On Purpose [Solo]

On Purpose, a Prologue

Closed/Solo

---

Trembling and shaking in the rain she looked up towards the heavens and questioned, “When will I be ok?”

“Never,” replied the universe. The universe then posed Lilthis with its own question, “What are you?”

Without hesitation she answered, “Apathetic. And happy-go-lucky depressed.”

With a sigh the young dark elf woman rose to her feet. Her black pants were spotted with brown blotches of dampened dirt and the copper gears on her gauntlet were caked with a thick layer of mud. She haphazardly picked off a few specks of mud from her gauntlet before adjusting her chest piece which had fallen to expose the top of her breasts. The red feathers that adorned her shoulders were slumped over and dripping wet. Lilly stood still, her throat ached from crying but she moved her head back up to face the sky and shouted at the universe, “What the fuck are you?”

The universe did not reply.

---

Patience could only last so long. The constant lies, dodging of questions, and worst of all his refusal to take her from this tiny settlement was wearing on her sanity. It was a nice enough place but her soul yearned for adventure. To uncover the hidden secrets of magecrafts that would bring her closer to her goal. Months ago, her brave protector was more than willing to explore any cavern or desolate place that she believed contained knowledge of the arcane. Now he would leave for most of the day, never to answer where he had been. Lilly knew he was gambling. Her family had provided them a stipend that would’ve lasted a few years in hiding and he was quickly burning through it.

Earlier that day she had been discussing her concerns with Orbyn, the merchant who ran a storefront a few hundred paces from Faellint and Lilthis’ dwelling. Orbyn had let slip that a group calling themselves the, ‘Society of Vestige Wizardry’, had come into the village. The merchant explained that the group, often referred to as just ‘The Vestige’, had stayed to stock on supplies and was departing early the next morning. Lilthis indicated to Orbyn, “I just may join them… things with Faeoth have gotten out of hand.” Faeoth had been his cover name in hiding and Orbyn knew all about Faeoth’s gambling habits.

The shrewd broker asked the young dark elf an honest question, “Have you confronted him? Asked him to stop?” Lilly broke eye contact with the shopkeeper, spun an exposed gear on her brass gauntlet, and then lied with a simple, “Yes. He does not care.” Accosting her old friend about his addiction would be hard. Lilthis did not like hard. Most things in her life had come easy. Lilly liked easy.

When she returned to the hovel they called home she saw the powerful dark elf warrior sat in the corner. His forehead was displaying his usual curved scar, his hair a bushy brown, and his red eyes a bit glazed over. She noticed a bottle of bourbon on the end table beside him to accompany the glass in his hand.

Faellint looked over at the younger elf, staring at her with longing he questioned, “been at the storefront again? Dangerous for you to wander so freely.”

Her reply was quick, “You expect me to stay here? All day? While you go out and do gods know what?”

Lilly’s bodyguard sipped his bourbon before he replied. Swirling the translucent brown liquid around and inhaling it through both nose and mouth. The answer he gave expressed his obvious disappointment, “you don’t understand the world Lil. You speak too politely, you’re too prim, your accent exposes your upbringing to any Alerian you encounter.” The athletic blackened elf downed the rest of his drink before proceeding, “y’see Lil, this world is never going to give you anything. You can’t use that fancy name of yours no more. The world you’re in now only gives you what you take.”

Faellint looked over the dainty young maiden again, up and down, she knew long ago that he had developed feelings for her. Looks like this are what cemented her belief. “Lil, you ain’t a taker. That’s why I’m out every day. Trying to earn us enough money, way more than that pension from your folks. Enough to leave this place and move somewhere permanent. Maybe to Salvar. Or we might head to Corone. Live out our days together, in peace,” he explained. “You prefer the mountains or the beach Lil?”

His justification was lost on her. His love was unrequited, or so she thought. It was true that there was a tender place for Faellint in the onyx elf’s heart. But love? Perhaps if his birth was not so lowly, hers so lofty, then maybe it could happen. Maybe.

Silence was interrupted as Faellint reached into his sack to pull out an orange and another drinking glass. He knew that bourbon was Lilthis drink of choice. He also knew that her favorite treat was oranges. It was more than mere coincidence that the drink and food could create a perfect match when combined. The elven male brandished a small knife and cut a chunk of orange peel off, placing it into the glass before pouring the liquid a third of the way up. Believing he had pleased the young woman before him he presented the gift and placed the rest of the orange on the oak table to be consumed later.

Lilly took the glass from his calloused hands into her left and with her right hand grasped the orange peel and swirled it around in the small glassware. Citrus notes overwhelmed the glass as the peel was encircled in a sweet bourbon before she released allowing the byproduct of the fruit to submerge wholly into the concoction. Approaching her lips the sweet tangy fragrance pressed into her nostrils. As she sipped the beverage her senses came alive and she felt the burst of energy that liquid courage could initially supply. Though a depressant, alcohol would behave as a stimulant when first entering the blood stream, wearing down and then causing a decrease of energy as it was fully metastasized.

Faellint was delusional. She would not go live a quiet life with him. Not be some farm girl to bear him children. She would instead run off tomorrow and join The Vestige. Pursue her dream until it was realized. But she decided to let him live out this fantasy for one night. Hoping that he would take care of himself after she moved on without him. For despite his faults, Lilthis did care for him. More than she cared to admit.

