Baelric Fable & Folklore

This culture is based on music, archery, and folk memory of the Others (the Fae).
Baelric follows the Church and its holy liturgy, but Arpethianism is creeping in from the east, and Wiltanism from the southwest.

Afanc inhabit many of Baelric’s lakes. See the Bestiary for more details.
Alquin are rare, but they still live in this land’s woods and forests.
Hellhounds have been encountered throughout the moors, but few witnesses live to report these encounters.
Dros-Drouichim make homes in some of the Baelric’s many caves. There has never been over three or four of them in the country, so these encounters are rare.
Others, once much more common here, use portals to come and go in liminal places here, and encountering them rarely bodes well for mortals.
Flower Maids every appear Spring, and they collect for glorious dances. They seem like sweet-natured, beautiful maidens, but if killed, they burst into flower petals. The first flower maidens were created by Gwalchgwynn the Gray, and there have never been many of them.

Brandach—He was a famous pagan bard. When faced with perhaps irrevocable destruction of bardism and bardic magic, music, and lore by the Church, so he converted to the Faith. He saved the bardic tradition, but some natives still view him as an apostate. He has not been sainted yet.

Kendroth was the greatest wizard ever, and he was a Baelric native. He is honored here by the Kendroth Hills in Longall, and Kendroth’s Cross in Dunstan. He lived in King Kelthan’s time, and plays into that legendary cycle.
Maegwydar the Old was a multipurpose hero, swordsman, wizard, seer, and bard, who could rope the wind and weave deceptive, irresistible magic riddles. He was said to be born old and fully formed, and he was King Llynd’s advisor in the Kelthan cycle. He is commemorated by Maegwydar’s Arm in Solger.
Llynd was a mythological forbearer king, and he was one of Kelthan’s Paladins and a druid. It is said he could charm the moon from the sky with his harp, and that he commanded a flight of wyverns. He is commemorated by Lynd’s Lake and Lynd’s River in Eagar, and Lynd’s Rock in Solger.
Gwalchgynn the Gray was a polymath bard, wizard, druid, swordsman, and hero who could sing flowers into bloom, soothe the dead with his rhymes, and heal the sick with melody. He is reportedly the first bard, and the bardic tradition is based on his life. He could transform flowers into beautiful maidens, and he is remembered for Gwalchgwynn’s Hills in Dunstan.
Doomwing the Desolate was a red dragon, and Dreadwyrm the Pillager a white dragon. They are lost in the mists of history, but they are still remembered in the Baelric crest.

Tumbledown Falls—Secret, but believed to be on the north banks of the Garr River, this is where bards still go compete and memorize their extensive lore. It is holy, made more so by the beautiful waterfalls here.
Temple of Law and Discord—Found in Kharth, this is a unique holy place and detailed elsewhere. It is the beating heart of Aorlis.
Drygold Vale—Said to be found in Solger, this place is lost, and all paths that lead there seem randomly to rearrange themselves. No one remembers why it is so well protected.
Bottomless Lake of Moire—In Cymdul, reports are that lake has no floor, but connects directly with the pagan afterlife. Natives used to make bend and sacrifice valuable offerings for the gods here, tossing their offerings into these waters and letting them sink all the way to the gods’ realm.

Faerie Rings—These occur where enormous trees have uprooted, and mushrooms have grown around the old perimeter. These rings are hazardous, because they can serve as gates for marauding Others, or they can sometimes even cause people who wander into them to disappear forever. Humans still guard against Others by placing cold iron on their thresholds and window casements, and they leave offerings of milk and honey to appease these beings.
Crystal Caves—Scattered around the region, these places are associated with missing time and powerful life-changing visions.
Bizarre and varied aerial phenomenon are often witnessed in the Baelrics above ancient sites, holy lakes, and liminal places. Ball lightning, colorful plasma bolts that dance among clouds, beams of light, circular holes in clouds, and luminous objects that dart about the heavens have all been seen here.

Eisteddfod—This is a yearly competition where bards compete for the chair (the eisteddfod) of poetry. This takes place at Tumbledown Falls, and only native Aogar or Baelric citizens may attend. It is held the first week of Reapingmonth, and lasts for a week.