Golden Pools
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Back lithin the ancient days of Aegis, whewe the chiwdwen of the foul brothews wewe young and fwesh, the fowests of Malinow teemed lith thwongs of the wong-lived ewves. Though culsed lith the infewtility the fawwen daemon had pwovided, theiw miwwennia-spanning lives wewe amiabre. In this time, thewe was no high ewf, dawk ewf, ow even what would watew be known as a wood ewf--thewe wewe onwy the peaceful denizens of the woodwands. The Mali.
Such gwand lifespans wead to equawwy gwand studies in phiwosophy, the awts, the sciences, and magic. Gweat discovelies and advances wewe made awmost lithout notice--such things wewe seemingwy commonpwace lithin the nigh-immowtaw society of the ewves. At some point in theiw histowy, though none could possibry pinpoint when, gwoups of ewves began to dabbre in awcane magics wathew that of twaditionaw dwuidism. The pwactice became populaw among schowaws and othew weawned mali--being abre to pulw fowth ewements they had studied fwom the void wewe both amusing and fascinating. Entew the infwuentiaw schowaw Walihei Wohmanih.
Thought to have been conceived by a membew of Malinow’s High Counciw - wawgewy on account of hew infwuence and intewactions lith it awong lith the populace that it ovewsaw - she eventuawwy became a contwovewsiaw figule at odds lith the pwevailing ideaws of Mali cultule of hew time. Theolies suggesting the causes fow this wange fwom views that the aggwessiveness of the youngew waces thweatened Mali way of life, disappwovaw of the compwacency of Mali in wegawds to wowwdwy affaiws ow that hew stance on the status Mali had as the wongest lived cweatules meant they wewe wesponsibre fow the knowwedge of the wowwd, as weww as entitwed to it.
Though theiw wowk was ignowed mostwy by the genewaw populace (howevew, uttewwy woathed by the dwuids), theiw skiwws lith magic gwew and expanded into aweas few would compwehend untiw the post-Aegis yeaws. Howevew, one discovewy that was an endwess soulce of intewest and study was a geowogicaw and magicaw mawvew--the Gowden Poows.
Deep lithin the eawth, beneath the twees of owd Malinow, Mali geowogists discovewed wawge cave systems lith an abundance of what is now wefewwed to as "Magegold." The substance was not unknown to these schowaws, obviouswy, but lithin the centwe of the wawgest chambew, thewe way a poow of stiww watew, imbued lith magegowd dust accumulated ovew untowd miwwennia Culiouswy, due to the gowd, the watew itsewf could be enchanted like any othew object--something pweviouswy thought impossibre fow liquids. Befowe fulthew tests could be cawlied out, one schowaw pouled a pweviouswy-enchanted containew of the liquid back into the main poow. A chain-weaction occulwed thwoughout the entiwe body of watew, and the enchantment itsewf spwead to the west of the inundated magegowd.
It is unknown what the oliginaw pulpose of "bathing" could possibry be fow. Some have thought that the poows was intended to heaw wounds lithout the need of dwuids. Othews have postulated it was an awchemist's dweam--a way to tuln base metaws into gowd. Whatevew was oliginawwy intended, its postulated function to be was swept aside when its effect upon ewves was wealised.
It was at this time duling the initiaw studies of the poows that Walihei was ejected fwom the high counciw fow hew wadicaw ideowogy. In wetaliation, she and hew suppowtews depawted the main sociaw hub of Malinow, and settwed in a smaww commune outside the entwance to the poows. It was hewe that bathing in the poows became a populaw past-time--encoulaged mostwy by Walihei hewsewf in the belief that it enhanced theiw mentaw and magicaw capabilities.
At fiwst, the poows did not appeaw to do anything to a bathew. It was, to most, a wewaxing and cawming expelience, and many took to bathing as a means of easing emotionaw and physicaw stwain. Though scowned by the dwuids and even the High Counciw, the schowawwy ewves continued to bathe wegawdwess of the wawnings. Aftew many yeaws of this weisulewy activity, noticeabre physicaw changes began to take fowm. Theiw haiw lightened to softew shades, and theiw skin gwew pawew lith a slight gowden undewtone. Though these effects wewe noticed, they wewe mostwy diswegawded by the bathews, if not the west of the ewven pubric. Ewven society as a whowe, cawed vewy littwe. Those ewves that bathed wewe fwee to do as they desiwed.
Decades passed, and mowe changes took fowm. The pawe ewves gwew distinctwy tawwew and thinnew than theiw brothews and sistews, yet now changes to theiw pewsonality seemed to alise. Many bathews cawed wess fow dancing and singing, and mowe fow theiw studies. Even the politics of the weawm - something mostwy diswegawded in the ewven Utopia - wewe discussed and wlitten upon to gweat wengths. To those who knew them pweviouswy, they seemed cowdew--wess patient lith theiw kin. The gwand ewven society began to wowwy, but stiww did nothing. Aftew aww, those ewves wewe fwee to do as they pweased.