“I quite like the sea,” she finally replied, faking a smile for his benefit. She knew the betrayal of her departure would crush him.

---

The moon gazed down, full and bright. It sang out to the elven child, “Why art thou so distraught?”

Solemnly she responded, “I am alone, truly and horribly alone. I don’t understand my place in this world.”

The moon serenaded in a heavenly light, “thy should press onwards, tis a mere setback.”

Lilthis Shadefell did not want to listen. She had wallowed in self-pity long enough that her morose state was now a blanket of comfort she dare not peek out of. The logical part of her begged that she unburden herself of this pain but for now it was her emotions that would win out.

---

“No, we won’t take your kind,” an especially prudish high elf plainly stated.

The high elf was adorned in a yellow silken robe that was serrated in gray stripes scattered seemingly at random across his outfit. He carried a long jagged wooden staff which was decorated with a gleaming quartz that was shaped like a brushfire.

Lilthis was practically on her knees at this point. This was the fourth council member of The Vestige who had denied her. All of them for the exact same excuse. No dark elves. She could understand why they were so distrustful of her. Lilly’s own parents did not understand her fascination with magic and thought her magnum opus was a foolish endeavor. Indeed, Faellint only allowed her to pursue her understanding of magic as he could see how happy it made her. Dark elves were oppressive when it came to magic and this group probably had their own tales of abuse by Lilthis’ kind.

“Sir, please, just review the documentation I’ve done already on my own! I guarantee you that I will be the best scribe you’ve ever employed,” she pleaded. This had to work for her. She was terrified of what her life might become if she went back to Faellint. The idea of becoming a house wife was unacceptable to her and she did believe he was correct… she could not return to Alerar any time soon. That left The Vestige as her only option.

“Very well, let me take a look,” a new figure emerged. Another high elf, he looked much older than the others she had bartered with. His robes were less extravagant than the others, being a dull blue color fashioned from wool. The high elf gently grasped the journal from Lilly’s clutches, diligently scanning them over for what felt like an eternity. She studied his face, stern and quizzical, his darkened brown eyes intently reading over her work. Finally, he shut the journal and scratched the right side of his forehead, near his pointed ear. “You aren’t here to chastise. Your writings don’t appear to indicate that you wish to learn to practice the arcane. Why do you study magic?”

Lilthis explained her story. Her belief that machinery could wield magic. Explaining that most assumed magic operated outside the bounds of nature. Lilly indicated she wished to push that notion and see if it were true.

“Interesting. Alright, you can accompany us,” the wizard replied with a slight smile. His face then went back to its normal stern nature before issuing a warning, “however, it’s only for a probationary period. And if you are insincere we will part ways without quarrel.” The elder held out his hand and Lilly reached to meet his. As their hands shook up and down he completed the introduction, “I am Master Seshat.”

“I’m Lillian Svalesin, but you may call me Lilly. Nice to meet you.”

---

As the moon was dismissed the darkness beset Lilthis. The cold of the night swallowed everything around her, providing her nightshade skin an effective camouflage. The darkness whispered in a hushed and secretive voice, “Set your goals. Then make them truth.”

Her self-pity was shaken a bit from the earnestness of his quiet voice. Lilly’s eyes widened and blood thickened as the young woman let the advice settle in. Then, like the downpour around her the loathing returned in full force, crashing all around her feet. She was still resolute in her desire to understand the arcane, develop what could mimic it, but now was not a time she wished to think of her goals. Now was a time she wished to not be alone. To have a friend. Someone to believe in her.

“I know what I want. I just don’t know if I am capable of it,” she admitted.

Darkness swept across her back and its cold embrace passed all the way up to her neck. Its sick and vile touch filled her pores and issued one final soft word, “Get out of the way of yourself.”

Lilthis understood that darkness was wiser than she may have thought.

---

Foreign footsteps intruded on the virgin forest floor bed. Raiaera was littered with these ancient forests, trees sprouted to touch the sky many feet taller than most elsewhere in Althanas. One set of feet were particularly sore. Lilthis was not used to traveling on foot for such long periods. As a young girl her family had elaborate carriages filled with cushioned chairs and a bag of freshly picked strawberries. Now she ate stale bread, was covered in sweat, and her feet hurt. On more than one occasion thus far she had considered, only briefly, asking if the group could take a rest. She didn’t though, the determined scholar wanted to prove herself. Even while her feet blistered.

“Aye girlie, you seem to be strugglin to keep up,” the unwarranted advice was offered by a shorter middle aged human. Lilly didn’t normally like humans. They smelled bad. Their teeth tended to be yellowed. They were stupid. This human was overweight and he wore ragged woolen gray robes. With fury in her eyes the proud elf offered a rebuttal, “I’m enjoying the scenery. Is that an issue?”

She could probably work on her people skills.

This human cut a quick grin before offering, “girlie, you’ll find that you get much further by showin a bit o’kindness.” The older gentlemen took out an apple and cut off a slice before out stretching a hand to the young dark elf. Timidly the girl reached out and retrieved the apple slice from the man’s bandaged, dirty hand. “Thank you,” she said, partially grateful and partially annoyed.

The chubby man nodded before turning back around. She munched on the apple slice, it was sour. She preferred sweeter apples. Either way it was still better then the bread. Maybe this whole thing was a waste of time. Maybe exploration and studying the secrets of the universe weren’t part of her life plan.

