Cirwea Strongbow

"Ah, you've come to learn of the fate of the elves of Takish-Hiz. Well, as the elves of the Elddar Forest fled to Faydwer, some that were trapped under the sands within the city of Takish-Hiz continued their efforts to prevent the sand from completely taking over the city. There were many of them and they were completely unaware that the city was abandoned and expended all of their energy trying to rebuild the city and free themselves. It is the hour for me to meditate friend, but I would be pleased if you returned to hear more."

"I am happy you have returned. The fate of my ancestors is significant in my opinion. The elves buried in Takish-Hiz began to get desperate over time. Food supplies and natural resources were dwindling at an alarming rate. They needed to buy time for their rescue. Then, the masters of geomancy agreed to conduct a most unusual experiment, mostly out of curiosity, but all quietly recognizing it may be useful in the future. They gathered a number of insects and began to reconstruct their biology with sand using the geomantic arts. It took many attempts before the first insect survived with legs made of sand. Once they had mastered the recreation of limbs, they turned their focus to organs and brains of the lowest forms of living creature in the sand-filled city. Sorry, ______. This is a long tale and I must break it into digestible portions. Return soon and I will tell you more."

"I keep finding more information on the elves, the more time I spend in Takish-Hiz. Yes, back to the geomancers endeavors. While the insects they experimented with had no brains to speak of, the geomancers were able to recreate the insects entirely and the resulting sandy beings behaved normally in their eyes. With what they had learned from those experiments, the elves were able to summon a variety of creatures that could assist them with keeping the city repaired. More another time then, ______? I do hope so."

"I've found a journal with the most thrilling story! It says that when the remaining food was nearly all consumed in Takish-Hiz, the surviving elves had to consider alternatives on how they would live. Collectively, they had some ideas with implications that were horrific to the geomancers. But then, one brave elf, Cirwea Strongbow, overlooked the geomancers discomfort and begged them to use his body for a most dangerous experiment. As Cirwea's arm was crushed when part of a great stone wall fell on him, he hoped the geomancers could replace it with their magic. His arm was turning black quickly and he feared he would die anyway. He was also hoping he might be the first elf that would be completely turned to sand. Find me soon ______ and we'll go further on the path of this story. I need to read more myself."

"Hello ______. I've spent much time reading and piecing the story of the elves together. As it happens, the geomancers were reluctant and afraid that Cirwea could lose his young life altogether if they experimented on his arm. However, Cirwea urged them on. He convinced them he would die anyway as there was nearly no food left and his arm was rife with disease. The geomancers acquiesced and worked for many days to prepare, practicing on several creatures that were available to them. When the geomancers were more confident, they coaxed the last wolf of Takish-Hiz into their special summoning chambers. They managed to completely replace the wolf's flesh with sand. Together they decided they were satisfied with the results as the dog behaved as it usually had. That is when they turned their attention to Cirwea. We must end this for now, ______. We will both know more by the time we see each other again."

"This is a most unusual story, ______. I read that the day finally came for Cirwea and he was prepared for the test. He was rested on a bed of sand with his arms and legs were outstretched. The geomancers put him into a trance, gathered around him, and joined hands. Together they all crouched to the floor and buried their fingers in the sands. They began to chant and their arms glowed blue, yellow, and green with their summoning gifts. The sand underneath Cirwea shook and undulated in ripples around him. They were upon the moment of truth. With more time, I can continue. This is as far as I've gotten in the tale myself."

"This journal about Takish-Hiz has me mesmerized! It says that as the geomancers stood around Cirwea, chanting, one of the geomancers leaned forward on her knees and began sculpting sand into the shape of an arm. She lifted the sculpture and it remained bound by the magic. She laid it on top of Cirwea's bruised and broken arm and pushed lightly downward. Sparks of blue magic danced around the sculpture of the arm as it worked its way into Cirwea's flesh and bone. In a moment, the magic dissipated. Cirwea blinked and opened his eyes. They all waited, barely breathing. With a smile, Cirwea turned his eyes to each one of the geomancers that stood above him. Then, he wiggled the fingers on the hand of his sandy arm. Fantastic, is it not? You must go now so I can read more!"