The Meeting At Starsong Hill

The giant owls are silent as they wing through the gloom. Your elf escorts are also silent, aside from softly pointing out some dimly glimpsed landmark far below from time to time.

Before long, you reach your destination. Rising from the marsh is a low hill of solid ground, encircled by a thick ring of trees. Dozens of pinpoints of light dot the hill; small lanterns filled with fireflies, each hanging from a tree-platform or the upper reaches of a conical tent. Many elves silently emerge to watch as you fly overhead. The head elf produces a sleek, silver horn of some sort form a saddlebag and blows one wailing note similar to a loon's cry.

Near the hill's peak stand three large trees, and built into their boughs are wooden structures. One glows softly with luminescence of its own, encroached by a beautiful wood carved arch way decorated with braided ivy vines and dotted with blooming flowers. Another looks to be some sort of public building or town hall based on the layout that can be seen from the doorway. The thirst, and your destination it seems, is the smallest of the three: a cozy-looking tree house set above a large pool.

One by one the owls drop off their elf riders, and take to the air flying southward. The head elf guard, who has since introduced himself to you all as Killiar Arrowswift, asks you to remain outside as he enters. After about a minute of standing in silence, surrounded by eyes, he emerges and beckons you inside. Waiting inside is a wise-looking and ancient elf. She wears flowing golden and green robes, and her hair is braided around a complex headdress made of wicker and wood. She stands next to a much younger female elf in plain brown and green robes who looks to have been crying recently. The younger elf is seated in a large wicker chair, and the standing elf indicates nearby chairs for you. Behind you, Killiar takes a silent stance near the door.

"I am Sellyria Starsinger, Speaker for the Midorinote," the standing elf says. She indicates the seated elf and continues, "This is High Singer Trellara Nightshadow. We do not often see strangers in our homeland. Pray, what brings strangers to Blackfens in such strange times as these?"