The Sundering
A Brief Family History

The Talnaras are a family whose history is entwined with that of the
Serenwilde. In the archives of Moondance Tower, there are records of the family
dating back to the time of Ellindel Treeheart, speaking of "That canny and
numerous Talnara clan, fashioners of ingenious crafts", which seems to point to
it primarily as a family of artists and craftsmen, though this may be incomplete
or inaccurate. No doubt there were people of all kinds in such a large family.

However, what brief records this researcher has found of the Talnaras deal with
them mainly as artists and craftsmen: they had a hand in fashioning several
later very well-known objects, such as the Crown of Gloriana. The one most
relevant to their later history, however, was the Lunar Basin, which stayed in
Serenwilde until the time of the Taint Wars.

This was perhaps one of their proudest creations, and when imbued by Ellindel
Treeheart with the blessing of Mother Moon became a potent tool indeed. Until
the Lunar Basin was lost in the Taint Wars, there were records of a Guardian of
the Mysteries, set to keep watch over the artifacts, who by tradition always
came from the Talnara clan.

The history of the Lunar Basin is the only place where we find mention of
specific Talnaras: twin siblings, Verdis and Veldane Talnara. It is said that
Farella Lunseer charged them to hide the Lunar Basin in a place of safety, and
since then there have been no more records of either the Lunar Basin or the
office of the Guardian.

Below is an account I have pieced together from fragmented records and memoirs
of the people involved, whether from the annals of the Moondance Tower or the
records in Caoimhe dell, and the tale of my discovery of it.

1.
Taken from Farella Lunseer's journal
(Archived in Moondance Library)

"What shall we do, then?"

Veldane's voice shatters my meditation; the question she poses is that which
has been surfacing in my mind, again and again. I sigh in response, and rise
from my cross-legged seat. The waves of the lake sigh as they break on the
shores, as if in answer to my disquiet.

"I don't know," I admit at last, and look up at her. We are on the banks of
Moon Lake now, in the sheltered dell we name the scrying glade. Beside Veldane
sits her twin brother, Verdis, who looks enough like her to disconcert many. He
looks thoughtful, and says nothing. They are young, especially for those who
bear the joint burden and the honour of the Guardians.

The task of the Guardians is usually not too demanding - there is little work
to be done, save at Midsummer and Midwinter and the Equinoxes, when they must
bear the sacred artifacts of the Coven out beneath the moonlight for the Spiral
Dance. These are not usual times, though: Gloriana has fallen to the Taint - the
loss of our allies alone would have been a brutal blow. But crueler still is the
fact that the Taint has turned them, so that even now they march upon us.
Nintoba has forewarned me, and even now our warriors prepare for the inevitable
battle. In times like these, all responsibilities lie heavy.

"Will you hide them, then?" Verdis asks me, looking towards the Moondance Tower
atop the cliff. "The tower holds many secrets, and there are places to hide the
sacred things, places the uninitiated will not find."

"No!" I say. "If I have found one truth, Veldane, it is that Rowena cannot be
underestimated. Should she capture the Tower, she -will- lay bare its secrets.
Never doubt that. And to have them fall into the wrong hands..." I shiver
despite myself. "To have the athame and broom and chalice in her hands will be
bad enough, Verdis."

"And the Lunar Basin?" Veldane asks. I sigh. "It will be worse," I say.

The Lunar Basin is what rests here in the scrying glade: what we of the Coven
usually call the scrying pool, though it is not a pool at all. It is not like
the other objects: less central to our rites, and perhaps less mysterious, but
more potentially powerful. Its origins are mortal: Veldane's own ancestors
wrought it in Ellindel's time, and that is why the Guardians are - by tradition
but not law - always of that bloodline. However, Ellindel herself blessed the
Lunar Basin with the blessing of Mother Moon, and the powers that resulted from
the moon-blessing are great.

On most days, I will look into it, as the High Priestesses through the years
have, and look over the forests and the seas, keeping watch upon them for
anything that is wrong. This responsibility comes with my office, and with the
Lunar Basin. But once a year, on the harvest moon, the Guardian bears it out
beneath the moonlight, and with rituals we beseech it for insights. And
sometimes it will show us images, cryptic clues that fall to me to unravel. I
well remember what it showed us the last harvest: a green forest and a blue sea,
blurring and merging until all turned to darkness. Fool that I was not to have
guessed!