Too late now. I’m all-in on this crazy plan.

After some time the group arrived at their destination. A large circular parting of the tree line sat before them. In the center of the circle was a hill with an obsidian stone obelisk on top. The obelisk reached around fifty feet towards the heavens, it was covered in ornate jig jags of lettering and unusual symbols. The pillar was topped by an opaque pyramid that seemed to be calling to Lilly, to the rest of The Vestige present.

“Ichtck zho fchtash doun!”

Bellowed Master Seshat, once he completed his incantation the pyramid cap of the pillar sunk into the rest of structure. All of the shapes and carvings turned liquid and seeped themselves into the top of the grassy hill amidst a growing rumble. As the earth shook Lilly’s note taking was interrupted as the hill was rising. An opening of etched stone surrounded by a tangling of chaotic weeds presented itself to the group.

“Let us proceed, stay close, there are many dangers within this temple,” Seshat warned.

The floors and walls of the temple were made with smokey gray stones, each stone had rock and pebble aggregate mixed into the bricks. Every five feet or so there were empty sconces that remained empty, inviting a lingering darkness. Luckily, the luminous stone on Lilly’s gauntlet easily cut through the shadows. After following the initial path forward the group stopped inside of a gigantic rounded room. In the center there was a twinkling brick well but the water was an unnatural deep blue color. The ultra marines of the liquid reflected brightly against the white light of Lilly’s stone.

Seshat rushed towards the well before addressing the members of The Vestige, “do not place your flesh into this well. It may look of water but there are many secrets to this place.”

Lilthis took a seat, propping her legs up to form a table so that she could record everything. On the ceiling above the well were several crystals that appeared to be of the same cobalt coloring as the water. The clever elf also noticed that on the far wall from their entrance there was a varying number of dots with what looked like dials. As the mages continued to hypothesize on how to activate the chamber Lilly began to grow bored. She had already documented the well, the crystals, and she was tired of waiting around.

The mystery of the far wall eventually pulled her.

She moved over and began to jot out a pattern amidst the dotted puzzle. To the alarm of her new cohort she began to flip several dials.

“I told you the Aleran would try to kill us,” one voice shouted. Another piped in with, “we never should’ve let a dark elf accompany us!” Seshat himself even called over uneasy, “my dear... what are you doing... ?”

Lilthis cleared her throat, then began speaking while continuing to flip a few more dials, “it’s a riddle. There’s a pattern here, it wants us to flip the dials associated with a prime number.” Indeed the prime numbered dots were positioned slightly off center from the rest. As she turned dials 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, and finally 17 the water swirled and then rushed up to meet the crystals on the ceiling. Satisfied with herself, the young woman decided she had proven that magic couldn’t solve everything.

As the crystals shattered and revealed a mythical lyre of ancient Raiaeran lore Master Seshat announced that Lilthis would be joining their society as a full member.

Lilly had accomplished something. No one was standing in her way.

---

The forest was alive with activity in this dark and dreary night. Dizzying arrays of insects scurried across the forest floor while a maze of tree branches interwove and shook. This forest was unkind to strange visitors, especially those who were making such noise. “Shh!”, the forest requested, “you are too loud, you are rudely disturbing my inhabitants!”

The dark elven intruder issued an explanation, “I was abandoned. By my first family, and now by my second.”

“That is not of my concern,” said the forest. “Pull yourself together and be silent!” The forest had no appreciation for the girl’s pain.

Lilly spoke through her sobbing, “I am ok.” She was about as ok as a dying lark. An extinguishing flame.

Sadism would win out. Lilly drew her dagger and cut into the bark of one of the forest’s many fingers. Maybe inflicting harm upon the forest would help ease her own suffering.

Lilthis ripped the necklace from her neck. It’s string dancing out of her fingertips.

---

Metallic iron was a cheap enough resource. Abundant, sturdy, and useful. She acquired a fairly large block of it and asked the newest mage to come assist her. The mage brought his steel vat and was annoyed that the pretty young dark elf wasn’t telling him what they were up to. When Lilthis first approached him and offered a hot show he had assumed it would involve-

“And you filled the vat with the acid I requested, yes?” Lilly interrupted the mage’s daydream.

“Yes, it’s in there. Mind telling me what we’re doing out here now?” Gary was feeling a bit impatient at this point. His silk robes were getting dirty and he doubted all the effort was going to pay off. The elf he was accompanying seemed less and less likely to be willing to put out. He was told so by a high elf when he joined the caravan. She was certainly the prettiest dark elf he had ever seen but this was getting unreasonable.

Lilthis on the other hand was in a fairly good mood. She didn’t expect that the first mage she bumped into would be so eager to assist her! He didn’t even ask to be compensated for his services. Lilly whipped around quickly, flinging her long white hair into a flurry, and demanded, “ok Larry can you place the vat by that pile of rocks? Where I have that hole dug?”

“It’s Gary.” Now the mage was almost fed up. This was turning out to be a completely wasted day.

“Right, once the vat is in place I need you to melt the rocks to form a lava. But please make sure not to overheat the rocks! As soon as the lava is formed cease your spell,” Lilthis needed Jerry to be precise. She had acquired rhyolite rocks because they formed a much cooler lava than most other kinds of minerals. As the mage channeled his spell excitement soared in Lilly. It had been ages since she had the Aleran resources to conduct a project of this scale. Thanks to Kerry here she could proceed without the advanced technology of her home.

