"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp"

"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 1)

                       DARKENWOOD STUDIES
                            By Elsp

       Brief Observations.....................................2
       Darkenwood and Shadow Realm, a Comparative Study.......3
                  Sources of Power.........................3
                  State of the Forests.....................4
                  Conclusion...............................4
       The Darkenwood's Link to Northreach....................5
       Discussion.............................................6
       The Arachnoi...........................................7
       Twilight and Nature, Brief History.....................8
       The Spirits of the Forest..............................9
 (+12 Mana)
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 2)
BRIEF OBSERVATIONS OF THE DARKENWOOD

The following observations are some of those which lead us to believe
that the Darkenwood is indeed ill. After the areas were studied.. these
were found to be the most conclusive points. There are a great many more
dying trees and withering plants than is listed here, but death is a
part of Nature, and similar scenes can be seen in a number of forests.
These notes below however, are not of mere death but of an unbalancing
force which is affecting the entire forest, a force which according to
these notes seems to be resulting in a death of a kind which resembles
nothing natural.

You wonder what foreign blight could imbalance the great forest so.

Many trees have lost their leaves, bare trunks and branches dying
slowly, and although more light comes through the diminished canopy
above, the forest feels darkened and reduced.

A great sadness descends upon you as you walk You realise that some
magic has altered this place permanently beyond nature's balance.

The ferns and nettles that rise through the odorous depths of the ground
appear smitten by some sickness

writhing boughs that climb out from the poisoned ground in a vain
attempt to grasp at sunlight from above.

No plant-like or living flora can be seen despite your eyes becoming
accustomed to the darkness of the world beneath the forest canopy. The
smells of decay and rotting wood are prevalent

the trunks of the diseased trees are all that is to be seen

It is rare to hear something in this diseased wood other than an
occasional dull thud as a sickly branch drops down on to the ground
the sad remains of what must once have been a great and noble forest.

Nothing stirs within these accursed eaves.

Your heart is filled with the sensation of death and gloom, the trees
around you either grey and lifeless or distorted and twisted by some
foul malice.

through the dying wood to the west the wood referred to is the entire
Darkenwood, in our opinion.
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 3)
DARKENWOOD & SHADOW REALM COMPARATIVE STUDY

Sources of Power
----------------
DARKENWOOD - Imbued with Twilight's essence. It is claimed that the life
their survives only because of this essence. The Darkenwood was created
by the accumulation of Lord Twilight's essence which was released during
the time of the ritual in which Xandor and Orina played a part. The
essence first imbued all forests, but was later channelled into a
particular area due to a second ritual taking place. However, the
essence itself did not form the forest, it merely changed that which was
present already, thus creating the Darkenwood.

From Shade's history of the Darkenwood, public post 9850 -
"...and the Dark essence rested there, _creating_ the Darkenwood."

Shade makes no mention that there was already forest present in that
location, but that is a simple fact. Not debatable - many observations
noted about the forest have been made based on the presence of this
previous forest. The most significant perhaps, "...the sad remains of
what must once have been a great and noble forest." An observation made
Among the Darkened Trees.

The Darkwalkers claim that Twilight's essence is what allows the forest
to survive in its current state. Whether this essence, this source of
power, is having a beneficial or detrimental effect is still being
researched. There is a main theory about the presence of the essence;

It is possible that it is residue from the original ritual. Gaia
mentioned during the Darkenwood's beginnings that the gathering of
essence over that area would turn the forest into the Darkenwood, but
that over time the essence would fade away and the forest would return
to its previous state. No observations have pointed to the Darkenwood
slipping back to a more usual state, and it is possible that an outside
source is preventing it from doing so. An unnatural blight, or some form
of magic. Or perhaps Gaia's permanent absence has had an effect on the
course the forest was meant to take. It has also been suggested that the
Obsidian Plinth in Twilight's grove may also be linked to this - however
no facts have been discovered on that front, and as plinths tend to act
as receivers for energy rather than sources. It is possible the plinth
is drawing on the energy from the forest around it, weakening it as it
does so.