Rowena covets it, I think. What insights it will offer her, I do not know. Even
if she does not succeed in performing the ritual, the mere gift of being able to
see wherever she wills will be daunting for those of us not yet under her sway.
It cannot stay: I know this with certainty now, and come to a decision.

"Veldane Talnara, Verdis Talnara, hear me now. By your names and your offices,
by the spirits of the Guardians who have gone before, I charge you."

Veldane's eyes grow wide at the ritual words, then she inclines her head.
Verdis stands, rising from his seat by the fire. "We are the Guardians," they
say as one, "And we hear your words, in the name of Mother Moon."

"Then go," I say, "And bear the Lunar Basin forth. Take it to a place of safety
- to Caoimhe Dell. Go with silence and secrecy, and Mother Moon speed your way.
Do not let it fall into Tainted hands. When the war is over one of the
Serenwilde will seek you. Guard it until that time."

Verdis glances up at me, uncertain. "Caoimhe?" she asks.

"If any can keep it safe and out of Rowena's hold, it is Ellindel's blood at
the twin springs. There are enchantments on the place - they can defend
themselves from intruders better than we can afford to, at the moment. Go, and
tell the Healer of Caoimhe of our troubles. A legion would not suffice to
protect you; secrecy alone can do that. Go alone, at nightfall; you will need to
call on Mother Night to hide you."

Veldane shudders sharply, and I can feel her fear. "Bond with Night?" she
whispers. "Farella - "

"You -must-," I say. "I will be honest. I don't know what it will do to you,
but you must pass unseen. I pray that Mother Moon will protect you."

The sun is already setting - a few more minutes, and it will be night. I tilt
my head towards the Lunar Basin, resting on a small stone pedestal in the middle
of the Glade. "Take it," I say, "and blessed be. Guard it with your lives."

She bites her lip, then speaks the opening words of the Rite that we performed
in happier times. "I am Veldane Talnara of the Moon Coven - "

"By birthright and initiation the Guardian of the Mysteries," Verdis finishes.
Veldane steps up to the pedestal, and takes the Lunar Basin in both hands, her
face strangely serene in the last light of the day. She removes her blue cloak,
and wraps it around the bright silver of the Basin. "We will take our leave now,
High Priestess. Do not fear for us."

Verdis calls upon Mother Night, He shudders as night falls - I see the spirit
of Night cover him like a cloak, ominous and foul, and I almost cry out at him
to stop, to release the spirit. Then his shaking subsides, and he is harder to
see. Not -invisible-, but the shadows follow him and hide him, so that he is
inconspicuous to one not trained in seeing. With a murmured invocation, Veldane
does the same. Then they go, slippered feet noiseless in the woods, leaving me
alone with the empty pedestal.

---------------------

2.
Taken from the writings of Veldane Talnara
(Found in Caoimhe Dell)

The road is long, but I am in haste, with fear dogging me upon the way. I do
not know if it is the danger of our mission, or the influence of Night. My heart
pounds painfully, and I spur my broom onwards, hugging the trees as I fly, with
the precious weight of the Lunar Basin bound to my back. I did not bring a pack,
for the Lunar Basin was too large to fit in one.

Far before me, I see the glimmer of the Shallach Rivers, and urge my broom
onwards. It is almost dawn, and we must get to Caoimhe before daybreak, lest my
secrecy is lost. Hurry, I think, hurry. Yet my broom will not go faster, and my
thoughts are sluggish. I feel Night's malevolence hovering just beyond my
consciousness, and it slows my thoughts. I can hear Verdis behind me, his broom
moving almost silently.

The sun rises over the eastern mountains, and I feel my thoughts grow clearer
even as my protection fades. With a muttered curse, I urge my broom downwards,
hoping to take cover, but it is too late. I hear the harsh cawing of crows, and
know we have been spotted.

They come on, in a great murder, wings flapping and cawing shrilly. Fear gives
me a burst of energy, and I spur my broom onwards, faster than I have ever gone.
They pursue us, following the winding ribbon of the Shallach, and I see the
river fork not far off. Caoimhe.

The crows wing in for the kill. Verdis yells, hoping to distract them. For a
moment, it seems to work; the murder splits, half of them wheeling to chase him,
but then, as if drawn by that which I bear, they turn on me again. Beaks peck at
my skin, dark wings and sharp talons gouging me until I cannot see for the blood
that fills my vision. Oh, please. I turn my broom sharply, with my last scrap of
energy, and wheel into the copse of green trees by the river that marks the
entrance. The birds caw sharply, but do not follow inside the dell. I cannot
sense Verdis now. Where is he?

