Never Alone

The Pool of Remembrance.
Hidden just behind the pavilion, a small pool scents the surroundings with sweetness and brightens the colour of the flowers growing around. Though the pool is small in size, the waters run deep, stirred by the hidden spring that is its source. The fragrant waters so clear that the many-hued pebbles along the bottom are visible, stepping within refreshes the mind and brings memory to the fore. Floating serenely within the pool, a tightly-closed lotus waits to blossom. A sigil in the shape of a small, rectangular monolith is on the ground. In the shape of an open palm, a metallic sigil lies here. Sower Lotheryn is here. He wields a whip of glowing energies in his left hand and a nature talisman in his right.
You see a single exit leading out.
The very scent of the water fills you with a sense of nostalgia. Your thoughts clear and sharpen as you prepare to reminisce.

Lotheryn rises from the centre of the pool, trunk standing tall in the rippling waters.

Lotheryn groans as he begins to sway bodily, his branches waving in the air, small buds forming along many of them. With a burst of life, moontear flowers blossom within Lotheryn's eaves, colourful and bright.

You have emoted: Lief wings into the area, her arms overburdened by many colourful scarves as her nose sniffs about. Eventually, she focuses her eyes on Lotheryn, sighting him, and beams, hovering near the edge of the pool in silence. After a moment, she says, "I'll ask everyone else, just in case."

Lotheryn nods his head emphatically.

(Yneli): You say, "Hello, dear Mayflowers. Lotheryn is ready to undergo Marythen. We are gathered at the Pool of Remembrance and will begin shortly if any would like to join us."

Lotheryn smiles a splintered smile as his roosting animals begin to sit within his branches, each of them dressed smartly in moontear petals, baby's breath and white lilies.

You have emoted: Lief's grey eyes skim the entirety of the Pool, drinking in the image before her as she hovers on quietly-humming wings.

Continuing the hunt for his dark mate, Father Sun presses forward in his journey, lowering himself in the sky yet still casting even, full light upon the land.

Lotheryn concentrates for a moment before the moss on his flanks begins to sprout tiny tendrils capped in white.

Her ears twitching as though straining, you say, "All is quiet. This is as it is." She hugs the proliferation of colour she carries to herself, smiling as she admires the whitening moss and pale, lovely blooms. "Let us begin, dear Lotheryn, when you are ready."

Face sliding around to view the falling moontear petals, Sower Lotheryn says, "I am Yneli, and I have discovered that I am more than I knew I was."

You have emoted: Lief draws closer to Lotheryn, her bare toes skimming the surface of the pool, drawing ripples as she approaches. "I see you, Yneli," she says with ceremony. She pauses when she is near enough to Lotheryn to bob beneath his canopy, then shuffles the scarves upon her arm until the red sash is singled out. Her fingers caress its vibrant, sanguine color as she asks, "What have you discovered being a wildewood means to you?"

Sower Lotheryn says, "Being a Wildewood is being a vessel of the forest, Elder Lief, it is a gift of communion with the tree and flower and leaf and beasts and birds and bugs. It is to give of myself freely, and receive the forest freely in return."

As the sun passes below the horizon's edge, Mother Night unveils her terrible, shadowy beauty, spreading darkness across the land.

With a tranquil, splintered smile, Sower Lotheryn says, "The sap of my heartwood runs warm with the life that thrives all around."

You have emoted: Reaching up as she rises to Lotheryn's branches, Lief begins weaving a bright red scarf with an embossed tulip throughout the brilliant white flowers and the leaves. "May your boughs always sustain others as the First Forest sustains you," the faeling murmurs as she works.

You lift a bright red scarf with an embossed tulip and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn smiles as a little flock of ladybugs takes wing to colour his branches in spots of red.

You have emoted: Lief draws back down, a smile dancing upon her face as she finds Lotheryn's yellow, sap eyes. She once more shuffles the scarves upon her arm, singling out an orange ribbon of cloth. "What is one thing you have discovered you are greatly accomplished at?"

Across the heavens, the stars and moon challenge night's dark reign, revealing familiar constellations that tell the tales of myth and legend.

Sower Lotheryn says, "I am accomplished at sight, Elder. I search for the truth of the Seed, I search for the truth of the Forest Slayer, I search for the truth of the insects and squirrels, I search for the truth of the bluebell and the green moss. I look to each of these for knowledge and for wisdom, and they share their secrets with me."

