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Shadows in the Well: An Insight into Caoihme Dell and Wydyr Glade by Stratas
Runner Up for July 2015
[--The Valley of Healing--]
Deep within the mountains of Avechna's Teeth lies an unassuming spring with an unknown source. From this place mysterious the water flows through the spring, tumbling down the mountainside and picking up a furor and intensity that belies the water's humble origin. There, where it crashes to the earth below, the river fae do calm its rage, and the waters of the once tiny spring have become the mighty Shallach River, one of the five Great Rivers of the Basin of Life that flow into the seas.
The waters flow politely through the banks provided them, passing by the solemn ruins of the orchlach fortress-city Shallach, once favored by the Vernal God Urlach, Master of Death. Perhaps the river fae wonder, as the waters they tend course past the ruins and its tainted-ridden orcs, how a valley of life and healing can exist so close, just downhill from the shattered ruins of that dead zone.
But exist it does. As the river forks apart on its wending way to the Sea of Despair, it has a last chance to see one of the most important spots in the Basin, from a fae perspective. Though simple and easily to overlook, the beautiful Caoihme Dell is a fulcrux of life, a place of healing, and a favored locale of Ellindel Treeheart. Perhaps the river spirits know of its importance, and send the waters of their Shallach River underground, into the aquifer that supplies the twin springs that the dell is known for.
But there is more to this wooded valley than one might suppose, and it carries many great secrets. Here it shall be examined, and what is known will be brought to light.
[Editor's Note: The word caoihme is seemingly elfen in origin, given that it is not transliterated into common as usual for fae words, and given the predominantly elfen population of the dell. Despite the choice of letters, the actual pronunciation is more akin to 'keeva' than one might otherwise think. I am told that the word means 'beautiful' and while that makes it a pedestrian moniker, it is still somewhat apt.]
[--The Shadowed Glade--]
The Caoihme Dell is not alone, and it carries with it a dark secret that it would choose to forget. There is no forgetting, however, for to forget would be to call calamity on the fae. Though many healers may pretend that the secret to life is light, Ellindel, Healer of the Fae, found the truth - the fae need the power of shadows as well, and the dichotomous nature of Caoihme provides both.
Wrapped around the Prime Material Plane like a blanket is the spiritual realm known as the Ethereal Plane. This dimension in aetherspace is the home of the fae, and where their collective consciousness, Queen Maeve, resides. Physically (since despite the name given it is indeed physical when one is there) it is a spiritual representation of the Prime Plane, and so close is it that as things happen in the First World, so they happen in the Ethereal. The stronger the presence of nature spirits, particularly trees, the greater the presence of the Ethereal mirror. While the bulk of the Ethereal plane is composed of the Ethereal Glomdoring, the Ethereal Serenwilde, and the Faethorn realm that they connect to, there are a great many smaller reflections, such as the Crystal Meadows, and some places that are not reflections at all, like the Catacombs of the Dead.
Nevertheless, this relationship between Prime nature and Ethereal reflection poses an interesting quandry when it relates to the Caoihme Dell. Mirrored above the dell is a peculiar fold of the Ethereal plane known as Wydyr Glade. It is a place of darkness and shadows, filled with the loyal fae of Night, a sharp and biting contrast to the forest it is tied to. Such a pairing is seen nowhere else. Even the Ethereal Glomdoring, filled as it is with wyrden majesty and splendour, simply shadows the equally majestic and splendorous Glomdoring forest. And yet here, and here alone, there is a wyrden reflection of a vulgar forest. There is a reason, of course, and this reason stretches back much further than one could imagine. It stretches back before the Wyrd, before the Taint, and indeed, before Ellindel herself. The history of the Wydyr Glade and the Caoihme Dell begins with the Elder Gods, and the war with the Soulless.
