Book of Tales: Rites of Passage

In a far away land there is a forest perpetualy covered in mist. No one knows why the forest is covered in mist all year round and there had been no record of the mist ever dispersing.

The forest houses myriad of creatures among them are the elusive elves. Elves are long-eared, long-lived race known for their beauty. It is said that they are atuned to nature and blessed by the world itself.

Elves rarely intermingle with other races. They are known to be aloof, hence they choose to lived in the forest of mist where no one can bother them.

Inside the forest lies settlements of varying sizes. All of this settlements belongs to the elves. The biggest among them houses the elf lord and elven nobles. In a way all of this settlements is what consist the elven kingdom - a kingdom inside the mist.

The story begins on one of its smallest settlements. A young elven lad is seen tinkering with a bow and arrows. The name if the elven boy is Leaf.

The reason why Leaf is tinkering with his bow is because he is preparing for his rites of passage. The elves has a long standing tradition where a young elf need to pass a test in order to enter the elven society. Once an elf pass this test he can be considered an adult and is free to choose an occupation of his choice.

For Leaf this is very important as this test will determine if he could become an adventurer in the future. Indeed, Leaf's wish is to be an adventurer and roam the world. Though Leaf loves his home and the forest of mist, he still wishes to see the outside world and not be confined inside the forest.

His dream began when he met a female adventurer 15 years ago while he was out playing in the forest. The adventurer got lost inside while chasing after a magical beast. There she meet the young Leaf and somehow manages to win his trust.

Since outsiders and non-elves are forbidden from entering the elven settlements they can only meet and talk outside. There the female adventurer told Leaf of the world outside the misty forest, thus planting the desire to see the outside world for himself.

Fast track to the present. After finishing his preparation, Leaf went to the square with a bag of provisions hanging in his shoulder. There he was greeted by other young elves taking the test as well. After several minutes of explanation from a noble elf. The young elves exits the settlement and went to the forest. There mission - hunt a troll.

to be continued...