Date: Friday, April 27th
Location: Forest’s Edge
The invitation summoned the Blessed of Beltane to the forest’s edge in the Southern Glen, “to follow the woodland path, reach the crossroads, and turn left.” There were many paths that wound their way through the woods, but on that day they all led to the crossroads, and a left turn went deeper into the woods, where the canopy blotted out the sky above but the air itself was brighter.
The trees that lined the path were a disparate tangle of oak and ash, apple and hazel, alder and elder and yew with their roots and branches intertwined. But the space was very alive, for all its strangeness: there was birdsong in the boughs and fleet-footed creatures darted through the underbrush, nearly as swift as the curious pixies that flitted in and out of every mortal traveler’s periphery.
(Regarding immortals, the pixies were less curious, though a little easier to spot.)
The babbling of a brook followed the path into the heart of a forest, and though it could never be seen, crystal clear pools appeared nestled in great gnarled roots the closer one got to the center of things, each tended by a trio of wild-haired druids. They were gnomes and dwarves and elves, crowned with flowers and bird nests and clad in moss and spiderwebs, and they turned to stare and smile benignly at all who passed.
The path gave way to a great grove, as tall as a cathedral but closed off from the daylight, with the faerie lights glittering beneath the dark branches creating a starry sky of their own. The soft, mossy ground was pierced by circles of smooth white stones, among which dozens of druids danced and sang and communed with the spirits of the grove.
But all of it was dwarfed by the three massive trees that dominated this sacred space: a hawthorn, a birch, and an ash. Each tree was fifty feet high and shone with a strange silver light from its trunk that shimmered across its leafy branches, and emanated a pull that drew one’s feet inexorably towards the center.
Standing alone on a small hill between the three ancient trees was a grand old dwarf, as naked as the day she was born but for the flowers in her long tresses of silver hair, with ten disparate branches gathered from the forest forming a loose circle around her bare feet. “Merry met, thou Blessed of Beltane!” she cried. “We welcome thee to the Druids’ Grove. Now come forward, child, and select a bough for thy blessing, and we shall fashion thee a worthy crown!”
((Those nominated for May Queen are gifted with a Blessing for the duration of Beltane, associated with one of the trees represented in the grove, and with it a connection to the domain that each tree symbolizes. The trees are Hawthorn, for Passion; Birch, for Love; Rowan, for Protection; Oak, for Foresight; Ash, for Healing; Blackthorn, for Magic; Holly, for Rebirth; Apple, for Youth; Hazel, for Wisdom; Alder, for Change; Elder, for Prosperity; and Yew, for Eternity.
Nominees are encouraged to post their characters receiving their crown and Blessing, and spectators are welcome to participate as well.
ETA: Many thanks to Mallory's player for writing the beautiful description for this event!))
The invitation summoned the Blessed of Beltane to the forest’s edge in the Southern Glen, “to follow the woodland path, reach the crossroads, and turn left.” There were many paths that wound their way through the woods, but on that day they all led to the crossroads, and a left turn went deeper into the woods, where the canopy blotted out the sky above but the air itself was brighter.
The trees that lined the path were a disparate tangle of oak and ash, apple and hazel, alder and elder and yew with their roots and branches intertwined. But the space was very alive, for all its strangeness: there was birdsong in the boughs and fleet-footed creatures darted through the underbrush, nearly as swift as the curious pixies that flitted in and out of every mortal traveler’s periphery.
(Regarding immortals, the pixies were less curious, though a little easier to spot.)
The babbling of a brook followed the path into the heart of a forest, and though it could never be seen, crystal clear pools appeared nestled in great gnarled roots the closer one got to the center of things, each tended by a trio of wild-haired druids. They were gnomes and dwarves and elves, crowned with flowers and bird nests and clad in moss and spiderwebs, and they turned to stare and smile benignly at all who passed.
The path gave way to a great grove, as tall as a cathedral but closed off from the daylight, with the faerie lights glittering beneath the dark branches creating a starry sky of their own. The soft, mossy ground was pierced by circles of smooth white stones, among which dozens of druids danced and sang and communed with the spirits of the grove.
But all of it was dwarfed by the three massive trees that dominated this sacred space: a hawthorn, a birch, and an ash. Each tree was fifty feet high and shone with a strange silver light from its trunk that shimmered across its leafy branches, and emanated a pull that drew one’s feet inexorably towards the center.
Standing alone on a small hill between the three ancient trees was a grand old dwarf, as naked as the day she was born but for the flowers in her long tresses of silver hair, with ten disparate branches gathered from the forest forming a loose circle around her bare feet. “Merry met, thou Blessed of Beltane!” she cried. “We welcome thee to the Druids’ Grove. Now come forward, child, and select a bough for thy blessing, and we shall fashion thee a worthy crown!”
((Those nominated for May Queen are gifted with a Blessing for the duration of Beltane, associated with one of the trees represented in the grove, and with it a connection to the domain that each tree symbolizes. The trees are Hawthorn, for Passion; Birch, for Love; Rowan, for Protection; Oak, for Foresight; Ash, for Healing; Blackthorn, for Magic; Holly, for Rebirth; Apple, for Youth; Hazel, for Wisdom; Alder, for Change; Elder, for Prosperity; and Yew, for Eternity.
Nominees are encouraged to post their characters receiving their crown and Blessing, and spectators are welcome to participate as well.
ETA: Many thanks to Mallory's player for writing the beautiful description for this event!))