Chapter 16
Sab'vrae awoke the next day to find Baelas' cot empty and his belongs beside him. Groggily, the drow pulled on his leggings and boots, fastening his belt to his waist. After a moment's thought, he removed his swords, sheaths included, and lay them with his piwafwi. The sunlight would diminish their unique enchantments if coming in contact with them too much, so he decided it was best to leave them in the dim light of the hut.
The dark elf held his hand above his eyes, squinting in preparation. The light of midmorning, though much less intense than the sun at midday, still nonetheless stung his sensitive eyes. His ebony skin hurt, and, upon close inspection, Sab'vrae noted a light burn had formed on his naked upper body.
"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" Nai'lan greeted, cooking in a large pot over a much smaller flame than the previous night's bonfire. "The others are attending to various duties in the forest at the moment, so it's just us for now, I'm afraid."
Sab'vrae squinted his strained eyes, "Well enough, yes, thank you. Do you have anything to cover my head with? I can't use my piwafwi now without ruining its enchantments."
"The sun will take some time to get used to, my underground friend," the wood elf chuckled, motioning for the drow to seat himself, "but yes, I have a spare cloak or two I can lend you. If you can wait just a few minutes, I'll retrieve one once my cooking is finished." Sab'vrae eyed the thick broth in the pot and inhaled its tantalizing scent in.
"What are you preparing?" he asked, his stomach rumbling in hunger.
"Dakesi and Tekrue stew. Very sweet with a slight salty aftertaste." The archdruid answered.
"Dakesi? Tekrue?" Sab'vrae raised his white eyebrows, "I'm unfamiliar with such foods."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Nai'lan chuckled, "since you've lived underground for so long. Dakesi is a shrub whose salty roots are edible, and Tekrue are swift, four legged animals known for their speed and sweet meat. There's an abundance of tekrue in the area, so it won't harm the local balance if the grove eats one for breakfast."
"The balance?" Sab'vrae's interest distracted him from the pain in his eyes and skin. Nai'lan's hazel eyes gazed up at the drow's blue ones.
"Yes, the balance. We druids guard and protect the balance between nature and the 'civilized' world of cities and technology. Even non druid surface elves value the importance of nature, and treat it with respect. We never take more than we need for food, clothes, and shelter. It's just our way." The archdruid sniffed the stew. "Hm, needs a little more stirring, but your eyes look quite pained. Kindly take over for me while I retrieve a cape for you, please?" He handed the spoon to Sab'vrae and rose, striding over to his hut.
Sab'vrae eyed the spoon and the broth. Slowly, he repeated Nai'lan's motions, hoping he did so correctly. All his life, most of his meals had been prepared for him by house servants. The only time he cooked anything on his own was during the surface raid trip, and even then, he merely roasted rothe meat over a fire, a simple task. During his six week venture alone in the Underdark, he ate any food he found raw.
Nai'lan returned a moment later, a dark green cloak and brown leather shirt in hand. He tossed the clothes into the drow's lap.
"Figured you'd need a shirt to protect your skin, since you don't seem to have one already." The wood elf explained. Sab'vrae thanked the archdruid and slipped the shirt over his torso, clasping the cloak about his shoulders afterwards with the leaf shaped brooch provided. He pulled the hood over his head, relieving some of the strain on his eyes.
"I don't have much knowledge of surface geography," Sab'vrae admitted, "Care to enlighten me as to where I am?"
"You're in edges of Lurkwood's forest, my friend." Nai'lan answered without hesitation, casting a water spray spell that quelled the flames under the pot. "You're in the far north of Faerun, some one-hundred-twenty miles or so south of the Spine of the World. The temperature's comfortable now, but, come Nightal, which is about two months from now, winter's gonna hit hard."
"Spine of the World? Winter?" Sab'vrae asked, puzzled. Nai'lan sighed, realizing how little indeed the drow knew of the surface.
"The Spine of the World is a long, huge range of mountains on the far north of Faerun," he explained, "And beyond them are lands so cold that their entire warm season lasts about three months before the ice and snow settles in. In other words, they live in a land of a nearly eternal winter. They don't call the area Icewind Dale for nothing."
"I know of ice, frozen water," Sab'vrae said, "But snow? It is something cold, as is this winter?"
"Winter is a season of the year that's very cold, at least in the northern lands, yes." Nai'lan confirmed. "Snow is, essentially, frozen rain that falls in winter. When enough of it falls in adequate conditions, it blankets the earth in a cover of powdery white. It's actually quite beautiful despite its chilly temperature."
