Rhyland regarded Elara with eyes that seemed to hold centuries of secrets. "You seek knowledge lost," he said, his voice a low rasp, as if unused for years. "The Shadowfen does not easily surrender its treasures."
"Lyra sent me," Elara explained, showing him the faded map Lyra had given her. "She believes I can help restore balance to the Mist."
Rhyland's gaze softened slightly as he recognized the map. "Lyra… a bright spark extinguished too soon," he murmured, more to himself than to Elara. He paused, then turned his attention back to her. "You remind me of her – fierce, determined, with a connection to the earth that runs deeper than most."
He began to recount his own story—a tale interwoven with Lyra's past and steeped in Sylvani lore. Rhyland had once been a young apprentice cartographer under an elderly Sylvani scholar named Aerion. Aerion was one of the last known keepers of the ritual to stabilize the Mist – a complex ceremony requiring precise knowledge of ancient ley lines and the manipulation of crystalline energies.
"Aerion believed the ritual could prevent the decay of Eldoria, but he knew its power was too dangerous for those who sought it for personal gain," Rhyland explained. "He entrusted me with his research—a fragmented record of the ceremony's steps – hoping that one day, someone worthy would arise to restore it."
Lyra had been a young apprentice alongside him at the time, equally fascinated by Aerion's teachings. They were close, bound by a shared passion for knowledge and a deep reverence for nature. But when Valerius's father – then a rising nobleman – attempted to seize Aerion's research, Lyra defied him, stealing the most crucial fragments and fleeing into the Shadowfen to protect them.
"She vanished shortly after," Rhyland said sadly. "I searched for her for years, but she became one with the Fen—a whisper on the wind." He revealed a hidden compartment in his table – containing several crystalline shards that pulsed with faint light. "These are remnants of Aerion's work. The key to unlocking the ritual."
Suddenly, a tremor shook the clearing, followed by the unsettling sound of rustling reeds and snapping branches.
"We're not alone," Rhyland warned, his hand instinctively reaching for a gnarled staff leaning against the wall. "Valerius knows you're here."