Knightly Letter: Ileas 22

Ileas,
 
After our dramatic fight at the altar we moved onwards, and sure enough we learned that the Lorewood does in fact have a Northern edge. we moved through even more swamps towards a new forest, which we know that if we follow it East should lead to Latebra Velora. But before bed Gael claimed he spotted a strange shadow moving near the horizon, but if it was malicious it didn’t interfere with our nighttime so the coming dawn we continued.
 
As we entered this new forest we soon encountered the smell of a campfire and across a small creak, at the opposite edge of a bridge, a knight had made their camp, a knight dressed in all black, with a skull beneath its visor, set between trophies of skulls and flying a black flag with skulls on it: The Black Knight (or so we thought). We set our horses on the other side of the bridge while the knight got up with his greatsword and declared he would challenge anyone to a duel to the death. Knowing the curse kills you even if you slay the Black Knight, the idea of a duel to the death sounds like a sick joke, even if the idea of measuring myself against another knight excited me, especially one that faced my brother.
 
But the thought of the Knight’s curse did loom over me, and the last few years have given me ample time to decide the last thing my brother wanted was to throw my life at a curse he could not even conquer, vengeance would have to be found some other way. So I told him that if he wanted a duel for steel, he could get it, but not one to the death. But if we had no intention of dueling to the death he didn’t want any of it, but he did clarify he was not the black knight, just a retainer of his, being a test to make sure only the strong made it to his master, who was up the road to the North, a road to the East leading to Latebra Velora.
 
Of course, this meant no curse would come over me if I take his challenge, so I took it. After a short courtesy the battle began. Now I’ve been in many battles, but there really is nothing like a duel. Where usually my mind is occupied with my allies and their safety, a duel frees your mind of these obligations. It’s just you, your sword and your opponent. And while he fought well, in the end I struck him down, though I asked his name before delivering the final blow: Ser Baron Perenolde. And with that he reduced to dust, leaving his plate and greatsword for us to take. Gael recalled Baron Perenolde being a knight who some 50 years ago rode out against the Black Knight.
 
The others immediately flocked into the tent and around the camp of the knight as I took a small breather, Luke and Hayley investigated his tent and the remains of Perenolde while Gael and Liliana performed some last rites on the remains of draconborn and humans that were found in a heap near the river. At the end of my breather I took down the flag of the Black Knight and threw it into the campfire, ready to move on to his camp.
 
The road North was uneventful except at some point all sound vanished until it came back some time later, and even turning back the effect did not reappear. But at long last we arrived at the camp of the Black Knight, which resembled more a small military camp not unlike an officer’s camp during the Battle of the Northern Plains: a couple of large tents and retainers/soldiers working. Though in this case the retainers and soldiers were all undead. They did not notice us so Luke took his time to cast a spell to detect magic and noticed an owl sitting in a tree that he claims could be a shapeshifter.
 
But when we finally approached the camp the undead that spoke to us only accepted challenges for a black knight that was probably stuck in his tent, goading us about details on the duel they clearly knew and that might prove useful to actually breaking the curse. They even feigned ignorance on the curse’s effectiveness. He claimed it’s not up to them to teach us the reason behind the challenge and the curse, and no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Black Knight. I had a half a mind to just force my way through, but Liliana and Gael recommended we could visit Latebra Velora first, maybe they learned something new, but especially when Hayley’s voice appeared in my head that she had some information we should discuss in private we backed off, noting that the magical owl was gone.
 
When we went back a while to set up camp for the evening, Hayley told us she read the mind of one of the undead, and learned about something called “The Challenge of the Final Tournament” and that the knights of keralon must’ve forgotten about it according to the undead. Now, we had no way of learning about it so I sent a message to Galiene by sending stone, hoping she could learn more and let us know. But we agreed to go to Latebra Velora first, the black knight was not going anywhere anyhow. Reinforced by the skeletal knight that rode past our camp to set up his watch at the crossing we fought his comrade before as we started our watch.
 
But as we arrived at the crossing the next day, what we encountered was the knight torn to shreds by something with massive claws and that could fly. Maybe a dragon? Or a wyvern? There were not tracks to be followed so we just continued to Latebra Velora, a city built on some old ruins but completely overgrown by plants, making it a sort of forest, but at the walls we were held by the guards, who sent out their messengers as the arrival of humans and elves must be quite uncommon. Luckily Hayley brought a letter from Rachnar to vouch for us and a bit later a Green dragonborn named Surina Mystan came to guide us to some lodgings and then to Velora Morenthene’s lair, which was a giant hand-made cave that was her lair. After refreshing and talking to Surina, learning she’s actually Rachnar’s superior, we made our way to the lair. While it might look like a giant cave, it hid a large sophisticated net of corridors if we had to guess by the number of hidden servant entrances that we noticed.
 
Then we entered the main chamber, where a large pool of inch deep water was showing us the truly massive hoard underneath, and in the center of the pool Velora sat. Now Robert was telling many tales about dragons in our travels with him, but they were all a disservice to the majesty and scale of true dragon. Her claws were the size of trees and when she arched her head towards us it felt like facing a green mountain. I immediately understood Robert and his cult’s desire to become more like them, but looking into her eyes and seeing the beauty and power they held it was also clear their desire was an empty hope. For it was clear: you can grow scales, wings and claws, but that would not make you a dragon the same way an armor, sword and a shield does not make one a hero like Kalas or Saint Faerin Khan. It’s something gained in the millennia that she’s dwelled in this world.
 
She told us we were the first knights to enter her lair in peace, adding it probably meant we’d be the first to leave alive. We mostly introduced ourselves to her and reaffirmed we were going to deal with the Black Knight in the hope it brings Keralon and her people closer together. But as her vast memory does not touch Keralon’s history that much we could not learn as much from her. So mostly impressed, we left her lair and met back up with Surina.
 
We decided that the next day we would ride out and force the Black Knight and his entourage back to their keep, by force if needed, deciding not to ‘play along’ with the duel they were proposing. Something about the Challenge of the Final Tournament makes me doubt, but unless we want to take on a lethal curse I think we are taking the correct course of action. But in the evening everyone except my sister and I went out in the city, leaving Surina to find us when she arrived in our lodgings. She came to say that her people had spotted a copper dragon flying around the area ever since we arrived, which would explain how that skeletal knight was ripped apart earlier today, and the shadow Gael saw. Surina was reassured that the copper dragon meant no harm, she was even respectful of us not disclosing where we found its lair, but did say that Velora would not tolerate this other dragon for long, so hopefully we can contact it somehow, it would also do well to clear the air after the whole affair at the Keep with the wyverns.
 
But now I’ll leave this letter to prepare for tomorrow. The Black Knight’s a formidable foe, and while my brother beat him in a fight, I’m not my brother.
 
Write you soon,
Alistan