"Um… seasons? Rain? In the Underdark, it's always a fairly comfortable moderate temperature in most places." Sab'vrae felt foolish, knowing so little of the land he craved to spend the rest of his days in. Nai'lan chuckled, filling a bowl with his stew. He placed a wooden spoon in the broth and handed it to Sab'vrae.
"Here, eat this. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He offered. Sab'vrae nodded in appreciation and took the breakfast. He blew on the steaming meal to cool it, then sampled a spoonful. The drow mumbled in content. His wood elf companion laughed, "I told you. Now, as for seasons and rain… Rain comes from the clouds above, in the sky. See those white, puffy things up above us?"
He pointed, and Sab'vrae chanced a quick glance, nodding, "When a lot of them gather together and become darker, that often means a rainstorm's coming. All rain is are droplets of water pouring from the clouds. It can come in a light drizzle, barely noticeable, or pouring down harshly, soaking one to the bone in mere seconds. A downpour might annoy the weary traveler, but rain's essential to plant and animal life up here."
"That I can understand, I think," Sab'vrae said, pausing between bites. "Water is a rare and important resource in the Underdark. Those who control an area with it guard the source intensely and selfishly."
Nai'lan nodded, "I see. Now, with seasons… you do keep track of the year in sections by month, yes?"
"Of course. Hammer, Alturiak, Ches, Tarsakh, Mirtul, Kythorn, Flamerule, Eleasias, Eleint, Marpenoth, Uktar, and Nightal -- Calendar of Harptos, just like you surfacers use."
"Well, seasons here are the change in the weather. There are four -- Spring, summer, autumn, and winter." Nai'lan explained, "In spring, the weather is moderate and sunny, and nature is in full bloom. It falls from mid-Ches to mid-Kythorn. Summer is similar to spring, only it's generally much hotter -- the hottest during the year. The days are longest during the summer, and night can fall as late as eight o'clock. This season lasts from mid-Kythorn to mid-Eleint.
"Autumn is when nature prepares herself for the winter. Much of the plant life dies or begins to hibernate. The trees shed their leaves in an array of colors -- red, yellow, orange, brown. It's possibly the most colorful and beautiful time of year. Autumn lasts from mid-Eleint to mid-Nightal. The last season, winter, as I told, is harsh and cold. Much of nature lies dormant beneath the cold snow, and food's hard to come by if not already stocked up during autumn. The opposite of summer in every way, winter days are shortest in the year. It lasts from the end of autumn to mid-Ches, where spring begins anew and the cycle repeats itself."
Sab'vrae listened intently, fascinated. "There's so much to learn about this strange world above my birthplace." Nai'lan laughed, clapping a tanned hand on the drow's shoulder.
"Well, we'll be happy to teach you anything we can." He promised. After a moment's thought, he added, "Sab'vrae, would you ever consider becoming a druid?"
"You mean like you guys in the grove?" the dark elf asked, admittedly intrigued by the offer.
"Yes -- a guardian and warrior for the Balance and protection of nature." Nai'lan confirmed, "We druids, much like clerics, can cast spells, but only ones granted to us by gods. Nature gods, specifically, so our magic is nature-based."
Sab'vrae shifted uneasily, "I would have to follow a nature deity?"
Sensing the drow's source of worry, the wood elf chuckled, "You wouldn't have to revoke your vows to Eilistraee. You can worship the nature gods -- the elven Rillifane, the human Silvanus, and the half-elf Mielikki, to name a few -- by showing your respect towards nature. You don't need to worship them solely, and, if you did venerate them, you could still keep Eilistraee as your patron deity."
"I could worship more than one god?" Sab'vrae asked incredulously.
"Well, as long as they don't have conflicting motives, of course. It's usually the evil gods that preach themselves as the 'one true gods' and will not tolerate any other divine worshipping by their followers." Nai'lan construed. "Eilistraee is an alley of the Seldraine -- the Elven pantheon -- and most of the good-aligned deities. She would not punish you for venerating the nature gods if you still abide by her dogma."
Sab'vrae sighed with a slight grin, "Of course, she is a goddess of kindness and understanding. I should've already known that." He looked up at the archdruid. "Perhaps I will take you up on your offer, but I'll need time to consider it."
"Take all the time that you need, my dark skinned friend," Nai'lan smiled, then looked beyond the drow, "Ah! The grove returns! Help me fill these bowls for our friends, would you?"