Elara's Diary
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Elara's Diary
Elara's Diary is a private journal attributed to Elara, the infernal-blooded Sorcerer who travelled with the fellowship of the Chronicle of Faefall and later crossed into the Infernal with Virilian Steadmane. The volume was later recovered from the archives of Ix, the Free City where it had been deposited or found. It is preserved in the city's scriptorium and in copies held in Avaria.
Provenance
How the diary came to the archives of Ix is not certain. Some accounts hold that it was left in the care of the shrine of Natsuko before Elara and Virilian departed; others that it surfaced among effects brought to Ix by pilgrims or merchants in the years after the Return of Alcor. The hand and style are consistent with a single author writing across the period of the Faefall quest and its aftermath. Entries are dated only intermittently; the final legible pages appear to have been written shortly before or during the decision to cross into the Infernal.
Contents
The Line Concerning Virilian
The passage most often cited appears in the midst of reflections on the journey and the bond between the two women. It reads:
- "She calls herself cursed, but when I am near her, I feel nothing but grace."
The surrounding lines describe shared watches on the road, conversations in the ruins of Alcor's temples, and the weight of Virilian's fear that her nature would bring harm to those she loved. The diary does not name the Infernal directly in the surviving portions; it speaks of "the threshold," "the flame," and "the choice to go where she must go."
Other Surviving Passages
Earlier entries record the awakening in the temple, the first meeting with Virilian in Natplio, and the growing trust within the fellowship. One fragment describes "a woman who wears shadow like a cloak and yet steps into the light when it matters." Another speaks of the purification ritual and Natsuko's sacrifice: "We did what we had to. He lived. The world turned. And now she and I must decide what comes next."
The final pages are fragmentary. They mention "no path back," "her hand in mine," and "if love is the only country we have left, I will take it." The last legible line is believed to refer to the crossing: "We go together. There is no other way."
Preservation
The original diary is kept in Ix under conditions that limit handling. Transcripts and scholarly editions are available in the archives of Avaria and in the scriptorium at Norin. Quotations from the diary appear in the Chronicles of Faeloria and in studies of the Faefall era.