To whom ever you are,
My name is Phlag. I am not sure if that was my birth name, but it is the only name I have ever known. You see, I didn't know I had a mother or father before now, I never knew that I at one point lived under the sun and the sky, to have known there was a moon and stars.
All I can remember is blackness, total and utter blackness. Where I grew up there was no moon, no sun, no sunsets, no dark green forests, no lakes, rivers or streams to swim or fish in.
My city was different, and I can call that now because I have lived there for so long, not knowing anything else was underground, and I mean far under ground.
Why, if you were in the center of our city and looked up, you could not see through the blackness to see earth or mountains above you. Yes, not all parts of the city was like that, we did have large chambers or rooms that made you feel a bit closed in at times.
For the most part I had an interesting childhood. From the first time I could understand language, and could speak, I was told I was special. I was told that I was going to be a great and powerful wizard, and that I took to magic like fish takes to water. I was taught at a very young age how to read scrolls and to cast spells. I was taught all kinds of magic, and the magic I mostly learned was magic that delved into the dark arts. I practiced on homemade dummies that were elves, never knowing that at the time that I was an elf myself.
Day and night did I practice, and my magic grew and grew. I learned how to torture my enemies without killing them, then snuffing them out with a snap of my fingers.
This went on and on, until my seventeenth name day.
On my birthday, I had a visit from someone I had never seen before, she was very odd to say the least. Yes, she looked like the average drow, but her mannerisms were a bit off. She was older than my family, and much older than any of my school teachers. Her skin was very wrinkled and shriveled, as if she had been in water her whole life.
Being that everyone knew everyone, and no one was more ore less strangers, I welcomed her into our home. I was always taught to look up to the wise ones and just took her for one of the elders.
She looked at me for a moment before walking in with her gnarled cane to take a seat at our dining table. She set a package down on the table and nodded to me to take the package. I was startled and asked her what the package was. She just looked at me with her dark piercing eyes and waited for me to take the package.
I remember looking at her at that moment thinking that she was one of the oldest beings I had ever seen, and her hair had gone completely white. This really shown against her dark skin and with the torch light made it appear she was some kind of spiritual being.
Needless to say, I took the package and opened the box to a note that read "DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU ARE FOR SURE ALONE."
I was startled by this, and was about to open my mouth for a question when she put a gnarled finger across my mouth and placed the note in my breast pocket. Then she helped me take out the dark grey cloak from the box and assisted me in putting the cloak on. After I had it on, she took a step back and gave me the once over.
She smiled slightly, nodded once, took up her walking stick and began to push me towards the front door. As we got to the door, she whispered in my ear... "You must leave, take nothing, the letter explains it all."
I said, "but..." Again, she put that gnarled finger on my lips, shook her head and shoved me out the door, with her following right behind me. I whispered to her "I don't even know where to go." She motioned for me to follow her and off we went.
I followed her down a dark alley that I hadn't noticed before. It twisted and turned in every direction possible, it had several turn off points imaginable. So many turns that I lost track of the direction we were going within the first couple of minutes. This went on for what seamed like hours until we came to a dark flowing river with a small boat tied up.
I gasped in shock. I never knew that our under ground city was so big. She smiled and nodded. She rasped "Now we can speak, child."
"The under ground world is quite massive. Drows have been living underground for more years than you can think about." "Even I don't know everything about the underworld, but I know enough to get you out." I asked, "Why would I want to leave my home?" She said "Child, because you don't belong here. This isn't your home and it never will be your home. You are not one of us. You were taken when you was but a mere babe. Yes, you were raised with us, learned our ways, but this isn't your home. We held you long enough and it is time for you to seek out your true family, to know the true world that you were born into. The cloak I gave you is to help you in many ways. For one, the sun will hurt your eyes as it will hurt any drows eyes from living underground for so long. Secondly, your skin isn't as fair as it should be. Your skin changed pigment, again from living underground for so long. People may think you are a drow and take a care to do you harm without you truly knowing why.
Drows aren't so friendly with certain peoples, and it is best that you take care until your skin starts to change back, and who knows how long that will be.
The letter I gave you explains all this, but I wanted to be the one to tell you in person, that I am sorry. At the time, the elders thought it would be a fine joke against the Elvin kind to take one of their own and raise them as a drow."
I took some steps back and sat down hard, stunned at what I was hearing. I shook my head frantically at these news trying to fight what she was saying to me. She only stood there and watched me with such sadness.
I said "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why tell me now after all this time?"
