Strange dreams plagued the Serenwilde for many days, visions of the
forest ablaze, druids hung from their own intestines from the Moonhart
Mother Tree, and dark shadows moving through the trees. Upon
investigation into these dreams, Kalodan Faechild learned from the White
Hart that the forest was warning them.

Of what they were not to find out till many days later when a call rang
out from Abeytu the Seren gardener of weeds growing in his Arboretum.
Strange sickly plants had begun to crawl across the forest, followed
soon by the Flame of Glinshari spouting corrupted flames of blackness.

At the same time as these events started, the Serenguard were called to
Master Eurytus who told them he had been having fragmented visions of
their past. He instructed them on the means to the old centaur way of
vision questing and to seek out the answers within. Many days passed and
the Serenguard returned dutifully to Master Eurytus, telling him of each
vision they had in the hopes of bringing him closer to remembering
everything. As his thoughts cleared, Master Eurytus fell to his knees,
branding the Hartstone as the keepers of a dark secret which was the key
to everything. Urging the Serenguard to speak with the Hartstone, they
quickly left and a meeting of their elders was held where Hartstone
reluctantly retold the tale of Grutina Oakvine and her dark consorts
that nearly destroyed the Serenwilde many decades past.

Returning to Master Eurytus, the Serenguard relayed this information to
him, and understanding dawned on him, giving him the final piece to the
history of the Serenguard and their first champion Laron Oakvine. In
stunned silence the Serenguard listened to the tale of their history,
and carefully weighed the importance of how this would affect them in
the years to come.

The Hartstone meanwhile, took the little information they had learned to
their nature guide, Dain and he proposed the theory that the magic which
bound the dark spirits had been weakened not only by Hartstone's
discovery of the Halls of the Ancestors, but by Elryn's summoning of
Grutina Oakvine shortly after the Halls were open. With the new
knowledge that this was indeed Grutina Oakvine and her consorts, the
Serenwilde banded together to fight this threat, the Moonhart Mother
Tree began to shed her bark to aid, and Elryn was able to find the means
to destroy the dark spirit tainting the plant life of the Serenwilde. It
was many days later, that they managed to drive out the spirit finding
refuge in the Naos, but with that gone, it was only a matter of time
before High Priestess Tsuki Mes'ard carried the blessed flame brand to
the Flame of Glinshari and Grutina Oakvine was finally sent fleeing.
During this time Grutina, was not to be ignored though, as she brought
fire to the Serenwilde, slaughtered the centaur colts, and taunted the
Seren with promises as long as they handed the Hartstone over to her.

Days passed by, and the Serenwilde slowly turned back to normal. The
Serenguard continued their vision quests in the hopes of learning more,
and more they did learn. The Great Chieftain Kiarlea Mes'ard returned to
Master Eurytus with news of a vision about the construction of their
lodge. Within the vision she witnessed two staves being handed to an
elfen man, whom Master Eurytus confirmed as their first Great Chieftain,
and the staves as being the Staff of the Hart and the Staff of the Moon,
both blessed by the Great Spirits and containing a small spark of their
essence. Given to the Serenguard to symbolise their duality within the
Commune, that they are neither Hart nor Moon, they are both.

However, the threat that had been chased off days earlier, held one more
trick, the cries of pixies being led to the Moonhart Mother Tree rang
clear as the Great Tree had become a twisted mockery of itself, and the
maiden Miakoda a snarling mocking woman who demanded more pixies brought
to her and urged them to bring the colts as well. Panic stricken the
Serenwilde sought aid from their Great Spirits, only to receive word
from White Hart that they would need to make an offering to the Tree of
Trees and ask for aid. So gathering what they could to offer, they
boarded the Aethership of Avaerin in search of the Great Tree. Upon
finding her, they made their offering and she responded with aid, a
massive construct of marble, gems, and mistletoe that would hold the
dark spirits prisoner.

With this object in hand, the Seren returned to the Mother Tree and set
it before her to wait for the White Hart. Upon his arrival he instructed
Kalodan that they would need to bring the Spear of Nintoba and so the
search for essence began. Once the Spear was recovered they returned to
the White Hart who told all present that one among them would take White
Hart's life. He offered himself up in sacrifice to save the Serenwilde
from the dark spirits of their past that plagued them. Shocked and
dismayed, the Seren tried to find another way, but the White Hart
informed them this was the only way, and it must be done quickly. So
taking the Spear of Nintoba in his hands Kalodan plunged it into the
White Hart. With the deed done, the essence of White Hart drifted out to
cover the Moonhart Mother Tree, drawing back to the egg shaped
construct, and pulling the dark spirits into their prison to be held
there by the essence of White Hart now trapped within as well.

Seeking the guidance of Mother Moon, the Seren quickly went to speak to
Albion who informed the Moondancers they would need to enact a ritual at
the top of their tower, and with luck they would gain Moon's blessing in
order to discover the whereabouts of the lost staves. Led by the High
Priestess the Seren quickly ran to the Moondance Tower and called for
the blessing of Mother Moon. Favour was with them as She soon answered,
bathing the Serenguard lodge in Her beauty and enlightening Master
Eurytus of the location of the staves.

The High Chief Iraen led the procession to the lodge, and facing the
mural of their first Great Chieftain she laid her hands up on it. The
staves depicted within the mural quickly appearing in her grasp. With
the staves in hand they sought out the key to using them, learning from
Miakoda that there was only one who could save the White Hart and they
would need to summon him through ritual. Instructing them of their
tasks, the High Chief nervously stepped forward, surrounded by the
Serenguard and the Hartstone, while the Moondancers used their knowledge
of Mother Moon's gifts to summon the killing moon into the sky. With
great effort the Seren let their own essence flow out to the High Chief
as she lifted the staves over her head and they flashed a brilliant
green, sending a beacon deep into the void itself.

Moments passed and the sound of time and space being torn asunder echoed
through the Basin as a swirling mass of darkness opened in the skies,
and from within came the creator of White Hart himself, Charune the
Horned one. Slowly descending to the Fulcrux within Avechna's Peak, He
was met with the attention of a flurry of mortals all trying to gain His
attention. After learning how it was He was called back, and learning of
the death of the White Hart, He returned to the Serenwilde with His
cousin, Viravain, to see what could be done. Seeing what the White Hart
had done, He informed the Seren that so long as the construct remained
within the Serenwilde White Hart could not be restored, without
releasing the spirits back upon them. To which they quickly asked of
Glomdoring to take them so their Great Spirit could be restored.
Glomdoring seeing this opportunity to make demands of the Seren rather
than a chance to heal old wounds quickly told the Seren that they would
take the spirits under three conditions. Those of the Serenwilde seeing
that their Great Spirit was more important to them than the agreement to
these demands acknowledged them and the Mighty Crow descended on the
Serenwilde taking the egg-shaped construct back to the Glomdoring.

Once all was settled and the threat banished forever from the
Serenwilde, Charune laid his hand upon the White Hart, lifting the
broken shell into the skies above, and the White Hart was reborn;
returned safely due to the self sacrifice of the Seren people.

Penned by My hand on the 9th of Klangiary, in the year 149 CE.