[--The Time of Dark Fae--]
There are many legends surrounding the period of history known as the Elder Wars, where the children of Dynara took a stand to protect the First World from the all-consuming rampages of the grotesque and abominable Soulless Gods. But largely they are legends, told by bards who were not there, filling in details they do not know. Many things can be inferred, but it is hard to know for certain what actually transpired in those dark days. Everything that we know to be fact has come from the Elders themselves, either those who have returned from their diaspora, or those fractured shards who were interviewed and had their thoughts and memories recorded by the Elder Mugwumpois and Her mortal shards. It was a painful time for the Elders, and those who have returned often do not wish to speak of the horrors that transpired, the heartwrenching decisions that were made, and the betryals that occurred.
This leaves as the most reliable first source the Books of the Elders, collected in a volume titled "The History of the Elder Wars". While the book is written in the language of the Divine themselves, many decent translations abound, and it is those, particularly the work of one Tully, that have been used to peer into the secrets of the dark past.
Yet still, inferences must be made. Nothing concrete is ever said about the dell or its ethereal glade. There are, however, some fascinating insights.
In a battle against the Soulless known as Illith the Leviathan, one of the first on the surface of Lusternia, the Elder God Orlachmar was killed. His dying body was taken to the healing mounds of Maeve on the Ethereal plane, and He became the first to receive what would become known as Fain's Elixer. His body was forever changed by the exocorable energies that saved him. As recorded in the Book of Loboshi:
"As we left the Fields of the Maeve, Volkh came running with Great
Spirit Wolf at his side. After getting over his incredulity of
seeing Orlachmar alive, Volkh helped me carry him to a private
glade hidden within the ethereal fold."
There are no indications beyond this as to where the private glade was. There are, indeed, likely to be many hidden glades in the Ethereal realms, known only to the gods Themselves. Our knowledge of the Ethereal at this time consists mainly of the area that reflects the Basin of Life, but there is much more to the world, and even other Great Forests like the Jojobo Jungles and the Icewynd Forest. There is no reason the private glade of Volkh and Loboshi couldn't be tied to a glade outside the Basin, long since destroyed by the Soulless. But it is an interesting theory to ponder on, that perhaps They stayed within the Basin's mirror, hiding in a fragment of the Ethereal that was informed by Caoihme, and there Orlachmar's wounded spirit, suffuse with excorable energies, would slowly change the glade into something different.
There are other events to consider as well, of course. After the rebirth of Orlachmar and the eventual corruption of Father Sun by Fain's Elixer, the Twelve Traitors gathered to continue their work in secret. Among them was Lord Manteekan, an Awakener of the Sixth Circle. Known as the Awakener of the frost fae, under the influence of Fain and the Elixer he created numerous fae that may well have drawn energy from an excorable force. As recounted in His sentencing, as told in the Book of Igaso:
"Manteekan of the Sixth Circle," said Mysrai. "You are charged with
participating in the Rites of Abomination and, further, using the
Forbidden Elixir in your awakenings, creating twisted beings, such
as the banshee, grimalkin, redcaps, bogies, barghest, agropelters,
hodekin, gumberoos, spriggans, whimpuses, tripoderos, snow wassets,
slaugh and squonks. A council of the Sixth Circle will convene to
choose which of these twisted fae are salvageable and which shall be
entombed deep underground in eternal sleep. You are also accused of
subverting the fae of the Icewynderkyl Forest, causing the entire
forest to become corrupted and lost."
The Book of Bollikin then describes the aftermath of this sentencing, as relates to the frost fae, at least. They were taken to what is now known as the aetherbubble of Frosticia, to be rehabilitated over the course of eons. While nothing is mentioned of the fate of the remaining dark fae, their presence in Lusternia today attests to it. They were not 'entombed deep underground in eternal sleep'. Indeed, banshees can be found in the Faethorn itself, floating amongst the trees, while redcaps, barghests, and slaugh serve Mother Night. While banshees may have been immediately 'salvageable', it is possible that the Circle of the Sixth deemed certain other dark fae able to be rehabilitated, and likewise sealed them in a place suitable to their nature. Clearly, this became the Wydyr Glade, as that is where the majority of the dark fae still make their abode. Perhaps though, in Their search for a suitable prison, the Elders came across a small ethereal glade, now darkened and empowered by exorable energy leached from the wounded Orlachmar, and felt the dark fae could be converted in its mixed nature. But perhaps it was merely the presence of the dark fae themselves that drew the glade to its current beauty. In either case, it would be a long, long time before any, mortal or Divine, would see the results of the imprisonment.
