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+----- Thread: A Brief History of the Everglow (/showthread.php?tid=64)
A Brief History of the Everglow - Creete - 07-19-2024
A Brief History of the Everglow
“Listen, my little one, to the whispers of the trees; some have seen many wonders! Though, none have seen as much as our beloved Everglow.”
- Green Witch Nestaali Everglow
The Everglow carries two meanings to those from the Kingdom of Wystaarel. Many within the capital city of Les’drael would have come to see the impressive, towering wisteria tree whose long hanging flowers often glistened and glowed as if enchanted. This remarkable elder tree was commonly called the Everglow, for no matter the season it bloomed beautifully and emitted a warm, welcoming light. Long had the luster of the Everglow drawn Kobolds to it, far and wide whispers of its beauty spread, but there was a single family who sought to tend to it. In time, this family would come to carry the surname Everglow, and eventually the crown of all of Wystaarel.
The Vulpine Caregivers:
The clan that came to be known as the tenders of the Everglow, and likewise the Everglow themselves, started as many Kobolds had - as a simple band of traveling green witches (druids, Walkers, those who followed the Path). They traveled all over the then unnamed woodlands of Wystaarel, seeking to aid the Wilds as best they could. No one quite knows how they came upon the Everglow, but it is said that once they laid eyes upon it they knew their days of wandering were behind them.
“To look upon the Everglow was to look upon one of the beacons of our very own creation. To protect it became our family’s duty. None would harm the ever blooming wisteria so long as one of my kin still breathed, and none would dare to damage her protected forests. We knew the Everglow was the mother of these woodlands, she was an elder, and she would be respected as such.”
- Walker Desodiin Everglow
It was from then on that the family of foxes tended to this patch of the wilderness, carefully constructing homes and burrows with the aid of the Wilds so as to not damage the woodlands. Soon, they had constructed a small village, and it would not be long after that other families came to join them. The little hamlet soon blossomed under the glistening fae light of the Everglow, and over generations did it turn into Les’drael. In time, the influence of the Everglow family spread, and soon they came to sit on the first and only throne of Wystaarel.
The First King of Wystaarel:
“To wear a crown is not to simply claim power, it is not to deem one’s self better than those around them - no, to wear a crown is to take on the burden of protecting, ruling and tending to a garden of many souls. It is knowing you will sacrifice, you will make challenging decisions, but it is all for the betterment of the masses. One who wears a crown must not just be strong, but kind, wise and willing to learn. Every day, we must seek to be better than we were the day before, and if one can not see this… and they should never adorn this crown.”
- King Arowyn Everglow, first of his line
For many, many years there had been no true ruler of the fae forests the Daarynd called home; the people instead lived in many scattered villages with a simple trade route established between them. All were content with this for generations, until struggle and strife came to their wild homeland. When a vile illness swept over the land causing many deaths and broken families, those of the forests were made weakened and vulnerable. This lapses in strength did not go unnoticed by outsiders to the dismay of those that called the continent home. Soon a mass of armed strangers marched upon the woodlands, seeking to take the forest and the people that called it home.
It was then the Daarynd knew they had to come together and unite, for only then would they manage to push back these savage elves. Many already knew of the Everglow and the city of Les’drael, and they swarmed their oaken walls seeking shelter and direction. The then patriarch of the Everglow clan, Arowyn Everglow, had only just stepped into his new role when his city was flooded with the distraught and frightened Daarynd. He listened to their pleas for shelter, to their requests of aid, and while he knew that taking in all that came to his home would not be easy he also knew this was exactly what he was meant to do.
Young Arowyn did not have years of experience leading masses, nor did he have a lifetime of wisdom to aid him, but he had a drive to protect the woodlands he called home. He followed the Green Path and knew these outsiders sought to destroy the peaceful world he and his kind had worked so hard to create. It was passion and faith that led the then forty year old fox to rally the woodland Kobolds together and declare them now the first nation of Wystaarel.
The years that followed were not easy for the young King or his new subjects. It took nearly a decade to push back the outsiders that threatened their land and to settle the wilds once more, but when it was all said and done the Daarynd knew that from that moment on things would never go back to how it had been before. The safety of Les’drael and the Everglow resulted in the survival of the masses, and their loyalty had been eagerly devoted to them going forward. From that day on the crown would pass down amongst the Everglow to the eldest sibling of each generation, unless they were deemed unfit to wear it; this had only happened once in their history thus far.
Many recall First King Arowyn for his kindness and willingness to risk it all for the Daarynd and the Wilds; his legacy was often spoken of within Les’drael for many believed without him Wystaarel would have fallen and with it all of their kin.
