Evermeet
What I tell you now is truth as pure as Garl’s nugget, and the only reason I’ve written it in a book for all to see is that no one else shall ever achieve the feat: I stowed away on a ship bound for Evermeet, and my feet touched its blessed ground!
Any who’re knowledgeable about the place might scoff at my claim, and those ignorant of it like as not think the deed not the feat of legend it was, so let me explain to those doubters among you what Evermeet is and why, by the end of my tale, you’ll envy my boots.
<b>A Little Piece of Heaven</b> Legend has it — and so believes every elf I’ve ever met — that the island of Evermeet is not of this world, and that it never was. In ancient days, so long ago that even elves think of it as their mythic past, the elves of many nations sought a perfect homeland for their people. (That was the problem there, of course. You’ll miss out on a wealth of beauty it you’re always looking for the perfect gem.) Not finding it in the world, some elves (sun elves, I’d wager) looked beyond the world to create one. These High Mages gathered together to perform a mighty work of magic that would bring Toril into contact with Arvandor — that’s right, the mad fools actually wanted to bring into our world some of the lands in which their gods dwelt!
Tales differ on whether Corellon allowed this or was powerless to prevent it, but it happened, and calamity gripped Toril as a result. This was the first Sundering, and elves have always said it echoed through time. Recent calamities would seem to prove them right.
When things settled down, the elves realized their folly. For thousands of years, no elf dared set foot on Evermeet. But eventually Corellon must have forgiven his wayward children, for the oldest elves began to feel the call to the west.
Perhaps you’ve seen a moonbow hang over Selûne and heard the idea that it means an elf is being called to Evermeet. Well, that is no children’s story. Ever met an elderly elf? How would you know, right? Well if you’re ever honored to meet an elderly elf at such a time, you’ll see a similar arc in each of the elf’s eyes above the pupil. This is Sehanine Moonbow’s way of guiding the elf to the afterlife. The arcs can blind the elf to this world, but they vanish when the elf enters the next, allowing sight of the elven heaven. Well that’s exactly what happens in Evermeet, and the elf need not be dead to achieve it. Don’t believe me? Well, I saw what I saw.
Some elves followed their aged kin to Evermeet, and soon a kingdom of elves dwelt in a heaven on Toril. For ages Evermeet was protected by mighty beasts, mighty magic, and the might of the Seldarine themselves. Elves of all types from all over the world journeyed to Evermeet seeking solace. And when the elves declared their Retreat from the world, where do you think they went?
Then the Spellplague struck, and some of that old elven High Magic must have unraveled. Evermeet became unmoored from the world and found itself instead in a sea of the Feywild, that strange realm of faerie that touches the world in mystical places. For a century, it seemed Evermeet was lost to the world. Venerable elves tried to hold on, hoping that this echo of the first Sundering might echo Evermeet’s connection to the world once the period of calamity ended.
Their patience (who but an elf could have such patience?) was at last rewarded, when ships from Evermeet docked once more in Sword Coast ports.
<b>Sailing to the West</b> Knowing all this and having just met a venerable elf who was preparing for the journey, how could I not take the opportunity to tag along? I felt a little bad about taking advantage of the elf’s blindness and forcing him to leave behind some of his baggage, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime!
I overheard it said by the captain of the ship that Evermeet now somehow straddles all three planes: our world, the Feywild, and Arvandor. It touches them all, but exists fully in none of them. To find it, you must follow a pattern of stars until the stars change and then follow new stars. (I swear by Garl’s nugget that’s what he said!) Those who stray from the path are lost. How I wish I could have asked the captain where the lost ships went! But I couldn’t give myself away.
I had brought some food with me, since I didn’t know how long I’d have to remain hidden aboard the ship. At the start of the journey, I pricked my ears up at every creak of the boards and at each elven voice, but after a time, lulled by the rocking of the sea, I fell asleep. The journey after that has a dreamlike quality. I know I must have awoken, eaten, slept, and taken care of other necessities — at least my food was all eaten by journey’s end — but I don’t recall the specifics. I only know that at some point the ship stopped, and someone took the basket in which I was hidden and placed it on a sandy beach.
<b>What I Saw</b> I felt it before I saw it. With the barest glimmer of golden light through the basket weave all that I could see, Evermeet took my breath way. Coiled in the basket like a snake, with cramps in every limb, I was desperate not to give myself away, yet I could feel the magic of Evermeet seep through my body, soothing aching limbs and easing guilty conscience. When I could breathe again, I gasped. And that was how the elf discovered me.
The blind elf, whose beloved treasures I’d displaced to take my journey, pulled me from his basket, and when he did so, his eyes were clear as diamonds and just as hard. I thought for sure that I was dead, and on seeing my surroundings, I can say with all my heart that I didn’t care. Had the elf killed me on the spot, my soul would have gone to Garl and demanded a ship so that I could sail right back to Evermeet. My dumb wonderment caused the elf to turn and look, and he too was enraptured.
As to what we beheld, well, imagine a place of staggering natural beauty and impossible elven artifice, an alien realm as distant and beautiful as the stars, but as much a part of you as your own dreams — part heaven, part home.
I’d like to say we shared a moment there, the elf and I. Perhaps in recognition of that, he didn’t kill me.
It was over all too soon. I was put back on the boat, returned to the world, and warned never to try anything so foolish again — on pain of death. And I don’t think I will — at least not until I’m getting up there in years. Then I’ll keep my eyes peeled for elves with cloudy eyes looking west!