A dizzying burst of vertigo; the ground is before my eyes. Why am I plunging
downward? No time to think: there is a sickening crunch, and pain explodes
somewhere, but it is too far-off for me to care. Blackness rises, and devours me
mercifully.

I wake in a small room formed from the interwoven boughs of trees, nestled in
between white sheets and staring at a canopy of leaves above. With difficulty, I
turn my head - why am I so sore? - and close my eyes against a brilliant ray of
sunlight. All is quiet, and from outside a blue butterfly flits in and lights on
my bedpost. I smile despite myself, trying to remember what brought me here.

Panic seizes me. I try to sit up, but only succeed in thrashing about a bit.
Footsteps ring out in the next room, and an elfen woman rushes in. "What's
wrong?" she asks me, voice concerned. "Are you in pain again? You suffered
concussion - "

"My cloak," I gasp. "The Lunar Basin - oh, gods, tell me it's here!"

"We did not touch your things," she said, and turns my head the other way,
where I can see the dark blue bundle resting on a nearby chair. "Would you like
me to open it?" she asks.

"Please," I whisper, and she does, unwrapping the material until the bright
silver of the basin shows through. I heave a sigh of relief. "I must speak to
your leader," I say. "I am from the Northern forest. Veldane Talnara, of the
Serenwilde."

"I will fetch the Healer," she says, and steps outside.

The Healer returns some time later, a tall man with greying hair and a
thoughtful, kind expression. "You have taken quite the battering, if I say so
myself," he tells me.

"You are a healer?" I ask him.

"We are all healers here," he replies, "or warriors. But I am -the- Healer. I
speak for Caoimhe."

"Then you must hear me. I am Veldane of the Serenwilde, and I bring to you the
Lunar Basin - surely you know of it."

"I do indeed," he murmurs, and runs a gnarled finger along the rim of the
basin. "Spirit Moon has touched it, has she not?"

"Yes," I reply, "And my High Priestess believes that this place alone is safe
until the balance of the world is decided, and that you can keep it from falling
into tainted hands." Though why, I cannot say. Why this sunlit dell, and no
other place? Why here?

"It is so," he said. "I said as much to your High Priestess, once, though I
never imagined that it would be needed. But I did not tell her how it would be
accomplished. Had she known, I do not think she would have sent you here, child.
I am sorry."

"What happened?" I say, sudden terror seizing me. The old man has such sorrow
in his gaze, that it must be truly awful. "Tell me, please!"

"It is better that you wait until you are healed," he says gently, and steps
outside, leaving me alone with the silent sunlight and the voices of the birds.

Verdis comes to visit me later that day, dressed in a white patient's robe. He
seems unharmed save for the shallow marks of claws upon his face, which are
healing already, but the look on his face confirms all that I feared. "What is
it?" I whisper, before he has a chance to speak.

"They have sealed themselves from the outside world," he says, in a flat voice.
"They decided to stay here and not leave again until the world is changed.
There's no way out now. They say they would have sealed the passageways even if
we had not come, since they are too close to the tainted city for safety."

"That's all right," I say, trying to fight my rising panic. "We can go back
when they open it again."

Verdis turns away, and I see his knuckles whiten as he clutches the railings of
the tree-house that we are in. "No," he said at last. "Veldane, I wish we could.
That spell of theirs will not be even possible to break for centuries yet. We
can't go back now. As long as we live, we can't go back."

Shock runs through me, in a chill jolt. Never to see the outside world again.
Memories of Serenwilde flash before me. My mother's stories beside the fire.
Learning to carve in my uncle's woodcrafting shop. My cousins' pranks that
terrified me so when I was young, and that suddenly I miss with a yawning ache.
"Not for a lifetime?" I whisper.

"No," he says. "Oh Veldane, Farella didn't know. If she'd known - if we'd known
- " He folds his arms around me, smelling of soap and crisp linen, but I can say
nothing, not even a word of protest or comfort for him. We both know that it is
a comforting lie: Farella does not spare the tools she works with. It is not
until he leaves with a sigh that the tears come like rain, seeping into the
clean white of the pillow.

----------------
3
Discovery - Diary of the transcriber
(Currently archived in the Arboreal Library of Serenwilde)

Caoimhe is a lovely place, almost a paradise for those of us who love peace and
quiet. I like to spend time there, tasting the freshness and the age of it, and
there is one young healer who likes to show me around. "I hear you are an
explorer," she says to me as we walk.

