Capítulo 16: Sothoryos 16
Sothoryos XII: Home of the Elves
[Quest: Eternal Spring]
[Rank: Silver]
[Completed!]
[Reward: World Knowledge I, Merit Point x1]
Jon's eyes were glued to the quest window that had appeared just moments ago. It seems that the quest was only completed when he was allowed to enter Jarod's house and take a bath.
The house, on the outside, was completely different from what he had ever seen in his life. In a tree, which was incredibly tall and wide, wooden paths and stairs led up. There were doors every few meters, so in a tree, there were several houses. Jarod had told him that the trees and houses were divided by names. For example, where he was, was part of a lot with ten trees and ten houses on each, called Sun Grove 3. And so, there was a Sun Grove 1 and 2. He also heard that Saynna lives in Moon Grove 23.
The inside of Jarod's house was really clean. The walls weren't square like you'd expect from a house, but more of a round space, with windows in a circle. It wasn't cold, but not too hot either. Jarod mentioned that the trees kept the houses at a pretty good temperature, so they didn't need things like fireplaces or heating.
The bathroom, where Jon was currently, had a stone sink and a tub that seemed to be a hole in the wooden floor, where there was bright blue water. He had hesitated for a moment to step into the bright water, but when he did, he almost let out a moan of pure pleasure. It felt like his entire body was being massaged.
He was curious, though. How did Jarod relieve himself? There didn't seem to be a toilet in the bathroom, though it might be in another room. That would be a bit cleaner, in his opinion.
"Jon, I've gotten you some clothes," Jarod walked in with a set of clothes in his hands. He almost laughed at the look of utter satisfaction Jon had on his face.
"Thank you so much, Jarod. For everything. You've been really kind."
"You're welcome. I think it's something most people should do when they find someone in trouble."
"I wish people in Westeros were like you."
Jarod simply smiled and left the clothes on a piece of furniture, right next to the laundry.
"Hey, I'm curious, but don't you have a toilet?"
"Ah..." Jarod paused, perfectly understanding the question. "Yes. Of course. It's in another room. If you want, I'll show you how to use it later. I think it would be a bit different than what you've seen, since we have magic to turn excrement into fertilizer."
"Fertilizer?" Jon asked curiously.
Jarod laughed a little and said, "We don't want houses to smell bad. And we can't create pipes inside trees, right? So yeah, we make fertilizer that doesn't smell bad and then we use it."
"I see... Honestly, you never cease to amaze me. It's all so..."
"Magical?"
"Yes!"
"You could learn, you know? You're here now, and I don't think the elders will decide to cast you out. They might be a little wary, but if you speak truthfully, you'll be fine. Plus, Summerlocks said you had certain gifts. You might not be able to learn the same way we can, but you can certainly learn some magic."
Jon sat up straighter and looked at Jarod.
"Saynna mentioned that magic is related to the gods. How does that work?"
"Well..." Jarod thought for a moment, as if he wanted to explain things, but he doubted Jon would fully understand.
"Think of magic as a connection. This connection needs three things to work: the world, some existence, and also a god. The world, I think you understand. It's everything around us: nature in a nutshell. So there's water, wind, fire, and earth magic, light and shadow magic, and more. What I mean by some existence, is a someone. It can be a human, in your case. Or an Elf, in mine. Also a dragon or another race. And a god, is the final part, as you would need external energy to power the magic. If you use your own inner energy, you might end up dying. That's why the connection with some god is necessary."
"How would you get the connection with a god?... Isn't that... difficult?"
"I couldn't say. We have been blessed by the brother gods: The Sun and The Moon. When the first Elf was born, it was promised that his offspring would worship the brother gods and take care of nature. We have kept that promise, so it's not hard to perform magic once you learn it. For you... well, I guess you'd have to think of another way."
"But, anyway, perhaps you know the Great Old One Caelyb. He might be able to answer your questions better."
"... I see," Jon sighed a little.
"I think I'm clean enough. I'll change," he said, changing the subject.
"True. You have to meet the Elders. I'll leave you alone for a few moments," Jarod said as he left the bathroom. Jon stood up and blinked as he felt his wet body slowly begin to dry. It was as if the water was evaporating.
"A truly magical place," Jon murmured with a smile. He took one of the clothes Jarod left him and held it out to look at. It was brown, and looked like it was meant to be worn crosswise. Or so he thought. Jon simply put it on, followed by what looked like a tunic of sorts, which was also crossed diagonally over his chest, tightened by what looked like a sash. The pants, too, were green, but a darker shade. Finally, there was a pair of boots that reached a little below his knees.
After a few minutes, Jon came out of the bathroom and walked into the living room, where Jarod was waiting, sitting on a cushion near a low table.
"Ready?"
"I think so... I hope I put my clothes on correctly."
"Don't worry. It's okay."
Jon nodded as Jarod stood up and motioned for him to follow. They both left the house. Jarod locked his door before starting to walk down the path made of wooden planks.
"Do you think the Elders are too hard on me?"
"I don't think so," Jarod replied and slowly shook his head. "They may look a little suspicious, but they're not evil. They care about all of our race. You just have to be respectful and everything will be fine."
"Yeah... I'm sorry if I'm too suspicious, but I never did well when the man who raised me called me to his solar. It always made me nervous."
