A Tale from Lorekeepers and the World Tree
You may already be familiar with “The Sacrifice of Verdigris,” one of the foundational lore stories from Azuria and Eldura. That particular retelling comes from the saudad legend, recounted for us by Persephonie in Story Magic.
But of course the legends only begin there, and their weave continues across the Planes of Life.
The legend that follows picks up after Verdigris’s sacrifice and recounts what the lorekeepers know—with her sacrifice, Verdigris bore daughters three. And united, there’s no telling how vast their power might grow.
Verdigris’s Daughters Three
As any good folklorist will tell you, Verdigris’s sacrifice divided the central planes into three. But only the lorekeepers know what transpired at the moment of division—that as Verdigris separated the parts of herself, she carved out three beings, three daughters, each of whom reflected the best, most powerful aspects of the plane she embodied.
The Brightlands
For the Brightlands there was Enid, first of the fae people of that plane. Enid led her people over the mystical fields and through the great forests of the Brightlands. At her bidding, they traveled through one of the great portals and settled in a forest of the prime plane. There they remained until the fall of the First Age.
The Prime Plane
Upon the prime plane there was Lyric, fae daughter gifted with myriad forms of magic. Like her mother, she could command the six elements and bend their union to her will. Lyric’s people passed from the lands touched by stars and sun to dwell beneath the earth where they might study the workings of their world, both above and below. They held fast their ties to the other ancient races, the daimon and fomorians, and they developed new alliances as well, finding familiar souls among Cassandra’s storied people, the saudad.
The Shadowlands
And in the lands of shadow, Verdigris placed the strongest of her daughters three—Evelyn, the most steadfast of heart and mystical of mind. To her, Verdigris gave the gift of Sight, for she knew that these lands would be the most beset upon, the easiest misunderstood, and the most coveted by those who sought the destruction of her people. Izadra’s love had taught Verdigris the love of darkness, and Evelyn’s descendants revers the plane of stars and the titan of darkness still.
During the fall of the First Age, the Shadowlands clung to the Negative Planes. And for a moment, Pandora relented in setting free her hold. Five holes remain, one for each place where the prime goddess’s grasp lingered. These holes have spread and grown, dividing the Shadowlands from themselves. Out of the darkness, terrifying creatures roam.
Evelyn enchanted the waters and the earth of her realm. She passed her gifts on to her daughter and her people and bid them to remember their might, remember who she had created them to be. Magic moves and breathes, a physical thing across Evelyn’s shadow-plane. Among her fae children, it takes many forms—spectral wings, telepathy, Sight. It was this last gift that saved them, when the god of undeath turned his avaricious eye upon the fae of the Planes of Life. Evelyn’s daughter sensed his movements before his strike. She took steps to ensure her people would survive.
Ravenna was her name. You may know of her daughter Yvayne. Together, they hold the heart of the Shadowlands fae, though they can never be together again. Like Verdigris before her, Ravenna survived a great Rending. For the love of her people, she broke her own heart in two. Some say the shards of heartbreak remain, a magic buried in the Ruins of Lumme. But those who have known and loved one of Evelyn and Ravenna’s people know the truth—broken hearts beat on in their chests still.
As the lorekeepers, again and again these things we have seen. Bravery and heartbreak walk often hand in hand. They dance beside beauty and sorrow. But for one to become many, as the seeds Verdigris sowed, is its own magic and plenty.
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