[--The Healing of the Fae--]
The world was sick and twisted. Battered, scarred, and fouled by the ravages of the Soulless, the world of Lusternia was, perhaps, on its deathbed. Even though the Avenger Avechna had, perhaps even within recent memory, sealed away the Almighty Kethuru, last of the Soulless Gods to remain unimprisioned, the damage was done and everything struggled to survive. Recovery was a far off dream. With civilizations destroyed and the land uninhabitable, people of all races had to journey to the Basin of Life, living in what remained of the forests.
Knowing what we know now about the connection between nature, the Ethereal plane, and the fae spirits, it's not hard to imagine that with the world as ravaged as it was, and with the few remaining forests overtaxed by trying to support a population too large with resources too few, that the ethereal realms were dying, the fae unable to keep apace of the increasing stresses. But then came a savior.
Ellindel Treeheart is known to the Basin as the first of the Wiccans, and the Healer of the fae. It's not known to what extent mortals ever knew of the fae before Ellindel, though according to what little we know of the Vernal Wars (as recorded in "The History of the Vernal Wars"), the Vernal Goddess Kiakoda was empowered by the Faethorn, and likely hid the existence of the fae from the Soulless. Whatever the truth of that matter, Kiakoda's knowledge was lost when she joined with the other Nine to become Avechna. However she managed, Ellindel discovered the fae on her own.
Discovering the fae, however, meant the beginning of a lifetime of work, as the fae were dying. Ellindel, moved either by compassion or necessity, learned to heal the fae, and with them the world itself. She spread her teachings, founding the wiccans of Serenwilde that would give rise to the Moondancer's guild, in time leading to the founding of Gloriana's Shadowdancers, and the Lakedancers of Ackleberry. But it was not enough. The fae needed more healing than any small coteries of determined souls could provide. Ellindel needed a miracle, and since there were no Divine she needed to make it herself.
The forests of Gloriana and Ackleberry provided no answers, and their wiccans could only hope to stem the tide that plagued the fae. Ellindel sought elsewhere, and off the banks of the Shallach River, where the river fae danced before splitting apart to flow to the Crystal Sea, she found a quiet, unassuming glade with a dark, vital secret.
The Caoihme Dell is a fulcrux of life, filled with divine energy that is surely sourced from beyond the domoth of Life. But no less is Wydyr, though changed it may be. Ellindel found a spring within the Dell, and hoped that its pure and life-flush waters could be sent to the Faethorn directly and be used to heal the fae. However, it was not enough, and in time, Ellindel realized that there was a different sort of Ethereal within the pale of Caoihme. She went there, and in doing so unleashed the dark fae from their prison, allowing them to unite with Mother Night and enter Her service. In time, her negotiations between the Great Spirits of Night and Moon allowed her to finish the design she set out for. With the planting of a nightshade bush, most blessed and favored of Mother Night, she would grow the berries needed for her ritual, which she would infuse with the power of Mother Moon by watering the plant under Her full light. With these she would bless the twin springs she found, the Lo'varai and the Hae'vanei. [Editor's Note: The redcap Cythrawl claims that the meaning of "Lo'varai" is "the Spring of Healing", though he refuses to talk about the Hae'vani spring, as he claims it traps the dark fae within Wydyr. Perhaps Ellindel merely repurposed a spring used by the Elders as a seal on the glade?]
Light and shadow exist together, and Ellindel realized the importance of this fact to the fae. She could not ignore the dark fae to tend the light, for light and shadow were inextricable parts of the natural world. With the life infused waters of the Lo'varai, and the shadowy sourced ethereal waters of the Hae'vanei, she filled her greatest creation, the Well of Souls, and provided restoration to Faethorn. Because of her efforts, the Basin of Life stabilized, and no longer was in danger of death. But it was only through accepting the necessity of shadows that she did, only through appeals to the darkness of Night, the fae who served Her, and the Wydyr Glade where they made their court.