'No more than 2 feet tall, this small plinth is crafted of dark
obsidian. Upon it, there is a miniature likeness of the Lord of
Darkness, with His arms raised heavenward. Occasionally, streaks of
darkfire leap from the plinth and suffuses the Grove with power. You are
not certain, but perhaps this small plinth is the true source of power
for the trees in this forest which has scant access to sunlight.'

SHADOW REALM - The Shadow Realm is powered by the Divine Will of
Twilight Himself. By His Darkness and essence. However, these natural
areas differ from the Darkenwood as they were not based on natural areas
already present, but created in full by Twilight. Within Twilight's
Shadow Grove is the Tree of Shadows, and it is this which appears to
conduct Twilight's power throughout the forest there.

"This huge mahogany tree glows with a dark, ethereal luminence. It seems
that this tree is the source of the energy that gives life to the flora
of this darkened grove. As you gaze at the tree, you notice a pair of
gleaming red eyes peering back at you."
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 4)
The state of the forests
------------------------
DARKENWOOD - The Darkenwood, based only on our observations of the life
and lack thereof within the forest, is believed to be in an unhealthy
state. It seems as though the original patch of forest has been altered
significantly, in an extremely detrimental way. This alteration is not
natural, and no form of evolution allowing the forest to progress
healthily has been noted. The forest is lacking in both flora and fauna,
the few species present are sickly or diseased, dying because of the
blight with which the wood has been afflicted.

SHADOW REALM - The Shadow Realm, sacred to the Twilighters for the same
reason as the Darkenwood, because of it's affiliation with the essence
of Twilight, is an extremely different case to the Darkenwood. Here
Twilight's essence is a power which has created life, and allowed it to
thrive, albeit in a different manner to that which we are used to, but
it is most definitely alive and healthy. Species are much more abundant,
a far greater diversity is present of both flora and fauna than that
which we see in the Darkenwood. Here species have evolved to cope with
there irregular environment. A perversion of the kinds of life we are
used to seeing, but most definitely thriving.

Conclusion
----------
While the Shadow Realm benefits from the essence of Twilight, the
Darkenwood, due to its differing beginning, is suffering only
detrimental effects. While life in the Shadow Realm is based on
Darkness, and thus occurs naturally, life in the Darkenwood is tainted
by the Darkness, the great forest of the past which the Darkenwood began
as is unable to evolve and cope with the changes that the Darkness has
brought.
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 5)
THE DARKENWOOD'S LINK TO NORTHREACH
-----------------------------------
Northreach and the area now known as the Darkenwood were once the same
forest. Before the Darkenwood was altered by unnatural magics, it had
the same climate, precipitation, elevation and temperature as the rest
of the forest. The flora and fauna were also of equal diversity,
richness and abundance as that which we see in the Northreach now. In
effect, the Darkenwood was simply a part of the Northreach forest. The
separation of the two areas took place only after the accumulation of
Twilight's essence within part of the great Northreach.
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 6)
DISCUSSION
----------
The state of the Darkenwood has been compared to very small locations in
other forests, locations which have dying flora, or signs of decay,
mentions of withering plants and so on. The presence of these locations
in other forests has been used to argue that the present state of the
Darkenwood is merely a natural occurence, that death occurs in all
forests and that withering plants mean nothing.

Death is a part of nature, but there must be balance. What is happening
in the Darkenwood is neither natural nor balanced in any way. It is not
a patch of dead trees, or a spot of withering brush which is a problem,
all forests have areas in which the old growth is dying off and new life
sprouts to fill its place. The Darkenwood is a case in which the entire
forest is dying - not isolated spots. And the death which is visible is
not nature taking its course. The Darkenwood is a natural forest which
has been altered to an unnatural state and thus the death which we are
currently witnessing is not a progression of its life as it should be.
The great forest still remains underneath the blight with which is has
been cursed, it's form and state is simply reduced.

