D:\Numbers0.html"There is...a machine. It evolved itself...and behold!--it
knits..It knits us in and it knits us out. It has knitted time, space, pain,
death, corruption, despair and all the illusions--and nothing matters. I'll
admit however that to look at the remorseless process is sometimes amusing."
Joseph Conrad
The Hand of Mask
Chapter 0 : The Birth of The Halfbreed
She has hidden it for a year through magic using friends and her own prowness.
A human concubine having a son to one of the elven lords. The lord would never
stand for this. Mikael Darktome is a respected name amongst even the most
powerful mages of the forest, and having a bastard son would only give the
others reason to turn his rise to power around, and Aeris will never let that
happen. She knows she doesnt have the means to hide the child and she doesn't
have the heart to kill it. Her fast walk slows as she comes upon Darktome's
study and she clutches the infant close to her. "He will help me, he has too
strong of a heart to kill his own son, even if it cannot become the ruler of
this land." She knocks twice as she takes in a deep breath and tries to relax
as she hears his footsteps coming closer and prays that she is right. That
Darktome will not slay her and the child the way some of the lords would. They
had been together for many years now, and although it cannot be love, there is
some affection that she feels with him and from him. The door opens and he
stands there, still in his elven chain and black robes with jade green silken
trim along the seams. Another meeting that had ended just minutes before her
arrival, but it was the last of the day. He never has guests of business at
this hour.
"Aeris. What a pleasant surprise it is to see....." He then notices that she is
not alone. He sees the child in her arms and immediately his mouth falls open
in awe. "Please, come inside quickly. It appears you have some explaining to
do." She steps through the door and he closes it behind her, his eyes never
leaving the child in her arms. "How did this happen? I thought we had
prevented such things from occuring here!" Not rage, not anger, just shock and
fear in his voice, yet there is a hint of fondness in his eyes.
"I do not know, my lord. I attended every ritual given by the priests and your
own mages. Either we have been duped from within, or we have been given a
miracle upon which we cannot act." She notices the look in his eyes, even
through the horror and surprise. That much time have they shared together, and
she knows she was right to come to him. "I know we cannot keep him, my lord,
but we cannot slay this child. Even a life of persecution and lonliness as a
halfbreed is better than no life at all." She watches the elven lord as he walks
over and takes the child gently into his arms and stares into it's eyes.
"I know, Aeris. I can see the magic in his eyes, he is definately of my blood.
Lets just hope he gets your looks, the outside world is not very fond of elves
as the humans spread. We will find somewhere for him, I promise you. And I
will always keep track of where he is and his safety." The fear and shock were
slowly replaced with wonderment as he watched the child. "He is so quiet for a
child of his age. As if he already understands the imprtance of his being so.
Oh how I wish we could abandon the old rules of my people. For centuries we
have held strong to them, but the world is changing so much that we must learn
to change with them. Let us hope that day of revelation comes for my peers
within this childs lifetime." he wraps the child up softly and lays it on the
bed.
"So where can we send him, Mikael? Surely we cannot keep him close by, for fear
that the others will find him and recognize his bloodline through his eyes."
Aeris, now nearly in tears at how above and beyond her affectionate elf lord
really is, looks at the elf pleadingly.
"We will send the child to the realms of Amn. Maybe the port city of Murann.
They have many types there, but hopefully he will be raised to be more than mere
commonfolk. I will go now and deliver him... the hour is late enough that
no-one should be about and I can slip him onto a doorstep un-noticed." Darktome
gets his blade and his full cloak before reaching for his spellbook and
components. "I will return soon, Aeris. Go back to your room and act as
thought nothing happened, I promise we will not forget him, but we must act as
though he doesn't exist." He kisses the human female and then mutters softly
before the gate opens.
"Be careful, my lord, and thank you for your compassion" Aeris watches as the
elf lord steps through the gate before leaving the room quietly.
knits..It knits us in and it knits us out. It has knitted time, space, pain,
death, corruption, despair and all the illusions--and nothing matters. I'll
admit however that to look at the remorseless process is sometimes amusing."
Joseph Conrad
The Hand of Mask
Chapter 0 : The Birth of The Halfbreed
She has hidden it for a year through magic using friends and her own prowness.
A human concubine having a son to one of the elven lords. The lord would never
stand for this. Mikael Darktome is a respected name amongst even the most
powerful mages of the forest, and having a bastard son would only give the
others reason to turn his rise to power around, and Aeris will never let that
happen. She knows she doesnt have the means to hide the child and she doesn't
have the heart to kill it. Her fast walk slows as she comes upon Darktome's
study and she clutches the infant close to her. "He will help me, he has too
strong of a heart to kill his own son, even if it cannot become the ruler of
this land." She knocks twice as she takes in a deep breath and tries to relax
as she hears his footsteps coming closer and prays that she is right. That
Darktome will not slay her and the child the way some of the lords would. They
had been together for many years now, and although it cannot be love, there is
some affection that she feels with him and from him. The door opens and he
stands there, still in his elven chain and black robes with jade green silken
trim along the seams. Another meeting that had ended just minutes before her
arrival, but it was the last of the day. He never has guests of business at
this hour.
"Aeris. What a pleasant surprise it is to see....." He then notices that she is
not alone. He sees the child in her arms and immediately his mouth falls open
in awe. "Please, come inside quickly. It appears you have some explaining to
do." She steps through the door and he closes it behind her, his eyes never
leaving the child in her arms. "How did this happen? I thought we had
prevented such things from occuring here!" Not rage, not anger, just shock and
fear in his voice, yet there is a hint of fondness in his eyes.
"I do not know, my lord. I attended every ritual given by the priests and your
own mages. Either we have been duped from within, or we have been given a
miracle upon which we cannot act." She notices the look in his eyes, even
through the horror and surprise. That much time have they shared together, and
she knows she was right to come to him. "I know we cannot keep him, my lord,
but we cannot slay this child. Even a life of persecution and lonliness as a
halfbreed is better than no life at all." She watches the elven lord as he walks
over and takes the child gently into his arms and stares into it's eyes.
"I know, Aeris. I can see the magic in his eyes, he is definately of my blood.
Lets just hope he gets your looks, the outside world is not very fond of elves
as the humans spread. We will find somewhere for him, I promise you. And I
will always keep track of where he is and his safety." The fear and shock were
slowly replaced with wonderment as he watched the child. "He is so quiet for a
child of his age. As if he already understands the imprtance of his being so.
Oh how I wish we could abandon the old rules of my people. For centuries we
have held strong to them, but the world is changing so much that we must learn
to change with them. Let us hope that day of revelation comes for my peers
within this childs lifetime." he wraps the child up softly and lays it on the
bed.
"So where can we send him, Mikael? Surely we cannot keep him close by, for fear
that the others will find him and recognize his bloodline through his eyes."
Aeris, now nearly in tears at how above and beyond her affectionate elf lord
really is, looks at the elf pleadingly.
"We will send the child to the realms of Amn. Maybe the port city of Murann.
They have many types there, but hopefully he will be raised to be more than mere
commonfolk. I will go now and deliver him... the hour is late enough that
no-one should be about and I can slip him onto a doorstep un-noticed." Darktome
gets his blade and his full cloak before reaching for his spellbook and
components. "I will return soon, Aeris. Go back to your room and act as
thought nothing happened, I promise we will not forget him, but we must act as
though he doesn't exist." He kisses the human female and then mutters softly
before the gate opens.
"Be careful, my lord, and thank you for your compassion" Aeris watches as the
elf lord steps through the gate before leaving the room quietly.