The portal shimmered behind him, sealed with a whisper as Dreyfus stepped forward into the unknown. The Verdant Hollow stretched before him — a world turned inside out, its sky a living canopy of interwoven trees glowing with soft bioluminescence. Vines hung in midair like serpents, and the air brimmed with the perfume of moss, pollen, and age.

The wonder lasted only moments.

From the shadows of great trunks and woven bridges, figures emerged — lithe and silent. Night Elves. Their skin mirrored the moonless night, armor grown from bark and bone, weapons shaped from living branches. They moved as one and swiftly encircled him.

One stepped forward — tall, silver-haired, crowned in glowing roots. Her voice was steady and low.

“I am Syra'thal, Seerleaf of the Hollow’s western realm. In the Deep Dream, I saw a figure cloaked in fire and glass — a demon masked in civility — tearing this world’s roots apart. You stand where that demon stood.”

Dreyfus calmly lowered his hood and raised empty hands.

“I am no demon,” he said. “I am Dreyfus, Master of Portals. Builder of bridges, not destroyer of worlds. I come to raise a city that honors this plane, not defiles it.”

Her gaze stayed sharp. “Then prove it.”

Dreyfus stood firm in the clearing, surrounded but unshaken.

“I came to build a haven, not a battlefield,” he said. “Let’s imagine something greater than war — a city that lives because it listens.”

And so the forest listened.

You must now choose whether to coexist with the Night Elves or destroy them.

> The Pact of Living Stone: Dreyfus will build only with grown, living structures. No metal, no quarried stone — just a city shaped from the forest itself, guided by elven tradition.
> The Rootbound Oath: He offers a binding magical pact: if the city ever harms the Hollow, ancient wards will trigger and banish him. The Hollow becomes judge and executioner.
> Shared Watch — The Guardians’ Council: A council of Night Elf elders and Dreyfus’s envoys would oversee every phase of construction. Nothing advances without full consent.
> Sanctuary of Passage: Dreyfus proposes a neutral grove — a haven for interplanar travelers. No city, no conquest — only safe passage and elven stewardship.
> The Dreambinding Trial: He agrees to the Dreambinding, a sacred rite where Syra'thal would see his soul’s true shape. If darkness lies within, it will be revealed.
> The Weaving of Wards: He offers to embed peace wards around the site, preventing all hostile magic and summoning. The elves would hold the power to disable them at will.
> Path of Ruin: The Unrooting Spiral: If all diplomacy fails, Dreyfus can unleash a forbidden portal technique — collapsing the elven strongholds into void pockets and building atop their silence.
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