There are claims that the forestal defenders and guardians cannot look
past the visions of forests which they are used to, and accept that the
Darkenwood is not sick, merely different. These claims were one of the
primary reasons for this study to have been undertaken. A forest being
of different character to that which we have seen in the past is not a
concern. However, when the difference of the forest is not in character,
but the state of the life within, there is a problem. Gnarled branches
and twisted, seemingly misshapen trees are not a sign of death, neither
are contorted leaves or blackened tree trunks. The aesthetic qualities
of the Darkenwood have not been confused with their health. These
aesthetics are unique, there is no doubt as to that, but it is not the
reason the health of the Darkenwood was brought into question and not
the reason it is believed to be dying. Aesthetics are not a way in which
any forest can have its health diagnosed, if that was so, it would be a
diagnosis based on the individual's appreciation of beauty and good
taste - a highly subjective and unsuitable way to come to any factual
conclusion. The aesthetic qualities of the Darkenwood forest have been
disregarded in the appraisal of its health.

Since the passing of Lady Gaia, each of the large forests now has a
Spirit of Nature within it. These Spirits, formerly a part of Gaia, are
guardians of a kind, bound to their forest. Their influence can be seen
and felt in each most noticeably as a warm breeze. Their efforts to keep
the forest alive and healthy can be seen as the breeze blows past you
and the forest seems to vibrate with life. It has been noted that seeing
'A warm breeze flows through the forest and the Darkenwood vibrates with
life.' leads many to believe that the Darkenwood is not in any danger.
However, the forest vibrating with life is not simply because the forest
is in a healthy state - but because of the efforts of the spirits. This
warm breeze has only been an occurrence since the forests were healed of
the plague of decay, after the passing of Gaia, and after the Spirit's
cries of pain and torment because of that plague had ceased.

The harvestable plants within the Darkenwood are surviving quite well.
This does not, however, mean that the Darkenwood is in a healthy state
rather than a detrimental one. These species of plants are particularly
hardy, as is proven by their constant regrowth despite continual
harvesting, in locations all over the continent. The evidence towards
the Darkenwood's true state of health encompasses all varieties of flora
and fauna within the forest, or lack thereof, not merely those plants
which we use most often. If the forest's health continues to progress
detrimentally we may very well see an effect on these hardier strains of
plant.

It is argued that the forest should be left untouched no matter what is
happening to it, because it is natural and Nature is not to be
interfered with. The Darkenwood is not, however, natural - at least not
in its current state. What was previously a natural area of forest has
been altered unnaturally by the accumulation of Twilight's essence.
Furthermore, it was mortals which caused this alteration through the
ritual of the Soul-fire and Darkness. It is the result of unnatural
action and thus, should be resolved by the same means. It was the wisdom
of Esos, one of the old spirits, that is best remembered bringing this
point forth.

'Suddenly a birds nest falls from one of the tall trees. It hits the
ground with nary a sound to herald its arrival save the injured cry of
the young sparrows within. The golden-haired boy looks upon the nest
sadly and then up to you.

Orina picks up the wounded sparrow.

Esos says, "Druids must neither sing the praises of light, nor fear the
night stealing the soul of the day. A Druid does not interfere with
nature."

Esos says, "You didn't knock it down, don't pick it up."'

And thus, Nature is not to be interfered with. It is to follow its path.
When Nature has been interfered with, that path must be restored.

Surveys were taken and it has been found that it is possible to forage
for a sizeable cluster of nuts and berries within the Darkenwood.
However the diversity of that which is collected and healthiness of the
individual nuts and berries is a reflection of the the forest in which
they are found. The blight on the Wood seems to be affecting almost all
species, foraged varieties included.
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 7)
THE ARACHNOI
------------
The Arachnoi are part of the reason the Darkenwood was brought into
existence, and thus, many are unsure if they could cope with a change of
environment. The Arachnoi are children of Nature and Darkness. They
cannot survive in areas which have been tainted by construction or which
are light.

However if the Darkenwood lost its state of Darkness there are still
possibilities for the Arachnoi's survival, two of which follow.

The first noted is the Shadow Realm, if they took up residence in
Twilight's Shadow Grove. Now, the Shadow Grove is actually a much
healthier environment than the Darkenwood is at present, and quite free
of light - as well as quite withdrawn from buildings. They should have
suitable supplies of food, hunting there should be quite successful,
considering the variety of creatures which inhabit the Darkness.
Although there are constructions in the Shadow Realm, there are also
similar constructions in the Darkenwood and the Arachnoi cope well
enough there. They simply have to stay out of contact with the tainted
locations.

