Elven Mythology The Seed Well and Meldamiriel

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The Seed Well

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In Ancient scrolls and carvings found across the archipelago of Axios, it is said that when the emerald fires of the War faded, the emergence of Druidism brought an unseen age of prosperity to the fauna and foliage that once again scattered the lands.

And when the last of the ash was swept away with the winds of progression, the Arch Druids communed with Malin in private quarters, to discuss how they would never again allow such corruption to spread through their homeland, and indeed, all of the Islands that surrounded Aegis.

The congregation, including Malin himself, poured every ounce of their combined energies into a well in the seclusion of the distant forests, which would house their unforeseen and self-sustained potency. It became known as the Seed Well, for their intentions were clear.

The Druids procured many seeds from the bags they had brought with them, choosing the healthiest of each type to bathe in the verdant waters. Once this had been achieved, they locked the well, returning to their respective homes, allowing the passage of time to nurture their efforts.

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(The Pale Stranger)

Many moons would come and go before the congregation would once again meet at the Seed Well, unlocking the interconnected vines which held it shut. Yet as they lifted the wooden cover, a voice spoke out from the trees.

"You pour your energies into this well, unbeknownst to the outcome." It said, emerging forth from the shrubbery. It was a pale Elf, with long flowing hair of pearl-white, and draping robes to match. He rose the gnarled wooden stave in his hand, and proclaimed the dangers of bringing into the world that which had not occurred naturally.

Before the communion could respond, the man vanished as quickly as he had arrived. With confusion, they shrugged off the comment as the meanderings of a mad-man, before returning their focus to the Well before them.

Everything seemed in order, and the seeds were taken from the well. Malin himself took a handful of the seedlings, and placed them into a container which he had previously filled with the potent waters of the well.

From this moment onward, Malin would no longer be seen on Axios again, and the Arch Druids returned to their private lands, tending to the seedlings they had infused with their energies.

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(One of the trees of the Seed Well)

For many decades, these plants would be cared for in clandestine quarters, and would develop into considerable sizes, each a vast and unique array of beauty. Yet they did not grow as usual, for their forms began to split, and the bark began to resemble a humanoid figure.

The Arch Druids studied in intrigue, fascinated by the process of this growth, and cared not to meander in their flourishing environments. Instead, they observed intently as the trees continued to emerge.

Ellethwen Thendiel was the first of the Arch Druids to witness the awakening of these trees, for each Druid had been assigned to a specific tree, and her's developed at a much faster rate than the others.

The bark creaked and groaned at first, the Druid stepping back in shock as she felt the roots beneath the ground begin to detach from the soil, and the oaken limbs emerge from the ground. Before long, an amber radiance began to emanate from the apex of the bark, where the newly conscious creature looked down upon her.

She cheered with glee, for her seedling had grown into what later became referred to as Meldamiriel, true Children of the Forest. It seemed aware of its surroundings, yet was incapable of speech and many of the basic functions of movement. Instead it sat, listening to it's mother and those around her as it absorbed information like rich nutrients in the warmth of soil.

Soon, the other seedlings began to grow, and before long a family of Meldamiriel graced the Arch Druids with their presence. These were the results of Druidic efforts, and would later become protectors of nature, goliath and foreboding personifications of the Forests, who would scour the land and protect it from destructive forces.

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(Gambadriel, protector of Ainsharu)

Ellethwen would later name her child Gambadriel, and would assign it to a nearby forest that she would also dwell in, for these creatures were still young, and would need the guidance of those that birthed them into the world.

With decades passing, these giants served their function with unanticipated effectiveness, and soon began to develop their own tongues; of which only the Arch Druids were capable of understanding, for it was not a language of the physical, but of the deep attunement within nature's stream.

Yet all things are destined to succumb to the cyclical nature of the world, and what was once a state of progression would change into one of ruin and degeneracy in one fell swoop.

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An arrow, of unknown origins, sank into the chest of Ellethwen as she reeled over in anguish, slinking against the bark of a nearby tree. Gambadriel would sense this traumatic event, and would rush to aid his "mother", yet it was too late.

Before long Ellethwen had grown as cold as the winds that swept through the forest, and the trees lamented alongside Gambadriel as his core contorted and formed into a seething anger, fueled only by his continued anguish and loneliness.

This theme swept across the islands of Axios as one by one the Arch Druids were slain in solitude, their children crying out in pain as they edged on the verge of madness, their forms losing the blooming flora that once adorned them. They became husks of their former selves, little more than vessels of anger that scouted the graves of their long-dead Druids, destroying any life that would dare venture close enough.

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(Gambadriel's Husk, warding off an Elven Soldier)

This growing epidemic shook the foundations of the Elven people, who had already begun to split from one another in pursuits of power and political gain. The once stalwart protectors of the Forests were soon slain in many numbers, rid from the world forever by the Elven people, and the Well of Seeds was destroyed, preventing the process from ever occurring again.

Yet from all death comes life, and the husks of these entities would scatter beneath the Ancient Soils of Axios, awaiting the return of the Well of Seeds, where they would once again emerge.