Tag: faerie
Navel of Rhyl Forest (‘Songhome’)
Posted on September 27, 2021 in Steel-Realms
Deep near the heart of the Great Forest of Rhyl in the northern Steel Realms is a place known as Songhome – the Navel of Rhyl Forest. It is a place of great beauty, filled with strong hills, many glades and springs, and filled with light animal and bird sounds. This locale has all the common properties and powers of Navels of the Wylden in the Steel Realms. There is always a World-Tree of the Wyld in the Navels of the Wylden – this one fed with dragon blood, making it especially potent. Normally, at the deep heart of all The Great Forests, in the Navel/Hart where the center of power is, is a mated pair of Unicorn protectors – though only Heliki the Eternal has ever been contacted.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ?} NO FORMAL AUTHORITY CLAIMS IT.
Population: Smallfolk of Faerie in large numbers, a few select elves and creatures of the Feywyld have been seen.
An animus font pulses at the forest’s core, releasing energy into the Laey of Helca. They Laey is anchored in this place with barbs that channel elemental energies. Creatures that find their way here are generally welcome, except those of non-faerie Faeybrin origins – men and their primitive ilk. They are mostly immune to its true beauty, and see only resources to take where others see a thing that must be kept safe and preserved. Magic is stronger at the Navel, and it leads many intruders to their death. The forest itself actively seeks to keep this place hidden from those that would despoil it. Paths change, watering holes go foul, trees and foliage block the way and all other manner of attacks by swarms and changes to the terrain that impede such travelers. Faerie kind, the gentle halflings, and Skraelings are given more leeway than others, and even the half elves of certain perspective seem to be able to move through its deeper reaches – even getting to meet and speak to the legendary druid guardians. Not even world watchers are welcome without an invite or parley first.
The Har’ahdu Cunaigh – Aelpath of Helca twines through the Great Forest of Rhyl.
Klaurian Refuge in the Rhyl Forest: Among the refugees of The Blood of Saemon were a band of Klaurians. After the great battle in the Valley of Sighs subsided, they quietly left, following a beacon calling to their chief and shaman. For ages they were thought to have gone extinct, but they settled in the deep Rhyl Forest, and drew power from the Navel to keep themselves hidden until their numbers increased and they migrated to North Pines. They -They grew even bigger, and became its premiere guardians – the Kalurians (originally Klaurian was their clan name). They are massive, powerful, passionate, militaristic, and compulsive protectors of the forest.
- These places have a tendency to form a Dew Gate in the navel, drawing elementals, malicious small folk of the Faeywyld, and the child-thieving hags of lore in search of easy mortal prey; This has led to the Plague of Hags.
- It is thought that Vaaurouch of The Rimbus is still alive and being venerated in the Navel of Rhyl Forest.
Encounters & Dangers in the Area
See Encounters in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl for common potential scenarios of notable events and creatures.
- Normal Settlement Encounters > Patrols | Recruiting | Sellers | Begging | Crime
Chronicle/Facts of the Locale
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Rumors About the Locale
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
CY 6514 The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is created by the High King. In exchange for the resources and organization that can be brought to bear against the now organized undead armies, the lands become part of the High King's domain.
CY 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
CY 5980 The Kingdoms of old Rhylan united settled as a single Kingdom of Rhyl to fight the Lich Lords drive south. After centuries of warfare between territories and races, the common cause of the threat to the north secures a lasting peace.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
CY 2330's Fall of East / Rise of the Dark Lands (Orrishai Abandoned); Refugees flee - some cross the Tolkisson Mountain Range into the 'Lands of Rhylan' that would become the Kingdoms of old Rhylan and finally.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Minor Outcome / Average Difficulty & Uncommon Knowledge
The Druidhold of Broken Shell lies between Songhhome – Navel of Rhyl Forest and Nest of Rhylan-d’Roque – ancient home of the long dead Dragon of Rhyl.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
A Drawing of Power: It is believed that both the walls (The Autumn Wall and The Blue Wall) hem in the power of the Lich Lords. Their own strength relies on some power that draws away the killing cold blasts of the Frostfang that would push its icy embrace across the lands. In addition to their own mystical manifestation, these walls also siphon some small bit of power from the Frostfang winds, feeding their own capabilities and exchanging, diverting or altering the actual weather in their area – diminishing it in Kaald and exchanging it on the The Autumn Wall at North Gate Garrison casting its cold temperatures and windows to disperse in Great Forest of Rhyl.