The other, and perhaps more suitable possibility is to remain where they
are. It is quite likely, based on the geology of the area and existing
caves, that a larger cave networks exists, but is undiscovered. If this
proves true, the Arachnoi can survive in the caves by day and within the
forest by night, hunting and so on only when the light fades into
darkness of night. It is not harmful for the Arachnoi to travel at underthe cloak of night, we are aware from their struggles before
the
Darkenwood came into existance. It was daytime which posed a problem for
them, daytime and breaks in the forest canopy allowing light to trickle
in.
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 8)
TWILIGHT AND NATURE - A BRIEF HISTORY
-------------------------------------
198 AF:
Twilight, God of Darkness, emerges from the shadows to once again
participate in the intrigues He so loves.

209 AF:
Gaia, gone half-mad, infected by a demon of chaos, slays Twilight, God
of Darkness, breaking an aeons-old oath not to directly harm another
God. Twilight, with the assistance of Eris, Aurora, and Oneiros, bind
Gaia, and imprison her in the Gaian Tree as punishment.

212 AF:
Eris gives Her support to Twilight, who brings darkness to the forests
of Achaea. His revenge over Gaia, now called Oathbreaker, is complete.

Aurora, discovering that Gaia had been corrupted by a seed of insanity,
informs the mortals that she, Hermes, and Oneiros will assist them in
releasing Gaia. After much work by Gaia's loyal followers, she is freed.

221 AF:
Hashan begins to grow, as it begins accepting new citizens.

227 AF:
Gaia, Goddess of nature forms The Council of Oakstone to combat the city
of Hashan. She calls for all citizens of Hashan to quit Hashan, claiming
that they are being duped by Twilight, God of Darkness. Plans for the
expansion of Hashan into a city on par with Ashtan and Shallam begin.

230 AF:
Workmen of Hashan begin to cut trees down in the Ithmia to make room for
its expansion.

Gaia, outraged at the betrayal of the forests by Firefox and other Druid
or Sentinel members of Hashan's government, declares Firefox an enemy of
the forests. She calls on Lupus, wild God of the Beasts for aid, and he
unleashes a plague of werewolves to terrorize Hashan. Twilight and
Hashan quickly pacify Lupus and the expansion goes on as planned.

240 AF :
Dead sparrows and robins are found littering the land, their hearts
burst from their bodies. An insane old man is found roaming the land,
raving about 'Death's Heart' and a prophecy that begins with the death
of the children of air.

Dead geese and swans are found, their hearts similarly burst from their
chests.

All orphans in the land disappear. The old man claims that the
disappearance of the lost children is the second part of the Death's
Heart prophecy.

Meetings are called among the various factions of the land, and it is
decided that the threat the old man speaks of is the return of the
Tsol'teth. They are wrong.

Strange chantings are heard, carried on the wind, from the Shamtota
hills, and a bright white light, and an image of a temple projected onto
the clouds, is seen far to the north.

Pryla'ka, a Tsol'dasi priestess of Life appears in a Temple to the
north. She is the first Tsol'dasi to reveal itself since the dawn of
mankind. She claims that someone called the Quisalar is gathering death
energy for an unknown purpose, and that in order to stop him, the
corpses of the dead sparrows, robins, swans, and geese must be brought,
so that she may utilize the latent death energies in them to combat the
Quisalar and his Quisalis cultists. The Quisalar makes similar demands,
and when Maran, Sultan of Shallam tells him they will not assist the
Quisalar in his plan to bring back Thoth, the Quisalar attacks, saying
that either all will join him, or they will serve him in their deaths.

Unable to discover the location of the Temple, the Great Mhunna, leader
of Moghedu, and a famous campaigner as a young Mhun, volunteers to
assist, and an expedition consisting of the Mhunna, Warmaster, Cooper,
Aringar, Fuu, Perseon, Thorgon, Armelia, Thalen, and Jem set out to
discover it, and succeed.

