Quoted By:
“In the first days, all of the land was like a forest – a dark forest, alive with beasts. Men learned to be silent, because speaking up was to invite disaster. Men learned to roam, and to cover his tracks too, because hiding away would only invite disaster. And so, men lived a life of fear – until the Sun King came to burn away the forest. Suddenly, men could settle down and live in peace. They could speak to one another, to learn and to grow. It was the beginning of a golden age.”
“But not all of the forest was burned, and not all men left the forest,” Madam Lilias says, reciting the words of a well-rehearsed story in a low murmur, “Those were the first foresters. They learned too, learning ways to repel or command the spirits that had once preyed upon them – and, the stories say, it was the Great Mother who taught them their ways.”
“I read once that the Great Mother was, you know, the origin of all life,” Cloranthy says slowly, carefully. You had decided that the archives would be the best place for a quiet conversation, and it was inevitable that Cloranthy would join you. Even if you hadn't invited her, you have little doubt that she would have invited herself soon enough.
“That's a common claim, yes, but it's really not true. It doesn't even make much sense when you think about it – how could a spirit create life in this, the human world?” Lilias gives a slight shrug, smiling apologetically at Cloranthy, “You can't really trust a lot of what people have written about the forest kingdom, I'm afraid.”
“Oh sure, I know that NOW. Back then, though, I read a lot of stories about the forest kingdom. Loved them, really, and then my boy Lucas here came along to tell me that they were all bullshit,” Cloranthy explains, giving you a wicked grin, “So now, as punishment for crushing a young girl's dreams, he has to come and hang out with me. Pretty awful, isn't it?”
“That's not EXACTLY how it happened...” you point out, holding back a groan, “Anyway, that's ancient history by now so-”
“So's this,” the young woman interrupts, her eyes flashing bright with mischief, “Actually, this is WAY more ancient.”
Madam Lilias clears her throat, causing you both to look around. “In truth, we know very little about the Great Mother,” she admits, “My strongest theory puts the Great Mother in opposition to Adhra, Lord of the Barrier, although I cannot say for certain what that really means. Some of the evidence I've seen, well, I dare not speak of it aloud...” Her voice trails off here, and she allows herself a tiny shudder of disgust.
“I think I know what you mean,” you agree, taking a breath before telling the story of your investigation on the southern coast. Madam Lilias listens with care, her eyes steadily growing wider and wider as your story goes on.
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