Sower Lotheryn says, "From Militi ma'Salmon to the Seed and Pit, I see things that may be, and I seek more perspectives still."

You have emoted: Bobbing in place, Lief nods her antlered head slightly as she listens. Her eyes brighten, and she raises a bright orange scarf with an embossed tiger lily as she likewise rises in the air. Once more, she begins to thread the ribbon of bright, warm orange about Lotheryn's branches, winging a slow and methodical circle as she quietly says, "May your vision pierce even the darkest of nights."

You lift a bright orange scarf with an embossed tiger lily and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn sways as striking monarch butterflies burst from discreet cocoons to pepper his canopy with their beating orange wings.

Midnight shadows coalesce around a new day, and Mother Night embraces the land in utter darkness.
It is now the 23rd of Roarkian, 544 years after the Coming of Estarra.

You have emoted: Lief's fingers reach up, allowing one monarch butterfly to alight upon her outstretched digit with barely a feather's weight to announce its presence. She smiles as she lowers herself back down, admiring its resplendent wings, then looks once more to Lotheryn. "What is one thing that greatly motivates you in your journey toward Certainty?"

Sower Lotheryn says, "Compassion, Elder. I refuse to be someone who does not look upon a chick without a nest or a hungry fawn and extend an olive branch of compassion. Be it healing the rivers to planting new dryad-acorns, no matter what I do, I aim to help others."

You have emoted: Colours flicker to life in Lief's eyes, there and gone again, snatches of warmth and brightness inflaming their depths with passing light. She raises her hand to Lotheryn's trunk, allowing the butterfly to creep from her finger to the bark, and then selects a bright yellow scarf with an embossed daffodil to begin weaving about the branches and blooms. As she works, she murmurs, "May your canopies ever offer shade for those who need it."

You lift a bright yellow scarf with an embossed daffodil and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn shivers as pollen-wreathed honeybees emerge from a lofty hive to hum a benediction of yellow and gold around his flowers.

You have emoted: Lief's ears twitch, picking up the noise well above the quiet hum of her own wings, and eventually she draws front to meet Lotheryn's gaze again. Her own eyes are bright and inquisitive. "How do you nurture your dream as a Sower of the Last Seed?"

Argent moonlight pierces the blue glow of the Flame of dae'Seren upon you, enshrouding you momentarily in a silver mantle.

Sower Lotheryn says, "With dedication and passion, Elder - I seek understanding. I seek fertile soil and I seek seeds for planting, and I seek injured things and make them whole. I keep that spark of hope glowing bright by fueling it with truth. I know the Forest will burn to ash, and I know that with the Seed and the labour of the Serenwilde will ensure we rise again."

Sower Lotheryn says, "As long as my heart, and the hearts of my brothers and sisters, still beat as one Wilde, the forest is eternal. Even in the darkest days Elder Wisdom escaped from, the Serenwilde springs eternal."

The last vestiges of midnight shadows flee as Mother Night hides herself from the luminous arrival of her shining mate as he chases her across the bowl of the sky.

You have emoted: Lief carefully picks out a bright green scarf with an embossed carnation from her dwindling supply, and raises her hands to work its vibrant, earthy color among the others draping throughout Lotheryn's boughs and branches. Her expression is contemplative as she works, and, eventually, she quietly says, "May you persevere with hope, Lotheryn, even when all else seems lost."

You lift a bright green scarf with an embossed carnation and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn beams beatifically downwards as small tree frogs pop out of the water to sing an amphibian chorus on his half-submerged roots and mossy flanks.

You have emoted: Lief lowers herself, eyes finding the source of the songs. One hops upward, clinging to Lotheryn's trunk and scurrying a bit before dipping back into the shallow pool, powerful legs propelling him forward. She smiles once more as well, then raises her gaze again. "What do you plan to do with the vision you received from the Last Seed?" she asks, pulling apart the blue ribbon from the remaining purple.

Sower Lotheryn says, "I intend to prepare for the Winter, Elder. Prepare seeds for regrowth, prepare knowledge for the Vault, arm the Spirits and the forest and the fae as best I can. It will not be the last hardship for the Wildes to endure, but with wisdom and foresight, we will be able to not only reduce the devastation, but be poised to take full advantage of the loss, regrowing far, far more quickly than our enemies could dare to dream."