"Because child, I am dying, and if I can put one thing right in my life, that is to see that you are set free to see the world and maybe, just maybe find your own people, your own family again. I am sorry for one thing however and this I can't ever repair, and that is not knowing what your true name was, when you were born."
She frowned and said "Phlag is the name we gave you. It is an evil name, the meaning of it I shall never tell you. It was to be the ever lasting stab against all Elvin kind. It is truly horrible, and I hope those you come in contact with don't know the true meaning of your name. I fear that either you will or someone will bring your life to a quick death."
I apparently fainted, for some time later, I felt cold water on my forehead and a soft murmur calling my name. When I opened my eyes, I was lying flat on my back, with this woman looking down at me calling my name. She asked me if I was alright and if I could sit up. I with some assistance was able to sit back up. She said, "I am sorry for what I told you, but you had to know. You may not want to speak your name to anyone, you may want to think of a better name until you can find out what your true name is." I slowly nodded.
"I asked if it was ok if I could go ahead and read the letter now, and with a slight nod in agreement pulled the letter from my pocket and began to read.
It wasn't a long letter, but basically told me everything that I heard over the past couple of hours. When I looked up to this woman, she raised and eyebrow and asked me if I had any questions.
I shrugged and said "Plenty, but I am assuming that we don't have very much time here do we? She slowly shook her head no.
She said "The tide will be rising soon, and if you are to be on your way, you need to be leaving now or else you will not be able to leave through the mouth of the cave." I wanted to ask her how she knew this, and she shook her head before I could ask it. "No time child. You have some food and such already in the boat, and remember, leave that hooded cloak on at all times."
"One more thing, if I am correct, you will never be able to find this place again. I fear that what awaits you at the opening of the cave will take you into a whole new world and it is a one way only."
"So, take care child, and don't forget me, my name is Phiyana." With more strength I didn't think she had in her boney arms, she helped me to my feet and gave me a hug.
"Wait a moment," I said, "what about my parents I have now? I mean, I knew them as my parents, I loved them. They raised me for 17 years."
"Nothing child. Nothing will be said. Children go missing all the time, some wonder off and get lost, some fall into pits that have no bottoms that we know of, some run away, some get involved with magic without training and find themselves just vanished etc. Death is not new to us. We all know the training you have had, and the magic you know is quite evil at that.
Why, I wouldn't be surprised that the life you lead outside of this place will be nothing but hurting those that hate drows, but try, try to forget this life and what you know about us and the things we taught you. For your sake, to say the least."
My mouth opened to say something, but she pushed me into the boat and handed me the oars, and said, "Not another word. Time is now against you... I held you here out of selfish reasons, I grew fond of you over the years, and began to love you as one of my own, though I could never show it or tell anyone. I guess that is another reason I want to set you free before my time is up. Now, get!"
Follow the current eastward, you will know what to do once you see it."
"See what?"
She pushed the boat into the water and took a few steps back with her gnarled cane watching me slowly drift eastwards. I lifted my torch up high into the air to see her one last time, but she had vanished, the darkness closing in around her and I. I set the torch in the bracket near the front of the boat and began to row my way eastwards, hearing nothing but the water bouncing off my boat and the little splashing I was making with the oars as I rowed.
For thirty minutes or so, I heard and saw nothing. No echoes, no talking, felt nothing,. It felt like I was in nothing, I started to get scared that she had gotten me lost, or that I misheard some vital directions. Then I saw a pinpoint of light far off. It wasn't before another hour had gone by when I saw it, a shimmering light in the middle of the lake or river, or whatever this body of water is. As far as I can tell, it is too wide to see any shoreline, and too dark to see any depth. As I drew closer to the light, it appeared to be a floating doorway. The light it gave off was so bright, I had to squint to see it, and knew this must be what the old woman was talking about. I steered my boat towards the light, and before I knew it, I was running my boat onto dry land.
When I looked back, I was near a different lake, but no mountains around it, no caves, no canyons, nothing to show me that I was under ground a moment ago. I knew then that I was in the world the old woman told me about, but I didn't see any difference, though I didn't know it then, but it was night and it was still several hours before daybreak.
So, here I am... I am in this new world without a friend, and only my magic to protect me.
I am looking for you, whoever you are. If you're my mother or father, do I have any brothers or sisters? You know me now, but I don't know you, where are you? Are you still looking for me or have you forgotten me? Have you just given up on me? I am lost, confused, uncertain where to go or what to do. Do I try to find my way back to my drow family, or do I seek out you who is my true family?
If you see this note, and you have lost a son such as I, please, please try and find me, and know that I will be looking out for you as well.
Until we meet...
Phlag, the Elvin child who was taken from his parents 17 years ago.