People supporting Pryla'ka or the Quisalar begin working hard to collect
the dead birds, laden with lingering death magic, and bring them to the
Priestess of Life or the Quisalar.

241 AF :
Achaea is largely polarized over Death's Heart. On one side is Shallam
and some of the more nature-loving Druids and Sentinels. The other side
is led by Twilight and His Order, with support made up of various
citizens of Ashtan and Hashan.

Though the Shallamese and the others opposing the Quisalar make a strong
effort, those backing the Quisalar manage to bring him enough death
energy to complete the construction of Death's Heart. Twilight and His
Order have manipulated most into believing that the purpose of Death's
Heart is to awaken Thoth from His slumber, though this is not the case.
Immediately upon the construction of the Heart, a battle of epic
proportions takes place, with Maran, Sultan of Shallam, leading the
attack against Twilight's Order. Death abounds on both sides.

Soon after near-total war breaks out over the Heart, another issue
nearly disrupts the alliances formed over the Heart. A rogue
Serpentlord, Nuitari, gets very heavy pressure from Twilight and the
Serpentlords to come back to the fold, as they wish to ensure that the
two serpent guilds can effectively control the distribution of the
so-called "illegal" venoms. Nuitari balks and is persecuted, greatly
upsetting his patron, Aegis, God of War.

In order to strike back at Twilight's order, Aegis allies his with the
Order of Light, but soon Twilight makes a deal with Aegis. Under the
terms of the deal, Dalamar, Nuitari, and Cooper have to make restitution
to the Infernals, whose influence Twilight was courting, for robbing
their store, and Dalamar has to make resitution to Elentari's Hashan.
Partially due to Twilight's influence, Sinistar, guildmaster of the
Infernals, soon chooses Aegis, God of War, as Patron, displacing the
apparently uncaring Sartan, Lord of Evil.

The fight over Death's Heart waxes and wanes, but hostility is high.
Many are unsure of the motives of the Quisalar, and those of Pryla'ka.
Initially out-numbered, the Shallamese organize under the leadership of
Maran, Echo, and the Archprelate of the Church, Isildur. They gain the
upper hand initially but soon the discipline and power of those in the
Order of Darkness such as Napoloen, the Grand Shadow, Overseer of
Ashtan, overwhelm them and the Heart grows.

242 AF :
However, soon, Sinistar converses with the Quisalar, and, discovering
that he opposes undeath, the powers of which the Infernals use, decides
to withdraw his support, and this, along with increased intervention by
Druids and Sentinels like Galdrion Longshanks, tips the balance in
favour of Shallam and its allies. Despite a massive last-ditch attack
led by Napoloen, the Shallamese manage to nearly destroy the Heart.

Deucalion announces that it is over, that the impending doom that would
have been caused by the Quisalar's victory has been averted. It is
revealed that the Quisalar was working for Twilight the full time. Their
plan was to dupe people who wouldn't normally support Twilight into
unwittingly supporting him. The Heart would be caused to grow, and
finally explode, releasing massive quantities of death. This would cause
a chain reaction, as each dying being added to the total quantity of
energy. Using the remains of the Heart, Twilight hoped to focus this
astronomical amount of energy at the slumbering Thoth, slay him, and add
Thoth's essence to His own, greatly increasing His power. In the process
though, all life on Sapience would have perished.

Sensing victory, Pryla'ka travelled to the Heart, and challenged the
Quisalar. The Quisalar, no longer powerful enough to have a hope of
defeating a Tsol'dasi Priestess of Life, made a last desperate rush at
Pryla'ka, but failed. She banished him to eternal sleep.

Pryla'ka begins attempting to safely dismantle what is left of Death's
Heart, essentially a powerful bomb of death energy now. She fails,
becoming overloaded with energy, and screaming that she cannot hold it.
Some mortals, among them Khaseem and Cynne, refuse to leave the scene,
and die upon the explosion of the Heart. So powerful is the explosion
that life for a hundred miles around looks likely to perish in a flash,
until, with unexpected, total sacrifice, Deucalion, God of
Righteousness, attempts to contain the blast. So powerful is it, even in
its much-weakened state, that he cannot contain the energy, and his
essence is dispersed across Creation. In a final gesture of compassion,
he manages to grant all mortalkind the ability to reincarnate and wipe
clean their moral slate. Sarapis permits their souls to choose from five
new races: Grook, Xoran, Rajamala, Horkval, and Atavian. Choruses of
cheers erupt from around the land, as total disaster is averted. Shallam
and its Druidic and Sentinel allies receive formal congratulations from
representatives of many of the leaders of the land, such as the Great
Mhunna and the mayor of Thera.

