The Legend of ElvenAngel

     Long before the founding of the settlements in the Elderwood, Alalantiel lived deep in the undisturbed forest. Her home was a shaded glade covered by the branches of several ancient oaks and surrounded by thick overgrown brambles. Her true lair lay beneath the glade in a sealed hollow dug out of the bedrock. A wand of stone, given to her by a grateful band of grigs, allowed her passage into the stone cave, but unlike most of her kin she prefered to live above the ground out in the open among the fey and other denizens of the Elderwood. Many of the sprites and fey travelled from all over the Elderwood to speak to her or just to bask in her presence. They had named her FeyMoon and dearly loved her. As much as they loved her, she loved them all as well and had protected them since her arrival.
   The ancient people spread from their island into the continent and scattered to the far corners of the wide land. Many travelled together and found a huge tree they named the Tree of Life since it sustained many forms of intelligent life, namely the Angelli tribe of pixies, and was covered in many parasitic growths which seemed not to harm it's health. When near the Tree the truefolk felt more vibrant and more alive. The fey saw the invasion of their wood as a threat and begged the powerful dragon to destroy the invaders, the Tree of Life was also venerated by the denizens of the wood. She promised to handle the new threat, but had no intention of slaying them out of hand. Instead she used the magic that had come naturally to her to scry upon the settlement from the safety of the glade. She had seen truefolk before and knew many had magic more powerful than she could defend against in a pitched battle, so she waited and watched to see their intentions.
   The most interesting to her were the hunters who were exploring the wood and seeking the beasts of the land to feed their people. One in particular caught her interest, a young hunter name Arogikur. So, FeyMoon changed forms to become a female of the truefolk and set herself in the path of the hunter. A large wild boar was roaming the area, the dragon set herself in a situation to be "rescued" by the young hunter. Arogikur came upon the young damsel being chased by the wild and enraged boar and managed to gravely wound the beast and send it running. Instead of chasing the wounded pig and slaying it, he raced to her side and checked her for any injuries. Alalantiel assured him she was fine, though would not answer as to what she was doing alone and unarmed in the wilds. She would only give her name, Teel.
   He escorted her to his home and introduced her to his wife, a young pretty woman named Sarisin. They welcomed her as a guest and asked her to stay with them until she was rested and could continue her journey. Alalantiel aquiesced, but would not reveal any more of her purpose or history. She was surprised to note they seemed to drop the subject entirely when they noticed how uncomfortable their questions made her. She stayed with Sarisin during the day while Arogikur left to hunt and explore. The two spoke of the plans for the new settlement and the colonies to the west. The leadership of the truefolk and their plans for the Tree of Life were of particular interest to the strange woman, as was the large circular construction underway at the center of the new settlement.

   Sarisin knew little of the plans for the Tree and the Tower, but Arogikur took her for several tours in the evenings and explained what he knew from his own interest in the future of the small community. He attended the weekly meetings of the elders and participated in the construction when time allowed. He was a long time friend of several of the builders and knew enough of woodslore to direct the workers to suitable trees for building materials. He chose and marked old dying trees for harvest and selected plots for the planting of saplings to replace the slain trees. He only hunted animals who were overpopulated or detrimental to the region. FeyMoon quickly gained a large respect for the man and his good natured wife, but noticed several of the hunters and other settlers were not of the same mindset. She feared those without respect for the wood outnumbered the goodhearted in the community and spent two full days wandering the growing town learning of the people. Many were like her new friends, but as she feared the number of grasping and self-consumed far outwieghed the good.
   On the fifth night after her "rescue", FeyMoon disappeared into the darkness. She walked to the outskirts of the town, switched form to a nightingale and flew to her lair. Many of the fey and even a few of the intelligent trees of Elderwood awaited her return. They asked if she had chased away the invaders. She told them she had learned much of them, but still had not made any decision either way. She asked to be left in peace for a few days to consider the problem. Once alone Alalantiel again scried upon the village, in particular the young hunter and his wife. They still slept, so she allowed her vision to scan across the settlement. Though she and the truefolk knew of the tribe of pixies who lived in the Tree of Life, she had not seen any during her visit. They could remain invisible to the sight of the truefolk but not to her draconic vision. Now she looked for them in earnest, but still they could not be found. Her magic sight couldn't penetrate the Tree, so she assumed they remained in their homes until they knew more of their neighbors.
   FeyMoon wasn't satisfied with the assumptions she had made so she contacted a dryad she had known for many years and asked her to look in on the small people and insure they had remained unmolested. Leafdown, whose oak tree grew several hours walk from the settlement, was among those concerned about the intentions of the truefolk and had convinced several to turn away from her area using her charms. She did not fear the new settlers, but they made her nervous. She understood the need to know the state of her distant kin and undertook the somewhat perilous journey, waiting for darkness to help her already camoflaged form.
   Alalantiel thought on how to reward the kindness shown to her, but needed to concentrate on solving the problem for the fey. Just after dawn she again set her sight upon the woodsman's home only to find him already gone on his daily trek earlier than usual. She hoped he wasn't searching for her, his tracking ability she had witnessed and was considerable, but her trail ended abruptly just outside of town. He wouldn't be able to find her, nor explain how she had disappeared. He and his wife had obviously found her mysterious and her traceless vanishing act wouldn't curb that suspicion.