Varatas is in the archives as he tends to spend during his downtime. The human librarian who has been helping him locate texts, named Chifft, approaches you one evening with a very elderly looking half elf, dressed in plain brown travelers clothes with close cropped silver hair.

The half elf's eyes are milky, as if he might be blind. Chifft says, “This is Valnorin, one of our past librarians in retirement. We were eating dinner and when I mentioned to him you were looking for lore on dragons in Phlan near the founding, he mentioned that about 100 years ago, another elf was looking for the same information. I thought a… visit with Valnorin would be worth a… donation to the archives? All in good spirit you see.

“I thought I would bring Valnorin to you and see if he was able to answer any questions you may have… I will return in about an hour to collect Valnorin, as his sight isn't what it used to be.”

OOC: Let's just RP a touch in the wiki software. Just write “Varatas: blah blah” for dialogue. Use OOC for Out of Character questions etc..

Varatas's Post

Varatas dropped a small sack from under his cloak, containing 20 gp, on the table, leaving it for the librarian to retrieve. At least the fools here are up front with their desire for bribes. Varatas nodded to the librarian as he turned to the older elf. “Master Valnorin, you honor me with your presence. I am seeking answers to a family history. It appears on of my ancestors was stricken from our records. All that remained were some vague references to the name Sunflayer and that he visited Phlan.” At least mother and Vesti would be happy to know that not all her manner lessons went to waste.

Varatas turned to the drafting table behind him, with copies of the various notes he had pieced together. He motioned the elderly elf to the stool, knowing he would need to sit to see the little Varatas pieced together; “All I have been able to divine is that the ancestor was likely my great or great-great grandfather, that he did come through this region, the title “Sunflayer”, and that he did in fact carry my house’s name…”

Varatas paused, tension appearing on his brow as he guided his hand to the far side of the table. There laid a silver signet ring with the engraving of his family’s house, as well as a larger imprint of it, clearly written hundreds of years ago.

“…House Elthrai. There are also references to dragonblood but I cannot understand what exactly they meant by it. After all these dead ends I was considering speaking with the wizards at Denlor’s Tower but I would prefer my stay in Phlan to not be publicized.”

DM playing Valnorin

Valnorin raises his hands and says, “Thank you for your generosity. I know the name Sunflayer however, I did not know the name Elthrai.

“About 100 years ago, an elf came to these same archives seeking evidence of an elf with dragon's blood of the same name. He had a vague idea when Sunflayer visited Phlan, but we couldn't be sure if it was before or just after the city's founding. Back then we didn't have great archives; all we had were some scribes and writings of the various temples of those days.

“However, this elf that visited managed to find, mostly by luck, a very old scroll with a colored drawing of an elf with two heads, one elven and the other of a dragon. Underneath the drawing was torn and missing, but you could clearly make out the first four elven letters were “sunf”. If I had to guess, it was a drawing by a scribe from one of the early temples in Phlan. The elf demanded that the scroll was now 'his' and dropped a bag of gold on the ground and left with the scroll.”

He pauses and says, “Come to think of it, that elf was one of the rudest elves of seemingly noble heritage I've ever met. I understand the arrogance that some elves carry with their long lives, but this was more than just being an elf. I should know; my father was a full elf.

“Do you have any questions for me? My body is not long for this world, but my mind is reasonably sharp. However, my eyes are useless for reading now; I can only see about 5 feet away from me and out. Nothing up close.” As he says that he looks longingly at Varatas's work on the table, as if he wished he could join in the hunt for information.

Varatas

Varatas took a moment to take in what the elderly librarian told him. His mind raced with the possibilities of another seeking this information as a troubled gaze covered his face. It could have been another family trying to attack the family, no…Gramps and Father went to too many lengths wipe the history. Maybe it was an Elthrai. But who would be seeking this information? Gramps wasn’t traveling by the time I was born; maybe it was Uncle Teclis or father. No Uncle Teclis has been called many things but rude was not one of them. Was father ensuring any reference to Sunflayer was stricken?

Varatas’ face froze as another thought came into his mind. Could there be Elthrais I do not know about? One that was stricken from the records as well? Varatas’ mind flashed with possibilities that someone had answers and would share them, his eyes seeming like a child looking at a candy store. Varatas mumbled, “It must have been father or gramps.” Coming back to his senses Varatas looked at the old man, “Master Valnorin, do you remember anything that was contained in that scroll or anything about the elf? You said semmingly noble…what did you mean?”

Varatas buried the more sinister implications eating at the back of his mind. He swore he would find the answers to his true heritage. That was all that mattered…

Valnorin

“As to nobility, he spoke like he was used to being obeyed, and with perfect precise grammar. He also had that, shall we say, 'air' about him that most elven nobles I've met have held. Similar to yourself. However, I doubt this one was your father or older; this one was young… likely no more than 50 to 150 at the time, so.. he would likely be 150 to 250 years of age now.

“Regarding the scroll, there was not much else on it other than the drawing. The written parts had been torn away, leaving the drawing. However, I do remember something else… the dragon head on the drawing was as blue as the sky in spring.”

Varatas

If it wasn’t father, uncle, or gramps that only leaves my stupid cousin, but he doesn’t even fit the age described. Besides that fool couldn’t figure any of this out if I gave him all my notes. The answer was obvious to Varatas even as he mused his thoughts, there was another branch of the family that was well aware of the dragonblood and clearly wanted the same information. He turned back to the elderly librarian,

“Blue as the sky in spring. Tell me Master Vanorin, does Phlan have any history of encounters with Blue Dragons?” If the history on his family was gone, perhaps tracking dragons, as dangerous as it is, would lead to more answers.

Valnorin

“Oh master elf, what dragons have we not had encounters with? There are records of several blue dragons of various aged sightings in the dragon run and other incidents in Phlan's history. However, I'm the wrong archivist to ask about specific names of wyrms. Chifft may know of someone more appropriate.”

Varatas

Varatas mused on elderly man's accounts, his eyes glossing over the various documents. “Tell me Master Valnorin, are there any other records of Sunflayer or other powerful sorcerers or wizards and when they would have passed through these parts?”

Valnorin

Valnorin replies, “To my knowledge no. The elf I met filled in the missing pieces and completed “Sunf” to “Sunflayer” for me on the drawing that the elf kept. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that there are no other records. For example, you've been going through records not known to me either. Our city has had such turnover and calamity in the past, as well as lack of resources for the archivists, that our very early history is the least known and the least organized.”