Silvertree Chronicles Book One, Chapter 1, The World Awaits (Dragon Wars Enhanced Edition)
Synopsis: The life of Eldar Silvertree from graduation at the prestigious Elven Academy and desires to leave it behind; only to return full circle to shake Elven Society to the core.
***Inspired by multiple fantasy environments. Not endorsed by any of them. © EmotionalStorm April 2021. This story cannot be transferred to any other site besides Literotica.com without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and EmotionalStorm must be credited for this work.
Author's notes:
Chapter 1 is a glimpse into the younger years of Eldar Silvertree. They are drawn from his journal entries. The main story is seen in Chapter 2 and beyond.
For those who have not read my bio, please note I write as a form of therapy for a Traumatic Brain Injury. I know the English majors will probably encounter issues that annoy them. If this is your only focus, instead of the story itself, then this is not the story for you. I am not and will never be a professional writer.
I do it to tell the story, for those who wish to read them. I originally submitted this story back in mid-2017 to mid-2018. I have worked to try and improve my writing style while struggling with this issue. I have added some editing software and written a few other stories. Now I am revising and editing this earlier work to try and bring it up to a higher standard from what I have managed to learn over the last few years.
Prologue
During the 6th Age, 6th Era of the Dragon Arlos, the world of Tildar was a complex place. Wars existed between different cultures with the races being only mildly tolerant of each other. Intermixing of races was highly discouraged.
Even between different groups of the elves such as Drow, Wood Elves, Moon Elves, and Gold Elves. Gold-Elves had 2 Stausts, Gold Elf and High Elf, with the latter referring to Gold Elves of the Nobility and the decadently wealthy. Those offspring from across 2 Elven races were considered 'impurities' within their race let alone breeding with humans.
Breeding with humans, the offspring were considered abominations. Abominations and impures would allow the House Elder to Rule the offense disown-able, Most were disowned, with few exceptions, if the Elven House Elders chose to take it that far. The Records from earlier ages were lost in the Dragon Wars of the 5th Age.
Else rewritten in the early part of the 6th Age to remove many of these "black marks of history" from within their history. Changing races to reflect pure races and in some cases changing the names associated to be more elven sounding.
A "few" of the "Half-Dragons" were kept in the records if those dragon types remained in the 6th Age, were not "historically relevant," and they showed infusions of Magical Dragonblood into various houses. An actual source of pride, for many Elven Houses.
The exception to the rule in regards to mixed races. Dragonblooded Elves was a desired trait for Sorcerers. Also true in Drow, human, and many barbaric lands of the Orcs and goblinoid races. Though the Orcs and the lesser races kept no written histories generally.
In Elven lands, the rewriting of history was ordered to be done by several rulers to remove any records of a "far laxer and less civilized" time in Elven history. Where breeding with Dragons occurred to create Half-Dragons.
Also, marriage to multiple spouses that were required due to the fewer males from thousands of years of wars. That was the general view of the matter. The Council of Dragons, also known as Dragon Council of Nine formed at the end of Dragon Wars.
The Dragon Council of Nine kept a factual list of all of the Dragonblooded in every race had formalized a method for all 'civilized species' held in a restricted section accessible only to Metallic Dragon and Neutral Dragon Royalty, ruling Kings or Queens only and not the general population.
The Chromatic Dragons never tracked their breeding efforts into other races during the Dragon Wars. The Dragon Council of Nine, as part of the Peace Treaty, had cut off the fertility to Half Dragons to be born fertile. This was done through magical means at the end of the Dragon Wars. Though the method was not 100% effective or made clear to any outside races as to the why and how of the matter.
They established a standardized calendar to track the months and years of each era inside of the 6th Age. All races had since adopted this as the standard method for tracking time in accordance with the Peace Treaty ending the War of Dragons. Each Era was 1,000 years and was named after a different dragon that had passed on during the first 900 years of the previous era.
Dragons tend to take their time on matters so 99 years became the standard period for the Council to debate this simple issue. Prior to that time, each race kept track of time differently even changing calendars based upon the ruler at the time.