The rocks burned and started to turn a dark red similar in color to Lilly’s chest piece. Then the stones grew brighter until they formed into an orange-red glob. The viscous substance slowly wormed its way down the trench Lilly had dug, scorching the ground as it proceeded. The hole wasn’t very deep but the lava was substantive enough to settle and form a fat bubbling shape under the steel vat. Rhyolite lava only burned a bit hotter than 700 degrees Celsius but you could hear the acid begin to react to the rapid temperature shift.

Lilly placed the iron into the steel vat after waiting long enough for it to warm up. She then dumped a pot of water into the vat and partially covered the vat with a sheet of steel provided by her new friend. The acid acted as a catalytic accelerator on the iron and caused it to begin to oxidize. The melting point of iron was closer to around 1500 degrees but iron would begin the oxidation process at temperatures as cool as 700 degrees if you introduced an acidic accelerator.

The Aleran maiden was beaming. Smiling and overjoyed she asked the mage if he could go ahead and enchant the steel to be heat resistant.

“Uhh, I don’t know any enchantments.”

Her heart sank into her chest. “You said you were a mage! Why can’t you enchant it!?” Lilly snapped back. Larry was annoyed. She could tell because his forehead furrowed up and his cheeks turned rosey. It was really easy to read human emotions.

The young mage barked, “that’s not how magic works. I can’t just will something to happen.”

“Can you cool the lava down at all?” Every possibility was racing through her mind. She had to hope that this useless mongrel could do something to salvage her experiment. Cooling the lava so suddenly would produce an inferior product but it was a lot better than having the bottom of the vat fall out and be consumed in thick lava.

To her relief the mage focused his attention on the lava and after a few seconds could cool it enough to harden. With a bit more prodding he even helped her retrieve the contents out of the acidic mixture. They had succeeded in creating iron oxidized pigment.

Lilthis mixed the pigments with wax in a water bucket. The wax added a bit of brilliance and illuminated the color of the yellowish pigment. Lilly had made some modifications to her gauntlet and ended up taking a lot of the rusted gears off the glove. She decided she could tie the gears to strings, dye them with the pigmentation mixture, and give them to the other wizards and mages in their caravan. It had been two entire years since she joined and the innovative Aleran decided the gifts would be the perfect way to celebrate her anniversary.

Since leaving the estate this was the first time she felt like she had a family again.

She felt no pain that day. Only joy.

---

Surely the stars would impart their brilliance. Share a bit of their splendor. The legion of astral bodies spoke as one, “can you feel?”

She couldn’t. She was completely numb. Her emotions disabled and her feelings emptied out of her. It had been several hours now. Alone. Distraught.

Lilthis was defiant. She insisted to the stars, “I am completely whole, I feel fine.”

The stars spoke in perfect unison, “there is never shame in being honest.”

At the star’s nudging Lilly gave up her feat of defiance, giving honesty a try, “I can’t be alone forever. I don’t want to finish life alone.”

The stars couldn’t comprehend. They were never alone.

---

Once completed Lilthis began to hand out the dyed necklaces to her wizardly companions. She even made one for Jerry as payment for helping her. The young dark elf was incredibly pleased with herself. She created enough for roughly half of her cohort. Despite the two years she had been with them a lot of the sorcerers and magicians still did not trust Lilthis. She was a dark elf, she solved her problems with logic or science, and worse yet Master Seshat spent what they believed to be too much time with her.

Lilly understood their jealousy. Seshat was by all accounts a great wizard who could be increasing the magical understanding of the entirety of The Vestige. Lecturing on proper hand motions, state of mind when casting flame spells, or the best practices for enchantments would go a long way to helping the group. Instead he would spend an hour or two every day conversing with the quizzical dark elf.

Seshat couldn’t help himself though. The girl’s academic perspective toward magic was refreshing for an elven mage that was four centuries old. Often Seshat himself would marvel at the ways this young woman would attempt to apply rationalization to the irrationality of magecraft. Such as when she tried to argue that perhaps mages had tapped into something she called, ‘thermodynamics,’ and were manipulating that law of nature to create fire or bolts of electricity. The dark elf explained to him that ‘thermodynamics’ dictated the rules by which all energy behaved and that the varying forms of energy she had seen mages create tended to follow these laws... with a few exceptions.

Lilly saved the largest gear piece necklace for Seshat. When presented with it the wise elder curiously studied the yellow coloring of the jewelry. Finally Seshat questioned,

“My, my, dear. How did you transmogrify the color of this? Did another member assist you with an enchantment?”

“No,” she proudly exclaimed. Lilly went into the details of how iron could oxidize to create a coloring agent. She explained that through a calcination process she could’ve made red instead of yellow, using organic aniline she could’ve formed magnetite and created a black pigment. Thoroughly impressed Seshat commented, “indeed. In many ways what you call ‘science’ I’d declare to be magic!”

Finally. After so long. Since she was a teen this ancient wizard was the first to understand her. “Right! And if you view science and technology as if it’s magic that leaves only one conclusio-,” before she could finish the elder interrupted, “magic should be capable of being understood in the same manner.”

Lilthis was proud of herself. After years of conversing the only thing she needed to show Seshat the way was goethite pigment! The head of The Vestige however was finally uncomfortable with the dark elf. Part of what he loved about magic was its mystery. It’s allure was that it couldn’t be explained. To Seshat, and everyone else, magic was open to interpretation and self expression.

