Legends of Ancient Astillia: The Sephian

Prologue

"Fire is an expense we can not pay," Is what The Grandfather Tree told all the children in the forest, and this was what had been grilled into the minds of all of the Ithshomarin woodland's residents since the beginning of existence, when the world had been birthed from the Greatest of Highs, the first gods, Aeor and Exor.

The forests had been a gift to the Gods of the Earth, and this particular forested island had been passed down to the immortal enchantress, Gaia of Life. For as long as the forest remained under her protection, it would thrive on the land forever. However, time changes things. After the Seven Wars of Race, Gaia was called to presume a position with the gods. Gaia leaving the island of Ithshomar would leave her forests without a guardian. To prevent the forest's downfall, she took her only son and immortalized him into a tree, which still stands in the center of the Ithshomarin woodland.

And once again, time moved. A new race of elves, direct ancestors of the fey, inhabited the forest. They have come to be called one of three things. The people of the north called them the Yydrari Elves, the people to the south and the west called them Time Elves, and the people of the east called them the Elves of Ancient Earth. The Grandfather Tree instilled the faith of Gaia of Life into them. He told them the history of the forest, of the gods Hymoras and Giddeon.

 Then, time moved. Settlements of Yydrari elves populated Ithshomar's forest regions. Small human settlements made their way along the banks and beaches of the island. They lived in harmony with the elves for three hundred years.

That's when time moved. No more clay could be harvested from the surrounding ocean, it was no longer safe to mine the stone quarries. The humans had to do what they do best. Destroy. They lumbered the trees. And the first forest was cut down. They moved too far inland, and the second forest burned down. And this happened again, and again, and again. Only the inland-most forests remained. The elves had had enough. With their magic, granted to them from years of service to Gaia of Life, they drove the humans back to the banks, and most of them fled. Three human villages still stand on Ithshomar's shores.