![[Talabh.jpg |350]] A thousand years ago, in a kingdom lost to time, there lived an Elven druid named Talabh. Guided by pure radiance and generosity, she wielded her virtuous magics for the benefit of her kingdom. Her people prospered around her, bolstered by her bountiful gifts of nourishment and health. She gave with a compassionate selflessness matched only by the love the kingdom held for her in return. Throughout the land, stories of her benevolence spread - giving rise to an affectionately bestowed moniker, the Benign Mother. ![[TalabhFather.jpg |350]] Talabh was the first born child of the Teangarí – one of the most prominent members of the Queen's Court. Above all the boons she bestowed upon their people, she gave to her father the most plentiful gift of all – a heart filled with pride. But his heart also ached – for he knew his time at the Queen's side was nearing its final day. Long had he carried the burdens of his responsibilities, serving not only the reigning Queen but her mother before her, and his title had become as heavy as his brow had become weary. In his eyes, none were more fit to take his place then his beloved daughter. In secret, he made his plans known to the most trusted of his inner circle – his second-born, a son named Isgile. ![[Isgile.jpg |350]] Isgile was noble of intention, but often less so of deed. He had lived his life in the shadow of his sister and the seeds of compassion in his heart had failed to bloom in that shade. Nonetheless, his father loved him – and trusted him to be a suitable right hand to Talabh once the time came. What the Teangarí didn't know, however, was that something else took root within Isgile that day – a seed that flourished in the shade. From that day forth, Isgile's every thought was tainted by an impetuous envy. Driven by an insatiable jealousy, Isgile struck in the dead of night – his hand guided by anger and greed. He blinded Talabh, taking from her the ability to gaze upon the very beauty she had created. Talabh's cries echoed throughout the kingdom. Hearing her sorrow, it is said the sun did not raise that day – for it too was in mourning. The Teangarí had his personal guard search tirelessly for the culprit, but Isgile was too cunning. His father appointed him to lead the hunt, which the treacherous schemer used to his advantage. A young handmaiden was accused of the vile crime, with Isgile insisting the maid had previously been overheard voicing her envy of Talabh's beauty.  Despite her ceaseless protestations of innocence, none came to her defence and Talabh refused to speak with the girl. She was put to death for her alleged crime. ![[plague.jpg |450]] The Teangarí's heart, however, grew ever more burdened. The handmaiden's death brought him no closure, and his prized daughter quickly became a resentful shade of her former self. Twisted by emotions she had never felt, Talabh's magics began to draw upon hatred and rage – manifesting upon the land with growing calamities. The kingdom was beset by plague and famine all at once. Desperate, the Queen called upon the Teangarí. She knew what needed to be done, and begged her old friend to see her reasoning. Given no choice, he agreed – Talabh had to be banished. ![[Banished.jpg]] Talabh was set adrift in a small rowboat, given enough provisions to see her through the coming Winter. Blind and alone, not one soul believed she'd live long enough to even feel its first frost. In her absence, the kingdom slowly started to rebuild. They could no longer depend upon the grace of  Talabh's magic but, by the same token, they were no longer besieged by her hunger for reprisal. There was little, however, with which Talabh's father could rebuild his broken heart. Feeling responsible for his daughter's fate, he withdrew from court – appointing Isgile as his replacement. Isgile's influence steadily grew and, in time, the Queen appointed him the new Teangarí. All, it seemed, had fallen into place for the young usurper. What Isgile – and the whole kingdom, for that matter – did not know, however, was that the true trial had yet to come. ![[TheShadowedOne.png|450]] Against all odds, Talabh survived. Though frozen and frail, her magic had harnessed the wind and the waves – carrying her to the very edge of the world. It was there that she refused her death, demanding that its grasping hands retreat. She would not accept mortality, not until her vengeance had been satiated. It is said in that moment the Shadowed One appeared before her. Guiding her to a cave deep below the island she now found herself on, the Shadowed One shared with her secrets long forgotten. ![[Scorn.jpg |450]]  It was there, in an ancient cavern, that Talabh discovered the Scorn. An old and powerful magic, Scorn held a strange sway over life and death. Talabh found no trace of the practitioners who discovered it, only the tools and writings they left behind. Wishing nothing more than to harness this terrible magic, she pledged herself to the Shadow – agreeing to forfeit her soul once she had visited her retribution upon the kingdom that banished her. All she asked in return was that he grant her eyes with which to read the ancient writings.  