[--Et Cetera: The Taint, the Wyrd, the Glomdoring, and the Nightmare--]
While the Moondancers of Serenwilde may have laid claim to Ellindel's legacy, Caoihme Dell claims something greater still: her bloodline. Whether she returned to the northern Forest when her work was done, her progeny remained in Caoihme to safeguard the twin springs, and periodically enact the ritual that keeps the waters flowing freely to the Well of Souls. Protecting the Treehearts, indeed, became one of the primary purposes of those who lived there. To this end, when Emperor Ladantine enacted Project Cosmic Hope and inadvertantly released the Taint across the Basin, the inhabitants of Caoihme Dell sealed themselves off from the world in hopes of protecting themselves. It is likely that this ritual was similar in form to the great working of Ackleberry Forest, but much less potent due to the lack of guardian Spirits and a Great Tree. It clearly was of some effectiveness, as the neighboring Ruins of Shallach were indeed scourged by the Taint, yet the glade itself remains pure and free from its influence.
A more interesting case is the ethereal Wydyr. While the simple rubes who inhabit the Dell certainly don't know the difference between the various states the Glade has held, one known as Radella Airmid claims that the nightshade bush planted by Ellindel was changed when the taint came. Certainly, there is talk of how the Hae'vanei spring stayed pure, so it seems that while Caoihme was willing to protect itself, that protection was not strong enough to safeguard the Ethereal glade. But, given the nature of the dark fae who lived within and their empowerment by the Elixer, it is unlikely the Taint had any effect on them besides sullying their home.
In the year 133 CE, the Elder Godess Viravain, Lady of Thorns, culminated a plan She had been working on to reveal the wyrd of Glomdoring and showcase the Dark Forest's potency and power to the Basin. Involving the combined powers of Herself and the goddess Isune, as well as Brother Crow, Mother Night, and the Ebonglom Wyrm, she enacted the wyrd, purging the taint to reveal a stronger, more perfect force beneath. Though 'wyrd' at that time was a fae word meaning "a powerful event that changes the course of the Fates," on that day the meaning changed to refer to the dark and perfected power of shadows that coursed through Glomdoring and gave Mother Night, Brother Crow, and the dark fae their glory. The Wyrd was a force unlike any seen in the Basin before, and daily it professes its majesty from the Heart of Darkness.
But a further curosity happened. Whether by appeal from Mother Night, from the designs of the Mistess of Webs Herself, or simply because of a heretofore unknown connection between the Wydyr and the Glomdoring itself, the taint within the Glade was also drawn out to reveal the Wyrd was present there as well. Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Wydyr is close to the Heart of Darkness, and perhaps close as well to the Divine who favour the Dark Forest.
Indeed, around 410 CE, the Elder God Manteekan returned from the Void, carried back upon paths opened by the flower goddess Maylea. Though He wreaked havoc while attempting to call His fae who were now loyal to Mother Night and the Wyrd, He was eventually entrapped by Lady Viravain and the Silent Lord Nocht. He was encased in a prison of thorny vines and bitter ice, and the Lady of Thorns and the Silent Lord cast Him into the Ethereal Glomdoring to see the true power of the Wyrd as it turned the Traitor to its cause. Yet at the same time, the icy prison of Lord Manteekan also manifested within the Wydyr Glade, and it was here, in 411 CE that the newly Wyrdbound Nightmare emerged as a deathly cold mist.
That one object could exist simultaneously in two places, and indeed the second become the primary without the knowledge of the Elders who formed it, is a true curiosity, and together with the change to the Wyrd speaks of a much more curious, much deeper relationship between the Forest, the Glade, and the Dell.
[--The Royal Court of Shee-Slaugh--]
Though the tale is better told by the Prince Druken Shee-Slaugh himself, it would be remiss to discuss the Wydyr Glade and not mention the Royal Court that holds sway there.