In a gesture of peace, Shallam and the Church offer formal pardons for
any crimes committed during Death's Heart. Darkness and its allies
brood, but begin hatching new plans immediately. Peace will not last
long.

243 AF:
The Sentinels Guild, citing philosophical differences with the Divine
Patron of Hashan, sue for permission to leave the city and are granted
such leave, although many of the guilds members remain citizens.

279 AF:
The Forest and the dwellers therein rejoice at the reawakening of Gaia,
Goddess of Nature. A number of Druids and other devotees of the ancient
Goddess meet to perform a Rite of Prayer in honour of the nature Deity.
Although they do so with scant hope, their hopes and prayers are
answered as Gaia once more walks among the millenia old trees of
Sapience.

Sartan, God of Evil, performs an act of extermination within the sacred
confines of the Temple of Gaia. In retaliation He is enemied to the
Forest. His minions, The Order of Evil, begin to decimate and burn the
forests of Sapience. The Sentinels and Druids react by banning the sale
or gift of all herbs, ointments, and elixirs to all Sapience. The
Sorcerers Guild bans all enchantments using kola in a gesture of support
for the forest folk and their cause.

Orina, Guildmistress of the Druids, joins with Xandor Sheolan, Grand
Shadow of the Order of Twilight, in the performance of a rite known as
the Darkenwood Ritual. For the second time in history the forests of
Sapience are shrouded in shadow. This time, however, the intent is
ostensibly to merge the essences of Gaia and Twilight in a shield
against the minions of Evil. Orina is roundly castigated by many for
what is perceived as her treachery. Some, recalling the Deaths Heart
episode, believe that in her desperation to save the forests, she has
been duped by the machinations of the Order of Darkness.

Gaia refuses to intervene although many beseech Her for aid and succor.
Many of the traditional allies of Nature refuse to be tainted by
Darkness and refuse their aid as well. What is worse, for all Xandors
words, it seems that the Children of Darkness have no true intent of
helping the Forest. Orina changes her mind and seeks to undo that which
she has done. The Children of Nature and their faithful perform a rite
to rid the forests of Darkness, and the Darkenwood Rite is never
completed. They succeed for the most part, but Gaia remains withdrawn
and impatient and it is obvious that something abhorrent to Nature yet
troubles the lands beneath the trees.

The Children of Nature resort to oracles for assistance, but do not see
that an imbalance has been created that they must right, preferring to
place blame outside themselves rather than heed the words of wisdom
given to them.

Strange creatures appear in the forests, harmed by sunlight and the
places inhabited by the known races and their works. Calling themselves
Arachnoi, and appearing in the form of humanoid spiders, they claim that
Xandor and Orina are their grandparents and that they have been sent by
their mother to plead with their grandparents to complete the Darkenwood
Ritual by which their mother had been created. They are creatures with
no natural habitat within the existing mansions of Nature, and they are
dying as a result.

The rite is completed but Istishia, mother of the Arachnoi, is killed by
a Shallamese contingent.

The Arachnoi now reside in the newly created Darkenwood. Having little
reason to trust the Children of Sarapis, they are rarely seen by mortals
and prefer that that state of affairs remain. Balance has been returned
to the forests for now, and all seems well.

282 AF:
The war between the Order of Evil and the Forests continues. Eventually
Sartan presents His terms for peace to the Forest entities. Gaia and the
Oakstone Council reject his offer. Subsequently, Gaia presents Her own
terms and both sides declare victory, bringing an uneasy peace to the
forest, which yet require great healing.

