3. Nere’yn Kai’ I’kelath

Nere’yn Kai’ I’kelath

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    PC Name: Nere’yn Kai’ I’kelath
    Player Name: Lanakai

    I realized early on that life can be cruel but also rewarding. Life for me began with tragedy; of course I didn’t realize it at the time, too small to comprehend what had happened. My mother had died soon after giving birth to me from complications. I was too young to remember her, but the guilt of her loss stayed with me for many years. As I got older and with the help of my father I had realized that I was wrong to place blame on myself, eventually those feelings of guilt subsided.

    Fifteen years later my father died. The loss of my father had hit me hard. His death created a struggle emotionally in my early years. We had been very close; he was a teacher as well as a friend. For many years after I believed that the emptiness I had felt would never leave. Without his guidance I had felt lost.

    After his death I was taken in by relatives, cared for like I was one of their own. Even with their compassion and love the internal battle had still raged, the questions still lingered.

    All of this changed the night Ka’elani found me. I remember that night well, as if it was only yesterday. I was young with many questions, but that night and the days that followed lead me to the answers needed to begin a new path that would forever change my life.

    At the time I had been training as a ranger, following as expected in the footsteps of my father. He had been a ranger of some stature, dying a hero’s death in a battle years before. At the time I blamed that day of his death for stealing more than just my father but also the choice of my future. After his death the choice was taken from me, it was assumed, expected that I would be a ranger as well. The passion for that life eluded me, and I still believe if he had been there during those years he would have seen that as well and offered some guidance. But without him there I had no choice and followed the expected path.

    Not all of those days were unhappy; I did enjoy my time outside of Tangled Trees. I would stay outside longer than most, taking in all that the forest had to offer, the sights and sounds, they would overwhelm me with emotion. It was where I felt truly at home.

    Gifted with the knowledge of my surroundings and my natural abilities, the training went well. My skills with a bow continued to improve and my ability to quietly move throughout the forest was second to none.

    The day of my first patrol outside of the controlled boundaries of Tangled Trees was an exciting one. At that time I thought maybe this was it, what I had been missing. Of course now when I look back I know that it wasn’t that missing ingredient in my life, just the emotions of youth getting the best of me. There had been five of us on that trip, three of them older more experienced rangers. The first few days had been uneventful. On the third day out of Tangled Trees we had found the Goblin tracks. There weren’t many but we knew that it may have been only a scouting party. Their tracks had been easily identified that first day. But by the next afternoon a hard rain began, slowing our pace. By nightfall the tracks had all but washed away, but fortunately they had left a trail of broken limbs and debris easily guiding us to their camp.

    The scent of the burning wet wood was overwhelming; I had known that we were very close. Quietly communicating with hand signals we had approached slowly.

    There had been many more than just the tracks we had followed. Out numbered five to one we wisely retreated back into the protection of the woods. All seemed to go as planned; the retreat was slow, quiet, and calculated.

    I still remember well that whistle of a bolt passing above my head; instinctively I had ducked and rolled to the side of a nearby tree. The barrage that followed cut through the quiet woods erupting to a moment of total chaos. Within those first few seconds three of my companions had fallen, their lifeless bodies slumping to the ground. I can still remember thinking at that very moment what happened? What went wrong? The questions dissipated as quickly as they came. I knew we had been trapped between the ones in the camp and the ones approaching from behind, I had to think quickly. My other companion had fallen, but alive. I had grabbed him drawing him into the thick brush. I still don’t remember when I was hit; it must have been early on because the loss of blood was significant. I had become dizzy and weak, struggling to keep my eyes open and hold on to my last seconds of life. Suddenly a bright flash erupted, the sky lit up, the ground shook, and streaks of lightening struck down from the sky. So bright was the lightening that the forest lit up momentarily. I could see the Goblins were dead all around me, their flesh still smoldering. The few that had not been struck begun to route. In my last seconds of consciousness I remember the sound of arrows thumping into their backs and seeing a large bear jumping through the brush above me chasing the remaining few Goblins striking them down, then blackness over took me.

    I guess it had been days that I slept. I had awakened in a very primitive yet comfortable cave. It hadn’t been large, but it was dry and I had felt safe. That is the moment I met Ka’elani.

    I remember her eyes more than anything else those first few moments. Green, filled with compassion and warmth, young yet wise beyond my years, they stared into me as if searching for answers. She had long silver-white hair and pale skin.

    The first few days our conversations had been brief, but as the days went on we engaged in talks about my life, her life and how she became a Druid, and most interesting of all, Mielikki. Her life and Mielikki fascinated me. Other than the passing conversation about the Druids outside of Tangled Trees my information and experiences with them had been limited. I knew of the Lady of the Forest, but until I heard Ka’elani speak of her I realized that I truly didn’t know of her. She spoke of her with passion; her excitement for her overwhelmed me. Her stories were never enough, I wanted more. They drew me in, days had become weeks, and then months. I didn’t want to leave her and never did I feel that she wanted me too. We had formed a strong bond, a friendship, actually more than a friendship but neither of us acknowledged those intimate feelings we had for each other. The time for that hadn’t been right. It doesn’t matter now, but maybe in the future I will go to her again and renew the chance of what never began. For now that would have to wait.

    I had to leave her. There was so much for me to see and learn. With Mielikki in my heart filling that void that stayed with me for so many years I would follow my new path, the path of a Druid.

    Nere’yn Kai’ I’kelath


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