"Isn't he your father? Or was he a bad man?"
"No. I don't think he's a bad man," Jon shook his head as he followed Jarod. "But since I was raised a bastard... things didn't always go well, especially with that man's wife."
"Bastard? I'm sorry, but even if I can speak your language, there are some things I don't understand. To me, bastard sounds like an insult you'd say to someone you're angry with."
"Well, yes. But someone who was born out of wedlock is also called a bastard. They have a stigma. The vast majority think they are evil by birth. That they are always greedy and lustful. It is especially so with people who believe in The Seven."
"That's... not right. What is a newborn baby to blame for the sins of its parents?"
"True," Jon couldn't help but smile. "Although... before... all this, I found out that he wasn't a bastard, but... something else. The man I thought was my father, actually seems to be my uncle. Or so I think."
"Why do you think that?"
"My name," Jon replied.
"Jaehaerys Targaryen?"
"Targaryen is the surname of the royal family of the seven kingdoms. Do you remember the story I told you? About a prince and a woman who was thought to have been kidnapped and raped..."
"... Yes."
"That woman is called Lyanna Stark, sister of the man who raised me, Eddard Stark. They both lost their father and older brother, when they both ran to the capital city, trying to get explanations for what they believed was a wrong to the family. The king, who was a madman at the time, burned the father alive while choking the son, throwing a sword an impossible distance away. He told him that if he could reach the sword and free himself, he could save his father and walk away free."
"That's horrible!"
"It is. And I don't know if Eddard Stark took a child as revenge for everything that happened. Or if it was just part of something else."
"I see. It seems you have a history behind you, Jon."
Jon simply laughed humorlessly as he climbed back up the stairs, to reach the top of one of the roots of the world tree. The path turned to stone from there. They both walked in silence, passing between temple-like structures. They were white, gold, and silver in color. The roofs looked like glass, forming domes of different colors.
"Those domes are created with special crystals found under the world tree. They are like colorless gems, but when sunlight passes through them, they light up like a rainbow."
"They're pretty. Are all the structures temples?"
"Temples? Oh no. It's just our designs. While the trees tend to be our homes, it doesn't mean that everyone lives in one. You saw down below, that there are shops. But here too, although more specialized. Other things are also found such as: houses of learning, libraries, barracks, temples to pray to the gods and more.
"You can understand the roots as the main parts of our great city."
"You said specialized shops, what do they specialize in?"
"That's a good question. "Look," Jarod unsheathed his sword and held it out for Jon to take. He did just that, and was surprised by what he could feel. It was light. Not to the point of being like a feather, but it certainly felt like holding a thin, light branch. The blade was completely silver, not like steel, but like moonlight.
"The blade is made of moon iron, while the hilt is from an ancient willow tree. It takes a skilled blacksmith to create something like that."
"What is moon iron?"
"It is a specially mined and refined metal. The world tree absorbs the light of the moon and the sun. And because its roots are so large and extend to the deepest parts of the world, metals tend to change. Although, it is not to the point of making them incredibly special. In order for moon iron to be created, it also needs magic while it is refined under the moonlight."
"The more I hear about things from you, the more surprised I am. I think that when I get out of here, there will be nothing that can surprise me."
"Ha, ha, ha! Don't think that, Jon. The world is full of things. Some wonderful, others completely terrible and abominable. You should always keep an open mind for things you can observe."
Jon nodded, taking that advice to heart. He handed the sword to Jarod as they reached a huge building. There were large stairs and pillars at the top. They both climbed up, while Jon received curious glances from other Elves. The doors to the entrance were open. The interior had pillars, forming a path down the middle. There were several entrances on each side, while at the end, there was an altar of sorts. The roof was a large dome of different colors, lighting up the interior in a rainbow of beautiful colors.
He followed Jarod silently, until they reached the altar. It was a circle with a tree carved into the ground. Jon thought it was the world tree. Suddenly, the leaves of the carved tree glowed slightly in gold and silver, dividing the carving into two colors. Motes of light rose up and danced around the two of them.
Jon looked at these small lights as he raised his hands slightly, letting them touch his fingers.
"We'll go up. Don't fall."
"Go up?" Jon asked and got his answer a second later. The ground beneath them shifted and they began to rise little by little.
Jon watched in disbelief as they climbed up and out of the building. The trunk of the world tree looked incredibly extensive from where he stood. It was like a huge wall that stretched out to the sides with no apparent end. Soon, his eyes moved to the city below. Nature joined with structures of wood and rock. The beautiful colors of the domes and the golden light coming from the leaves of the tree on top made the scene look like something out of a fairy tale.
At that moment, he thought that there was nothing as beautiful as the home of the elves. He had heard that the Reach was a beautiful place. He heard that Winterfell was one of the oldest and most resilient fortresses. He heard that King's Landing was luxurious. Now, he didn't think that those places could compare to what his eyes saw.
They climbed and climbed until the city below looked really small and the leaves of the world tree looked huge. Jon could see the red veins in the golden leaves. When the platform finally stopped, Jon was standing in front of a huge palace with towers. There were pools of yellow water, like sunlight, but there were also pools of silvery blue, with roofs and small pillars at each corner.
"Come on. The Elders are waiting, Jon."
"... True."
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