Book 8: Chapter 74: Two Conditions
Qin Lun raised a finger and shook it, smiling. “First, as you mentioned earlier, the Uvaeren Slab belongs to the entire Elf race. Since you Sun Elves are about to move to Evermeet, you will have no more say in Faerûn. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what Ancient Inheritance is recorded on the slab. I can only let you make a copy. You can’t take the original.”
Milleras pondered for a moment, then sighed and agreed. “Alright. What’s the second condition?”
The high-level undead in the Tower of Durlag were once leaders of the Uvaeren Elf. If they chose to preserve any books from this library, they surely kept Uvaeren’s important legacies. The slab most likely held magic for tending and growing a World Tree Seed.
But those ancient legacies weren’t the slab’s main worth. Its true value came from representing the Uvaeren Elf’s ruling empire, the Risalal Empire. Just like the Sun Elves’ Empire of Vyshaantar in Aryvandaar long ago, this too was once the lawful government of the entire Elf race.
In Faerûn today, many Elven Courts exist, but none leads all Elves as one power. The Cormanthor Sun Elves walking the Ancient Path did this partly to scout a path for future migrating groups, and partly to prepare for building the Sun Court on Evermeet.
Even King Thanequalas of the Anke Elf Court gave Qin Lun the title of Saophila Elf Prince, putting him in the Sun Elf Diplomatic Mission partly to prevent Sun Elves alone from claiming the Ancient Path’s glory.
Still, this plan felt lacking. After all, Sun Elves started this Ancient Path journey. Qin Lun might help a lot, but he could only share the glory, not take it fully.
If the Anke Elf Court and King Thanequalas got the Uvaeren Slab, that changed things.
Even if Sun Elves gained the Ancient Path glory and established the Sun Court on Evermeet, that only restored Vyshaantar Empire’s place. To Elves in Faerûn, the Uvaeren Slab’s Risalal Empire stood as equal to the Vyshaantar Empire.