Hollow Sanctum

The Hollow Sanctum is the name for the ancient fae civilization that once stood in the forest on the southwestern peninsula of Qopith, where Hollow Prairie now sits. Although it no longer exists, many believe that the prairie is haunted by their spirits.

History

The Sanctum, as it once was known, was a group of fae that lived deep in the woods. They were mostly dryads, whose spirits were connected to the trees around them. It is said they lived in quiet splendor, rich with the gifts of the forest: food, shelter, dyes, clothing. They did not often see visitors, but those who entered their forest could sense their presence all around. Some feared them, for like most fae, they had a reputation for detachment from the mortal world and an aloof cruelty towards other non-fae folk.

Sometime around BV 500, a sickness began to arise in the trees of the southwestern peninsula. Nicknamed Treemelt, it caused the wood inside the trees to soften, appearing almost liquid is severe cases. Affected trees slowly collapsed, victims of rot in their roots and heartwood. To the forest folk of Qopith, who made their living through the lumber trade, this disease could be a death sentence if allowed to spread unchecked. Despite their efforts, however, nothing could cure the blighted trees once they began to decay. The only way to stop the spread that proved effective was to burn down the affected trees.

When the forest folk began their burns, they quickly grew out of control and spread to the west, heading directly towards the Sanctum. Although the folk rushed to contain the flames, there was no stopping the wildfire. And though someone could warn the dryads, they were tethered to the trees and would burn if their trees did. There was nothing to be done. Within just a few days of losing control of the fires, they had consumed the westernmost swath of the forest, including the woods where the Sanctum had made its home. The Sanctum was destroyed.

Modern Influence

In present day, most of the residents of the Misty Pine Forest are aware of the Hollow Sanctum and its history. The Hollow Prairie, which grew in place of the forest that had been destroyed, is said to be haunted by the vengeful spirits of the Sanctum, whos had burned with their trees and would not rest until they had punished the mortals for their carelessness. Although Treemelt still occasionally rears its head in the forest, fire technology has improved and folk are now able to carefully burn individual trees or small sections of forest wthout losing control.

Some say that the wind in the Hollow Prairie echoes with the moans of the dryads, remnants of their cries of pain when the forest burned down. The prairie is avoided at all costs, and none have settled there for fear of the angry spirits exacting revenge. Many of the forest folk tell stories of travellers wandering into the prairie and never returning, lost to the waving grasses and the spirits of the dryads. Although it is unclear whether these stories hold any weight, they are often told to young folk, especially those who live close to the Hollow Prairie, as a warning to never wander out of the safety of the trees.

Culture

The members of the Sanctum placed great value in aesthetics and beauty. They spent great lengths of time dressing themselves in natural objects, weaving feathers and flowers and leaves into their hair or creating extravagant gowns of berry-dyed barkcloth and colorful stones. They also created beautiful woven decorations from twigs and plants, which they hung from the branches of their trees. One could immediately tell when they were in Sanctum territory because every branch was hung with dozens of these colorful decorations, and garlands trailed between branches and around trunks, weaving the entire forest into its own natural tapestry.

The Sanctum rejected most of what they considered "unnatural" objects - manufactured creations of the mortal folk which they believed were too far removed from their natural states. For example, dyes made from berries or other direct pigments were acceptable, but dyes processed with too many other added ingredients were unacceptable. They were reluctant to interact with the other folk of the forest because they saw them as inferior and, in some cases, threats to their safety because they were involved in the lumber trade and could have cut down the dryads' trees if they chose to.