Magic was art, not science.

“Not sure I like where you’re going with this any longer Lillian,” the master admitted. Breathing outwardly he explained himself, “I am not saying you should cease. In fact, I am sure your efforts will be beneficial if you can confirm your theory.” The elder looked up at the clear blue sky and then back to the young dark elf’s sky eyes, “I just don’t want the mysteries of magic uncovered. For me that is precisely what makes magic beautiful.”

Lilly looked straight through him and answered in a direct manner, “that mystery is precisely what I seek to understand.”

Seshat smiled, “well, I am glad you found us. You will always be welcomed here among the order of The Vestige.”

Lilthis was glad that she belonged to something. That she’d never have to be alone. Life was looking up.

---

With a cackle and scuffling of feathers he arrived, taking shelter from the rain. The forest’s canopy proved a suitable umbrella for the black crow. Grinning, the obnoxious crow looked down to see the miserable Aleran girl. He cawed down at her, “cryin’ o’er nuttin’."

Devastation had taken its firm hold, she was in no mood to argue. Without even paying the crow her shortest gaze she demanded, “what do you want pest?”

The crow scratched a talon on the branch he was perched on and with a sinister grin replied, “I’ll take yer heart.”

“It’s broken,” she said in defeat.

Undeterred the crow’s pestering continued, “yer soul then.”

“I’ve never needed that,” was her reply.

“I’ll take hope,” the crow answered.

She finally paid the crow a glance, “no one will ever steal that from me.” The dark elf continued on her way. The crow continued to get wet.

---

After her conversation with Seshat the group of mystics and one dark elf continued onwards. Their ultimate goal was R’khasa, an elaborate mausoleum in the middle of the Raiaeran forest. Lilthis was intrigued, she had never been to a high elven holy site before.

Prior to reaching their destination the group set up camp roughly two kilometers from R’khasa. Night had befallen them so it would make sense to rest, recuperate, and arrive at the site early in the morning. Around the campfire a bottle of gin was passed around. This was one of those nights. Lilly consumed gin until her feet went numb. Her surroundings began to swirl. Her mind emptied out. That was normally why she drank. To clear her mind. Her thoughts never seemed to cease and alcohol provided her with a chance to catch up.

Beyond that, alcohol was a medicine that took the edge off. She struggled to be ‘fun’ for fear that she’d make a fool of herself. Drinking released the inhibitions. Allowed her to be herself. Lilly wasn’t concerned of what others thought.

Of course, every time she drank the next time would require more of the beverage to get her tipsy enough for the effect to take over. It was a dangerous cycle. Lilly was well aware that addiction could take hold. She was careful not to become too dependent. The occasional alcoholic retreat was nice though. Freeing.

With her tongue a bit loose she posed the question, “what do you want out of life?”

The only mages still awake were the younger group. Most of whom appreciated the dark elf maiden that had joined them. The young tended to be more open minded.

“I want to become like Master Seshat,” one mage answered. Another chimed in with, “I want to start a family, have children.” Finally one answered, “I want to be rich.” One of the magicians passed the bottle of gin to Lilly, asking her, “how ‘bout you dark elf? What do you want?”

Lilthis took a long swig from the bottle. The gin was dry. She couldn’t feel her face. Moving her head upwards she answered, “...I don’t know what I want.”

It was true. She was working towards a goal but would that goal give her life fulfillment? Was she living just for the work to get to that goal? If she accomplished her life’s work tomorrow what would she do? Funny how life can seem so obviously simple whilst intoxicated.


Lilthis’ head was throbbing the next morning. She dealt with it and tried to drink as much water as she could to get through her hangover. Another member of The Vestige gave her a dense biscuit. The bread should help.

As the group arrived to R’khasa the dark elf could tell it was not quite like other areas they had been to. It seemed to be made of sandstone, almost like it belonged in a desert not a forest. The giant cube that stood out from the rest of the lush greenery as it was a yellowish-orange color. The bricks that made up the cube were scratched and cracked up a bit. Lilly was getting excited to go inside when Seshat spoke up, “remember, this site is dangerous. Stick together and be careful.”

With that the group descended downhill as one into the locale. Lilthis began to document everything. The walls were plastered with exotic drawings and scribblings that she did not understand. Seshat explained that it was the ancient language of the high elves. When the group moved past a small opening Lilly stopped. The hole was just big enough to fit her. As the group started to progress onwards the young woman decided it was worth exploration.

Getting on her hands and knees the dark elf pushed forward through the hole. As she crossed into small chamber she could feel her forward hand depressing a stone on the ground.

No good.

Suddenly the elven girl forced herself forward and got the rest of her body through the threshold of the entrance. Immediately after she got through a stone slab slammed shut behind her. Kicking up dust the closure of her chamber forced a cough out of the girl. The sudden movement caused a scurry outside as she heard Seshat’s voice call, “Lillian?! Are you ok?” Activating the luminous stone on her gauntlet she dispelled the darkness surrounding her. Upon assessing her surroundings she yelled back, “I’m ok.”

Seshat informed her, “very well, you know regulation girl. We will examine the site and come back for you.” The group could not pry her out as they had a rule. No using magic until they understood the full effects of the location they were in. Lilly knew that meant it would be hours until they got her out. Lilly began to take a closer look at her stone cage.

