The Goblin Diaries, Volume 3: The Eye of Ellindrell and The Sword That Sings
Humans are so willing to babble on and on, pretending to be experts on things they know nothing about, especially when their tongues are loosened with a bit of wine. However, intermingled with their babblings are often hidden gems of valuable information. I've been sitting around the evening campfires as our caravan makes its way south, pouring cups and listening, and I am convinced there are two extremely valuable elven artifacts in the area that need retrieving as soon as possible--the Eye of Ellindrell and Ka'il Idreth (The Sword That Sings).
The Eye of Ellindrell appears to be a particularly large ruby with a mesmerizing, pulsating bubble trapped inside. Its intended usage is a power source for the creation and opening of portals. As unlikely as it might be that some human may discover its true purpose and use it to travel the realms, a human mule--sorry, sorcerer--can easily tap into its power to conjure all sorts of dangerous things. The jewel will actually call to faerie spawn--sorry, wizards or witches--making its presence among humans a disaster waiting to happen. If my drunken companions are to be believed, the jewel has fallen into the hands of a local band of cutthroats who are playing a growing list of bidding sorcerers against each other to draw the highest price.
Ka'il Idreth could be an even more dangerous artifact if it falls into the wrong hands. The Sword That Sings was originally made by the elves for a very inept and irresponsible faerie king before humans began to walk upright. The story goes that the faerie king's handlers had become so frustrated with being unable to teach him swordsmanship that they commissioned the elves to make a sword that would fight for him. The ploy worked for a time, until the king misplaced the weapon before going into battle and was killed. The sword was never found.
Damn faeries. The elves should have known better. And here's the problem. Theoretically, Ka'il Idreth could be used by any species. It utilizes an AI database to interface with the wielder's neuro-musculature system to generate a unique fighting style appropriate for any situation. Were it to fall into human hands, not only would the wielder become a skilled swordsman, but there's a remote possibility they could tap into the AI database, the extent of which not even the elves are sure.
And I am hearing stories from my drunken companions of a mercenary in the region whose sword sings. Coincidence? I think not. I believe the goon may have stumbled upon Ka'il Idreth. If I can find this mercenary, I might be able to retrieve the Eye of Ellindrell and The Sword That Sings, at the same time.
I'm formulating a plan.
