In the eerie silence of the palace, a heavy sense of foreboding hung in the air like a thick fog. The adventurers stood frozen in the grand hall, surrounded by the

haunting stillness of death. Not a single living soul remained within the once-glorious walls of the elven palace.

Ara's eyes widened in horror as she surveyed the scene before her, her hand instinctively rising to cover her mouth in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the overwhelming stench of decay that pervaded the air. "What- what in the world?" she gasped, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Deldrach, his sharp elven features twisted in a grimace of disgust, wrinkled his nose at the sight before them. "Who could have wrought such devastation upon these elves?" he mused aloud, his voice tinged with a note of disbelief. "And why do their bodies appear so strangely unmarred, as if they were merely slumbering?"

Ailas pondered the grim tableau before them. "It is unlike any plague I have ever seen," he murmured, his brow furrowed in deep thought. But Saida shook her head in disagreement. "No sickness could account for this," she declared, her voice solemn. "There is a dark magic at work here, mark my words."

As they ventured further into the palace, the grim toll of death revealed itself in every corner. Fallen guards lay motionless on the ground, their once-proud weapons now dulled by the patina of time. Two servants slumped against the marble stairwell, their lifeless eyes staring into eternity. And in the shadowed hallway, a lone butler lay sprawled on the ground, his final moments frozen in silent repose.

Kolvar knelt beside one of the fallen guards and hesitantly reached for a discarded spear. "Are we certain they are truly dead?" he questioned, his voice tinged with uncertainty. With a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, he prodded the guard's still form with the tip of the spear.

Ara's voice rose in a sharp protest as she swiftly snatched the spear from Kolvar's grasp, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and indignation. "Do not defile the fallen," she admonished, her tone firm. "There is a darkness here that we do not yet understand, and we must tread carefully if we are to unravel the mysteries of this cursed place."

"Yes, they are dead. I can't hear a breath coming from anyone, not a single soul in this place is alive," Saida confirmed, her voice tinged with a hint of unease as she nervously rubbed her arm, her gaze flitting warily around the desolate halls of the palace. "It's so depressing here... should we leave?"

Deldrach's jaw set in a determined line as he met Saida's gaze, his eyes flashing with unwavering resolve. "Why would we leave? We came here to find Queen Tsarra, and I'll be damned if I leave without finding her," he declared, his footsteps echoing off the cold stone floors as he strode past a fallen guard, his heart heavy with the weight of the unknown.

Saida let out a soft sigh, her emerald eyes reflecting a mix of exasperation and concern as she pushed past Ailas, her steps quickening to catch up with Deldrach. "Good grief, Deldrach," she muttered under her breath, her agile form moving with silent grace through the shadowed corridors of the palace.

Kolvar cast a wary glance at Ara and Ailas, his brow furrowed in apprehension. "So we're just going to wander into this palace where a bunch of dead elves are just lying around? Does anyone else feel like this is a bad idea?" he voiced his doubts, his grip tightening on his lute as he scanned their surroundings for any signs of danger.

Ara, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, playfully jabbed Kolvar in the ribs. "I'm going. At least you aren't afraid of dead bodies anymore, Kolvar," she teased, her voice laced with a hint of bravado as she followed in the footsteps of Deldrach and Saida. Kolvar responded with a mock scowl, sticking his tongue out playfully before continuing on, with Ailas trailing behind him like a silent shadow.

As the weight of the desolation pressed down upon them, Kolvar reached out to Ara's mind, weaving images of vibrant flowers, babbling streams, and lush forests from their homeland of Inranthemar in an attempt to shield their spirits from the chilling emptiness that pervaded the palace. The faint whispers of darkness that clung to the air seemed to dissipate ever so slightly in the face of their shared memories of beauty and life.

Silent as whispers on the wind, the group ascended the grand staircase, their footsteps echoing softly through the opulent halls of the palace. Down shadowed hallways and through intricately carved doorways, they ventured, their eyes scanning each lavish chamber they passed. Luxurious sleeping quarters, ornate dining halls, and grand bathing chambers lay empty before them, a testament to the extravagant design that Queen Tsarra had spared no expense on, or perhaps a legacy from a bygone ruler who had once called this place home.

The walls and floors of the palace were a tapestry of colors, painted in rich hues of lilac, lavender, mauve, and violet, interwoven with varying shades of yellow that bathed the corridors in a soft, ethereal glow.

"She was beautiful. Though she wore a crown of bones, which I always thought was rather odd," Ailas remarked quietly to the group as they continued their search for Queen Tsarra, his voice tinged with a mix of admiration and unease.

"A crown of bones? Whose bones were they?" Kolvar's expression twisted in disgust, his features contorted at the thought of such macabre adornment. Seeing a dead body was one thing, but wearing the remains of another on one's head was a grotesque notion to him.

"I do not know. I am not sure that anyone actually knew where they came from," Ailas admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "She was a formidable ruler, fierce and unyielding. But after the... after the Great Death, she changed. The stories speak of her once legendary feats of battle, her ferocity unmatched. Yet the woman I encountered was shrouded in darkness, devoid of the fire that once burned within her."

Halting in his steps, Ailas furrowed his brow in deep contemplation. "I regret not delving deeper into the tales of Gunja and Ibium, or the transformation of Tivruic into the malevolent being he became. There are no records of his existence before his descent into madness and darkness, only whispers of his rise from the abyss accompanied by grotesque creatures tainted by malevolence," he mused, his voice heavy with a sense of foreboding. "Their forms twisted and corrupted, their once divine essence now consumed by shadows and malice."

