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    Postfest II: Valley of the Mage I & Taryn-Nym
    Posted on Tue, April 06, 2004 by Farcluun
    Argon writes "The Valley is currently renowned for being ruled by an ageless mage rumored to be of human decent. This Exalted or Black one as he is known is said to have ruled this land since the height of the Great Aerdy nation. None would contest the fact that the Valley is one of the most dangerous and mysterious places of Oerth. But what was this place before human-kind graced this world? Who ruled it, or what was it back in the beginning? Well a small sect of secular sages may be able to answer this question for us. Where the following knowledge was attained from or which source originated this fable is unknown, but this is by far the most information one has every come across on the valley.

    Valley of the Mage I & Taryn-Nym
    By: Argon
    Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

    Valley of The Mage

    The Valley is currently renowned for being ruled by an ageless mage rumored to be of human decent. This Exalted or Black one as he is known is said to have ruled this land since the height of the Great Aerdy nation. None would contest the fact that the Valley is one of the most dangerous and mysterious places of Oerth. But what was this place before human-kind graced this world? Who ruled it, or what was it back in the beginning? Well a small sect of secular sages may be able to answer this question for us. Where the following knowledge was attained from or which source originated this fable is unknown, but this is by far the most information one has every come across on the valley.

    Taryn-Nym

    “It was with the winds of change and the birth of a storm that we entered this world”. “This world was enveloped with greens and teaming with creatures that were such a part of this world the elves felt like they had invaded a sacred place”.” No longer were they connected with the land like they were in their own land”. “They could no longer travel on the breezes which once swept them through the landscape of the faire”. “So naked they felt no connection not of a world some went mad, others wept until their hearts could take no more”.

    One excerpt follows, why were we sent here, we are not one here, we cannot feel the world and it does not touch us back how can we exist here. A chill came upon those of us who did not die when thrust upon this world something or someone was reaching out to us. This was something familiar yet different, a tall brown structure with green leafs and a presence similar to a life tree had found us cringing with fear. Come young ones there is much for you to learn this world has much too offer you and you have much too offer it. We did not know what to do, but had no choice if the trees here could talk to us then we would ask of their guidance.

    How silly we felt the great tree herders taught us much of this land, we even began to feel the world speak after many years spent with the tree herders. The tree herders told us of places to avoid on this world. Travel not beyond the mountains for past these borders lie dangers you are not meant to deal with. It was strange to hear these words we had never wished to leave our homes here as the tree-herders gave us the connection we needed to survive on this world. This was Taryn-Nym (Emerald-Life according to modern elvish transcripts) and we had little need to venture further.

    The Emerald-Life

    While much of the original transcripts on the Emerald-Life is lost, from the tattered remains we have come across we can see that the elves which first arrived on Oerth called there new homeTaryn-Nym. Yet some of these same transcripts followed by the research of gnomish sages suggest that the Emerald-Life means more than just a name of a place. In fact, renowned gnomish sage Fisdel of the Lorridges has extensive research in this area and the area of creation myth for several races.

    Although many inconsistencies exist from one creation myth to another one thing is for certain. Just about every race researched by Fisdel has some tie to Taryn-Nym, The Valley of the Mage, or as it was once called by the gnomish people Velo ev Biurth (Vale of Birth in modern common). Some early migrations of the gnomish people show them migrating from the barrier peaks into the Lorridges and Yatils rumored to be the birth of the neblin language.

    There is a gnomish transcript which states the gnomes who first walked on Oerth referred to witnessing a greenish light when they first laid eyes on Oerth. There are some other transcripts found to be of either Joten or dwarven origin which seems to speak of a Life-rock or stone but there is no reference to its color or nature. One of the most controversial of Fisdel findings was the fact that he believes that the Rhenee were actually the first race of humans to inhabit Oerth and the Flan came afterwards. This would be in line with his theory of life originating from within the Valley of the Mage. Yet Fisdel has been criticized because even the Rhenee folk claim not to be natives of Oerth, but Fisdel has stated consistencies with in the Valley of the Mage and what references the Rhenee have made to their home world of Rhopp.

    What is the Emerald-Life?

    That is a question we would all like to know, what is the emerald-life, which dates back to approximately 50, ooo BCY. In order to get a better understanding of this phenomenon we speak to Aluarlis Wisewood female high elvin sage of Celene.

    Aluarlis states that the Emerald-Life has nothing to do with other races but is something that the nomadic high elves referred too when an elf had achieved oneness with his surroundings. This oneness is also referred to the way of the wood, and only a few select individual elves have ever been able to achieve this state. As only an elf with the blood of the nomadic high elves in his line has any chance of being one with the wood.

    While all elves regardless of their ancestry have a kinship with nature, it is only the Nornoyello (Oak-Singer) that has become imbued by the land. Current common elvish translate Nornoyello to Calenlasse (Green-Leaf or Tree-Shaper) which could explain the term Emerald-Life.

    What is a Tree-Shaper you ask!

    Well as Aluarlis puts it, a Calenlasse is an elf which is one with the wood, when the wood hurts he hurts; when the wood grows he grows. Tree-Shapers are so empathic to there surroundings that many have the ability to utilize themselves in order to aid or shape their land. Tree-Shapers as their name sake eludes too are able to shape the trees, plants, roots, vines, and woods of the land. How or where these Tree-Shapers gained their ability to manipulate the woods is not clear, though an ancient elvin myth may give some knowledge of this fact.

    I am sorry but Aluarlis has currently fallen into a state of revival when she awakens from her trace the story of Jasali and the Treant (2e ad&d The Complete book of Elves pages 55-56) will be referred too as well as more indebt details of Taryn-Nym and these mysterious tree-shapers. Plus Velo ev Biurth will be further explored.


    Valley of the Mage II

    "
     
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