Records of a Broken Home

Some research requested from the Burgelfen Archives by the Burgraf during Deconstructing a Fictional Girl.

Methodology

We sent a number of keen young archivists into Eidolon. Assistance was gained from a 'quasi-trooper' squad from Beltan who were surprisingly keen to volunteer to assist in discrete information gathering for an unofficial request by local officials; or as they termed it, covert intelligence mission for a deniable police action. The Arandil / Garavheron family offered no assistance, claiming that the request was about a private family matter that did not concern anyone in Bergelfin, and that it was being taken care of. However, we did trace down the advocate that they threatened us with, and the Beltan squad managed to access his records through some obscure legal manoeuvre that we were unfamiliar with.

Edited Report Summary

The records show that a relationship was forged some 4 long years ago between Calime Tiadana Arandil of Eidolon and one Beriogelir of No Fixed Abode. A girl-child called 'Maetharanel' was born to the union, although she was never registered as being in the matrilineal line of Arandil. It appears that fundamental disagreements grew up around raising the child, as Calime Arandil tried to have this Beriogelir banned from Alfheim and denied access to their child, through laying charges of corrupting youth, the worship of dark powers, and sacrifices to the old gods. Beriogelir denied these charges, and sought legal help. It appears that funds were provided from the southern city of Senturae, and eventually the charges were dropped. A settlement was reached that involved neither him nor his kith and kin setting foot inside Alfheim unless the child was mature, and in return he would get his standard custodial rights, unless and until it could be proven that he was corrupting the child or leading her into false worship. The child was not allowed to be involved in events of a strongly religious nature until she had reached her majority at 7 long years.

The custodial arrangement was also somewhat unusual, in that it involved a double-blind handover via a third party. The child was to be delivered by the mother to the river mouth some 800 miles due south of the furthest west bay of the inland sea. Then a third party called Manon Alcarion, who apparently was an expert in discretely transporting elvish children without them being traced - some sort of child protection agent, we believe - would pick them up, and deliver them to an equally obscure point for the father to take custody. The first hand-off went smoothly - the child left Eidolon on 10 Shadow Edge, Fox¹, and embarked on a vessel at the river mouth the next day. Reports gathered from the father during a subsequent dispute indicate that the child was received on 14 Shadow Edge, Fox². Complaints were laid at that stage that the child had been sent too late for him to have his four resonant years of custody in her second long year. The reply was that the child need not leave the mother for more than 7 seasonal years, and that he would still have 5 long months, given the guarantee of less than a fortnight's travel each way.

The legal exchanges then get quite technical, and talk about whether the aspect of the child should help select which of the three conventions are to be chosen; we have not included them in the summary.

The trail goes cold for another few years, until complaints from Arandil are raised about the late return of the girl, due back in the first week of Gathering Dark, Phoenix³. Alcarion assures the household that he picked up the girl on the second winter solstice of the Phoenix⁴, and delivered her to the river mouth on the first day of chaos⁵ as per instructions. Arandil cuts off all further dealings with him, and instead calls in political favours to both search for her child, and invade the mysterious homeland of Beriogelir. It appears that some sort of search takes place for the next several years, slowly tapering off. The invasion never took place, due to a lack of general political will, and the perceived hysteria of Arandil Garavheron household.

A decade later, a complaint is filed by Beriogelir, stating that the girl never showed for her second visit. Increasingly threatening letters are exchanged by both parties. Five years later, this last autumn, Beriogelir declares that the agreement is null and void, and that he will begin a search of the northern continent for his daughter, including whichever parts of Alfheim he may so choose to visit. No further correspondence is recorded by any party.

References

Knowledge of Elven Custodial Laws and Elven Calendars may be of assistance.

Timeline

• ¹ WK Date 7 Snow 784 (10th Shadow Edge, Fox) - First Handover from Mother to Go-Between
• ² WK Date 11 Snow 784 (14th Shadow Edge, Fox) - First Handover from Go-Between to Father
• ³ WK Date 28 Frost - 4 Snow 791 (1-7 Gathering Dark, Phoenix) - Complaints from Mother's Family
• ⁴ WK Date 15 Snow 791 (Winter Solstice, 18th Gathering Dark, Phoenix) - Alleged Handover from Father to Go-between
• ⁵ WK Date 19 Snow 791 (1st Day of Chaos, 22nd Gathering Dark, Phoenix) - Alleged Attempted Handover from Go-between to Mother's Family
• - WK Date 19 Seed 795 (1 Silver Lion) - Clarissa arrives at the Guild.
• - WK Date 7 Snow to 16 Blossom 808 - Attempted recoveries by Beriogelir or associates?

Note - Beriogelir means "happy protector" and is roughly analogous to Edward or Edmund, rather than "The Corrupter". Also 784 to 791 matches the aura of the plant extracts used in Clarissa's tattoos.