296 AF:
Massive conflagrations break out in the Wilderness areas of the
Northreach and Darkenwood Forests. In a credit to their ability to come
together for the common good, people of ordinarily antithetical and
inimical backgrounds and paths join in common cause to fight the
inferno.

298 AF:
[Type MORE if you wish to continue reading. (94% shown)]
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 9)
THE SPIRITS OF THE FORESTS
--------------------------
1st of Scarlatan, 311 years after the fall of the Selucarian Empire.
The phase of the moon is that of the Last Quarter.
Saturday, the 20th of July, in the year 2002.

The Spirits of the Forests were sought out today.. and what was
discovered was rather disturbing. While all were rather brief in their
discussion an extreme difference was noted in the reactions of the
Darkenwood Spirit, Urania, compared to all others. All of the forest
spirits were noted to be reasonably content with their current
situations, apart from Urania, who appears distraught. Even Thalia, the
forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia, who must deal with the pain of
Hashan's presence within her forest was calm compared to Urania, smiling
serenely as opposed to wailing despairingly at the current state of her
forest. Perhaps they are merely flash-backs to the last great forestal
crisis we faced, with the passing of Gaia and decay of the forest.. as
she seems to be acting in the same way she was then, or perhaps it's
something else.

Esos has also been approached, but would not comment on the state of the
Darkenwood.
_____________________________________________________________
Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood

Urania floats here before you. Her eyes glow like old embers from within
the shadowy shrouds with which she is wound about. Perpetual tears
stream down her withered cheeks as she utters wrenching sighs amid her
constant mumbling. A deep aura of profound sadness and unspeakable age
surrounds her and her form seems to swallow what little light there is
here. You smell the scent of the grave and leaf-mould emanating from her
in waves. Bitter cold radiates from her ghostly form and silence,
oppressive in its intensity, surrounds her.
Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood looks weak and feeble.

You greet Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood with a sincere smile.
Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood says, "The forests must be saved! I
know there's a way...we have to find it."

You nod your head at Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood.
Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood wails despairingly.

Your curtsey respectfully before Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood.
Urania, the Spirit of the Darkenwood exclaims, "The forest....my
beautiful Darkenwood forest!"
_____________________________________________________________
Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach

A dark, swirling cloud surrounds Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach. She
constantly rakes her fingers across her pale cheeks, leaving white
score-marks in the ghostly skin as she laughs darkly. The dichotomy of
her birth shows through as she babbles quietly to herself in two
different tones. Despite her unbalanced and intimidating appearance, she
radiates an aura of security, as though to succumb to her embrace would
make you safe forevermore.

You greet Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach with a sincere smile.
Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach says, "My forest, the Northreach, is
one of the most ancient forests on Sapience."

You greet Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach with a sincere smile.
Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach says, "Hail the forest, friend Elsp,
for they give life to all."
Euterpe, spirit of the Northreach smiles serenely.
_____________________________________________________________
Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia

A wraith-like figure swathed in a billowing mist, Erato, spirit of the
Eastern Ithmia floats lightly here, a slight smile on her face. Her
ghostly hair flows around her as though blown by a gentle forest breeze
and her face is dappled as though struck by shafts of light shining
through moving foliage.

You greet Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia with a sincere smile.
Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia says, "It's said by many that the
Eastern Ithmia is the best of all the forests."
Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia smiles serenely.

You greet Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia with a sincere smile.
Erato, spirit of the Eastern Ithmia hugs a nearby tree.
_____________________________________________________________
Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest

Terpsichore stands here with a shimmering reddish-golden light playing
about her. Her skin is of the ruddy colour of the redwoods that she
loves so much. She wears a crown of ferns, woven with tiny forest
flowers, but she disdains clothing. Ferns wreathe her wrists, like
delicate bracelets. Her long red hair is strewn with bits of herbs. She
delights in dancing beneath the trees to the music of the birds, while
the forest creatures gaze upon her in rapt awe.
Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest looks weak and feeble.

Conor greets Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest with a sincere
smile.
Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest exclaims, "The towering redwood
is the grandest tree there is!"