The room was small. The ceiling only extended up three feet. Most of the flooring was sandstone but there was a thin coating of dirt and dust calling the floor home. Across from the entrance was a small wall around seven feet away which had some scrawlings on it.

Lilly had to remind herself not to panic. Her companions would get her out. She needed to maintain hope.

---

Recently the forest had been absolutely deluded in moisture. The constant rain storms had given birth to the youngest addition to the ecosystem’s family, that most persistent of fungus. The mushrooms looked up at the tall dark elf who trampled the soaked earth around them. In their innocence they tried a soothing tone, “we help you.”

Lilly was unsure what to say at first. Caught a bit off guard after her conversation with the crow. She stopped, for only a second, and looked down at the fungal youths. She used a soothing voice as well, “my troubles began long before you existed, they will persist long after you are gone.”

The mushrooms did not understand, they were too young. As Lilly spoke the words she understood where she fit into the spectrum too. The universe and the moon and the forest all viewed her as she viewed the mushrooms. She was insignificant. Her pain was no one’s problem but her own.

---

one.two.three.four. one.two.three.
one.two.three.four. one.two.three.

Her watch was off. Only by a fraction of a second. She focused on the ticking of the watch, the tumbling of the gears, trying to determine how inaccurate her device had drifted. From the sounds of the ticking it was off by a matter of 0.3 milliseconds. At that rate the watch would be off by an entire second within roughly three million, three-hundred and thirty-three thousand, and three-hundred and thirty-three seconds. Or around thirty-eight and a half days. The dark elf would die from dehydration before then.

It had been several hours that she was trapped in this enclosure of stone and sand with barely any room to move. She knew it would be a long wait but it was starting to move into unbearable territory. Her legs began to cramp a bit, her sides ached from the rough stone she lay on, and her mind was starting to wander to insidious thoughts. What if the group would not return for her? What if the group had gotten themselves trapped on their expedition? One thing was for certain, Lilly was not about to wait any longer for a group of men to save her. While lying there and studying the idiosyncrasies of her watch the young woman had begun to study the markings on the wall in front of her. She could not read any of it, unsure the language of origin, but the Alerian could tell that it was a puzzle of some sort. Several of the characters marked were clearly meant to throw off the viewer. Often dribbling into other stones or abruptly ending in a manner that would not make sense of any written language she was familiar with.

Her gaze eventually focused on one specific brick in the wall which had its corners painted and an unusual circular symbol drawn into the center. As she slid over against the rough sand floor the girl placed her hand up to the brick, trying to feel if it were loose at all. She attempted to spin it, pull on it, push it in. It was no use; the sandstone would not bulge. One of the stones to the top left of the one with its corners painted had what looked to be an arrow and a hieroglyphic of what Lilly interpreted as stone being shattered. The tinkerer gulped as her mind made up that the best course of action would be to try and break the stone. Cautiously the dark elf readied herself to punch at the stone with her gauntlet. Hoping to gently fracture the sandstone.

Cocking back her arm as best she could in the tight space she let loose the first blow. Her gauntlet collided with the brick, not even causing a crack. Inside the gauntlet her hand felt the sting of punching a thick brick wall however. On the bright side though, she could tell that this specific stone did seem to be hollow. Recognizing that this was her best course of action if she wished to escape she readied another blow. This time however she flipped a switch on the side of her gauntlet, causing a buildup of steam in the bronze piping until it became too much. The steam was released from several nozzles as the dark elf took a deep breath and the gauntlet took on a mind of its own. As her fist was propelled forward by the glove she felt the force of the air fly by her. With a loud crash her fist collided with the stone, reducing it back into the sand and dust it had begun as millennia ago.

Dirt and dust filled Lilly’s vision as her hand throbbed from the pain. The gauntlet coughed up a few gaskets and gears as Lilthis joined it in coughing up the sandy dust that filled her lungs. Once the smoke had settled the young woman peered into the hole she created and saw thin rope attached to a small cork. She retrieved the cork with her right-hand and pulled on it, triggering a switch that opened the door which had closed her in for the past few hours. Overjoyed the elf quickly scurried in reverse to be rid of that foul hole.

Rising to her feet she stumbled a bit as her legs had been reduced to jelly from their lack of use for the past few hours. Not wanting to appear unkempt the girl tied her hair back and brushed a bit of the dirt off her clothes before proceeding inwards to find the rest of The Vestige. Once she arrived at the main chamber she realized that the group had taken so long as they were still studying a large orb with a glowing core at its center. Without speaking to anyone Lilly presented her quill and began to jot down everything she could about the circular object.

---

Her clouds were just outside. They were her only friends now. Their weeping was endless as their tears drenched the forest floor. The clouds cried, “my dear, I am sorry!”


She felt a degree of solace knowing that at least the clouds would suffer alongside her. “My friend, I’m grateful but I do not long for your pity,” Lilly replied in a serious tone.


The nimbus clouds were awash in the girl’s anguish. They grew ever darker and their sobbing was relentless. Eventually they screamed with a thunderous voice, “please try to sleep, please try to forget this terrible day.”


She did as her friend asked and passed out from exhaustion.

---

Cinders cracked and smoke billowed. Trees bent in the cold of night, intersecting and weaving among each other in a chorus of vegetation. The leaves of criss-crossing branches whistled in the cool breeze.

