Butterfly Wing Rain Forest
Butterfly Wings is a city located in the central region of Diligence in the Western Corner. The city and the surrounding forest get its name from the formation the river valley has based on a story that dates back to the Battle Against Fezzeret.
The great winged form of Aerion along was the most meddlesome in the war. The great air god's mastery of magics was meddlesome to the Chaos Beast, and Fezzeret spent much of his energy trying to deflect those magics and to bat the flying god down. Aerion was quick, dexterous, and artistically acrobatic as well as daring and bold enough to weave in and out of the Beast's many-armed attacks. However, Fezzeret did manage to strike true once. A mighty arm the size of a mountain hit Aerion and sent the god crashing onto the ground below. The impact sent shockwaves across the Western Corner, and for a moment, the world thought that the great air god was silenced for good.
At the brink of death, Elios' hand reached out and breathed life back into Aerion. Revived, the god stood up and took to the skies to fight again leaving an imprint in the ground in the shape of his wings. The years following that battle, the land began to change. The river nearby changed course and began to filter clean, mountain water into the new valley creating a lake of crystal clear blue-green. The various magics from Aerion and Elios sank deep into the ground, and a bright, exotic rainforest began to grow. It is said that if one were to fly above the rainforest and look down, the way the trees, plants, and water play with one another that the jungle does in fact resemble a perfect likeness of a butterfly which makes its name even more fitting.
Warm, humid, and thick with magic, the peoples of 4 Corners were tentative to explore it. It was beyond uncertain what these sorts of new dangers could have been created. But, over time and with encouragement from Aerion, explorers gained the courage to start expeditions into these new jungles to see and learn exactly what lived there (the god was most curious to see what the results of what combining the magics of 2 gods had yielded).
The first few trips were not very long. Explorers would only last a week at most before needing to return, their arms and bags brimming with samples, their minds overflowing with new stories. There were plants that could practically speak, animals that were beautiful hybrids on creatures that once walked the lands long, long ago. Reptiles and mammals that were diminutive and meek, insects that were monstrous to behold yet tame to touch.
Seeing people return in relative safety, groups of Aerion faithful began their own exploration of the rainforests, seeking out peaceful places for contemplation, worship, and sanctuary. The very first sanctuary would be where the city of Butterfly Wings now stands today. The monasteries dedicated to Aerion still stand and serve as a place of religious refuge, though it houses the faithful of all six of the Deities instead of just one. The museums are not only art-filled but also dedicated to recording and displaying the natural history of this exotic forested area. The concept of zoos was established when traveling entertainers took a number of the creatures and plants from the rainforest and paraded them from city to city across the 4 Corners (This practice is now a topic of ethical controversy across the entire continent).
While the rainforest is now perhaps half of the size it was during its creation, it continues to thrive despite the deforestation. The rainforest is still a place of beauty, peace, and refuge. It serves as a site of many a pilgrimage for those looking for enlightenment and understanding, and a place reverence for those who still remain religiously faithful to Aerion and Elios.
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