Conor greets Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest with a sincere
smile.
Terpsichore, Spirit of the Aalen Forest says, "Mountains to the east,
ocean to the west. Is there anywhere better to be than the Aalen
forest?"
_____________________________________________________________
Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia

The pale, transparent limbs of Clio seem at odds with her darker, tanned
face that speaks of a love of sunshine. Her eyes are bright and
sparkling, cast in the shade of a summer sky, while her long hair is the
brown of an oak tree. An array of flowers adorn it, among them lobelia
and other blossoms native to the Western Ithmia. Even her green shift is
reminiscent of dryad garb, clearly marking this spirit's patron as that
expansive forest.

You greet Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia with a sincere smile.
Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia says, "Be nice to the dryads please.
They are here to serve the forest."
Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia smiles serenely.

You greet Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia with a sincere smile.
Clio, spirit of the Western Ithmia exclaims, "Everyone knows that the
Western Ithmia is the best forest. Just look at its beauty!"
_____________________________________________________________
Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia

A transparent visage and ethereal form identify this feminine creature
as a spirit. Her limbs are pale and translucent around the edges, yet
her face and central form are more clearly defined. The more substantial
areas of Thalia's skin seem to have a grey, ashen tint, complimented by
the dark waves of hair that tumble around her face. Ebon eyes are deep
and luminous, occasionally sparkling like twin chips of obsidian and
infused with the same ancient, brooding essence of the Northern Ithmia
itself. Broad leaves of a deep, dark green cover her form, and vines
curl up her otherwise bare arms.
Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia looks weak and feeble.

You greet Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia with a
sincere smile.
Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia says, "Some say the
Northern Ithmia is grim, but it's only because they don't know how to
look."

Your curtsey respectfully before Thalia, the forest spirit of the
Northern Ithmia.
Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia says, "Hashan is a
blight on our forest."

Thalia, the forest spirit of the Northern Ithmia smiles serenely.

(continued)
You read what is written on a jewelled silver journal:
"Darkenwood Studies, by Elsp", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 10)
THE SPIRITS OF THE FOREST (cont.)
---------------------------------
Fair Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana

The edges of Calliope's ghost-like form are naturally translucent, but
this paleness carries over even to her more existential parts, giving
her a cool, fair-skinned look. Her hair is also of a lighter shade, with
fine strands of gold falling down her back. Emerald eyes have a serious
look, one of beauty and purity that seems to speak of the Aureliana
forest. An aura of serenity surrounds her, so palpable even the deer do
not shy from her touch.
Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana looks weak and feeble.

Your curtsey respectfully before Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana.
Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana says, "Isn't the Aureliana just the
most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"
Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana smiles serenely.

You nod your head at Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana.
Calliope, spirit of the Aureliana says, "Please don't hurt the trees.
They never did anything to you."
_____________________________________________________________
Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest

Melpomene stands here wreathed in a shadowy aura, shimmering with
streaks of gold and silver light like sunlight through ancient trees.
Her tall figure appears to be robed in boughs of pine and fir and she
wears a crown of granite upon her head. Upon her breast is a medallion
sporting the image of an owl's eye.
Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest looks weak and feeble.

Your curtsey respectfully before Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest.
Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest laughs joyously.
Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest exclaims, "Remember, the boar is
the symbol of the Logos Himself!"

You give Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest a compassionate hug.
Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest says, "How I love my Black Forest.
I think it's the most beautiful forest, don't you?"

Melpomene, Spirit of the Black Forest smiles serenely.
_____________________________________________________________
Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest

While the outer edges of Polyhymnia's body are of the transparent shade
of the spirit, the rest of her is a swirl of vivid colors. Her garb is a
gown of large blossoms and broad leaves, possessing vibrant hues of
emerald, azure, and magenta. Her hair is dark and fluttering in some
unseen wind, but her almond-shaped eyes are a lighter color, that of
placid lavender. The exotic scent that wafts from her, that of
wildflowers and fragrant grasses, makes it clear that she is the forest
spirit of Ulangi's forests.
Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest looks weak and feeble.

You nod your head at Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest.
Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest says, "Respect our island
please."

You nod your head at Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest.
Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest says, "Ulangi's cloud forest is
one of the most mystically beautiful places there is.

Polyhymnia, spirit of the Ulangi forest smiles serenely.