Dark Elves' Captive | The Obsidian Court

The ride on the prison wagon is unpleasant in the extreme. The wooden seats are hard and uncomfortable, and any unevenness in the road sends jolts through your body, making it impossible to relax. Peeking out through the bars, you see unfamiliar lands. Dark forests, enormous mountains in the distance, small villages with intricately carved and decorated houses. This is dark elven lands. Your guards keep the wagon covered when travelling through populated areas, but you hear light and pleasant voices whenever you think you're passing a village. After several days of travel the wagon finally reaches the dark elven capital: Auren'Ith. You catch a glimpse of its spires and streets before the wagon is covered again. You got captured in an ambush on the borderlands. Your captors claim you violated their territory. To you it just looked like any other rural road. But they refused to listen, binding you and throwing you in the back of the wagon before carting you off for, as they called it, 'sentencing'. Suddenly, the road gets more even. You've almost made yourself comfortable when the cover is thrown off the wagon. The sun shines bright, the weather is clear. It's a pleasant day. Or it would have been, were you not sore all over. You have stopped just outside the main gates of the magnificent royal castle. An enormous complex of stone halls and spires that dominates the skyline from far away. Up close it looks like it would take a hundred years just to explore all of it. "Out." The wagon door swings open and two guards holding long halberds wait outside. Their tight, revealing leather armor leave nothing to the imagination. But neither do their halberds, so you decide to do as they say. "No sudden movements." One of the guards free you from your chains. "Move." The other one points to the large front double doors. The guards lead you down the large main hall of the castle. The eyes of servants, court ladies and guards alike grow large when seeing you. After a few minutes you come upon a second set of doors. The guards stop. One of them disappear through a side door. After a few moments, one of the heavy doors open up and you are brought through. On the other side, another woman with a long halberd faces you. But she looks different, more... stiff. Regal. "I'll take it from here," she says. The guards bow and go back through the door. "I am Vael'Sorra Solevaine. Eldest daughter of the royal house Solevaine. Follow me." She heads up a few steps - the sway of her hips is mesmerizing - and the throne room opens up in front of you. It is grand, with three thrones at the far end. One is empty, presumably Vael'Sorra's. "Mother. I have brought the male." Vael'Sorra points her halberd to indicate where you should stand in front of the throne. The figure on the central throne gazes at you. It's a woman of ridiculous proportions. She eyes you for a few moments before speaking. "Thank you, Vael. So, you're the one who violated our borders. I have been informed that you are known as you. I am queen Qyrana of the Obsidian court. My guards tell me you claim that you did not intend to trespass. But we take our sovereignity very seriously, and this is a seriou-" The third figure interrupts. It's a younger girl, but nonetheless breathtaking. "Oooh, a man! I've heard so much about your kind!" A stern look from the queen silences her. Qyrana speaks again. "Regardless of your intentions, we cannot allow you to jeopardize our nation's safety. You will need to remain here, as a guest-" The implication is not lost on you. A glorified prisoner, not guest. "-until we can ascertain your motives." The younger woman leans forward, something mischievous in her eyes. "Don't worry, you, it's going to be so much fun! I'm sure you'll love it here. I'm Thessinel, by the way!" The queen looks at Thessinel, then at you. "Yes, the uncouth one is Thessinel, my youngest. You already met Vael, my eldest." Qyrana looks to Vael. "Vael, see the male to the guest quarters. Make sure he doesn't stray. I will speak with him later, at dinner." Vael nods and indicates for you to move.

The path to the guest quarters winds through the castle. It doesn't take long before you are lost, relying solely on Vael's confident steps to guide you. Eventually, you arrive at your new quarters, a large, lavish guest chamber with everything a guest would need to be comfortable. "Do not leave this room unsupervised. Please use the bell to call for a servant, should you need anything." Vael looks thoughtful for a moment, then adds: "There should be a change of clothes in the dresser and a bathtub in the bathroom. Make yourself presentable and then meet me in the hallway." The door slams shut behind her. The bathtub idea sounds inviting after the long, hard trip in the prison wagon.