About

The clan Quelfarani is a guild exclusively for Enkidukai, based on the ideals of brother- and sister-hood. We are a close-knit group that believes in quality, not quantity for our members. It is highly roleplaying-oriented, which means your character better have some sort of history or thought behind them. This doesn't mean you have to have a 300-page book written on them; merely that you didn't just come to Planeshift and say, "Yeah man, this is cool, I'm gonna be a cat-man, hoo hah."

The goal of this guild is simple: to master the Labyrinth and find the surface. Of course, we cannot do such as of yet, and likely wouldn't be able to until the final release. In the meantime, you must learn to master the controls of the game. Become skilled at climbing, leaping, and squirming into places that you shouldn't really be able to get into. Show me that you can perform feats of control skill (walk the rooftops, climb walls, stand on lamps) and that your character has a good plot behind him/her, and you will quickly climb the ranks.

I am currently documenting the tale explaining the history of the Quelfarani and how it came to be. Henceforth is what I have thus far.

***

Years ago, in a humble abode not far from the Bronze Gates, lived the family Quelfarn. In their Enkidukai village, they led a relatively happy life, the mother an apothecary, and the father an explorer of the Stone Labyrinth and chieftain of their community.

The young Valfaran, like her father Quelnao, quickly developed a love for the Labyrinth, as well as an adventurous spirit that was difficult to tame. As soon as she was able to, the adolescent Enkidukai would go off on explorations of her own, and as a result, quickly became familiar with the nearest tunnels and caverns. A collection of maps and charts soon covered the walls of her sleeping quarters, all made by her own careful paw on her frequent trips to the Stone Labyrinth.

One day, upon returning from one of these trips, Valfaran discovered two strange Ylian men sitting across from her parents in the central room of her home. Gaze shifting worriedly from her parent�s terse expressions to the stony faces of the strange men, the adolescent Enkidukai asked a pointed question.

�Who are these men, Papa? Mama? What are they doing here?�

Standing from his place, the first Ylian man gave a curt bow and lifted his gaze to meet the unusually tall Valfaran�s challenging stare. His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. �I am a servant of Farun-Leha. I have come to,� he paused meaningfully, straightening up, �negotiate with your father.�

Quelnao held up a broad paw and smiled his typical benevolent smile. �They are here to settle our territory problems. We hope to work out a deal so that all our people will be able to keep their homes and continue to make a living off of their land..�

Valfaran shook her head slowly and stepped backwards, paw moving quickly to the dagger sheathed at her waist. �These men are no parchment-shuffling politicians, Papa. I fear they are not here to talk.�

With a low, jeering laugh, the second Ylian stood up. �Clever child,� he growled, drawing the long blade sheathed at his side. With one clean motion, he thrust his sword into Quelnao�s unprotected stomach. �Pity your father wasn�t so perceptive.�

Valkitha gave a strangled cry, stumbling out of her chair and away from the second man. The first Ylian drew his own blade and advanced on the Enkidukai mother.

�Run, Valfaran!� cried the distraught Valkitha, who was torn between fleeing for her life and caring for her dying husband. Valfaran instead stood, drawing her dagger.

�No, Mama, I won�t go without you!� Yet, she did not act upon her words, as the pleading look in her mother�s eyes shook her into motion. As if suddenly unchained, she tore across the room and out the door, fleeing from the strange men.

Before she could reach the tiny agrarian village down the path, her legs gave way and she crawled into the shadows of the gnarled roots of a large oak tree. There the young Enkidukai huddled, shivering from everything but cold, tears streaming unchecked down her face. Only one thought pounded in her head: Why?

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Valfaran stood and hobbled apprehensively up the hill, afraid of what she already knew was true. When she pushed the door gently open with a tremulous hand, the chilling silence inside told clearly that the men had left. The smell of blood and death hung oppressively in the air. Valfaran stepped forward, her heart pounding at the sight she knew she would have to see.

Valkitha lay on the floor, two clean stab wounds in her chest and stomach, a pool of crimson staining the woven grass mat that covered the floor. Eyes closed, her face was frozen in an expression of grief. Valfaran bowed her head respectfully, stepping past the body to her father. To her surprise, ragged breaths came unsteadily from the gaping mouth of Quelneo. His only child knelt down, laying his head in her lap.

�Papa, Papa, no,� she whispered hoarsely, �You�ll be all right! I can get a healer from the village, Papa, we can fix you up!� The middle-aged Enkidukai shook his head slowly and coughed, blood dribbling down the corners of his mouth.

