Celonwy meets Sir Nivlac

Celonwy, the female Astraguard elf rescues, knight errant Nivlack

On this chilly night, with the wind whistling by her pointed ears, Celonwy the elf could hear the faint sounds of a battle ahead. She slowed her horse and approached the sounds of battle stealthily. In a clearing ahead, she saw four lightly armored peasants attacking an unmounted knight in traveling armor which offered no protection to the back of his legs and arms. The knight seemed obviously more skilled than his attackers, but being surrounded put him at a tremendous disadvantage. His assailants were feigning strikes, drawing his attention, and stepping back to allow another of their number to attack the knight from another direction. Wolves often use these same tactics, a type of strategy that is very effective.

She made a quick assessment of the situation and determined, given time, the brigands would wear the knight down and defeat him. Celonwy decided to play the part of the hero.

The maiden will come to the rescue of this knight in shining armor. She savored the irony.

Celonwy drew her sword and rode toward the skirmish, whooping loudly to get the attention of the ruffians. She noticed the nearest attacker dressed in a different manner to the other footpads. Rather than the padded cloth armor of the rest of the group, this one wore animal skins and wielded a strange staff with a basket and feathers on top. The air between the attacker in barbaric dress and the knight had turned a light shade of blue, but at the sound of Celonwy’s bellowing approach, the robber whirled around as if to see the cause of the commotion.

As she turned away from the knight to look in the direction of the elf, the attacker revealed herself to be a woman. She evidently had lost her concentration, causing the color to fade from the air.

The other three fighters glanced in the direction of the elf, but didn't pause in their attacks. They continued to draw his attention, but the barbarian failed to attack him from behind, where he could not defend himself, when her turn to attack came.

This disruption of the pattern of attacks gave the knight a chance to go on the offensive. He took advantage of this opportunity to thrust his blade into the attacker on his right. The tip of his sword caught the man in the upper arm. Blood jetted out of the cut, and the brigand lost his grip on his club.
The tide had turned, and all three of the male footpads ran for their lives. The female attacker didn't appear to be as eager to run. She slinked away slowly, glaring hard at Celonwy, before turning back to follow her partners in crime.

The knight called out loudly after the fleeing group, “I see you came to your senses and fled before....” He turned to face his ally and spoke in a more gracious tone, “I thank you for the service you have provided me this night.” Catching his first full glimpse of Celonwy he added, “M’lady.”

Celonwy laughed and said, “I’m no lady, for a lady would be home working on her needlework and wouldn't have come riding to your aid.”

The knight raised his visor and said, “I see your point. Nevertheless, I am Sir Nivlac of the court of Lystra. I'll be forever in your debt, since you saved my life this night.” He bowed as deeply as his armor would allow.

Celonwy grew uncomfortable with his formal gratitude and gave him a quick nod in the hopes of ending his unwanted gesture.

“Mayhaps you could agree to another service tonight.”

Celonwy, mistaking the knight's intentions, responded with a leer. “It has been an exciting night, and I do feel a bit randy.”

Nivlac blushed and replied, “I meant perhaps you might like to go on a quest with me, or do you know of some other swordsmen who might be willing to undertake a dangerous quest? The Duke of Worthingdale tasked me with gathering a group of adventurers who are able to assist him with an important task. I'm told the pay will be substantial for this service, but I don't know what the task is, other than a cleric will be needed.”

Celonwy had no other place to be at the moment, and the job had to pay better than the army. Besides, she craved more excitement, and the quest promised to be quite an adventure. She could always walk away, as she had in the past, should the task truly be too trivial. She said, “It must be destiny, for I'm a cleric in Easter, the Queen of Heaven's* service, and I'm interested in your offer if the reward is adequate.”

“Excellent. I can assure you the reward will be grand indeed,” exclaimed a smiling Nivlac. “You look as if you know how to wield your sword, and I also see you carry a bow on your back. You either understand combat tactics well enough to realize my opponents would be likely to flee at your arrival, or you were reckless and just looking for a fight. I choose to believe your talent led you to my aid this night. Either way, as I have already said, M’lady, I am in your debt for your assistance tonight.”

Celonwy grimaced as the knight used that word again.

Nivlac didn't seem to notice. “Although I am quite adept with this sword, those rogues might have slain me if not for you intervention. The next travelers might not fare as well. I have concluded I must punish the outlaws, or they will continue to assault other journeyers. My knightly code won't allow me to ignore the danger the ruffians pose for innocent citizens. I look forward to meeting you in the tavern in Cobbletown a fortnight from tonight. We will meet at a tavern called the Bucket O’ Blood. It is easy to find. Just look for the building with blood pouring into a mug. Once we meet there, I will guide you to the duke who has need of us. If you should know of any others who are capable and might be willing to undertake the quest, please feel free to invite them as well. With ample rewards, you can never have too much help. I must be off, for I still have other tasks to complete before we can depart. ” Having finished speaking, Nivlac mounted his horse.

Celonwy said in a sultry voice, “My offer still stands.”

Nivlac rode away while shaking his head.

*The Queen of Heaven is a reference to Easter, an Assyrian and Babylonian goddess that Israelites worshiped and angered the Lord, Jeremiah 7:18, may also refer to Isis, a popular Egyptian goddess, or Asherah, the consort of Yahweh in extrabiblical texts.