Elayess Riverwing, the King of Westgate, knows many secrets and tales of the old days when The Wold of Ar’rin was covered in mists and the gods walked among the beasts and monsters.
But the forest was always there. It was there that the Elvish people called home in the beginning and it still does. But the call of the sea, the draw of the waves and winds, that is what drew them even farther West to the Storm Isles and the Powers That Be, the source of all magick in the world.
It would be there that the Elves would be forever changed, where they would be broken into two distinct Houses, the Storm Elves and the People of the Wood.
Many who travel to Westgate are confused at first about Elvish custom and heritage because it is not only their otherworldly beauty and pointed ears that mark the blood of these Great People, it is the philosophy of the land, the forest, and the sea, the beasts and the trees, and the mists…
No matter where you go in Westgate, the mists can be seen. Sometimes wrapped above the tallest trees outside the walls, sometimes on the walls themselves. But always around the mountain peaks, and in the canyons of the region around the city.
In the morning the sun’s rays illuminate the clouds and a cold, gray light paints the roofs of the buildings and the walls themselves, bringing the morning’s blessings. The sounds of wind chimes are always in the air in the morning in Westgate. Especially in the morning when the winds answer the call of the sun and begin to stir the mists, moving them away to allow the people to rise, give thanks, and begin their daily quests.
These customs are Elvish in origin, but frame the way of life in Westgate, as guided by Elayess himself.
First Ray, the blessing of the sunbeams that pierce the clouds. First Wind that follows, blessing the breath of a new day and awakening the city with the chimes. First Greeting, where the people bless each other as they see those that dwell in their residence, and then those that they see first on the streets. First Meal, where they break their fast from the last gathering of the previous day.
These are all sacred ways, and their stories are ingrained in the people of Westgate, despite their origins in the Elvish Forest, surrounded by mists and trees and waves and beasts. But this is seen as the Elvish Way by other Great Peoples in the land, even if they practice their variations.
But Elayess Riverwing is not the only luminary that resides in the West, no not at all. The Storm Elves look to their Lady of the Light, Danika. Known throughout the Great Peoples as “The Light in the West,” she is the matron that guides the Storm Elves, the true First Born House, through the long millennia since the beginning of the world.
She is regarded as an iconic being from the stars, a celestial presence that is close to the power of a goddess. Once regarded as one of the first godlings, her origins are little known in this Age. But her power is undeniable.
It is believed that Elayess, King of Westgate, bows only to her, swearing allegiance and support for the people of the Storm Isles. This has kept the peace between the Woodland Houses and the First House of the Storm Isles for all recorded time. Westgate follows Danika’s guidance, despite the lack of a formal nation amongst the Elves.
But no introduction to Westgate is completed without the acknowledgment of the Golden Road. The Great Cities of Westgate and Arised are connected by road that the Merchant Guilds built long ago, in the time of Balinor’s reign. This road is filled with riches, treasures, exotics, and bandits of untold danger. It is here that anything can be bought or sold, it is here that the coins of the realm have untold power, as long as the Guilds get their cut.
Legend holds that Westgate was built in response to the building of this road, that Arised’s legions of merchants wanted trade with the Elves and they were going to come no matter the cost of danger. Elayess built the gate to stop them, to limit their access to the mist-filled First Lands and Danika’s Storm Elves. To preserve that which has always been.
Others believe that it is the great and terrible Powers themselves that shaped both Arised’s fortunes, the glory of the Golden Road, and Westgate’s place in the lands of Ar’rin.
Whatever the truth, these two cities, the greatest in the continent, are bound together along the Golden Road and its flow of goods, coin, and promise.
If you are enjoying the Wold of Ar’rin and its mythology, please try reading my novel “in progress” that is set in Ar’rin as the Age of Shadows comes to an end.