Whatever Happened to Lady Saresyn?

It was a dark and stormy night in the town of Rune, and Lord Agrippa was unable to fall asleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, feeling uneasy for no apparent reason. Lying still for a moment, Agrippa heard a very sound of movement in the darkness. Since all the maids had long since been dismissed for the night, he quickly sat upright and spoke the word of power to raise the room's lights. Resting casually on a chair in the corner of the room was one of Alyria's auction imps.

"Why do you disturb my sleep?" Lord Agrippa demanded. "You know very well that my advisors always monitor the auctions for me."

"I'm here on some other business," the imp whispered. "The post office imps just received a very important parcel for you, but they were too busy sorting other mail to give you immediate notice. You may want to head down there right away." With this advice, the imp winked and disappeared with an ear-splitting BANG!

"I don't like the sound of this," Lord Agrippa thought to himself. After hastily dressing, he summoned two of his loyal guards and hurried out of the castle.

As they stepped through the door, the man behind the counter smiled faintly. "Lord Agrippa." The aging postmaster said. "You have a parcel." He reached under the counter and produced a neat package wrapped in plain brown paper. A card attached to the top read:

"Thanks for everything you've done for us in the past,

we hope that this little present is repayment enough!"

Pushing a bag of unsorted mail out of the way, Agrippa sat down and began tearing the box open. As he lifted the lid a great cry escaped from his lips, for all his worst fears were finally confirmed. Inside the package was the severed head of his love, Lady Saresyn.

*** *** ***

Lord Agrippa has been inconsolable ever since these dreaded events took place. He arranged for Lady Saresyn's remains buried in a special place near the castle stables where the two of them enjoyed taking walks together.

The funeral service was recorded by Agrippa's faithful scribes, and displayed here:

'Let us begin the service.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid clears her throat.

An elder druid says, 'We are gathered here in remembrance of the Lady Saresyn, who was taken from this world after such a short time.'

Lord Agrippa sniffs sadly. What do you think is troubling him?

'Perhaps the best way to honor her memory is to recall the events of her lifetime.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid pauses for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

'The Lady was born to a noble family in the city of Tellerium.' an elder druid says.

'Her birth was something special, for both of Alyria's moons were new on that exact date.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'Such times bring great darkness, but they also symbolize the potential for new light to arise.'

An elder druid says, 'Lady Saresyn spent much of her childhood playing in Howell Park, but increasingly took to playing in the forests outside of the city.'

'Her parents were very concerned for her safety, and tried to forbid her from straying out of town.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'Even as a child, Lady Saresyn claimed that the stifling atmosphere of Tellerium was too much for her to bear.'

An elder druid says, 'Over the years it became more and more obvious that she was meant to be close to nature.'

An elder druid says, 'Unfortunately, her hometown was not a good place to learn more about these feelings.'

'When she reached the age of 16, the Lady decided to run away from home and head to Templeton to start a new life.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'However, while traveling through the woods she came upon a mysterious portal in the center of a circle of stones.'

An elder druid says, 'Unable to resist its magical lure, she stepped though and found herself in strange forest.'

'She felt very nervous and decided to head back, but found that the portal had vanished behind her.' an elder druid says.

'With no choice but to go on, she headed towards the only city visible in the distance.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'Eventually, she came to the gates of the foreign town.'

An elder druid says, 'She learned from the local residents that the city was called Xaventry, and decided to seek shelter at one of the nearby temples.'

'Over the next few months, Lady Saresyn learned a great deal about all of the Powers.' an elder druid says.

'Still, she felt that something was missing from her spiritual life.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'One passtime that the Lady still enjoyed was walking through the woods outside town.'

An elder druid says, 'She grew to know the forest paths better than any of the other residents, spending hours or even days at a time exploring them.'

An elder druid says, 'There was a certain remote clearing that seemed even more peaceful than the rest of the forest, and Lady Saresyn often spent time there meditating.'

'She was quite surprised to find dozens of other people waiting there when she arrived one morning.' an elder druid says.

'This was the first time that the Druids contacted Lady Saresyn, for we had been watching her for quite some time.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'It was obvious that she was naturally gifted in the magical arts, and she was very eager to learn more about our beliefs.'

'The Lady became dedicated to the study of nature, and learned many of the ancient secrets and traditions.' an elder druid says.

'Unlike most Druids, she felt that it was important to educate the people of Alyria about making peace with the natural world.' an elder druid says.

'She traveled to many distant lands, bringing happiness and peace wherever she went.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'One of Lady Saresyn's other favorite passtimes was cooking, and she was able to study with various culinary masters.'

An elder druid says, 'Her recipe for magical cookies is still famous in many parts of the world, although it has never been duplicated.'

An elder druid says, 'Eventually, the Lady came to the town of Rune.'

'Here she met Lord Agrippa for the first time, and considered settling down for good.' an elder druid says.

Lord Agrippa bursts into tears.

'May the Powers watch over and protect thee , noble Lady.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid turns to the east.

'Hail Dira, Guardian of the air!' an elder druid exclaims. 'Provide us with winds to help speed this spirit on her journey.'

An elder druid turns to the south.

'Hail Gath, Guardian of fire!' an elder druid exclaims. 'Provide us with strength to protect this spirit on her journey.'

An elder druid turns to the west.

'Hail Ithrilis, Guardian of water!' an elder druid exclaims. 'Provide us with tranquility to ease this spirit's journey.'

An elder druid turns to the north.

'Hail Maradas, Guardian of earth!' an elder druid exclaims. 'Provide us with wisdom to guide this spirit on her journey.'

An elder druid turns back toward the open grave.

An elder druid kneels down, picking up a handful of dirt.

An elder druid throws some dirt onto the coffin.

'Hail Vandyne, Guardian of the ether!' an elder druid exclaims. 'Watch over this spirit and deliver her unto her destination.'

An elder druid says, 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.'

'We can all keep a part of Lady Saresyn alive by remembering what she meant to us...' an elder druid says.

'And we know that she will be happy wherever she may go.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid bows her head.

'Blessed be.' an elder druid says.

An elder druid says, 'Let us go forth and live in the way that the Lady would have encouraged.'

The gravedigger arrives from the east.

An elder druid comforts Lord Agrippa.