The Dew Gate in the Navel of the Great Forest of Rhyl pulls through some of the wintery weather, dumping it in the Faeywyld as a roaming storm of sleet and snow, and drawing the ire of those that make their home there, accounting for A Plague of Hags in The Grand Duchy of Rhyl.
Feyloise (faerie language)
Posted on August 18, 2021
Feyloise is a Preeminent Language branch of the iVerse. It typically has “SPOKEN” and “WRITTEN” expressions of communication.
A separate branch of Faeybrin language capable of being used by the various Faerie subspecies, but uses very high pitched sounds outside the range of most Faelen humanoid type species. Every community will have its own accent or regional variation.
Origins: The inclination and structure of all Feyloise variants makes it recognizable across multiple galaxies of the cosmos. Because all faerie share the same origins in Faerie Divinity the scattered seeds all share a communication pattern. Sharing a common Soul Well or Weald through a Flora Bound trait will also provide nuance.
Physiological Limits: The faerie genus contains extra bones and cavities in their face and throat to enable the high pitches. This prevents most of the other humanoid species from being able to achieve a high degree of lingual ability – most cannot achieve fluency. The use of some concepts go hand-in-hand with the pheromones’ of the faerie-kin, achieving a level of expression nearly unparalleled.
- Primal Feyloise: Physically expressive elements of Sylvanic have found their way into this. This is spoken by the more wyld species of faerie-kin, the majority of them in fact. This often appears as a physical flourish as they speak.
- Pure Feyloise: This is the more traditional mode. It often takes twice as long to communicate due to the long lifespan of of the ancient elves who speak it. The adoration of the expressiveness is maximized using this form of the language.
Feyloise in Social settings
Because many of the higher concepts exist in the physically limiting areas of speech for other races, non-fluent speakers frustrate faerie kin, especially aelves, elves, and their direct descendants. Faerie prefer to speak in other languages to those outside their own race. In doing so, they often find it distasteful with corresponding physicality that mirrors this (grimace, squint, furrow, etc.) – often without awareness they are doing it. When intimacy is required, faerie will speak only Feyloise. The ability for those being spoken to to understand all nuance often leads to faerie to make sure they wear clothes that allow for others to see their Soul Shine. Seemingly revealing clothes, plunging lines, gossamer like garments – all to ensure those capable can perceive their binding to the Soul Well they are part of.
Maximum Levels of Expression/Communication: Physical (spoken) 5 [mastery]/ Inscribed (literate) 5 [mastery]
The Soul Well
Posted on July 6, 2021
The Soul Well is a manifestation of the community and its unending river of generations and their accumulated wisdom, stemming from Asharae “Lady of the Stars”. Faeries, and elves especially, have managed to achieve a highly unique and wondrous existence, never losing touch with family blood that they have passed on, their perspectives, and the knowledge they had. They even tend to associate knowledge with specific individuals within communities. The wisdom and comfort gained from this manifests in their demeanor and outlook. As such, faeries, being some of the longest lived community organized species have developed a magical process to concentrate the knowledge and experience of their predecessors into a form of Aether Well. In many communities, souls born are nurtured through this and return to it – bonded through their Soul Gem. Typically, a multitude of Wealds are bound to each Soul Well.
It also extends their lifespan to near immortality. A group or clan of elves will typically have a single Soul Well. The first Soul Well (said to be made by the sacrifice of the ‘firsts’ of the Aelfs) is said to still exist, somewhere among the stars at a nexus of Aelfpaths, in some way empowering all the ones created thereafter.
A Soul Well can have many manifestations: A pond, a tree, a shining light, etc. It is always kept in a sacred place, a place no outsiders are allowed.
Soul Shine
A character bound to a Soul Well will have a gleam, a bright area of their body, or in some cases be bound with a physical manifestation such as a gemstone or leaf that is part of the skin of the character – this is known as their Soul Shine.
A character may voluntarily move their Soul Shine to the Soul Well. At that point, their body will become faint, and pass away into mist. They are alive still, and part of the Soul Well. Any of those bonded to the Soul Well may contact them, ask questions, chat, give them continued information, etc. The body is gone, but the soul is eternal and bound to the clan.
These usually take on the form of a “Soul Tree” central to a large clan or family.
Destruction of a Soul Well
Every elven character bound to it will feel a heart-wrenching tear where their Soul Shine is.