Pond of Sighs

Home of Stenega

Hidden behind the branches of weeping willows, in the depths of the @alta, lays the Pond of Sighs. It is peaceful and nostalgic, a piece of paradise amidst the forest. White nenuphars gently colour the surface of the pond, as the chirps and songs of birds fill the air in harmony. Under the shadows of the branches sleeps Stenega, the Echo.

Jewel of the Forest

Detail of Water Lily Pond by Claude Monnet

The still waters of the pond sleep, cool under the lazy shadows of the trees. Dozens of dragonflies buzz above its surface, gently hovering from one flower to anther. In the trees, birds chirp. It stretches out in an almost crescent shape, long reeds following its edges, a temple of serenity none would dare disturb.

Around the pond, wild flowers of all kinds decorate the grass, a swirling dance of colours amidst the deep green of the surrounding forest. They grow bold and tall, as if coaxed by some unseen power to be as beautiful as can be.

At night, after the chirps have quieted down and nature has fallen asleep, the fireflies awake. They light up the pond, swirling through the clearing, and for a moment it seems one is dancing among the stars.

And when the wind blows through the branches and foliage of the trees around, Stenega lets out a sigh, lost in memories of older days.

Stenega, Goddess of Sighs

The beauty and magic of the Pond originate from an old, little known Goddess. She is kown as Stenega, Goddess of Sighs. Saohri theologians seem to agree that her presence in the woods predates the arrival of the Danatelians, and whatever people once worshipped her are long gone from memory.

Local villages have adopted her worship, and a Druidic circles claims to act on her will, but few have ever seen the goddess, for she spends most of her time hidden in her pond, draped in her cloth of algae. She sleeps soundly, peacefully awaiting for her time to come.

Origins

Stenega is an archaic Baseikan divinity, who has lived on in the woods she was once worshipped in. She survived long after the Baseikan's abandoned their ways, and long after their doom too. Her very spirit seems tied to that of the forest, which she protects and cares for.

She is worshipped by the Danatelians as a Goddess of sleep and memories, of nostalgia and sighs. Some claim they can hear her breath as they walk through the woods, their heart swelling with an emotion that is not theirs.

Flora

The Pond of Sighs, protected by the magic of Stenega, has morphed into a small ecosystem of its own. Species which have long disappeared elsewhere have remained present within the bubble, thousands of years of evolution preserved within a single place.

Ancient Magic

The pond is surrounded by a magical aura, a vestige of the powers Stenega once possessed. All who enter the area, all find themselves soothed by the ambient tranquillity, making the clearing a haven for animals of all kind.
Click to reveal RPG relevant info

If a fight stills breaks out while in the clearing, all people who take an offensive action on their turn suffer 1d6 psychic damage and must succeed on a WST, as the magic tries to calm them down

by Margaret Deborah Cookesley