And thus, he gave Talabh two eyes of pure shadow that flowed through her blinded sockets – allowing her to devour the forbidden teachings of Scorn. ![[TheEyelessMother.png |450]] Talabh's return to the kingdom was marked by disastrous cataclysm. Fuelled by unbridled rage, she hurled Scorn as a weapon, decimating the land and the people she had once held so dear. Countless villages drowned in blood and shadow, the skies echoing with a cacophony of horrified screams. The border lands became a vast tomb, with none spared from the murderous wrath that washed over it. There was no stopping Talabh, and she paved her way to the kingdom's capital with blood and death. ![[ElfArmy.jpg |450]] Desperate, the Queen sent forth her army. Over ten thousand strong, they loyally and fearlessly marched to their deaths. Their broken bodies, fuelled by Scorn, now marched in the ranks of Talabh’s own monstrous army. The tide of blood had all but reached the palace gates, and the Queen knew her kingdom was doomed. As Talabh approached, so too did a terrible reckoning walk with her – burning for revenge against those who now huddled terrified behind the castle's walls. ![[DarkestHour.jpg |450]] Just as the hour grew darkest, Talabh's father rode forth with one final, desperate plea. He stood fast against the unspeakable horrors of blood and shattered bone his daughter had unleashed, demanding an audience with Talabh herself. Try as he might, however, he could not reason with his once beloved child. Talabh had been blinded yet again, this time by her own bloodlust. While she refused to strike down her father, her relentless march against the palace would not be ceased. Talabh's shadow-filled eyes now saw the truth and in the dark places beneath the world, voices had whispered to her – divulging and repeating a single name. They told her who had attacked her, who took her sight and set in motion the events that ruined her life. Even if it meant reducing the entire kingdom to ash and death, Talabh had come for her brother. She had come for Isgile. ![[Saolandùlra.jpg |450]] Seeing his efforts were futile, Talabh's father gave a signal. Before riding out, he had met for one final counsel with the Queen. Together, they devised a plan born of desperation. They would use the ancient rite of Saolandùlra. Stretching back through the ages like the roots of an undying oak, Saolandùlra was the birthright of all Queens of the kingdom. On the day of their coronation, it was tradition for a new seed to be planted in the Royal Gardens. Over time, as the new Queen grew and her reign prospered – so too did the seed, growing into a magnificent tree that stood tall alongside almost a dozen others. Nine great trees cast proud shadows across the palace gardens. Nine great trees, for the nine great Queens who had come before. While their bodies had been laid to rest, their essence lived on in each. When the Queen neared death, the ritual of Saolandùlra was prepared. Her tree, an ever present witness throughout the ages of her reign, would now stand as a living monument to it. In her last moments, the final rites of Saolandùlra were whispered by the Priestesses of the Citadel and the Queen's very soul passed from her body – being guided into the warm embrace of her tree. In this way, as she moved on to the afterlife, she passed through – and became one with –  nature. ![[Druid.jpg |450]] Sensing the betrayal, Talabh unleashed the full might of the Scorn – horrifically charring the life from her father. She strode onward towards the palace, a veil of death following close behind. Her father, however, had bought enough precious time. The Citadel Priestesses completed the final rite of Saolandùlra, reaching out and tearing Talabh's essence from her body. She was rendered an empty vessel, her corpse joining the thousands that now littered the blood-soaked kingdom. Within the Royal Garden, a large pattern on the Queen's tree began to crack and darken – as if burning from within – but all else was silent. The