The Moonfolk Shrine

Location

The Moonfolk Shrine is situated in the northern region of Farden, more precisely in the immense The Donshore Forest forest in the foothills of The Cairnmore Mountains.

The forest of Donshore stretches for miles behind the stately home of Clan Deerwolf, Denholm.
Half a day's march from the shores of Loch Don, nestled among the green pines, the weary pilgrim will find a circle of ancient oaks, and below the tallest one, a spring with curative properties (according to the legends and local traditions).

Signs in the Forest

One could easily get lost in the expanse of the Donshore forest. However, generations of Alvenites have left signs to guide pilgrims to the grove.
Using the now banned language of The Druids, runes have been carved on tree barks at regular intervals, and if someone knows how to read the signs, they would arrive safely at the shrine.

Local villagers from the nearby town of Ashden have been known to serve as guides for pilgrims unable to read the signs.
However, there would need to be an implicit degree of trust in the process - villagers would not trust anyone who is not a clansman or clanswoman.

Admitting to knowing of the 'old ways' is not a safe thing to do in Alven, even if you live in a remote part of the country.
Agents of The Archive, if spread thin in the northern parts of Alven, are to be found everywhere and penalties would be hefty indeed if you were denounced as a 'sorcerer' or a 'druid'.
In a worst-case scenario, it could even lead to being outcast and exiled.

Origin and Myth

The Moonfolk shrine has been a sacred place for millennia. Some say that the shrine was an ancient place of worship of the Ancestors. The name of the shrine seems to bear witness to that effect. 'Moonfolk' is an old regional word for the long-gone original settlers of Alven. No one is sure of the deity the grove draws its curative powers from.

The local legend says that it is Medua herself that tends to the pilgrims. Many travelers are girls and women who seek her help regarding childbirth, health, or even love and relationships.
Farmers and crofters have also been known to pray and make offerings at the shrine in times of hardship. It is said that the spring itself is a passage that leads to her domain The Eventide on the The Threshold plane.

There is another widely-held belief that the grove is a place where the god, Carnos is wont to appear. This tradition has been consolidated over time by various sightings of white stags or white boars in or around the ancient oaks: a sure sign that the place is truly blessed by the gods and a site where they would manifest themselves to men.
Often, Clan Deerwolf's Seers have made the trip from Denholm to the Moonfolk Shrine to read auguries and seek out Carnos' Sight in the grove.

The Feast of Medua

It is common knowledge throughout the people of Clan Deerwolf that certain times of year are more propitious to asking for the goddess' help. In the eleventh month of the The Alven Calendar, Sweltyme, is dedicated to Medua herself.
The first three days of the month are when the Feast of Medua traditionally takes place.

First Day

Usually, the first day is a family feast day. Families gather and eat together and enjoy the fruit and produce of the season: chestnuts, apples, mushrooms, and pork. The winter pig is usually killed and butchered the day before in preparation for making the hams and sausages folks will feed on during the winter. If pork is not available, boar will be hunted and serve on the day.

Second Day and Third Day

The second day is a 'Clan Day': clansmen gather up for another feast.
On the third day, rituals are made to Medua: one of the most popular is a pilgrimage to the Moonfolk Shrine.

Rituals and Practices

People say that drinking the spring's water regularly can cure a few common ailments. Many bring water gourds to the shrine and fill them in with the sacred water to bring into their home.
The waters have been known to cure constant migraines, make the weak of constitution stronger and help with suppurating wounds. Most importantly, many women who had difficulties conceiving have found themselves with child a few weeks after taking the waters.


A more outlandish practice consists of dunking your head every day in a bucket of spring water to make your hair regrow.

Old Farden saying:
'Wash your hair in the Moonfolk waters every day, and moonlight will make it grow every night.'

Prophecies

In older times, when visions and readings of omens were more important to clan life than they are now, Clan Deerwolf's Seers set great store by the presages and signs gifted by Carnos while officiating in the Moonfolk grove. These prophecies were duly recorded in The Clan Books and sit somewhere in Denholm's library. They are prescribed reading for the Chieftain''s offsprings while learning their letters. Many revelations are notoriously enigmatic or have not yet come to pass.

A well-known clan prophecy from 50 years ago written down in one of Clan Deerwolf's Clan Books:

I, Seer Bankwell Claypool of Clan Derwolf, record the divine words thus:
'Under a red moon, the boars will rampage in the fields, the maiden will flee and the owl will watch for her return.'

Images as they appear ...

'Sacred Grove of the Druids' by 19th Century French School
'Boreal Canadian Forest' from Canadian Wildlife Magazine
'Ceridwen' by Natasa Ilincic

‘In the Court of the Forest King’ by Symbaroum Art Team, 2016

Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise, 1883