Role

Chapter 3

Stepping into a plain building near the Darsylon near the Temple of Darsylon,
Aelerion caught his breath on the simple solemnity of the guildhall.

In the entryway, his eyes caught an elderly paladin, an imposing yet kindly
figure with a long gray beard cascading down his armor. The seasoned paladin
looked up from an ancient book to regard Aelarion with a look of
understanding, born of years of service and sacrifice.

Aelarion sensed an innate goodness in the man, but hesitated briefly before
stepping forward, his voice steady but bearing the weight of anguish. "Kind
Knight, I seek your aid. Creatures razed my village and murdered everyone I
knew. They must be hunted down and killed."

The paladin's kind eyes gazed at the young Elf with a discerning scrutiny.
"Ah, revenge. All too common of a motivation, isn't it? Your anger is
palpable, young one. But is it truly just vengeance that you seek?"

Aelarion faltered, unprepared for the simple question. "Well, they must pay
for their sins, mustn't they? Can you help me?"

"Justice," the paladin spoke softly, "is not born from the fire of revenge. It
is tempered by the light of truth and goodness. In this guild, you will find
no mercenaries. We are seekers of justice, not merely executors of personal
vendettas."

Aelarion's chest tightened, grappling with the emotions that surged within him
as he rethought his quest. "I couldn't stop them from destroying my village.
But what of the next? Someone must do something. They must answer for what
they've done, before they do it again."

Smiling slightly at the Elf, the paladin considered him for several minutes
before reverently closing the ancient tome he'd been reading, revealing the
symbol of a solar eclipse. With a sense of reverence, he gazed lovingly at the
book before handing it over to young Aelarion.

"Within these pages," the paladin said, offering the tome to Aelarion's shaky
hands, "lies the beginnings of an answer to your quest for justice. Let this
tome, and let Her, be your guiding light."

Unspoken words passed before them, as the young Elf considered the elderly
paladin. He didn't fully understand the paladin's meaning, not yet. But in
that moment of clarity he knew that he could not hide behind revenge alone.

The young elf turned away for a moment as he felt the weight of the tome in
his hands, feeling it's divine aura. "Justice", Aelarion whispered solemnly.
"Justice is what Thera needs."

After a moment of contemplation, Aelarion turned, ready to express his
newfound determination to the paladin, seeking reassurance and guidance on his
new path. Yet, the aged figure was no longer there, leaving the chamber empty
and the choice in Aelarion's hands alone.

Only the entrance to the paladin's guild sat before him now, ready for him to
take the next step.