Evernon
Evernon is a high priest of Solonor Thelandira in the elven city of Firness. He is the husband of Anthelsya, father of Finglas, and adoptive father of Anterias and Valendaria.
Evernon woke up in the middle of the night again. His body unrested, his mind ill at ease. He can never remember the visions that wake him, and as an elf, that should not be so. Something was not right, and he had no idea what it was. He looked over at his wife, Anthelsya. She slept soundly through his waking. Rather than try and go back to sleep, Evernon decided to go to the temple and pray.
As he mounted the steps, an acolyte nodded in respect to him. Evernon returned the nod silently, recognizing the young elf as a companion to his son, also an acolyte in training. He smiled at the thought of his son, so much like his father. He entered the temple with head bowed, and began to pray to his god for his much needed guidance.
Almost, as if in answer, the doors behind him opened, and into the main chamber entered the most handsome elf Evernon had ever seen. He was tall, with golden hair, and bright, golden eyes. The elf radiated power in a tangible aura. Evernon’s first thought was that his god’s avatar was coming to him, but he immediately knew this was not the case. The elf had power, but not a holy power.
“Can I help you?” Evernon asked as he stood and faced the visitor.
“I hope so.” The other replied. “I have a problem of great proportions, and hoped that you might be able to help me with it.”
Evernon frowned, wondering what this elf could want.
“Perhaps if I explained myself you would understand.”
Evernon nodded and motioned to a bench. The other followed him to it and sat.
“First, I should tell you my name, I suppose. I am Empyrinaphisan. But I usually just have the lesser races call me Empyr.” The elf smiled enigmatically.
“The lesser races? Then you are..?”
“I will be honest, as honesty usually breeds trust. I am a gold dragon, not an elf. The problem I have is that a most powerful demon has managed to steal my mate’s clutch of eggs. I am looking for a group of people to help me get the eggs back.”
Evernon remained silent, digesting the information and reflecting back to his uneasy nights. “The demon came to this plane a fortnight ago.” Evernon more told than asked. The gold nodded silently.
Evernon fell back into thoughtful silence. The gold waited with the patience characteristic of his race. Evernon looked up, “There is a catch.”
The gold nodded again. “The demon would know if I were to come anywhere near him. I’m not sure what he plans to do with the eggs, but if I were to confront him, he would destroy them and disappear. I believe that recruiting a small force of people is my only chance to banish him, and save the eggs.”
Evernon nodded. “I believe my god knows of this demon’s presence, and is displeased with it. I will help you.”
The gold smiled and nodded. “Good. I will come back in a week. At dawn. The rest of the party will be with me and ready to go on the quest.” With that the gold stood and bowed to Evernon. “Thank you in advance. I will see you in a tenday.”
- * * * *
The allotted time passed, and the dawn of the seventh day came. Evernon stood at the main gate to the city waiting for his companions to arrive. A quiet rustle in the brush announced the first. A human moved through the brush, not bending a twig. He moved with such grace through the woods that Evernon looked to see if his ears bore signs of elf blood, but no point was visible.
The human saw Evernon and nodded, then stood quietly waiting. As the two waited for the rest, Evernon studied the man. He was attired in green cloth and brown leather, the latter well worn and moved with hardly a sound. Around his waist were belted two swords, one short, one a longer bastard sword. His hair was long, and uncombed, pulled back with a simple leather chord. His face was covered by a full beard, brown as the leathers he wore. A ranger, the elf nodded to himself. The only way a man of such a clumsy race might have moved through the woods so silently.
The two heard noise farther down the trail. After a few minutes two others came around the bend in the woods. The more noticeable of the two, a man on a large steed, decked in full platemail and a plumed helmet. The shield strapped to his saddle bore a bright coat of arms of a green horse centered on a black field. The other, following behind rode a lesser, obviously older horse. He was a young man dressed in a tabard mirroring the shield, and seemed to be in charge of the third horse, laden with supplies and other things.
As the two approached, Empyr appeared between the four men. “Greetings, my new friends. I thank you for meeting here.”
All nodded and the knight replied with, “It is a great honor and pleasure to be on such a good and noble quest, for such a good and noble creature.”
