The Sacred Grove of Nessa

Location

A few furloughs north of Highfort, the capital city of Alven, there lies the mysterious and ancient The High Forest of Sutherland. The High Forest almost touches the The Estate and The Thane's Keep. It stretches for miles over the foothills of The Green Tips and is mostly impenetrable.

The forest is one of the more magical places in Alven - a vestige from the civilizations that came and went well before men arrived on the continent there three millennia ago. Some historians think that this forest existed even before the Ancestors' civilisation flourished on the plane. It is part of the popular myths that the woods in this part of the world are still the same as those created by the goddess Dona in primordial times.

For the Alvenites, there are no more sacred woods. The forest is also well known to be a dangerous place to boot. The trees, blessed by the gods, protect themselves from intruders, and The Guardian Spirits are strong among the oaks and beeches that make up most of the century-old trees in the forest.

Humans who venture into those woods without divine permission are most often not seen again or scarred for life from their experience. Only The Holy Seers and their attendants are welcome in the forest and the sacred groves around Highfort have been religious sites of great import even before Alven had a Thane and Highfort became their stronghold.

The Religious Complex

Slightly to the east of the Thane's Keep, at the back of the extensive walled domain of the Thane, lies the mythical Grove of Nessa. According to the few who have been privileged to enter the grove, this impressive clearing boasts of an ancient stone table and circle and is bordered by a gorgeous pool of the bluest waters.

A perpetual mist hovers above it, and no wind can disturb it. The atmosphere in the grove has been described as being akin to that of a deadly quiet two-moon night, and an eerie light dwells there trapped in the calm waters of the pool.

The oaks surrounding the clearings are immense- perhaps not as tall as The Seven Sacred Oaks in Lowside but pertaining to the same long-lost strain of these supernatural trees.

No one who has entered the grove without the proper rituals of admittance has survived to tell the tales. Only the Holy Seers and their attendants can perform the rituals and enter the groves.

Purpose

The grove is the main religious Alvenish site dedicated to Nessa. Nessa is one of The Divine Hags worshipped by the clansmen of Alven. The Hags are the daughters of Dona, the creator of all living things on the planes of the world.

Nessa is the goddess of water, springs, waterfall. She is a liminal goddess and is said to be able to travel from this plane -The Set Plane- to The Underworld.

The grove is said to be where she has her home, and the entrance to her keep is said to be found at the bottom of the beautiful pool within the grove.

The White Seer is one of the Holy Seers of Alven. He or she is the appointed Seer to the Thane and will conduct annual rituals to the goddess. The rituals will be of two kinds: propitiatory and divinatory.

Myths - Mirwod and Clyrill

The shrine to Nessa is one of the most feared places in Alven. Many stories have been told of evil mages and druids prideful enough to defy the sanctity of the grove and enter it without permission to seek the powers that lie therein.

One of them was a mage called Mirwod. He was the brother of the White Seer Clyrill. Mirwod was jealous of Clyrill's power as she had been chosen to fulfill her duties to the Thane. Mirwod thought that if he was to enter the grove. secure the secrets of the goddess, and come out from the wood unharmed, he would be able to prove to the Thane that he was as good and as deserving a seer as his sister, and in time be able to gain his favours.

During The Feast of Nessa , just before twilight, Mirwod set out for the goddess' sacred grove and entered the hallowed circle on his own. He was found the next morning wandering The Fields of Dreams (the fields between the High Forest and the Thane's Estate) insane, shouting at the sky, unable to control himself.

His sister Clyrill rushed to his side, and in a fit of insane rage, Mirwod killed her with his poisoned dagger. It was not long before Mirwod, driven insane, took his own life.

Type

Shrine