Lyra's Last Sigh
Broken my heart lies.
Lyra's Last Sigh is the informal name given to a letter written by the late Princess Lyra Crendameth and addressed to her father, King Elmeyon I. It was written at some point before her death by Underking Vrandil's I arrow and the subsequent drow attack on the city of Illinor. Eyewitness reports state that as she lay dying, an adventurer came to her aid and accompanied her during her last moments, during which the princess entrusted them with the letter, stating that it needed to by delivered to the king with utmost haste. After an interrogation by Captain Elenor Marlow, this adventurer and several others present in the scene were formally prompted with the delivery.
The letter itself was a piece of parchment with the King's wax seal binding it. A purple barrier was said to be around the letter at all times, making it impossible for anyone to handle it directly. Many were those who saw this band of adventurers and many more were those who spoke of their task, secretive as they might have tried to be.
The group was able to deliver the letter to the King during the Siege of Solaris. Secrets and other hidden things, however, are wont to be found from without the confines they were spoken in. The letter's contents proved to be a cryptic warning from Lyra, mainly told through a Show Spoiler
which only the King was able to read. At the time of this article's writing, the full contents of the letter remain unknown.
The letter has become associated to the princess' untimely demise. The people of the Kingdom, though unaware of its contents and the context the lead to the letter being written, connected Lyra's death to whatever was written within it, leading to rampant speculation. Over the course of about a month, word of mouth carried the tale of Lyra's Last Sigh, the runaway princess' final message to her faraway father kept within the city of the White Sun. The letter's popularity is believed to be greater than the princess' at this point in time.
The letter itself was a piece of parchment with the King's wax seal binding it. A purple barrier was said to be around the letter at all times, making it impossible for anyone to handle it directly. Many were those who saw this band of adventurers and many more were those who spoke of their task, secretive as they might have tried to be.
The group was able to deliver the letter to the King during the Siege of Solaris. Secrets and other hidden things, however, are wont to be found from without the confines they were spoken in. The letter's contents proved to be a cryptic warning from Lyra, mainly told through a Show Spoiler
[godcarving
The letter has become associated to the princess' untimely demise. The people of the Kingdom, though unaware of its contents and the context the lead to the letter being written, connected Lyra's death to whatever was written within it, leading to rampant speculation. Over the course of about a month, word of mouth carried the tale of Lyra's Last Sigh, the runaway princess' final message to her faraway father kept within the city of the White Sun. The letter's popularity is believed to be greater than the princess' at this point in time.
Purpose
Lyra Crendameth desired to communicate something to her father. It would seem that she was so afraid of this letter being intercepted or read in any capacity that she instilled two layers of protection upon it: a barrier that would only open for the King and a godcarving that could only be read by the self-same ruler.
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Eyewitnesses describe Lyra Crendameth's final moments as 'agitated', giving a speech that attracted unneeded attention. If the runaway princess needed to communicate something this important to her father, why speak out in a public plaza? Moreover, the letter's contents (or whatever little can be gleaned by those untrained in the ways of the godcarving), are written in such a way that suggest that young Lyra was not going to see her father. Why? Would it not have been more prudent to tell the King this dire message in person? What was chasing her?
Document Structure
Publication Status
The letter is Elmeyon Crendameth's last remaining link to his daughter and wife, both now deceased. It lies within the King's personal chambers within the Starkeep, to be read by his eyes alone, as Lyra obviously intended.
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This article exists solely because of loose lips and hidden watchers under my employment. Attempts to steal it failed, so we must make do with the replica at hand.
Historical Details
Background
This document was written at a time of unprecedented peace. Lyra's message, however, is ominous in foreboding in what little words can be read by unprepared minds, marking the possible beginning of an age of revived legends and unearthed lore, upheaval and turmoil. So far, this prediction has been proven to be true, with Underking Vrandil's march on the capital city being evidence to support this.
History
So far, the effects of Lyra's last Sigh are still developing and cannot be fully committed to writing. However, it must needs be said that the embers it brought with it now glow as a weak flame, for following King Crendameth's confrontation with Underking Vrandil, there have been numerous reports of violence against drow elves breaking out in the capital and beyond. Moreover, shared secrets have made their way into rotting taverns and cold hearths, igniting outrage at the Drowking's light sentencing and leading some to start churning the mill of whispers.
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Rebellion is afoot.
Public Reaction
The country is yet learning of the runaway princess' tragic fate. King Crendameth has not spoken to his people about the contents within the letter or about his daughters' whereabouts to the people that need him in this time of grief. Those present in the city of Illinor when Lyra perished, however, and those who have come in contact with the party of adventurers that carried the letter to the King, have reacted solemnly or violently. Insofar as all of these groups are concerned and estimating by what information has been leaked from the castle, the document's contents have been described as a letter from a rebellious daughter to her loving father. This rumor alone has made the letter's existence a matter of fact instead of a well-kept secret.
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Lyra Crendameth was well-loved by most of the Kingdom's peoples and lords. Their reaction is justified and understandable. By now, most of the country mourns, Lyra's Last Sigh being present in their heaving chests, or at least, they ought to mourn if they value their limbs.
Legacy
Writing about tomorrow is not the same as writing about a year from now, or ten. It is yet too soon to know what long-term effects this document and the situation around it will have on the Kingdom, its peoples, its power structure and those who would see it protected.
By order of the Selenine and its High Ruling Council, Loremaster Albani is hereby forbidden to write about subjects pertaining to the late Princess Crendameth. This article presents obscene amounts of personal questioning and opinions, skewing the facts and blinding us from the truth.
Not only do you eschew your duty by writing these, you also reveal our information-gathering techniques and you threaten violence agains those who do not share your sentiments towards a deceased earthwalker. These will all be hereby censored. Do not make this mistake again, Loremaster, else you be exiled for high treason.
Lyra's Last Sigh
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The following is a crude depiction of Lyra's Last Sigh. An exact replica is not expected to be forthcoming, nor will the letter be procured, lest the King's suspicions be aroused further still. It was inked by one of this article's collaborators. The handwriting is said to be close to Lyra Crendameth's penmanship. As expected, the godcarving cannot be read or traced faithfully, yet there is some solace in the fact that it cannot harm anyone's mind while in this state.
by Acturus Albani
Type
Text, Letter
Medium
Paper
Authoring Date
Unknown, but cannot have been written before 25 AE
Myth
Location
Signatories (Characters)
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