"No records before the Great Death?" Deldrach's voice cut through the solemn air, his gaze fixed on Ailas with a furrowed brow. "But I remember stumbling upon a census book from nine hundred years ago that mentioned his permanent relocation to the mortal realm," he added, his words carrying a weight of intrigue and mystery that hung heavy in the chamber.

Ara's brow furrowed in contemplation at Deldrach's revelation, her mind swirling with the enigmatic puzzle that surrounded the figures of Tivruic and Queen Tsarra, their histories veiled in shadows and half-truths.

"What was it that Tivruic said to us, Kolvar?" Ara turned to her companions, her voice tinged with a note of urgency as she sought to unravel the cryptic words that lingered in the air like a haunting melody.

"But her deeds, her sins... they will soon be laid bare for all to see. History may be forgotten, but the echoes of her tyranny will reverberate through the ages," Kolvar recited the chilling words of Tivruic, his voice heavy with a sense of foreboding that sent shivers down their spines.

"Sins? What dark legacy does Queen Tsarra leave behind that elicits such ominous warnings?" Saida interjected, her hand resting thoughtfully under her chin as she contemplated the grim revelations that unfolded before them.

"Well, if we cease our idle chatter and press forward, perhaps we shall uncover the truth," Deldrach declared resolutely, striding towards a massive door that loomed before them like a sentinel of secrets. The door, adorned with handles of gleaming copper, seemed to guard the chamber beyond with an air of foreboding mystery.

One by one, they attempted to breach the threshold, each met with obstacles that thwarted their efforts. Deldrach winced as the handle stung his hand, Ailas faced a similar discomfort, and Saida's attempts proved futile as the door remained steadfastly closed. Kolvar managed to coax the door open slightly, only to have it slam shut once more.

It was Ara, drawn by an unseen force, who approached the door with a sense of inevitability. As she reached out to touch the handle, the doors swung open effortlessly before her, revealing a chamber of ethereal beauty beyond.

Within the room lay Queen Tsarra, her regal form resting upon a bed adorned with intricate carvings of angels, nude figures, and delicately sculpted fruit. The flickering candlelight cast a haunting glow over the scene, illuminating the lifeless form of their monarch who lay in eternal repose.

Ara's breath caught in her throat as she beheld the sight before her, a wave of grief crashing over her as she collapsed to the ground, her sobs echoing through the chamber. Kolvar rushed to her side, his own gaze falling upon the lifeless queen, a shared horror reflected in his eyes as the weight of their discovery settled upon them like a shroud of despair.

Deldrach's roar reverberated through the stone walls, a primal sound that seemed to awaken ancient echoes. With a fierce gesture, he summoned forth his enchanted vines, tendrils of verdant power that snaked across the room with a life of their own. They coiled around the furniture, crushing the sturdy bed posts and splintering them into pieces, while crawling up the walls and ceiling like serpents of nature's wrath.

His eyes now blazed with a fiery red light, reflecting the turmoil within his soul. As he struggled to contain his rage, each breath he took was heavy and ragged, as if the very air around him trembled in fear of his unleashed power.

Saida fixed him with a steely gaze that sought to quell the tempest raging within him. Yet, beneath the facade of authority, Deldrach glimpsed a glimmer of vulnerability in her eyes, a silent plea for understanding and solace.

Before he could reach out to her, Ailas stepped forward with a gentle touch upon Saida's shoulder. In that simple gesture, her resolve crumbled, tears streaming down her face like a torrential rain, each droplet a silent lament for the loss they all shared.

As the room fell silent save for the sound of weeping, Deldrach's anger ebbed away, replaced by a profound sense of sorrow and longing. He turned away, his gaze fixed upon the open door, a barrier between them and the cruel reality they faced.

"I cannot fathom... Ryo's words foretold her demise should we dare confront Tivruic in battle, yet we never did," Ara's voice trembled with grief, her words choked with tears.

"Perhaps Ryo's visions were flawed, his mind clouded by madness that plagued him for so long," Deldrach muttered bitterly, a hint of regret lacing his words. "Or perhaps... there are truths yet untold, mysteries that even he could not unravel in his wisdom."

"I don't believe Ryo's words were in error. We cannot ascertain the length of time since their passing; perhaps he spoke of the new Queen," Ailas remarked, his voice laced with determination as he turned to face Deldrach before shifting his gaze back to Saida. "We shall unravel this mystery. There is time yet before Tivruic's arrival."

"By what means is a new monarch selected? Tsarra's reign endured for an age, her legacy etched in the annals of time," Saida mused, her sorrow-tinged words punctuated by a delicate sniffle as she brushed away the tears staining her cheeks.

"Gunja and Ibium," Ailas interjected, nodding toward a pocket in Ara's attire where two ancient stones rested. "They once held the power to anoint the sovereign, tethering our worlds. Alas, their visions are veiled to us now. We must rekindle that connection."

"We lack the knowledge to achieve such a feat," Ara stated, rising to her feet with a furrowed brow.

"Indeed, but they possess the answers," Ailas replied, extending his hand. "Pass me the stone. Together, we shall seek the path forward."

Ara relinquished the stone, and as the first rays of dawn painted the room in a golden glow, Ailas peered into the gem's depths. Images of Gunja and Ibium flickered within, ethereal and distant.

"Gunja, Ibium, guide us on this path. Queen Tsarra has departed, and we beseech your aid in selecting her successor," Ailas intoned, his eyes closed in anticipation of a response.

"Only a ruler can mend the fractured bond between our realms. Fortunately, the next monarch stands among you," the voices of the ancient gods resonated from the gemstone, enveloping the room in a hush. "Ara Vazorwyn, you are our chosen Queen."