Dayel 05 04 06

Dayel watched the two men playing with the magical toy, and was overwhelmed with a sense of pity. He crept slowly away and left them to continue their squabbles.

He felt increasingly uneasy in this valley of strong magical influence, and made his way towards the ravine before him. As he walked cautiously between the high stone walls, he was aware of his own mortality and vulnerability. His elven blood sang in tune with nature, even the harsh terrain in which he found himself, so far from the woods of his forefathers. Yet his human side felt alone and was all to conscious of his visibility.

He saw sunlight suddenly as the path turned around the side of the mountain wall. Before him was another valley, and he was utterly unprepared for what was unveiled...



In the distance flew giant birds, some coming in to land on the open field, some taking off. As he looked closer, straining his Elvish vision, he noticed they seemed to have small creatures in their claws. He kept to the shadows, never having seen birds act so strangely. One flew closer, and he watched it nervously.

To his shock, as it passed overhead, he saw that it was a bird the size of a small horse, and it seemed to have a basket hanging below it. In the basket rode a halfling, with what looked like a bucket of water in front of its feet.

As he watched, the hobbit pulled on reins hanging from the bird's beak, and it turned its huge wings in response. In a final shock, the hobbit wore the same blue and white striped clothes of the strange men at the wreck, and looked suspiciously like the shorter one of the two with the magic talisman...