Now, see? Wouldn’t you have liked to have been a gnome’s boots and touched Evermeet, even for just a few beats of the heart?
Any who’re knowledgeable about the place might scoff at my claim, and those ignorant of it like as not think the deed not the feat of legend it was, so let me explain to those doubters among you what Evermeet is and why, by the end of my tale, you’ll envy my boots.
<b>A Little Piece of Heaven</b> Legend has it — and so believes every elf I’ve ever met — that the island of Evermeet is not of this world, and that it never was. In ancient days, so long ago that even elves think of it as their mythic past, the elves of many nations sought a perfect homeland for their people. (That was the problem there, of course. You’ll miss out on a wealth of beauty it you’re always looking for the perfect gem.) Not finding it in the world, some elves (sun elves, I’d wager) looked beyond the world to create one. These High Mages gathered together to perform a mighty work of magic that would bring Toril into contact with Arvandor — that’s right, the mad fools actually wanted to bring into our world some of the lands in which their gods dwelt!
Tales differ on whether Corellon allowed this or was powerless to prevent it, but it happened, and calamity gripped Toril as a result. This was the first Sundering, and elves have always said it echoed through time. Recent calamities would seem to prove them right.
When things settled down, the elves realized their folly. For thousands of years, no elf dared set foot on Evermeet. But eventually Corellon must have forgiven his wayward children, for the oldest elves began to feel the call to the west.
Perhaps you’ve seen a moonbow hang over Selûne and heard the idea that it means an elf is being called to Evermeet. Well, that is no children’s story. Ever met an elderly elf? How would you know, right? Well if you’re ever honored to meet an elderly elf at such a time, you’ll see a similar arc in each of the elf’s eyes above the pupil. This is Sehanine Moonbow’s way of guiding the elf to the afterlife. The arcs can blind the elf to this world, but they vanish when the elf enters the next, allowing sight of the elven heaven. Well that’s exactly what happens in Evermeet, and the elf need not be dead to achieve it. Don’t believe me? Well, I saw what I saw.
Some elves followed their aged kin to Evermeet, and soon a kingdom of elves dwelt in a heaven on Toril. For ages Evermeet was protected by mighty beasts, mighty magic, and the might of the Seldarine themselves. Elves of all types from all over the world journeyed to Evermeet seeking solace. And when the elves declared their Retreat from the world, where do you think they went?
Then the Spellplague struck, and some of that old elven High Magic must have unraveled. Evermeet became unmoored from the world and found itself instead in a sea of the Feywild, that strange realm of faerie that touches the world in mystical places. For a century, it seemed Evermeet was lost to the world. Venerable elves tried to hold on, hoping that this echo of the first Sundering might echo Evermeet’s connection to the world once the period of calamity ended.
Their patience (who but an elf could have such patience?) was at last rewarded, when ships from Evermeet docked once more in Sword Coast ports.
<b>Sailing to the West</b> Knowing all this and having just met a venerable elf who was preparing for the journey, how could I not take the opportunity to tag along? I felt a little bad about taking advantage of the elf’s blindness and forcing him to leave behind some of his baggage, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime!
I overheard it said by the captain of the ship that Evermeet now somehow straddles all three planes: our world, the Feywild, and Arvandor. It touches them all, but exists fully in none of them. To find it, you must follow a pattern of stars until the stars change and then follow new stars. (I swear by Garl’s nugget that’s what he said!) Those who stray from the path are lost. How I wish I could have asked the captain where the lost ships went! But I couldn’t give myself away.
I had brought some food with me, since I didn’t know how long I’d have to remain hidden aboard the ship. At the start of the journey, I pricked my ears up at every creak of the boards and at each elven voice, but after a time, lulled by the rocking of the sea, I fell asleep. The journey after that has a dreamlike quality. I know I must have awoken, eaten, slept, and taken care of other necessities — at least my food was all eaten by journey’s end — but I don’t recall the specifics. I only know that at some point the ship stopped, and someone took the basket in which I was hidden and placed it on a sandy beach.
<b>What I Saw</b> I felt it before I saw it. With the barest glimmer of golden light through the basket weave all that I could see, Evermeet took my breath way. Coiled in the basket like a snake, with cramps in every limb, I was desperate not to give myself away, yet I could feel the magic of Evermeet seep through my body, soothing aching limbs and easing guilty conscience. When I could breathe again, I gasped. And that was how the elf discovered me.
The blind elf, whose beloved treasures I’d displaced to take my journey, pulled me from his basket, and when he did so, his eyes were clear as diamonds and just as hard. I thought for sure that I was dead, and on seeing my surroundings, I can say with all my heart that I didn’t care. Had the elf killed me on the spot, my soul would have gone to Garl and demanded a ship so that I could sail right back to Evermeet. My dumb wonderment caused the elf to turn and look, and he too was enraptured.
As to what we beheld, well, imagine a place of staggering natural beauty and impossible elven artifice, an alien realm as distant and beautiful as the stars, but as much a part of you as your own dreams — part heaven, part home.
I’d like to say we shared a moment there, the elf and I. Perhaps in recognition of that, he didn’t kill me.
It was over all too soon. I was put back on the boat, returned to the world, and warned never to try anything so foolish again — on pain of death. And I don’t think I will — at least not until I’m getting up there in years. Then I’ll keep my eyes peeled for elves with cloudy eyes looking west!
Now, see? Wouldn’t you have liked to have been a gnome’s boots and touched Evermeet, even for just a few beats of the heart?
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