The Elf and the Girl That Found a Halfing

It was a cold day in the Forgotten Realm when a priest from Neverwinter found a small Sun Elf girl covered in blood on the road near Neverwinter Wood. She was small, and couldn't have been more than a child, young for even a human's standards. She had golden eyes, and ebony hair, with sunkissed skin. The priest had heard about such elves, but none had been seen in a long time, not since the elven migration...

He brought her to the House of Knowledge, years before the Chasm opened and the eruption of Mt. Hotenow. For the first few years, the girl was silent. Then one day, it was like a switch. She began to talk - asking questions and learning. The priest who had taken her in and the half-elf woman of the house of knowledge tried to help her remember. When they failed, they decided education was the most important.

She never felt the desire to leave. She remembered nothing, and all she knew was her family name, engraved on a silver and gold gilded amulet she had on her when she was found: Amastacia. When she came of age she took the name Ielenia Amastacia. She knew nothing of how Sun Elves were, or lived, or where she was from. The House of Knowledge took her in and taught her the ways of Oghma. She spent her time in the library, and she stayed in the House of Knowledge as an acolyte.

During the days she helped educate children, and at night she meditated in prayer after studying the arcane arts, and fine-tuning her skills as a wizard. It was a good life.

In the year of 1451 DR, the eruption of Mt. Hotenow happened. Ielenia was about 75 years old, at least, that's around the age she should have been if the estimation of her age when she was found was correct. The chasm opened and much of Neverwinter was destroyed.

Floods of refugees flooded in from the various places affected by the eruption. Even though the House of Knowledge was damaged, and it was chaos, the acolytes did their part to help the refugees find work and housing. Ielenia was a part of that. Her home was destroyed, and countless others whose homes were so badly impacted they had to come here. The countless tears that she saw being shed during that time helped her realize there was a much bigger world beyond the temple and library.

One family was particularly displaced, and Ielenia was drawn to them. The Calypso family, with their infant daughter Luna. Hailing from Thundertree where ash zombies had come to life from the strange magic that emitted from the eruptions of Mt. Hotenow. Ielenia helped them find work at the ports, and it wasn't long before the Calypso family had made permanent residence in Neverwinter, keeping Ielenia as a close friend. The years went by, and the Sun Elf watched the little girl that the Calypso family had dubbed her 'goddaughter' grow up into a strong, beautiful young woman. It was the exuberance of Luna, from her shenanigans as a toddler that kept Ielenia running down the docks and keeping the child from falling into the ocean, to her growing rebellions as a teenager that helped Ielenia see more of Neverwinter than she had in the years she had lived her.

And by the time Luna was a young woman, the little Sun Elf and the strong tall girl were best friends. Luna had taken the name "Nia" for Ielenia, and no matter how much the elf protested, it had stuck. As time grew, and Ielenia became more steadfast in her thirst for knowledge, Oghma began to send her visions. It was when Luna was 25, in the year 1476 when the two were walking on the docks, having taken delivery to one of the ships. Ielenia was part of the recovery effort at the House of Knowledge, trying to recover knowledge that had been buried under rubble from the eruptions. And Luna often helped, though the knowledge wasn't her interest.

As they walked down the docks, Luna was once again talking about proving herself a hero, and going to the city of her birth and fighting off the ash zombies and the dragon that had been said to be inhabiting it. She had already started gathering her things, and weapons, and had been training to fight since she was a teenager.

"And THEN we will see those thugs on that stupid boat laugh at me, after I have slayed that dragon and brought back it's head!" Luna was raging. "And then I'll become a royal guard and put them all in prison for their smart-ass mouths!" Luna was excitedly yelling next to the sun elf.

Ielenia was thinking of the vision she'd had the night before, pretending to listen to Luna boast about becoming a hero. A struggling dark-haired halfling had haunted her meditations the previous night. Ielenia didn't understand why Oghma would show her such a thing. It just so happened right about this time, a commotion at the end of the docks caught her ear.

"UNHAND ME YOU BRUTES!" A male voice yelled, and there was a clatter, as a dark-haired halfling was thrown at the women's feet, Neverwinter guards gruffly stepping on him.