The gold nodded with a smile, while the ranger grunted quietly and rolled his eyes. Empyr then gestured to the north. “The demon lies two weeks journey due north from here.” At this news Evernon narrowed his eyes. That distance was just outside of the elves usual patrol. Unlucky for such a creature to have been overlooked for so long. Unlucky, or well planned. Evernon now wondered if his own need on this quest might be as great as the gold’s. There were tales of enemies made in the abyss, and vengeance sworn. Could this be an enemy to his people, returned from banishment? Evernon was determined to find out.
“The demon has made his lair in a labyrinth like cave in the hills. In there he has taken my eggs. When you have killed him, I will come and meet you there.”
The four companions nodded and looked at each other, then the ranger moved into the woods, heading north. Arrendennel followed, taking a similar, but even easier path. Behind the two woodsmen, the less graceful horses crashed through the brush after, leaving an easy trail behind them.
- * * *
After several days, the small group came upon the lair of the demon. The lands around the cave were dead, no animals moved, the plants were all withered and dead. Inside, the cave was filled with a dark, foul smelling miasma. The group encountered no resistance until they reached the back of the cave. There sat the demon, looking over a small clutch of dragon eggs.
“Welcome, Fools. Come to die, have you?” The demon cackled as he watched them enter.
The Baalor looked over the intrepid adventurers with a greedy. “Holy warriors all… Your souls will be great prizes indeed. Come to your dooms. First I take you to the Abyss, then I finish with the eggs. My power on the Prime will grow like no other demon’s!”
Evernon’s response was two enchanted arrows thudding into the demon’s chest. It roared in anger and pain, then jumped over the eggs to attack, whip in one hand, blazing sword in the other.
The two men laid into the demon at once, drawing in to create a barrier between the demon and the elven archer. The battle raged for many long minutes. Evernon watched carefully, sending his stinging arrows into the demon when a break in the melee presented itself.
More difficult for him was to keep the scuffle of combat away from the still fragile eggs. He carefully lined up his shots, using the painful sting of his arrows to lead the demon this way and that, keeping the melee away from the prize.
With many grievious wounds, the knight in his shining armor shouted a cry to his god and brought his sword down on the demon. His strike was true, and his blade bit deeply into the demon’s shoulder, causing it to stagger.
Uttering a prayer of his own, Evernon shot an arrow into the fiend’s head, piercing his eye and sinking deep into the monster’s brain.
The Baalor gave a loud cry and vanished, defeated and banished.
Evernon looked down at his feet. The eggs weren’t there anymore. Even as his mind realized what happened, applause sounded from the cave tunnel, and Empyr entered the chamber.
“Well done, my friends. Well done. My thanks to you. While you distracted the demon, I was able to take the eggs away and send them back to safety.” He then turned and exited, the humans following him. Evernon paused for a moment, taking in all that had happened, then shook his head and followed.
When he got outside he overheard the end of the dragon’s thanks to the humans, and saw him handing to them treasures, undoubtedly from his own trove. They smiled and nodded their thanks, then departed, each headed his own way back to where they came from.
“And what do I have to give to you, oh long lived one?” Empyr began to reach into his robes to fetch something from them, but Evernon held up his hand to stop the dragon.
“I have no need for your gifts. I have all that I need from my god. What I will take from you is a bond. While we elves may be short lived in comparison to your years, I still have enough years in me to have gained some wisdom. Would I take your treasure, most likely one not so small, but not even near the greatest of your horde and walk away? No, instead I ask that you remember my aid. I may need help of my own in the future years.”
The dragon smiles broadly, then reached into his robes again and drew forth a large gem on a chain. “Then take this priest of Solonor. Say my name into it, and I will hear you. I see you are indeed wiser than the lesser humans. Again, I thank you for this, and I feel that I am indeed in your debt.”
Evernon nodded, then stood still, as if waiting.
“Aren’t you going to go home, priest?” the dragon asked.
“Of course. I was just waiting on you.”
The gold smiled slyly, then snapped his fingers. The two disappeared from the dead landscape they were in, and reappeared in front of Evernon village.
Evernon nodded, then turned to walk back home. At the gate, he paused, then looked over his shoulder and said, “If you again need a distraction made while you accomplish something on your own, I might be persuaded to help you.” He then smiled knowingly to the dragon and walked into the town.
The dragon simply laughed, then disappeard, and the road stood empty once more.
- * * *
Meanwhile, in the Abyss, a vanquished demon sat and brooded…