Tildar had a few peculiarities like 3 moons. The first moon known as Darion was unusual in that it appears low on the horizon but only did so at dusk and dawn. The majority of the land, over 99.99% of the world was north of the equator.
The orbit of Darrion reflected in the night sky most of the night, except at dusk and dawn. Records on the lost southern continent were largely lost and considered irrelevant.
Darion was always a full moon, though nobody could explain how that occurred.
The other two moons were known as the twins and had regular lunar cycles, yet were not tied into a month as the phasing of the moons changed every day, With crescent moons appearing in the night sky every 8 days, facing in one direction or the other. The moons were extremely close together, so both moons would be in the same cycles. Full moons were considered a time of celebration and storytelling as the two moons had the appearance of the "comedy and tragedy" masks.
Chapter 1
Who Am I?
21st Janta 6952
This is my first journal entry. After 20 years of life, one of the oddest things I had found in history is how it is perceived and who wrote it. While most history is recorded by scholars and historians, very little happened to be recorded from the firsthand account of those who were involved.
What can I say, I read a lot and it is encouraged by my mother. I would want some means to have a say in any history written about me, not that I might have an interesting history. I took a quill to this journal to record my thoughts. I decided to start with who am I?
I was born on the 5th of Septa in the year 6931 on the night of the double crescent--which is the easiest part of my life that everyone could agree upon. My mother, Elara Strong Oak of the Wood Elves, and my father happen to be Heliar'vasius Silvertree of the Moon Elves. My name is Eldar Silvertree...sort of. My parents were never married having a yearlong romance during the Hordda Orc Wars, which ran from 6920 to 6930.
Both my parents were in their first century of life with my father approaching the end of his first century, just 20 to 30 years into adulthood when I was conceived. I was not just a bastard but an impure bastard. If I had been half-human, I would have been an abomination bastard!
I lucked out in that regard. My father recognized me as his eldest child, though he was forbidden by his family from even considering marrying a Wood Elf. My mother is a warrior type though she might be more roguish in manner. She was good with a bow and quick with dual blades, leading to my second thought on her being more roguish, that, and the light armor she prefers.
Longsword with shortsword being her favorite combination. While my father is a mage that had some skill with a longsword instead of the quarterstaff. At least the description of him by my mother never mentioned him having a staff or armor, likely a mage of some type.
My features happen to be a stark mix of my parents. I had the olive-tanned complexion of my mother and the silver hair color of my father. My eyes were another matter. Violet eyes are considered a rare feature in the Moon Elf line and non-existent in Wood Elf lines. Normally there were gold flecks in the iris or even no flecks in the iris when it did occur. Mine, however, has silver flecks in the irises.
1st Feba 6968
I spent the first 37 years of my life living with my mother and training with long swords and bows. I have been adequate with a bow, at least proficient but there are far better archers. The swords which I have excelled at, especially for someone of my age. My father came to see me only once during this time when I was 35.
He gifted me with my first true and only prized possession. An elven long sword made of red crystal. The sword was, obviously, very old and enchanted. Its abilities shrouded from any divination spell I could cast. My father stated he would not give me the command word for another 40 years and only if I took good care of it.
Tragedy struck this year when my mother was killed during a border skirmish. I don't know when or where. The information is not being shared with me or in any detail, not even given a funeral. With no Wood Elf relative willing to take me in, I was sent to my father's home in the Capital.
My arrival in the Capital City of Aileron created havoc for my father, mostly for my father's family as he was "away on business." He had been married for only 36 years and I had a half-brother named Elios'vasius who was 3 years old.
His wife was Vattia'Desua Silvertree, who came from a very wealthy Moon Elf family. The marriage was arranged to strengthen magical traits in the offspring they produced. Needless to say, I never met either of them. My father's family sent me straight to the Academy as soon as I arrived at the city gates.
Most students of the Academy lived in dormitories which kept me out of their sight. The Academy went about testing me for different talents to figure out which path my education should proceed. Interestingly enough, my strength in swords was noted as well as my "barely tapped into" aptitude in magic which they divined.