"We don't like thieves around here!" one of them snarled, raising a foot to kick the man. Ielenia gasped when she saw his face, as her vision from the night before made her step back in shock. This was the one she'd seen in her meditations the night before, the vision that Oghma had sent to her. She rushed forward, her Acolyte robe swishing around her as Luna stopped mid-rant in surprise as Ielenia stepped into commotion.

While Ielenia had become a bit more feisty in her years stepping out as Luna's caretaker and private tutor, she was usually one to turn her head at any commotion in the street. Luna stepped up to have Nia's back, her hand going to a large sword that she kept on her back, narrowing her eyes at the guards in a challenge.

"Oh! Thank you SO much!" Ielenia gushed at the guards, stooping down and taking the halfling by the hands. "I've been looking everywhere for you! The institute is out of their minds with worry, you naughty little man." Ielenia gushed at the halfling on the ground, helping him up and practically pulling him out of the guard's grasp.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" The guards growled at Ielenia, which made Luna grip her sword harder, her heart racing.

"Oh you see... this poor dear... he is a refugee... He's one of the House of Knowledges patients. You know we've taken in injured and lost from the eruption and opening of the chasm. This one...never recovered. He's out of his mind." Ielenia put a mournful face on, and the halfling in her arms glared at her.

"How dare you, madam! I have never seen you in my life! I have powerful allies you know! I could have you killed! I could kill you myself!" He raged, his pudgy face red with fury, and Ielenia used the opportunity to look at the guard with a pointed look.

"You see? He's clearly mad. I must take him back to the House of Knowledge where we can keep him safe from himself." Ielenia said, nodding her head and turned, shoving the halfling towards Luna with a small discreet wink at her friend.

Luna, was confused, but she went with it.

"Yeah. Uh... We gotta get him back you know...to the temple..." She added while Ielenia turned, tossing her hair back from her elven face, and batting her golden eyes at the human guard who looked at Ielenia abashed.

"You've done such a wonderful thing. I am sure Oghma will reward you for your wonderful deeds today, my heroes!" Ielenia swooned at them, and one of the guards blushed.

"You could reward me if you want..."

"You fool! Don't talk to an acolyte that way!" The other guard nudged the other in the rib roughly and Ielenia gave a small little shy smile. "Be on your way then! Don't let us catch him again or he'll be going to the Hall of Justice!"

Ielenia took that opportunity to bow and she and Luna dragged the struggling and raging halfling down the docks and toward the temple. It was a little ways away when they let him go, and he turned to them panting, his face filled with anger.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" He hissed and Ielenia bowed her head.

"I am so sorry! I could just give you back to them if you like?" She said, crossing her arms.

"I mean, he has a point. Why did you get involved? Why save a petty thief? He should be in jail. It's where thieves belong." Luna said, crossing her strong arms, and glaring at the halfing man.

With this, the halfling huffed, and straightened his clothes out.

"Luna... this is the man I had a vision about. The halfling I told you about." Ielenia answered, and Luna blinked in surprise.

"This dude?" She asked in a doubtful voice, and Ielenia nodded.

"What? Vision?" The halfling was now looking at them like they were crazy, and Ielenia sighed.

"I am Ielenia-"

"You can call her Nia. That elf name is a pain to say correctly." Luna interrupted and Ielenia sighed.

"That is Luna. I hail from the temple of Oghma here in Neverwinter. The House of Knowledge. And I did have a vision of you, given to me by Oghma. I don't know why though." the elf finished, after a small little disapproving glance at her best friend.

"I am Ander Tealeaf. From Phandalin." He said, and they all jumped when a loud booming voice interrupted them in a thick accent.

"Well then! I'm glad all the introductions are done with. I think you three are the three I have been seeking." A dwarf and a human male were standing there watching them. "Why don't we go to the House of Knowledge, where we can have tea, and snacks! And talk!" The dwarf boomed happily.

"Snacks?" Ander said, his interest clearly being piqued. Luna and Ielenia looked at each other warily. Stil,l the wheels of fate had come to turn for these three... and they indeed did go back to the temple where the dwarf hired the three of them to escort them back to Phandalin, where they intended on finding the Lost Mine of Phendelvar. And soon, with the head priest and Luna's parents blessing, they were on their way into an adventure that would change their lives, forever.