The Lost Prince:
“We have a role to play, each of us, Anestoel. It is the role of each and every Everglow to carry this torch, to guide our kin and be an example to them all. We can not stray from the path Arowyn has cleared for our people, for in doing so we damn us all.”
- King Erwon Everglow to his first son, Anestoel
While many speak highly of the Everglow family and all they had done to protect Wystaarel and the Daarynd, it would be unwise to forget the one vulpine caregiver that did not carry the same desires. No family is perfect, not ever the praised and honored Everglow, and so it should not have come as a surprise that eventually a child would be born that would stray from his family’s teachings - and yet, when it happened the family was shaken to its core.
The silver coated Anestoel Everglow was the first born of his parents, King Erwon and Queen Anastelia - three generations past the time of Arowyn. Anestoel was not like the other Everglow, he was cold and indifferent to the callings of the Wild. His mind often wondered beyond the borders of his home, to the sea and what lingered beyond the tall oaken walls of Les’drael. As he grew, he pushed for his father to open the borders and allow ships to leave and explore the vast sea beyond their home, but King Erwon refused to allow this. The last outsiders to step foot in Wystaarel sought to slaughter and conquer the Wilds, why would he be so willing to send his kin to their homelands? Anestoel did not agree with this, for he knew hundreds of years had passed since then. No other outsiders had come to their gates seeking anything, yet alone desiring to take their home from them - but King Erwon would not be swayed.
As the young prince grew older and older, it became clear to his parents that he would not follow in their footsteps. He shunned the Green Path and found no comforts in the teaming wilderness that surrounded their home. With each passing year Anestoel grew more and more distant, and they feared what would become of not only their son but also their kingdom. At this time, he had been their only heir and they knew at some point the crown would have to be passed down to him should they not have another kit. It was when the first prince turned twenty three that the King and Queen welcomed their second son into the world, a deep red hued fox they named Estalion.
The two sons could not have been more different, all that Anestoel hated of the Wilds Estalion adored, and this made the eldest son quickly come to despise his little brother. This bubbling hatred for the kit only grew as the child did. With each passing year the eldest prince became more aware that one day the crown would not rest on his brow, instead it would bypass him and go to the beloved Estalion. He dwelled on this fact, fuming on it, letting it eat away at him until he could no more.
One evening, as the rest of his family slept, the then thirty year old Anestoel snuck into his seven year old brother’s chambers with vile intent. The eldest prince carried with him a jagged blade, intending to end the life of his perfect little brother. He hovered over the bed, shaking as he held the weapon, trying to will himself to do what he knew he had to - but finally Anestoel realized he couldn’t go through with it.
Rage and despair filled the silver fox as he fled his family home, leaving only a letter behind that explained he would never return to the cursed lands of Wystaarel until the crown would rightfully be given to him.
And so the eldest prince Anestoel was lost. Some say he took to the sea, stealing a fisherman’s boat and finally escaping the tranquil forests he had grown up within. Others say he was taken by the wilds, being unfit to live within them due to his lack of experience. In the end, no one knows what happened to Anestoel, though his brother Estalion did someday wear the crown the eldest so desperately desired.
The Present Day:
“A forest can flourish and bloom so beautifully for decades, my dear, but it only takes one spark on a dry morning to turn the woodlands to ash.”
- King Estalion to his daughter, Princess Faldawyn
Nothing does last forever, this is what King Estalion tried to instill in his daughter as she grew in the now lavish city of Les’drael. Wystaarel had, in fact, blossomed into quite a booming and powerful city over the last few hundred years. Their waters were secure and safe, their borders guarded, and their people kind but wary to outsiders - but what would end the Kingdom was not the act of another race or land, no… it was nature itself.
When the great storm came and forced the Daarynd to flee their homes, their ships were scattered in the open sea. Today the remaining Daarynd of Wystaarel looks to the young Princess Faldawyn to guide them, as she remains the only standing Everglow where they had come ashore. It is not known what happened to the rest of the Daarynd, but there is hope one day they will unite again with the rest of what remains of Wystaarel.
“Not all is lost, Lady Mimi, no matter how dire things seem to be. A forest sometimes must burn to ash for it to grow more beautifully and stronger than it had before. We will wade through this time of ash, and we will be stronger for it, I know it.”
- Princess Faldawyn to her Court Lady Mimi
No one knows what the future holds, but the Daarynd have a history of overcoming the odds. It is the hope of all Wystaarelions left that they will do this once more.