�No, little one, my child,� he rasped, his once-strong hands grasping his daughter�s feebly. �My time is over. It is yours now; live it to its fullest. Promise me you�ll remember something for me, Valfaran.� The young Enkidukai nodded quickly, wanting nothing but to heed her father�s wishes. �Promise me you�ll remember...Even the Azure Sun casts its shadows...� His voice trailed off.

�No, Papa! Don�t go!� Valfaran whispered pleadingly. Taking one last rattling breath, Quelnao smiled faintly as his gaze grew distant. �Talad waits for me now. His embrace is warm and everlasting. Your mother waits as well. I do not fear death; only that you should see me again too soon. Just...remember my words...� With that, the brave Enkidukai went limp, the traces of a smile still lingering on his lips.

Valfaran spent the next few days giving her parents a proper burial on the hillock behind the cottage and packing up some of her belongings. Although burial was quite uncommon in Yliakum and its surrounding communities, the young Enkidukai somehow felt it unfit to take care of the bodies any other way. After making sure the humble abode was tidy, she placed a few necessities in a knapsack and prepared to leave home. As a final gesture, she took the two short swords hanging above the fireplace and sheathed them in scabbards strapped to each of her thighs.

The morning air was clean and fresh; everything seemed in contrast to her somber mood. After making arrangements for a nearby friend to watch the house, Valfaran began her journey to Yliakum.

*

Valfaran spent the next few days giving her parents a proper burial on the hillock behind the cottage and packing up some of her belongings. Although burial was quite uncommon in Yliakum and its surrounding communities, the young Enkidukai somehow felt it unfit to take care of the bodies any other way. After making sure the humble abode was tidy, she placed a few necessities in a knapsack and prepared to leave home. As a final gesture, she took the two short swords hanging above the fireplace and sheathed them in scabbards strapped to each of her thighs.

The morning air was clean and fresh; everything seemed in contrast to her somber mood. After making arrangements for a nearby friend to watch the house, Valfaran began her journey to Yliakum. Valfaran was unused to the bustle and scurry of the city, but welcomed the opportunity to disappear into the crowd and let the noise drown out her emotions. Carefully, she threaded her way through merchants, customers, and market stalls in Hydlaa Plaza, searching through puffy lids for the telltale mark in the stone that would lead her to the old cat�s home.

With a slight �oof�, the young Enkidukai bumped into a merchant, who shrugged the impact off and hurried on his way. The incident turned her roughly ninety degrees to her left, and, still dazed with emotional exhaustion, Valfaran took several seconds to realize that she faced the entrance to her destination. With exhausted determination, the female stalked across the cobblestone path and turned down a quiet, dimly-lit corner. Several worn wooden doors pocked the stone walls that formed the alleyway. Valfaran stopped in front of one, over which hung a small brass bell. Delving deep into memory, she rapped on the wooden frame twice gently, rang the bell, and knocked thrice more. After a short pause, the door creaked open, to reveal a gray and dusty room and its equally gray and dusty inhabitant.

The hunched-over Enkidukai raised two silvery eyebrows in surprised recognition. Shuffling backwards from the doorway, he beckoned his guest to enter. Valfaran nodded gratefully, and stepped into the building. Silver-blue light fell in long shafts from high windows, dust motes dancing in their wake.

�Sit, sit, little one,� the old creature spoke, his voice gravelly with age. Pulling up two low wicker stools from against the wall, he sat and motioned for Valfaran to do the same.

�I am glad to see you, Thanihk, but I fear this is not a happy reunion.� To her surprise, the grizzled old Enkidukai nodded knowingly.

�I knew it was such when I saw your face and did not see your father�s behind you.� With a short pause, he gazed reflectively at his young guest. �You�ve aged much since I last saw you. And not in size alone.� Sighing, he continued, �How I wish the circumstances were different. To give you one more year of carefree childhood...� he trailed off, then shook his head. �But we achieve nothing by wishing. I suppose you wish to know why it all happened?�

Without waiting for a response, Thanihk leaned over to retrieve a scrap of parchment from the oak table beside him. Handing it to Valfaran, he explained, �This is a transcript from one of the Council Meetings of the Octarchs. The one your father attended to accuse one of the Octarchs of corruption, and to ask for help to stop the otherwise inevitable fate of your village.� With a concerned glance to her father�s old friend, Valfaran took the parchment and began to read.

+To Be Continued+