As happened many times in the past the Fell Ice once again charged down from the north and attacked the world in its effort to turn it into a frozen ball of ice. Only the White Magic and it's ally the Sun could stand against such a vast enemy.
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"I tell you, there is something out on the plains of the Tundra! Something evil! I can feel it!" said the tall thin Elf as he turned from skipping small round stones across a pond of crystal clear water. This was not the first time the young Elf had turned on his friends making this claim.
"And I tell you Katyr, I feel nothing. And I do not think Orist can feel it either. Do you not think a Mage would be down here if there were truly something dangerous beyond the Vale?" Halamar said as he sat on the comfort of his bedroll he had laid out alongside Orist's over thick green grass and in the shade of a tall willow tree.
"I can only feel the rants of a confused Elf interrupting my nap," Orist said without opening his eyes as he lay next to his friend with his saddle for a pillow.
"Oh bother with the both of you!" Katyr said as he turned back towards the pond. He stopped throwing stones and looked towards the north with his intense blue eyes trying to see beyond the Vale walls. He wondered what the strange dark tidings he had been feeling all morning long meant as he tried in vain to sense what was beyond the protective barrier with the power of the White Magic.
The three young Elves were on their way to leave the Vale through a secret northern postern-gate in the protective barrier for a hunting trip out on the Tundra. Guards stopped them as they were about to pass through because of a fierce late-autumn storm that unexpectedly rolled down from the frozen north and raged outside. The storm was much too bad to travel in so they decided to wait it out in this peaceful, quiet corner of the Vale. Feeling they would be waiting for a time they unsaddled their strong, beautiful golden-coated horses. The mounts shook out their long flowing manes and tails of white and ran to an apple orchard nearby, always staying within sight of the three Elves. This close to the perimeter they could see the black and gray storm clouds twisting and turning in a boiling mass as they slammed against the invisible dome of White Magic sitting on top of the craggy cliffs and jagged peaks of dark stone surrounding the Vale. It was an eerie thing to be standing in the peaceful calm of the morning sunlight and watch as the storm silently charged at them only to slide around the sides of the protective dome.
The three Elves had been friends for almost their entire lives. They were all born around the same time and grew up together in the same little farming Dell in the western part of the Vale. Ever since they were Elflings they were inseparable and did everything together from working the fields, hunting, playing at mock battles, and getting into their fair share of mischief. They were now fifty turns old and considered still very young by Elven standards, but of an age to start their training in the Elven Houses of Lore. Katyr would be going his separate way from the other two for a long while so the three friends decided to take one last hunting trip together outside of the Vale before their lessons began.
Halamar and Orist were both poured from the same mould as they each had broad shoulders, strong arms and thin waists, the bodies of warriors. Their skin was browned by the sun from a life outdoors and they each wore their long wavy brown hair tied in a loose pony tail trailing down their backs. Over the turns many had confused them as twins, even though they were only related by friendship. All of their young lives they both dreamed of being in the cavalry of the Western Vale They were constantly practice fighting with long lances, long sword and shield, and shooting their bows from the backs of their swift golden horses. They were both accepted into the elite Imarion Battle House which was located at the center of the Vale next to the King's stronghold. Once their training started they would be very busy learning the ways of the warrior, how to fight with the White Magic that was within them and spending time on the Battle Grounds learning to master the use of every weapon in the Elven arsenal.