Sower Lotheryn says, "I wouldn't be surprised if we stretched from the Versasavir and the Hifarae."

Lotheryn nods his head sagely.

You have emoted: "From fire comes new growth," Lief murmurs, almost to herself. She smiles again, her dragonfly wings hoisting her within reach of yet-unadorned branches, and there she resumes her weaving work with a bright blue scarf with an embossed forget-me-not. "May your vision and your dream join purpose in harmony."

You lift a bright blue scarf with an embossed forget-me-not and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn looks sombre as a glittering swarm of fireflies takes flight, dancing as flashes of blue across the mirrored surface of the pool.

You have emoted: Lief is likewise illuminated when she descends from Lotheryn's canopy again. She gazes about herself, taking in all the life, the beauty, the dazzling array of hues which have taken life here, and then she looks directly into Lotheryn's eyes. But one scarf remains, deep and purple, and she holds it out within both her outstretched hands. "How will you spread your resplendent colours to the world around you?"

Sower Lotheryn says, "By living, Elder Lief, and by celebrating life. I have begun designing and painting, I share pleasant evenings with the trees of the forest, pleasant dawns with the river, pleasant noons with the flowers and the meadows, and I am ever-ready to make new connections, and promote perspectives that are so often overlooked, from the birch sapling and the nests of bluebirds to the Little Spirit Salmon and the sleeping Tree of Trees."

The sweet voice of Kavindra rises through the Temple of Maylea, singing of peace and hope, joy and forgiveness.

The sun reaches the zenith of the firmament, pausing in his quest to allow the land to bask in his shining golden rays.

Lotheryn smiles a splintered smile as a chirping pair of fairy wrens dip and dart in a joyous game, winging a wide circle along the banks of the pool.

You have emoted: As Kavindra's voice rises in powerful melody, Lief closes her eyes, drifting along the surface of the pool, her toes dragging a shallow wake behind her. She lifts, bobbing like a boat upon shifting tides, and rises some more until she can reach what approximates a 'crown' for Lotheryn. Here she settles a bright purple scarf with an embossed violet, her attention warm as she says, "May your colours beget colours, and your life beget life."

You lift a bright purple scarf with an embossed violet and carefully place it upon Lotheryn.

Lotheryn dips slightly lower, as a swarm of iridescent purple beetles begin to scuttle across his branches, clustering like bunches of ripe grapes.

You have emoted: Lief lowers and draws back a bit, her hands - now empty - clasping before her kimono robed lap. She bobs at the boundaries of Lotheryn's canopy, her eyes bright and expectant.

Face sliding around the circumference of his trunk to delight in the panoply of colour, Sower Lotheryn says, "I am a Mayflower, and I will continue to discover that I am more than I know I am."

Continuing the hunt for his dark mate, Father Sun presses forward in his journey, lowering himself in the sky yet still casting even, full light upon the land.

You graciously grant Lotheryn entrance into the Divine Order of Maylea, Bloom of Serenity.

Meeting Lotheryn's eyes, you rest your hand over your heart in greeting, sensing the link between your kindred spirits as a prismatic array of colour shimmers through your vision.

Lotheryn meets your gaze as he touches his heart in greeting, prismatic colours glinting briefly in his eyes as you sense the link between your kindred spirits.

Merrily, you say to Lotheryn, "Welcome to Marythen, Lotheryn!"

Lotheryn smiles as a furrow opens above his three eyes, and a squirrel comes and wedges the bindi into position above his face.

Lotheryn slips into a translucent crystal bindi.

Upon the air, a soft, shimmering voice floats, carried by the scent of wildflowers: "Well done, little one." A single droplet falls into the pool, and the waters ripple in concentric circles.

Lotheryn cracks a smile, revealing splintered teeth and wet sap.

Lotheryn groans as he begins to sway bodily, his branches waving in the air, small buds forming along many of them. With a burst of life, all of his many flowers blossom within Lotheryn's eaves, colourful and bright.

Sower Lotheryn says, "I am proud and humbled, Elder Lief, Elder Maylea. Thank you for guiding me towards who I truly am."

