ADDITIONAL PERSONAL NOTE:
Alison:
The writing is in a dialect of Elvish you are not familiar with... and you know ALL dialects of Elvish in use today. It is vaguely reminiscent of your mother's scroll, but a definitely not the same and obviously new. The elvish ambassadors, Tansisolian or Prenanala, will make it worth your while to bring them something so interesting. Tansisolian is in Bythe, which is five and a half days by foot. Prenanala would be better, but Hediro is eight days by foot. You should try to convince the party to take the scroll to one of these two.
El Sid, PERSONAL:
He met Uncle Vic in the Sun room. Uncle Vic was speaking with a man, and El Sid waited outside the doorway, listening carefully. It wasn't eavesdropping. Uncle Vic would not have him here and now if he did not want the conversation overheard.
"This is not what the spell was intended for" said the man, and that he was under great strain was obvious.
"Will it work?"
"Yes. An attempt to break the spell would kill the man."
Silence. "I want you back tonight. I have to make some preparations. Go now."
The man almost bumped into him on the way out. El Sid smiled coldly into the man's startled face. A sweating, balding man stared at him, then quickly scampered out into the main hallway. A Hectlac cleric. Interesting. El Sid entered the doorway. Overhead, the force field gave an odd shimmer to the sky, but the sun was warm and lit every nook and cranny with golden light. He liked the moon room much better.
Uncle Vic sat quietly for a moment, then motioned him over. El Sid slid with easy grace into the seat. They both sat for a while, focusing on the stone garden on the far side of the room. The waves through the small, white stones were a standing pattern, but always had something new for those that took the time to look. Finally, Uncle Vic spoke.
"This scroll. I want to know more about it. Take what you need, horses, armor, a hundred or so gold. Go to Hediro."
El Sid nodded and stood, his instructions clear.
"El Sid..."
He stopped at turned back, waiting.
"There may be... some trouble while you are away. I anticipate nothing serious, but to be safe, I must tell you. If something happens to me, do not return to the hold immediately. A courier will catch up with you, give you certain... documents. You will know what to do with them."
El Sid waited patiently, quietly.
"That is all. Go now."
He turned and walked with a precision that revealed nothing of his curiosity, perhaps even fear. The sun room was a message. Nothing could hide in the sun, no secrets could be kept. Uncle Vic was telling him that anything he was told might become known elsewhere, places it should not be known. He didn't believe that Uncle Vic doubted him. Therefore, someone was going to do something he knew was impossible; get an assassin to break his vow of silence without killing him in the process. And it didn't sound like the process was going to be too pleasant for the assassin.
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