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The Well of The Fallen Goddess

As they trudged up the trail together Marius dragging his party member up. The heavy roots and vines seeming to grasp to them impeding their path.

"Come on now, stay with me-- we are almost there... those blasted bastards will pay for what they did. Just stay with me now." Marius said in labored breaths dragging his friend's body, stained with blood from the arrows in her back.

The vines gave way as he forced his way forward to three stone carvings worn away by time, splitting the waters that were falling over them. The falls that the two of them sat below cascaded beautiful silver water that shimmered as it flowed down below to a worn stone well covered with wild flowers and old stone work. Marius labored as he took the body of his friend to the edge, the sound of shouting and howling not far behind him.

"Fuck!" he shouted as he neared the edge of the water, lowering his friend to the ground at the base of the well before he pulled out his blades. " Alright, Selnia, I hope this works."

He pushed his friends body into the waters with a splash and he watched from above as her body began to sink in the water, deeper and deeper. His eyes darted back towards the brush as shouts and howls grew louder. Then, suddenly, the sounds stopped.

He only heard a faint whistling on the wind before ducking to the side as arrows began to fly out toward him, the beasts of the jungle were descending down on him. He struck the closest one and then the next, his blades swirling around him cutting deep where he knew they'd be down for good. But before long, a volley of arrows struck true, one embedding itself into his arm and another into his leg sending him toppling to one knee.

He looked up to the edges of the jungle only to see a larger ogre emerging from the brush and in his hands, a huge obsidian greataxe. As it grumbled towards him, Marius winced in pain as he tried to take hold of his blades, but his hands would not listen to him and his arms tensed and stiffened. Toxins.

He glared at the beast and in a defiant guttural goblin yelled, "Fuck you!"

As the ogre drew near and brought the axe up, a sudden splash of water and burst of lightning cut through the air. Marius could feel the crackling energy radiating in the air around him as the ogre exploded into pieces, the goblins around him scattering into the jungle.

He turned his head only to see Selnia standing there, dripping with water, her hand outstretched with energy still cracking from her hands and in her eyes. She looked down toward him and smiled, "We need to work on your goblin... you just told him to come fuck you."
— Complied Account from Adventures - Artemis Zhang

From all the notes I can compile and find, there seems to be a well located deep in the jungles south of the country of Jilean. From several adventurers' accounts and a few local legends, I was able to gather that this was an old temple site to a lesser deity of a small pantheon or perhaps maybe one of the many incarnations of Selnua or maybe even Valkeryth in another of their forms.   Other records indicate that the tribes of the area were thriving during the last rule of the Greater Mageocracy, and from accounts of traders that had gone to the area, the Gelasar people were a tribe that had inhabited the area and seemed to have disappeared in recent history.   The Gelasar had apparent access to a well, blessed by their goddess, and it was said to be where she was struck a blow by another and fell into the waters only to rise days later from it, reborn. Since then, the waters have been sought for its magical healing properties. Countless groups have tried to find this site and many have perished in doing so. This led the people of Gelasar to build a temple surrounding this well and it was where the sick and elderly were brought to have access to the healing and rejuvenating waters. This led to the people of this tribe having long lives and from its people, a wise group of elders led them.   I think I have found a clue on how to find it! I have recovered what seems to be an old translation of a text in the Bards College. It speaks of a path lit by the three moons, that you must follow until you reach where the rivers rise and the earth falls.   I plan on heading an expedition as soon as I can get the proper funding and the right group to travel with me down to Jilean.  
-Notes of Artemis Zhang


Cover image: by Wikipedia Commons

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Jul 8, 2021 07:33

Excellent article and I love the two perspectives - the story prose and the journal note. It's all a nice compelling read, well put together :D Awesome stuff


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
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