You have emoted: Lief wings happily around Lotheryn as she breathes in the redolent air deeply. She opens her eyes, beaming at Lotheryn, and says, "You have grown so much in the short time I have known you, Lotheryn, and there is still so much more for you to learn and experience. I truly, sincerely look forward to seeing your colours blossom and spread."

You tell Sower Lotheryn, "The bindi that you wear is your bond to our Lady."

You tell Sower Lotheryn, "If you ever wish to call Her attention to you directly, you may always feel free to TOUCH it. She may also speak to you through it - if you sense that She has, you may LISTEN to it."

Lotheryn tilts his head and listens intently to a translucent crystal bindi.

You nod your head at Lotheryn.

Beaming, you say to Lotheryn, "Precisely so."

Lotheryn cracks a smile, revealing splintered teeth and wet sap.

Shadows grow longer in anticipation for the return of their dark mistress as Father Sun's chase brings him closer to the world's edge.

As she rises higher again, gently touching one of the many different-coloured flowers within the eaves, you say, "You are now on your way to Marythen. Your path will be long, and I hope you will grow strong and grow well upon it. I am here for you, as is our Lady, as is our Order."

Lotheryn closes his three eyes and takes a moment to take in the exultant celebration of life all around.

You have emoted: Lief lights upon one of Lotheryn's branches, perching there as she turns to face his trunk. "You may begin where you will in exploring the Nine Serene Truths, but your path will end with Enlightenment. Take all the time that is right for you to fully immerse yourself in the path to Serenity. Your path will ever be your own to tread."

As the sun passes below the horizon's edge, Mother Night unveils her terrible, shadowy beauty, spreading darkness across the land.

His face drifting up to meet yours, Sower Lotheryn says, "I have glimpsed the Chaeyr, Uyod and Ilua, Elder Lief, and they all bloom bright in my vision. Like choosing a season, I stand within each in turn, at different times. How can I choose what season suits me best?"

A warm smile blooming across her face, you say, "By feeling which sings to you most truly. As you explore the Nine Serene Truths, you may explore them in any of the three manners. Communion may be in the style of Chaeyr, and Introspection in the style of Ilua, if that is where your life and your experiences take you."

Lotheryn's trunk swells in size as a gust of air rushes into his mouth. Slowly, the air around him begins to shudder with a rumbling vibration that crescendos into a low, deep 'hoom.'

You say to Lotheryn, "Once you have felt them each in turn, you will likely know which resonates strongest with you by the time you approach Enlightenment."

Sower Lotheryn says, "There will be room in my heart for all things in their season then, I am fortunate that I can simply live and express myself to find the Truths."

Laughing a bit, her feet dangling beneath her, you say, "I know that when my journey toward Marythen first began, I couldn't perceive where I would find Enlightenment either. But here I am, of Ilua, and Ilua fits me true."

You nod your head at Lotheryn, showing your acceptance.

Across the heavens, the stars and moon challenge night's dark reign, revealing familiar constellations that tell the tales of myth and legend.

With a bob of his face against his trunk, Sower Lotheryn says, "Ilua was my inspiration for the painting I submitted to you! I wanted to let them all bloom like a dream on the canvas."

You have emoted: Lief clasps her hands together over her lap, her eyes bright. "It is truly an inspired work - so many colours within it, so many perspectives to be perceived!"

You have emoted: Lief rocks forward, letting herself drop out of Lotheryn's branches, her wings stuttering to catch her only just before she strikes the pool's surface. They carry her up again, and she bobs there, beaming at Lotheryn. "I am truly overjoyed, Lotheryn," she confesses. "I know that just as quiet around you can nourish, it can isolate as well. It brings me joy to see you have continued to blossom in spite of it, and I hope you know that I am always available for you."

The sweet voice of Kavindra rises through the Temple of Maylea, singing of peace and hope, joy and forgiveness.

Lotheryn lets his face slide abruptly down to follow you with a sappy grin.

As his wildlife begins to return to their nests and burrows, Sower Lotheryn says, "I am never alone, Elder Lief, the company I keep in quieter months are just not so skilled at conversation."

You have emoted: Lief flits another circle about Lotheryn, her eyes dancing with merriment. "Nor shall you ever be alone again, so long as you continue to seek our Lady as well."