"Not quite," I reply. "More of a historian, really, which is why I am so
fascinated by Caoimhe." I know I have mangled the name rather badly, and the
healer smiles indulgently.

"You will be interested in this, then," she says, nodding her head towards a
green, overgrown hill that seems like all the others. I stare at it, perplexed,
before she sighs and walks over. With her hand she brushes aside the vines
growing there, and with surprise I note a stone door where there was none
before.

"We call it the Barrow of the Guardians," she says. "I don't know what's
inside. Sometimes children will come here and try to open it, but it seems to be
stuck fast."

I stare at the stone door. It does seem to be held fast, but upon it are faint
markings, the last remnants of what surely must have been detailed engravings
once. I run my fingers over it, tracing the lines, and try to decipher the
words. It is some time before I puzzle it out, but the sentence is perfectly
legible, if mysterious:

The blood of the Guardian alone shall enter.

Puzzled, I read it aloud, testing the door with my hand. To my surprise, a
crack splits in the middle of the stone, like ice cracking in winter. Then
another appears, and another. Alarmed, I leap back, and the stone crumbles to
nothing, a cloud of dust rising in the air. When it settles, the doorway is dark
and empty, leading down into the hill.

"Oh my," whispers the healer. "I will go fetch Radella Airmid." She races off,
robes swishing, leaving me staring at the door. Unable to resist my curiosity, I
step within the cool darkness of the Barrow. I should feel frightened, but the
stillness and the dark do not seem menacing, only expectant.

When my eyes grow accustomed to the darkness, I see two pale stone slabs beside
me. Upon each lies a statue of a sleeping figure, and they would be almost
identical if not that one was male and one female. Upon further inspection, I
see that they are coffins of stone, and the statues are the lids. On one is
engraved, faintly, "Veldane Talnara, of the Serenwilde" and on the other "Verdis
Talnara, of the Serenwilde".

They share my name. A great wonder fills me, and I look further. Between them,
on a simple stone slab, rests a large silver basin, and I marvel at that, for
surely the silver should have been darkened with age by now. Unable to resist, I
brush a finger along the edge of the bowl, and flinch, for it is as cold as ice.

Movement catches my eye; twin spirits rise from the slabs on either side to
face me; twin spirits that look exactly the same as the statues. I gape in
wonder.

"Blood of my blood," says the woman, her translucent face glowing softly in the
darkness, "You have come to us, here in Caoimhe. Has the world changed at last,
that you are here?"

"Does the Northern forest still stand against the Taint?" asked the man.

"It has," I reply, "And it does."

"We fulfill our promise, then," said the man. "We have guarded the Lunar Basin
with our lives and deaths. Who now is the Guardian?"

"What Guardian?" I say, perplexed, and the twin spirits share a glance.

"Is there no Guardian now in the Moon Coven?"

"There is not," I reply. "Though the Moon Coven still stands and is well."

"Tell them of our deeds then," says Verdis, "For you are of our blood and share
our name. And we will seek our rest, for the long years have been weary, and our
duty is now over. We were charged to guard the Lunar Basin until one of the
Serenwilde should come; so we have done."

"And what am I to do?" I whisper. "Am I to bring it back?"

"That is not for us to decide, kinswoman," says Veldane. "It is your charge
now."

She shimmers for a moment, pale and lovely, then she reaches out a hand to her
brother, and the twins raise their arms high. With a sigh they disappear into
the air, leaving the barrow darker and emptier than ever. I stand, alone in the
darkness with the silver bowl before me. I know I should bear it back. I cannot
bring myself to do it; instead I turn away.

"You who have watched over it in life and death," I whisper, "Now let it watch
over you. I will not despoil your grave, my ancestors." Theirs was the making
and the guarding, and the long years of waiting. I leave the basin where it is,
and stumble towards the light.

Radella is waiting outside, eyes wide. "You opened the Barrow!" she cries. "By
all the gods, I had not thought anyone could do it. The knowledge of the
enchantments upon it is lost to us now."

"I worked no enchantment," I answer, but before my words are complete, a
tremour in the earth shakes me. I glance behind me, and see the doorway
shuddering, before the keystone falls with a crack. Then the hillside collapses
upon the barrow, crumbling in upon itself until nothing of the doorway is left.
"It was the will of those who have gone before."

I walk over to it, and brush my fingers across the exposed earth. Soon, the
grass will grow green over the graves of my ancestors.