| ID: 748016 | |
| Legends and Nymphs Book 5 | |
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NPC
Level: 1 HP: 63 Aggression radius: 0m |
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Dialogs: The Tale of the Nymph of Feneis Spring Long ago, there was a beautiful forest named Eiron in Eltnen, before the desert swallowed it. With pockets of dense foliage and hidden sunny groves, the Eiron Forest was home to all sorts of animals, from tiny Elrocos to secretive Crynacs to enormous Tipolids. Nearly every animal ever found in Elysea sought a home in the Eiron Forest. Consequently, it was also a hunter's paradise. One such youth came to the forest every day. Aineas was an energetic man. He always wore clean, well-trimmed leather clothes. He would arrive early in the morning and run from grove to grove enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest. He hated to see any creature suffer, so he only rarely hunted creatures in Eiron, preferring the singing of the birds to the singing of his bow string. Yet he religiously returned to traverse the forest every day. Each evening, as dusk was drawing on, he concluded his journey in a clear secluded spring--the quietest place in all Eiron Forest. Aineas would drink the spring water, lie on the ground humming to himself, or fall fast asleep. One particularly tiresome evening, Aineas' journey brought him to the spring--as it always did--and he fell so deeply asleep, he slept clear through until the morning. This had never happened before. As morning broke and sunlight strained to reach the spring, a young lady silently entered the grove where Aineas slept. She wore tattered clothes and carried a heavy bucket, yet heavier still was the sadness in her face. Unaware of the sleeping hunter's presence, she drew water into the large battered bucket. She hoisted the heavy load to her shoulder and turned to leave the spring. Aineas might never have woken to see her had Fate not intervened--the girl stumbled over a tree root. The sound of the falling bucket in the ever-silent grove awakened Aineas. The lady sighed a deep sorrowful sigh and reached for the spilled bucket. Aineas' heart wanted to leap across the grove and help her carry her load, but his body was frozen, captivated by the grace and beauty not quite obscured by the rags and sorrow she wore. In mere moments the lady refilled and shouldered the bucket. She left the spring before Aineas found his voice or feet. The next day instead of ending at the spring the hunter went to the spring first. The birds were still sleeping. He sat near the water's edge. After a short wait, the lady appeared with a bucket on her shoulder. As she approached the spring, he smiled and nodded to her. She smiled a wan smile and nodded to him. She filled her bucket, and hesitated briefly. As she left the spring with her water, Aineas noted she walked slightly slower than the day before. Each morning, Aineas waited at the spring. Each day, the water-carrier lingered longer. It was an unspoken agreement. They shared their names--hers was Feneis. Sometimes Aineas would share breakfast he had hunted. But most days they sat together in the quiet grove and shared silence. Each day Aineas wore fresh finery and a great big grin. While Feneis wore the same worn clothes and the same enigmatic sad smile. Differences aside, they became good friends. Until one morning, Aineas arrived at the grove and found Feneis there crying. Feneis' story came out between sobs. Her parents died when she was young. She went to live with her uncle and aunt. They worked their niece hard. She took care of her seven cousins. She cooked and cleaned and worked in the fields. She was used to this treatment. What she was crying about now was something worse. The previous night, her uncle had announced she must marry an old widower in the neighboring village with three children not much younger than she. After listening to her story, Aineas regretted ignoring Feneis' sad smile for so long. Aineas persuaded her to meet him at the spring the next morning to run away together. Feneis had very few possessions, so took no time at all to pack. She completed her daily chores with a smile, eagerly awaiting the morning. Excited, she barely slept. She arrived at the spring before sunrise and before Aineas. When the forest awakened around her, a strange fear gripped her. Feneis wondered what could be keeping her friend. She kept trying to believe that everything would be all right. Eventually evening shadows fell and Aineas was still nowhere to be seen. While she waited for him, the sun rose and set several more times. Feneis was stricken with worry and grief. The silence she had enjoyed with Aineas seemed frightful to her now. The spring water was so clean that it reflected like a mirror, but Feneis couldn't bear to look at her heart-broken self. Some time later, villagers found Feneis' worn-out shoes at the spring. Some believe the betrayal finally crushed her spirit, and she was unable to leave the glade for her misery. But what of Aineas? Aineas was no common hunter. In fact, he was a Daeva. And not any Daeva, but a Legionary in the Storm Legion. Fate was a fickle thing in the life of Aineas. For the very day he proposed to help Feneis escape, his Legion General, Deltras, was constructing a simple scouting expedition. Aineas was one of the finest Rangers in the Storm Legion and didn't hesitate to join the Deltras' squad. The story of the Storm Legion is well known and too long to relate here. But his loyalty to Deltras cost Aineas his immortal life. Aineas and many other Daevas never returned from that fateful expedition. Some believe Aineas' spirit still wanders, lamenting his unfulfilled promise. For many years when hunters or other visitors came to the quiet, clean spring in the Eiron Forest, they suffered from a terrible heartache, and anyone who stayed there too long was sure to die. For the spring was home to a nymph who seduced young hunters. While draped in tattered clothes, her beauty is hypnotic and unforgettable. Believing the nymph was Feneis' spirit, they named the spring "Feneis' Spring." The forest is gone now. And the tragic tale of Feneis and Aineas all but a memory. | |
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