My Visions of the Lost Lands (book)

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My Visions of the Lost Lands                                       
By Oracle Mosal Alshuedren                                         
                                                                   
Long, long ago, a paradise existed -- a green jewel nestled        
in the deep vastness of the blue oceans.                           
                                                                   
This land, of the lushest and most beautiful forests,              
housed every type of plant the world had ever seen and             
would ever know, every animal that the gods could think to         
walk upon Elanthia for all eternity.                               
                                                                   
When the Immortal Gods were born, Elanthia was the first           
planet they created, and this continent was the first mass         
of land they placed upon it.                                       
                                                                   
Truffenyi himself walked upon this land -- in the center of        
the forests, the Palace of Truffenyi was created; for while        
each of the gods created a planet of their own to become           
their home, Elanthia was to be Truffenyi's planet, and the         
Palace his home.                                                   
                                                                   
And though this was Truffenyi's land, and the Humans and           
the Halflings were Truffenyi's dear children, it was in            
this lush, wild land that the Elvenkind was created by the         
beautiful goddess Faenella.                                        
                                                                   
Far across the oceans, another land was created, called            
Kermoria.  From the mountains and rocky plains that covered        
this continent, the Dwarves were born.  Kermoria was the           
home of the Dwarves.                                               
                                                                   
The nameless land of Truffenyi was home to the Elves -- one        
of the first two mortal races created by the Immortal Gods.        
They resided here for many millennia; they were few,               
numbering little more than a dozen, but in this paradise,          
they were as ageless as time itself.                               
                                                                   
But the day came when the Elves angered the God Truffenyi          
-- they were not his children, and they were not his               
favored.  All but four of the Elves were cast off this             
land.                                                              
                                                                   
The others built ships of the purest, strongest wood and           
embarked on a voyage across the ocean.  Their gift of              
eternal life faded once the continent was no longer visible        
upon the horizon, and the Mother Ocean demanded they never         
again cross her waters until their sin was no more.     
The Elves were joined in this great journey by their               
companions, the Merelew.                                           
                                                                   
In time, they came upon a chain of islands, and days later,        
their ships landed on a new land.  There, they soon met            
with the Dwarves, and war broke out.                               
                                                                   
There, the history of Kermoria begins -- the near-forgotten        
land of Truffenyi is nothing more than myth and legend.            
None now know what brought about the curse of the Elves,           
save for Truffenyi himself, and the Four Elders...  those          
Elves which remained behind.                                       
                                                                   
Throughout time, many have attempted to cross the Ocean --         
most notably the island-bound S'Kra Mur, and the imperious         
and adventurous young race known as the Humans (perhaps,           
from birth, they are instilled with a desire to return home        
to their father, across the mighty waves).  But none ever          
succeeded in reaching the lost shores, or if they did, they        
never returned to speak of it.                                     
                                                                   
The Elves never attempted such voyages, and as generations         
passed, knowledge of their old home faded from the Elven           
memory.    
And so the Lost Continent remained a legend, forever out of        
reach, but an eternal temptation to those who dream of             
attaining magic and wealth beyond measure, immortal life,          
or the power of the gods themselves, to make and shape             
worlds.                                                            
                                                                   
But we know now that the this land does exist!  I am the           
Oracle of the God Truffenyi, and he has granted me visions         
of this unimaginable land of dreams.  It is beyond mere            
words to describe, such is its awesome, captivating                
splendor.                                                          
                                                                   
Each night as I close my eyes and depart to the Realm of           
Damaris, Truffenyi visits me and shows me of his home.             
                                                                   
At Truffenyi's side, I have seen all manner of flowers and         
trees, ancient as Elanthia itself and young as the most            
newborn of Human babes.  They give life to the planet, and         
nourish it.  They are the source of all life on Elanthia,          
and their energy radiates outward from this Lost Continent,        
providing the other lands with the Magic of Life and with          
the trees and the flowers we see.                                  
                                                                   
At Truffenyi's side, I have hunted boar and deer, and    
wondrous creatures I have never seen before.  Creatures            
with thick white furs, from the frozen, icy lands of               
Albaria.  Creatures fleet of foot and cunning of wit, born         
to evade the hunter races of the Westlands.                        
                                                                   
At Truffenyi's side, I have seen the most stunning birds,          
colored in all shades of the glorious rainbow.  I have seen        
the flight of the magnificent phoenix itself as it leaves a        
flaming arc across the skies of this tremendous land.              
                                                                   
At Truffenyi's side, I have seen four Elves, older than any        
living being on this world, save for the gods themselves.          
I have seen the agelessness of their faces and the wisdom          
of their eyes and the depths of their hearts.                      
                                                                   
At Truffenyi's side, I have seen...  something else.               
Something I never before imagined that I would behold with         
my eyes.  The Elves spoke of them, and they called these           
beings...  Loira.                                                  
                                                                   
I have learned that this is the word the Elves have for            
what is in Common called "flower."                                 
                                                                   
The Loira, the Elder Elves said, were created by Truffenyi       
as the living, sentient embodiment of the forests of the           
Lost Continent.  They were created to care for their               
brethren, the forests, which possessed life but not                
sentience.  They are caretakers of the wilderness, and have        
a connection to it that no other race (not even the Elves)         
does.  Life Mana flows in their very veins!                        
                                                                   
They also had an amazing ability to speak with some plants         
and flowers, which they considered to be their children...         
or perhaps, younger siblings which their father asked them         
to care for.                                                       
                                                                   
They are not dryads or nyads -- spirits of trees.  They            
more closely resemble Humans than those fae beings...              
indeed, they are like Humans in many ways, where their             
physical form is concerned.  They had two legs and two             
arms, each with five toes or fingers.  They had a chest,           
and a head.  Two eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair.  They have           
tongues, with which they spoke.                                    
                                                                   
They are like living, walking, talking plants in the form          
of a Human. Truly remarkable.                                      
                                                                   
The Loira beheld me and were amazed...  for they had never    
seen anything like me before!  They had seen only their            
Elven friends, and Humans.  When they said this to me, I           
was quite taken aback, for I did not know that Humans lived        
here on this Lost Continent.  But I suppose that is not too        
surprising -- this is the chosen land of Truffenyi, their          
creator.  The Loira told me that while they served as the          
guardians and caretakers of Truffenyi's forests, the Humans        
served as the protectors of his great temple, his palace.          
                                                                   
I asked the Loira what they and the Humans needed to               
protect this paradise from, and they told me -- Centaurs.          
Incredible!  I did not know that Centaurs truly lived, even        
though The Immortals tells us they do, the wild and                
barbaric children of Trothfang.  But I thought they were           
only a myth.  Not so!  The Loira say that they live, here          
on the Lost Continent, and that given the chance, they             
would ravage the Palace of Truffenyi and burn the forests          
of this beautiful land.  And so the Humans and the Loira           
are protectors.                                                    
                                                                   
Each night I drink my teas and use my sacred ritual herbs,         
performing the ceremonies in Truffenyi's honor, and then I         
sleep, hoping he shall show me more of this wondrous place.        
I do not know why God Truffenyi has shown me what he has,  
but praise be for the visions I have witnessed.  They have         
had a remarkable effect on my life, and I pray to be given         
more.                                                              
                                                                   
Truffenyi has not visited me of late, but when he does, I          
shall tell the world even more of his splendors, even              
though people tell me that they do not believe the wonders         
I have seen.