horror had, at last, passed. While the survivors rejoiced, the Queen wept. Her once beautiful kingdom, a shrine to the wonders of nature itself, was now irrevocably stained a sickly crimson. To save what remained of her people, she had made the ultimate sacrifice – she had forsaken her chance at passing through nature upon her death....her reward, a decimated kingdom. ![[EyelessTree.jpg |550]] Unbeknownst to both the Queen and her priestesses, however, the ritual of Saolandùlra could not fulfil its intended purpose. Rather than pass through nature and into the afterlife, Talabh's soul remained imprisoned – unable to die and yet no longer truly alive. Her pact with the Shadowed One had not yet been fulfilled, her revenge incomplete. And so, death could not claim her. She became trapped within the Queen's tree – its branches her cage, its bark her jailor. And what of the treacherous Isgile? It is said he fled from the kingdom at the first word of his sister's return, fearing the terrible retribution that now surely sought him. Like the kingdom, he became lost in the shadows of time – running, terrified and alone as Talabh once was. The Queen led what remained of her people into a long exodus. They became exiles, their homeland uninhabitable, sentenced to wander across the world in search of refuge. ![[TheFirstHarrowed.jpg |450]] Whispers of this tale soon gave rise to a new legend – the Curse of the Eyeless. These stories supposed Talabh could not be kept dormant within the tree, her powerful Scorn magic allowing her to slowly exert her influence over the many years that followed. Her will bled first into the crows that nested in her branches, twisting them into harbingers of her hatred. Over time, her distain grew - no longer aimed at just her brother. Talabh now held a burning contempt for all Elven-kind, believing her own race had turned their back on her. Her curse is said to infect any who have been killed by the Scorn – their souls now tainted and exposed to be claimed by The Eyeless. It is said that the first to bear the Curse was Talamh's own father – dragged from death into a form now known as The Harrowed. And so, The Eyeless Mother sends forth this champion in search of the final reckoning denied her. Each new victim to fall to a weaponed by one of The Harrowed blade becomes a Scorn-blood - a new potential warrior for her to command should she wish. If she so chooses, her vile magics breathe new life into their broken bodies and replace their blood – their very essence – with Scorn. This is said to be an extremely taxing use of her powers, however, and it is very rare for more than a handful of Harrowed to exist at once. ![[FatherHarrowed.jpg |450]] The First Harrowed, compelled to hunt not only his own son - but also the people he had once sworn to protect, served The Eyeless for countless years. He became a mindless, shambling personification of Talabh’s endless retribution - the honour and integrity he had amassed in life decaying like the flesh that hung from his restless bones. It is said that over these long, tormented years, a semblance of the man he once was began to rekindle within his rotted heart. Having killed indiscriminately in service of his daughter’s twisted will, his conscience could bear no more. His long departed soul, trapped in an endless void, had finally clawed its way back from the beyond. Consumed by an overwhelming guilt, The Harrowed broke free of The Eyeless’ influence. Ignoring the commands still ringing in his head, his sheer will stood against her - finally severing her control over her avatar of vengeance. The Harrowed journeyed home, returning to the remains of the kingdom Talabh long ago razed to ash and ruin. He imposed an exile upon himself, paying a penance he could never fulfil. It is said he still dwells there, his remorse as eternal as his unending life. His actions, however, would have a resounding effect on all Harrowed who were to follow in his forsaken footsteps. On that day, by resisting the will of his daughter, he had severed her utter control over her Scorn-blood agents. While The Eyeless could continue to raise champions from those killed by Scorn, and whisper an influence to continue her drive to slaughter all Elves, she could no longer dominate their will. These Harrowed now retained their own free will and elements of their memories in life, but were haunted by a persistent yet vague drive to continue the hunt. ![[Crow.png|600]] But this is just a story, and an ancient one at that... And over time stories become legend, legends become myth, and myths become forgotten....