The fire was warm. Lilthis and the rest of her caravan huddled as close to its mystical blue flame as they could. Master Seshat had lit the giant cobalt pyre, it enveloped his group with warmth and was as simple to ignite as a snap of his fingers. One of the acolytes of the group showed Lilly how you could place your hand directly into the flame and you would not be burned. She meticulously documented the exact details of this fire’s effect in her journal, committing the sounds and sights of it to memory.

Several yards away stood R’khasa. The site had been a burial ground for many high elves throughout millennia. It’s sandy-stoned face and twisted curvature made the building unique enough. Inside however was a massive caged globe made of mythril - enchanted to resist all magic. The globe had large circles spread evenly across its surface and ancient magical carvings that Lilthis had diligently copied onto parchment and translated for Seshat.

He shared that the globe needed to be brought into the sunlight so that the group could see how it behaved. The runic marks indicated that the globe would react to the sun’s rays. Unfortunately, as it was immune to magic the group could think of no way to pry it out. Lilly racked her brain for nearly an hour before finally shouting, “steam engine,” which was met with confused stares.



Explaining to the group that she could build a steam engine and trolley system to pull the globe out of its submerged tomb she got a pleasing nod from Seshat before explaining exactly what materials she needed to go to work.

Lilly spent three sleepless days by candlelight assembling the engine. Stopping to eat only when insisted by Seshat. On numerous occasions she would overhear her comrades complain about how long it was taking, how long should they let the dark elf try to be helpful, and their various theories of why it wouldn’t work. It was a funny thing, magic came so easily to them that they were incapable of recognizing hard work. They had saved Lilly’s life several times and used magic to solve what she thought were impossible problems. But to strip it away. To remove their magic? Those that journeyed with her were worse off than infants without their spellcraft. Lilthis was certain that technology would never fail her.

Boiling water causes steam to rise, the steam is pushed through at high pressure to force a piston upwards and then the steam is recycled back into the boiler. This system can be used to generate a great deal of force, propelling the network of locomotives found throughout Alerar. Lilly didn’t have the resources available to build a rail track so instead she had the mages obtain as many durable steel chain-links as they could find. The chains would be fed through a pulley system by the steam engine and the other end of the chains were wrapped through the various circular openings all over the globe. When everyone was ready she pulled a lever down to switch on the engine, uttering under her breath, “this better work.”

Amidst the snickering of her peers, the whistling of steam, and the grinding of chains Lilthis’ machine chugged on. Loudly a screeching of metal on stone was heard as the object was forcibly dragged through the tomb and towards the members of The Vestige. There was a gray stone path cut into the ground that sloped downwards towards the structure and the plan was for the machine to pull the arcanic sphere up the pathway through the hundred feet tall gates that contained it. Four mages were at the bottom of the hill with two on each side holding the double doored gates open. The gates were incredibly heavy steel and as such required the strength of at least two of their members to hold open. Seshat had made it very clear that he was incredibly anxious to see how the orb would react to the light of day and as the orb approached the opening the members of The Vestige were almost as excited as they were surprised that the drow had proven her mettle.

Lilly had a quill in her left hand, parchment on her lap as she sat in the grass. Eagerly she waited for the orb to reach the climax of the hill but she wanted to denote the exact reaction that occurred as soon as the sphere hit sunlight. It also remedied her self-esteem to behold the utter shock of her success on the faces of her colleagues. What was more shocking though was the brilliance of the object as it crossed the threshold of the gates.

Glowing, glorious. All the sigils and markings that dotted the spheroid were illuminated. The various holes throughout its body extended into white columns and the center of the object began to hum an ever-growing music that concluded with a static ominous noise. Lilthis jotted down every detail as the scene played on and the metal of the orb generated sparks against the stone. Seshat muttered, “interesting, it must be a sort of channeling device.”

What happened next would destroy the new life that Lilly had come to know.

The engine groaned and the pulley system shook violently. Lilthis had not calculated that the emanations coming from the globe would create an additional strain on the system she had built. To make matters worse the spheroid jolted backwards, almost to indicate it was not interested in the glow of day.

With the speed of a hawk the chains stalled, the pulley system broke and ripped the engine from out of the ground it was stationed on. Violently the sphere rolled back down the pathway and amidst screams the mages at the base of the path were in grave danger. A loud smash cut through the group’s baited breath as terror overtook them. The mausoleum collapsed onto the sphere. None of the four at the bottom could be seen in the rubble.

Lilly and the rest of the group tried to do what they could, tried to dig them out. Hopeful and praying… but it was for nothing. They were all dead. The council of The Vestige met as the damage was assessed.

---

Slumber ensued and dreams took ahold of her. She had been destroying herself all night. Her actions had led to the deaths of her colleagues. She was alone, frightened, barely clinging to hope.

But these were dreams, not nightmares. They beckoned her to recall the good that awaited her. She would find many new artifacts, on her own this time. She would destroy the criminal underground of Alerar, the group that forced her into hiding. She would see her parents again. Faellint would be successful on his own, finding a new love.

All of this would come to fruition. If only in her dreams.

