white boots that appear to be cobbled together with webbing from the **** areas of dragons. Even her hands are covered with delicate white gloves made from dragon's webbing. They stretch up to her elbows before disappearing under the sleeves of her blouse. There was far too much light allow anyone to see what was under the translucent substance.

Her shoulder length honey-blonde hair frames her beautiful oval face… Though strangely her jaw is square and her eyebrows are high and arched, set over her sparkling blue eyes. Her cheeks are set high and wider than most humans or elves.

You notice a hint of cinnamon wafting in your direction as you meet the foreign princess. Bowing slightly you say respectfully but with an unsure tone,

“It is good to meet you... Princess...?”

The entire suddenly city feels electrified and the smell of the air is charged as if before a lightening storm.

You find the sight of a warm and genuine smile forming on the Princess’s face very enticing... Her melodic soprano voice seems unusual low for elves, being a normally secluded and reclusive race of nephilim.

It is with great relief that this Princess is greeting you warmly, little do you know a great deal is riding on her. Stepping closer, her eyes lock on yours as she says,

“The pleasure of finally meeting you is mine, Prince John of Thule, my name is Arániël Habryústiël Valaquendë. The… women behind me are my most dear friends and agreed to accompany me... I think more out of curiosity as they don't travel much… These Soldiers are from my mother’s Tirisarato… that is our royal guard. There are many more of them... should you agree with my offer.”

You hear Elizabeth and Margaret gasp and whisper to each other behind you. Arániël is the elvish title for Princess and Valaquendë is one of the larger elvish states that is densely populated. It is also the third most prosperous elvish state. You can feel Elizabeth disappointment and fear of the Elvin Arániël tempting you… though she keeps her composure.

The confederacy of elvish kingdoms and regions get along well with other races and species, a union of elves that is predominantly economic in nature… but even then it is limited… with much of the power being held by the large Elvin states

While other races and species are welcome to visit, the wealth has always been held by the elves, with visitors and merchants being unable to afford longer stays. However, over the centuries many other species of sufficient means and marketable skills found themselves moving to the Elvin kingdoms for their stability and security. The result being a sizable population of species and races other than elves, though they are still well within the minority of the population.

Legend says that elves can live for centuries or even millennia. However, most fail to live that long as **** comes for them through diseases, illness, and warfare. Even nobles who abruptly find themselves bereft of financial or political support and become ****.

In short, even with Lord Richard’s contribution to your treasury, your campaign could ill afford staying in the city for any appreciable length of time.

Looking at you with curiosity she says,

“Please tell me… What brings you to my kingdom? Is there any way I can…” Raising her eyebrow she adds, “Assist you…?…”

Foreign elves are known to be politically suave in diplomacy and knowledge of current events. You have little doubt that Habryústiël knows the current political state of Thule. However, this one is trying to persuade you with some ulterior motive… making you curious as to why…

Their combined arcane, hermetic, and astrological knowledge vastly exceeds even the Dwarfs who lead most human states in technological development. The arcane knowledge they do know is due to their inability to cast majik. Though that may be what allows them to etch and preserve majik runes into linoleum, parchment, and granite.

Dwarves with marketable skills in etching majik runes and glyphs are the only species that elven kingdoms actively recruit. The preternature of elves is majikal, thus they are unable to perform the same feats.

Looking at the princess you hold out your hand and say, “My kingdom is in disarray… and I need your help…”