The House of Valehaven received word from Lothlorien that distant relations would be visiting them during their pilgrimage to Valinor. Upon the day they were to arrive, a grievously injured man reported news that the pilgrimage had been attacked by orcs. He introduced himself as Skrayper, and had been escorting them since they passed through his homeland of Rohan.
Upon hearing the news, the eldest daughter Lefrinu set out to investigate the ambush and look for any other survivors. While others in her search party were reluctant to pursue the orcs in hopes of finding any remaining survivors from the attack, the young elf took it upon herself to punish those who harmed her kin. Sending word back to her parents with the help of those who ventured as far as they would with her, Lefrinu set forth into the wilderness, following the ill-concealed tracks of the orcs and goblin party. Before the sun set, she came upon a small group that had set up camp for the night.
Under the cover of night, the young huntress took down her foes…one by one before entering the small camp. They had one prisoner, another young elf who had managed to talk her way into being taken as a prisoner instead of being slaughtered with the rest of her traveling companions. Her name was Diriana, musician and storyteller by trade who had traveled from Mirkwood; who had also helped Lefrinu free her, in the sense that she distracted the encampment when she took note of a guard or two falling to their deaths, unnoticed by their now slain companions. Recounting the events of the ambush, Diriana told Lefrinu of just how many had been travelling, and how this small camp was only a fraction of the hoard that originally made the attack.
But judging by how many bodies they found, and the tracks Lefrinu had followed, something didn’t quite add up with Diriana’s story…there were bodies missing. Believing that the story was not complete, the minstrel insisted on accompanying the huntress further into the investigation…wanting to see it to the end in hopes of someday telling such an epic tale.
For Lefrinu was right in believing there were more survivors, but was not aware that they may not have been taken captive like Diriana. The sole child of the distant relations the Valehavens had been expecting had managed to survive the attack, for she had noticed the warning signs that led up to the slaughter. Cerynitis Taurlonde was a huntress as well, much like Lefrinu but of far better skill. She could sense the change in the atmosphere as the group traveled idly along the beaten path…noted how the animals grew silent, foreboding of the eminent danger that awaited them. She tried to warn the others of her suspicions, and even took to the trees to get a better view…but it was too late.
She fought hard with bow and blade as she tried to protect her family from the onslaught, but the odds were against them. Knocked out and mistaken for dead, Cerynitis awoke dazed and bruised not long after the hoard left. Taking what provisions she could find, she silently vowed vengeance as she followed the tracks left by the orcs…leaving the dead behind for Lefrinu’s search party to find.
