Most of The Archives are handwritten documents dating back thirty years or more. This is a problem in some cases as humidity has caused some of the writing to fade and/or wash away. Such is the case with the story of Massimo and Elva, who are the parents of the Elven Race.

Massimo was a Nomad and Elva a Pennan.

Here is part of the original version of The Story of Massimo and Elva. I believe it was written in the early 1980s.

Massimo took aim at the hart as it moved throug the trees. The distance was far, but not so great that he still could not reach it with his hunting bow. But just before he let his arrow fly the hart started and then took off.

Keeping his head, Massimo adjusted his aim quickly and left loose his arrow. It flew perfectly and struck the deer, piercing its heart and bringing it down. Massimo hurried forward to where it had fallen and began the task of dressing it out. Its weight was very near his own and to the tribe would be thankful. There would be meat for all. And the hide would serve as clothing.

But Massimo did not discard his own senses as he labored. Something had startled the hart. What was it? He was aware of nothing. Still, the hart's senses were keener.

He suddenly stopped and stood to his feet, drawing the sword from his back. He was aware of movement. several creatures had formed a ring and were now closing it in. But of what sort were they? Wolves? Unlikely. They would be quiet. Most likely they were men. And so he would need defend his kill.

Fortunately, he knew himself to be an excellent warrior, and so he was only a little afraid. He was, in fact, the best warrior and hunstman in the tribe. That was why he had made the journey so far from camp to find meat. He was the tribe's main provider. Still, it would be comforting now to have one or two other members at hand to give him aid.

That's the first page. There are seven pages written in this notebook. What I note about the style is that I still have a tendency to write rough drafts in this manner. It makes for a lot of work during the edit stage.

I never finished writing the story of Massimo and Elva. It was told orally to a friend of mine, who mostly enjoyed it. It's one of the things I need to get to once the Saga itself is published.