Then – 10 years previous…
The night elf nimbly descended the ancient Wolfswood staircase. Had she been anything but an elf, the descent would have triggered a pandemonium of creeks that would have awoken her father, slumbering but a single floor above. The staircase was engulfed in a cool, yet forbidding darkness which now consumed the woodland dwelling. This darkness around the elf, however, was currently being forced back into the recesses of the house by a candle the girl held in front of her, slowly revealing the silent furnishings.
She knew she shouldn't be exploring the house like this, and she knew her little escapade, if discovered by her father, would result in severe punishment. But she didn't care. Compelled by the excitement and mystery, she crept off the last step and entered the circular living area, again her candle illuminated the room.
In the centre resided a large, ornate hard-wood table, it's surface shining a deep crimson in the candle's subtle light. Apart from this, the room was sparsely furnished; a few chairs around the table and two large book cases, which each fully occupied a wall. But this was not the room she was looking for.
With the guile of a fox she crossed the room, making sure she made not a sound. She passed the table, bathed in the light of her candle, and finally the bookcase, before walking through an arch into another, smaller room.
Even though this room was much smaller than the last, it was more densely furnished and with more ornate furniture. This was her father's private quarters and, even though she was not strictly forbidden to enter the room, she had a strong feeling she was. He had, however, strictly forbidden her to go near the large cabinet that resided in the corner of this room. Her target.
The day before, when her father was away at a druid council meeting, she had procured the key from her father's unguarded robes he had swapped for his ceremonial robes. For a long time she had lusted for this key, and for a long time she had observed how her father kept the key in a secret pocket on the inside of his formal robes, and how he forget to take it with him when he changed into his ceremonial robes every month.
As she approached the cabinet, thoughts of apprehension and anxiety consumed her. I wonder what is in there? Is it magical? Dangerous? Maybe a family heirloom that is one day meant for me…whatever it was that resided in the cabinet, she would soon rest her eyes upon it. Finally.
She now stood directly in front if the cabinet. Kneeling, she slowly placed her candle on the wooden floor, careful not to make a sound, and extracted the key. It twinkled momentarily in the candle light. Slowly, the nimble elf raised her naked arm with all the guile of her dexterous forefathers, and cautiously slipped the key into the hole. As she turned it, a dull click sounded from deep inside the ancient lock mechanism, and tension loosened from the cabinet door. Success.
The girl shuffled back one her kneel to allow the door to open, and them opened them.
Inside the cabinet were many different compartments, like hollow square prisms that reached all the way top the back of the cabinet. Some had small doors sealing them, and some were open. The doors were not locked. Inside some of the wider, open slots lay miscellaneous scrolls, no doubt divination enchantments, spell components, pouches, and other items a druid master would possess. But these were not anything to be hidden from his daughter; she used items like these in her divination lessons.
After scrutinising all of the open compartments, the elf was disheartened to find that there was nothing of any significance to her investigation. Feeling defeated, the elf replaced all of the items that she had taken from the cabinet, now surrounding her. She finally got to the last item, a small Grell skull, but couldn't remember which container it went in. she started reading over the labels: Root Divination… no… Wind Enchantments… nope… hey, this one's black, she thought to her self as she came across a slot who's label bore no writing. Out of curiosity, she opened the container…