---

Lilly sat there on the damp earth. It had been raining a lot lately in the forests of Raiaera. She moved a single blade back and forth, contemplating her fate. Surely some sort of punishment was about to be handed down to her... after all it was her machine that had failed. The high elves and humans that accompanied Master Seshat did not fully comprehend how technology operated and she assumed she would to be to blamed for the deaths of the mages who had held the gates open. Honestly, she was partially to blame, but predicting how magic would interact with machinery was not an exact science yet. That was the entire purpose of her study.

Still, there was a size-able amount of guilt weighing on her conscience. Sure, the mages who perished were not her friends. In fact the lot of them had been rather disagreeable with the young woman. One of them had even cast a rather nasty spell on her that caused a great stench to emerge from her mouth. But she didn’t think they deserved death. Maybe the one who caused her breath to stink did... but the other three did not deserve to die like that. If only I made the engine more durable.

The council was in discussion for an eternity. Multiple apprentices and journeymen within The Vestige approached Lilly to offer condolences, assign blame, or flirt. That last one was typical, the first two she was not used to. Even those whom she had crafted yellow necklaces for were being cruel to her now. A small number of mages still seemed to be supportive but the overall feel of the group had shifted to anger toward the dark elven outsider.

As sunset took hold of the forest landscape Lithis pondered what sort of fate would await her from the council. Would she be barred from entering the next magical site? Would she be instructed that dark elf technology was now banned? What if they assigned her to cooking duties for the next week? Although, if they fancied edible food they likely would not punish the group by asking Lilly to cook for them. Briefly, the thought of banishment occurred. Surely not, the young Alerian thought to herself. Banishment would be far too severe of a punishment. There was no ill intention behind her machine.

She had already explained to the council that it was not possible to predict how the globe would react to sunlight and that her machine was only designed to pull it into the sun. One council member had grunted at that explanation, which outraged Lilly. Without thinking she had snapped back with, "machines aren't like magic, they aren't just based off feelings, they take a lot of work. I can't just wake up one day and will something to happen, I have to spend hours doing calculations that took me years to learn." Sitting there in the grass the young woman regretted that statement a bit. She did not intend to diminish the efforts it took to master magic. She realized that, going forward, she should temper her words a bit better.

Once night fell on the group Lilly was called in to meet with Seshat. He was clearly still distraught by the loss of four of their brothers earlier in the day. They were inside of his grandiose tent, which was filled with potions, texts, and an alchemy table. The tent itself could be summoned and transferred to new locations by Seshat's very will. At one meeting between the two Lilthis had even told Seshat that she believed his tent was the most impressive piece of magic she had ever seen. Seshat was amused that she found such a simple teleportation spell to be so marvelous.

The ancient elf placed his right hand on Lilthis’ shoulder, “Lillian, none of us were sure about having a dark elf in our ranks. You have more than proven your worth since joining us. However… many of your companions have still not become comfortable travelling with an elf of your kind. After today, I’m afraid to tell you… we cannot allow you to continue with us.”

Her heart ripped itself in two. She could not contain herself despite her best efforts. Tears fell out like a bag overturned. She had lost a second family.

Seshat offered the woman a further explanation, "The council decreed that your use of technology was wanton and disrespectful to the magical integrity of the site we were attending. They have decided that your actions, and your actions alone, resulted in the deaths of four of our members." He interjected, “however, as you did not intend to harm anyone, we have chosen banishment rather than a harsher punishment.”

Seshat was clearly upset too, she could tell from his face that he wished it did not need to end like this. She knew that he was likely the voice of reason that spared her from execution or disfigurement. He released the young girl’s shoulder and informed her, “we will be heading west. There is a village twelve miles due east. You should proceed that way. Goodbye Lillian.”

With that, the elder she had spent so much time with dismissed her out of the tent. As the various pavillons of The Vestige vanished and members gathered their belongings a few said goodbyes to Lilly. Some removed the necklaces that she had made for them, dropping them on the ground. Most, however, snickered and went on their way. Seshat himself took one last look at the helpless girl before continuing on. He did not smile, he did not frown.

Clouds formed. Rain started. The dark elf maiden crashed into the muddied ground, caking her gauntlet in the mud. She watched as The Vestige took their leave. As her new family abandoned her. What would she do now... ?

Air rushed through her lungs as she breathed rapidly. Her mind splitting apart, trying to comprehend all she had lost. Her parents, Faellint, and now The Vestige. Lilthis was truly alone now. She needed someone to talk with, someone to unload her torment onto. She determined she would try to strike up a conversation with the universe.

Maybe the universe had something interesting to say.

---

An unwelcomed guest, the sun, peaked his way over the horizon. His rays spread magnificently over the forest floor and onto the body of the lovely young elven maiden. Sunlight warmed her cold charcoal skin. Grinning and jovial the sun alerted Lilthis, “Awaken child, tis a new day.”



Her eyes burned, face still damp from the tears, and every muscle of her lithe body ached. Groggy, she rubbed her fingers through her thin white hair and with a moan she got to her feet. Looking down she brushed the dirt and grime off her thighs. The sun was right, it was a new day, a new morning full of new opportunities. She believed she’d find her way and be alright. There had to be a spot in this world for her and she was not going to be tied down to others to find it.


Sol himself basked in the young woman’s confidence.


“I am Lilthis Shadefell. I will do great things.”

---

On Purpose (Solo).
No Judgement

Rewards:

Lilthis receives:
730 EXP
100 Gold

"I would rather live than die. I would rather survive as a monster."

Robert Fanney