"Lord Irzen?" Zesstra turned towards the Swordsman.

"Do I know you?" Irzen gave the Paladin a curious glance.

"Mayhaps not, Lord Irzen, but I know you." Zesstra replied, "We met in passing some years ago when I was dwelling in Naermon Nithren working as one of the City Guard. Forgive me for having you at a disadvantage, my lord, but you and your exploits are well known throughout the Underdark--Mercenary Captain, Arms Dealer and Dragon Slayer--to name a few."

"I see," Irzen replied cautiously, "You're a long way from the Underdark."

"The same could be said for you, my lord, the same could be said for you." Zesstra replied evenly.

Tarendil raised an eye brow, "This is him, Zesstra? He seems to be a long way from the Underdark just as you are."

"It is!" Zesstra confirmed, "This is Lord Dy'var Irzen of House Slyvar. He is a Mercenary Captain, an Arms Merchant and a Slayer of Purple Dragons. And while he is just as far from the Underdark as I am, at the very least, I know why I am here." The Paladin gave the Elf Queen a comforting squeeze of her hand.

Madeous and Lazheros made a mental note of the vast difference in personality between the swordsman and the paladin.

Zesstra turned towards the others, "Still, it is a pleasure and an honor to meet you all. For if you travel with the Platinum Knight then you must be good company indeed. Welcome to the Land of The Avariel!"

Tarendil stepped forward and gestured, "Come. We do not get many guests here save for Zesstra currently and I long to hear of what else has been going in the realm. Perhaps stories from the other side of the Fire Sea. On a side note, my exiled brother has some how returned. Which is suspicious."

Madeous replied, "Wasn't he banished for trying to usurp the throne? I could of sworn I've seen him in Venger's territory at some point."

"A would-be usurper who might have paid a visit to Venger?" Irzen raised his eyebrow, "He sounds like bad news to me."

"If he's allied with the Dark Lord," Serna added, "Then he's as bad as they come."

"Still these are matters which we can discuss in a more relaxed setting," Zesstra encouraged them, "Come and find rest and comfort here. For while I have regaled my love with my travels in The Underdark, I am sure you can regale her as well with your travels on The Surface World."

Now Madeous pondered as the party went towards the guest pavilion where and when he had seen or heard mention of Tarendil's estranged brother. It had been decades ago, at least when Alyson was a kid still.

Lazheros walked along side Alyson, "Hmmm, we should be on guard here if that's the case. This is your home, Tarendil. Suggestions?"

The queen replied, "For now lets maintain the illusion that you're here for a visit, shall we."

"Sounds like a winner to me," Irzen admitted, "And there is some truth in this illusion. We are TRULY here as visitors."

Caliaphy held onto Serna's hand, skipping along, "So, are you gonna help find the prince too, Serna? Or are we gonna play with the kids here? I mean Quake is having all the fun."

Serna turned towards Caliaphy with a smile, "I say lets find and play with the kids who are here. While I haven't seen any, I'm sure they're about somewhere. And I agree with you, why should Quake have all the fun?"

Tarendil pointed towards the waterfalls, "If you want to meet and play with the children here, you are more than welcome to join them, young ones."

"Neat!" Serna chirped eagerly.

Caliaphy chimed in, "I'm not that young."

Lazheros raised an eye brow, "That remains to be seen, Caliaphy. I'm sure you and Serna will enjoy yourselves here and keep the shield maiden from getting too close to the edge of the floating island."

The kurori flicked her wings, "Hmph! Yeah, yeah. I'll make sure she stays on solid ground."

"That's good to know," Serna replied, "I doubt my shield would be able to soften my fall especially from this height."

Over in the distance the sounds of Quake and the avariel children could be heard.

Tarendil turned towards the swordsman, "I heard you helped root out a notorious enemy wizard in Asylum. I wasn't there at the time when it happened. I never thought Sorvor would have the gall to return."

"But he did indeed, your Highness!" Irzen replied, "However, I was not alone in that endeavor. I had help from a group of adventurers who were spoiling for a fight that day."

"More Drow from Naermon Nithren?" Zesstra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Surfacers," Irzen replied, "Individuals who had no love for the Torque and even less love for Sorvor."

********

Zarathrin watched through the Orb of Seeing from his chambers. The platinum knight was a problem. He had nearly crossed paths with the legendary knight in his dealings with Venger. The others weren't the issue save for the young sorcerer which Venger mentioned off and on. She had potential.