The slaugh are certainly the most beauteous and graceful of the fae, and it is no wonder that they are the favored of Mother Night herself. They are filled with cunning, power, and grace, and might easily be one of the Nightmare Lord's most amazing creations. In the ensuing chaos that followed their entrapment in the Wydyr, the slaugh quickly took command, and organized a system of authority and rule amongst themselves and the other dark fae. The greatest of the slaugh quickly rose to become their Queen, and took upon herself and her lineage the name of Shee-Slaugh. The Shee-Slaugh ruled over the Wydyr Glade for millenia, and the dark fae prospered.
The appearance Ellindel within their woods released them from their confines, giving the slaugh the taste of the Basin they had long been exiled from. Mother Night immediately took to the graceful slaugh, so perfect they might have been crafted in her image. She called the Royal Court into her service, and with them the barghests and the redcaps, from which she took her Avatars. Lhiannan, the most beautiful, most devious, and most cunning of the slaugh, was her natural choice for Avatar. Lhiannan was proclaimed Queen of the Slaugh, and moved to the Ethereal Glomdoring to serve Mother Night and rule the fae there, further raising the status of the Court.
But the slaugh finally had an outlet for their considerable talents, and it was the men of the Basin that they practiced on, seducing them with their charms, taking advantage of their weakness, and then casting them away. Even Lhiannan herself was no stranger to this. From time to time, however, there would be issue. Since men were considered weak and inconsequential for all save breeding by the slaugh, only the female descendants were allowed into the Court, while the male children were cast away.
Lhiannan herself at some point did bear a male children, and likely gave them no regard thereafter, sending them out to whatever fate awaited those exiled. The children, however, knew of their heritage and fled to the northern Forest, calling themselves Inseira, a fae word meaning "the unworthy". At first they wore the moniker as a badge of pride, but soon its meaning faded, the Inseira were simply faelings of surprising grace and intelligence.
While the true scope of the redemption of House Inseira is beyond the scope of this document, it is enough to say that Druken, then Inseira, found the true origins of his House and heritage within the Wydyr Glade upon its rediscovery in 206 CE. He, with the Silent support of Lord Nocht, managed to convince Lhiannan not only of his lineage, but of his worthiness, and the worthiness of those he accepted as his descendants [Editor's Note: As Druken was a man of passion, cold though it may have been, it is possible that he has more descendants than he recognizes. Only those clearly worthy of the ideals of Night, the Wyrd, and the Glomodring, however, were allowed to bear the name. It is ironic, then, that for a time both he and his children called themselves "the unworthy."] Her acceptance given, for the first time in history, males were given equal status within the Royal Court, were allowed to wear the name of Shee-Slaugh, and were considered rightful heirs of Wydyr Glade.
[--References--]
Many thanks to the residents of Caoihme Dell for their insight and information, uneducated though they may be. In particular, Radella Airmid, and Caradawc Nechtan, who gave me the most useful information.
Equal thanks and more to the fae of Wydyr Glade who gifted me with their information. In particular, Princess Rhianna Shee-Slaugh was the epitome of grace, and the ruddy redcap Cythrawl Scathac was unusually talkative and didn't cut me that much.
Likewise the Queen Maeve, taking time from her court to answer questions on the Well of Souls.
Madam Librarian Salome Nightshade, for information on the current relationship between the fae of Night and the Maeve Court.
Prince Druken Shee-Slaugh, both for long remembered conversations and for his excellent and informative work "The History of the Shee-Slaugh Court"
The Elder Gods who splintered, Mugowumpois and Her shards who recorded Their thoughts, whosoever translated the crystals into the tome known as "The History of the Elder Wars", and Janitor Tully whose translation was used.
"The History of the Vernal Wars" for information on Kiakoda.
Events news-scrolls 42 for the formation of the Wyrd, 120 and 121 for the Discovery of Caoihme in modern times, and 328 and 329 for information on the return of Lord Manteekan.