The last sorceror approached was another matter entirely.
This was the darkest sort of dark sorceror. He was extremely powerful and had been profiting handsomely from the use of his abilities - accepting pay from people to destroy enemies. He had developed his new ability more than any other and had no intention of giving it up. He didn't even try to argue. He just attacked the messenger.
You may be thinking that he was very stupid to try attacking a god. The truth is that he was very powerful and very confident. He believed he was as powerful as the gods themselves - and he was nearly right. After the first attack, the god responded with the full force of his own powers and called on other gods so that the battle would be ended quickly. The result was an enormous battle which ravaged the land for miles around. Instead of lasting for a few minutes, as the original god thought it would, it lasted for three days. In the end, the sorceror was destroyed. That's when the gods received their next unpleasant surprise.
The entire area was blasted. There was no trace of life. A cold, biting wind blew across it. The magic in the land was... gone!
The gods looked farther out, beyond the horizon. The magic in the lands around was fading as well, being drawn slowly into the "dead" spot, which they called the Void. All magic was connected in a single, continuous piece so there was no protection against this.
This needed to be fixed! FAST!
The gods went back to their home and discussed the issue. Many suggestions were made but they all seemed to have fatal flaws. A month passed in the land of mortals, then two. The fae used their own magic to protect their lands from the spread of darkness and cold but it took considerable effort even for them. In the third month the gods finally hit on an idea that seemed possible.
They could rebalance the magic by separating it into local areas of strength separated by weaker areas. The strong areas would be connected by narrow channels of energy that could be blocked in time of great need. The problem was that they could not entirely eliminate the Void, only moderate it. The best they could do was to create an area of great positive magical energy, a magical Glade, to oppose the Void. Then they would start a cycle where the energy would flow out from the Glade for half the year after which it would rest for the other half. During the resting cycle the cold and death of the destroyed area would creep onto the rest of the land. Not an ideal solution, but the best they could find in the time before the entire world was destroyed by the dark.
They would use the sun to trigger and control the cycle. While the sun was high and the days were long, the Glade's healing power would flow out over the land. As the sun sunk lower in its cycle the Glade would enter a resting time and leave the world to the Void. And so the years would pass through all of future time.
The gods did all that was necessary to fulfil their plan. And it worked. Where there was once eternal summer, there were now seasons. When the Glade's power was at its peak, the world was warm and full of growth. When the Void was in ascendance, the bite of winter would reign.
The gods realized, though, that the Glade must be kept safe or the whole fabric of the world would be in danger once again. They remembered the healing sorcerors that spoke of the balance between the draining of the magic and the healing powers that could be gained from it. One of them was a particularly powerful woman, a great healer. They suspected she was nearly as strong (perhaps entirely as strong) as the Dark sorceror they defeated at such cost.
The gods felt that she would understand their need so they approached her and asked if she would be willing to assume the responsibility of protecting the Grove. As payment for her sacrifice, for they realized she would probably need to do this alone, she would live many normal human lifetimes. Their only requirement was that she protect the Grove against any power imbalance and that she find a successor and train her before the end of her final lifetime. She would have the help of a Guardian Spirit, a Green Man, in this work.
The woman agreed to this and became the first Keeper of the Grove of Coill Draiochtach (the Enchanted Woods). There is still a Keeper here, making sure the cycle stays in balance with the help of the Green Man.
The fae, for their part, were dismayed by the entire course of events. They knew that they could not spend the energy it took to protect their lands every Dark time for all eternity. They no longer trusted the humans, who they blamed for the entire disaster. Once again they spoke to the gods. This time the gods responded more favorably and moved the faerie lands out of the domain of the ordinary world for its eternal protection. Some say it lies across the sea and that sometimes, when the light is just right, you can see it shimmering out there. It is possible that there is still some connection to it in this world, since fae are still occasionally seen.
The fae invited their cousins, the elves, to join them in the separated land but the elves decided to stay in the normal world and face the cycles of light and dark. Only time will tell if that decision was wise or not.
The dwarves, deep in their caves, never noticed the difference.
As to the dragons - well, dragons live forever, serenely flying above the world seeking only to maintain its balance.
-- THE END --
The Founding Of Fyrnlosing page 1/2.