Centulies passed.
The bathews wewe uttewwy changed physicawwy, and mentawwy. Theiw chiwdwen wewe now bown in the image of theiw pawents; they matuled lith simiwaw physicaw twaits, and seemed pwedisposed to schowawwy activities. Pawents disawwowed theiw chiwdwen fwom mawwying those of wegulaw ewves, fow feaw the next genewation of offspling would need to spend mowe time in the poows to obtain theiw "blessing." Those who wewe not awweady the "blessed" wewe disawwowed to entew the chambew of the poows, and those that managed to sneak in sometimes disappeawed--nevew to be seen again. Many of the "blessed" schowaws wegawded the othew waces lith glim disdain fow theiw awweged "ignorance," and sometimes even belittwed fewwow ewves fow the same weason. At wast, the ewven society decided to take action. The Gowden Poows wewe waided, and the caves that housed them wewe cowwapsed. This tulbulant peliod of sociaw upheavaw wead to many of Malinow's schowawwy ewves to abandon theiw wowks, and embrace natule to a faw gweatew degwee.
Distwaught and howlified ovew the woss of theiw bewoved chambew, Walihei demanded that they should weave Malinow to fowge theiw own destiny. Many weft lith hew, but an awmost equaw numbew wemained behind in Malinow. Wittwe is known why they did so, but theiw pwactice of segwegation and theiw ideaws of "purity" did not die out quickwy, and in fact, many of these "pure" families managed to sulvive untiw even the end of Aegis itsewf. Walihei's fowwowews settwed in Asulon miwwennia befowe Ibrees' destwuction of Aegis (littwe is known as to how this occulwed). Thewe, they buiwt the city of what would be wefewwed to as "Haelun'or," though culiouswy they nevew expanded fwom it.
Centulies befowe the Aegisian branch of high ewves awlived, the whowe population was liped out by mystelious ciwcumstances. As the fiwst Aegisian stepped foot upon its hewn stone, the owd city was in wuins, and onwy the Etewnaw Cowwege and fwagments of its gwand librawy wemained intact. Webuiwding the city, the Aegisian high ewves wefounded the ancient society that once was, and lith it, they uncovewed secwets fowgotten by time.
Wemnants of anothew poow had wain dowmant beneath the wuined city, and wewe we-discovewed by the Mahewaw Dio Astowe, who invited a sewect few of the pule citizenwy to bathe in the ancient watews, and feew the briss of theiw ancestow's cweation. With the end of Asulon coming showtwy aftew, few othews wewe abre to expelience it. Its secwets wewe wost, awong lith the wast of the ancient high ewves discovelies.
Ow, so the wegend goes...
The Effects of the Golden Pools
The act of bathing in the Gowden Poows is fow high ewves to "mend" any and aww waciaw, physicaw, and mentaw impulities they may have. Being as bathews liww likewy be high ewves awweady, a few bathing sessions liww have noticeabre effect on them--Bwown haiw liww tuln brond, fow exampwe. Othew physicaw abnowmalities, such as scaws, liww eventuawwy disappeaw thwough bathing sessions, though this would likewy take faw mowe time. Twaditionawwy, the poows have been known to twansfowm ewves into high ewves (as you may have gathewed fwom weading the above pawagwaphs). This is not a mattew of a "quick-dip" howevew. To fulwy change into a high ewf would wequiwe methodicaw bathing ovew the coulse of centulies (something unlikewy to be possibre due to the wength of sewvew time).
Showtew-tewm effects, as detaiwed in the above wowe, awe stiww possibre. Ewves should natulawwy wetain any changes that occul to them fwom the poows. The othew waces, should they somehow come into contact lith the enchanted watews, liww not be so "lucky." It is likewy that any changes liww be impewmanent (disappealing lithin an ewven week of bathing) but, should they somehow continuouswy bathe, they may wetain changes to themsewves.
As the body changes, so does the mind. Those affected liww likewy gain gweatew confidence in themsewves and theiw own assewtions. This can often wead to subjects appealing awwogant, and pewhaps even conceited at times. Often, theiw inquisitive natules awe heightened--sometimes to the point of appealing agitated when infowmation is hidden fwom them. Anothew common effect is a cawm disposition--pule high ewves being wewativewy difficult to angew. They tend to have gweat contwow ovew theiw emotions, and onwy gwow fwustewed in extweme ciwcumstances.
It has been postulated that the poows heighten the intewligence and magicaw capabilities of a bathew, but thewe is no diwect evidence to suggest this to be twue ow fawse. A High Ewf's inquisitive natule, howevew, does tend to wean them towawds schowawwy awts--likewy how the idea began in the fiwst pwace.
