The icons of my childhood are like footprints in the sand. Little is left of the vastness of Ulambree and the serenity of Lake Amamee in my mind. Even the memories of my family sect are but a dream. All that is left is hope. The hope of return reinforced by the tic-toc of time. Time away from the people and land I loved. I can only imagine that it has been worth it. I set out with the mission to preserve The Forest in all its wonders; to educate the common folk about The Longstrider’s gift to the world; and to bring the fury of The Forest to all that are bent on doing it harm. This I have done faithfully for countless moons. I have watered the soils across this land with my blood to that end in the hopes that Folian S’pae would bellow my deeds. Perhaps he has. Only time will tell. However, the Longstrider is but the cradle of my existence. I no longer embrace his teachings as the only means to the end. I have discovered the he is but a single head on the hydra, one side of the coin. Single minded dedication to his teachings limits us. The Forest knows no right or wrong, it knows no good or evil, it only is. It breaths in and it breaths out giving life and death at every pause without prejudice. It is the purest of existence. This I have learned.
I have also learned that the common folk are mostly self motivated. Motivated by an inert substance they find in the ground-- gold. There are notable exceptions, but they are rare-- those whose vale can not hide the shimmer. Being in their presence is the closest I have come to sitting next to Lake Amamee with still mind. You can see the vibrations even when your eyes are closed. However, as foreign as it was to me, I learned very quickly that I must accumulate this substance to acquire the means to protect the forest. It made me feel dirty, but I have since realized that it is a necessary means to an end in this material world.
Mostly I have been a solitary soul that spends much of her time wandering the forests in meditation. When my mind is still, I venture forth to the cities and villages of the common folk to learn their motivations, to travel with them, to speak with them, to fight with them, and even to drink with them. I have met many of those notable individuals in this way. Like a net of glass beads, the light of each reflects & refracts in the others creating a single fabric. Those notable exceptions are the glass beads whose light I cherish, learn from, and attempt to amplify. With them, my deeds have been numerous and varied. Too numerous to list-- their collective effect would not be reflected adequately. There are, however, a couple that are worth noting.
The Vakhar: a now defunct guild created by a noble elf named Aralin Harenya. He was an elf who could see but one side of the coin, but never the less shimmered. I joined them as part of the Amandil en' i' Taur branch. Their mission was to protect the forests. This was exactly in line with my mission and was a great fit for some time. We participated in many awareness raising events. We auctioned well crafted items to raise funds to establish a Temple to Folian in the Wolfswoods. Although I cherished the Temple of Folian in the Mist Forest, this felt wrong to me. After all, why did Folian need another temple? The Forest is his temple-- every forest, everywhere. This was the first time I felt at odds with the guild regarding the execution of our mission. On other occasions we had disputes with the Druids of the land. Again, this felt in conflict with our mission and served as the second issue I had with my membership. Finally, my training had begun to take me into areas, darker areas, which those of the guild might not approve of. It was time for me to take a leave of absence and meditate. I left the guild and have not return as a member since. I continued to provide my support for efforts that were directly related to the preservation of the forest. The Vakhar has since collapsed and is not functioning. I hope that sometime in the future we can bring the idea back with its original intent of protecting the forests. The restoration of The Broken Forest would be a great first deed to reconstitute the guild, and attract like minded members.
The Great Oak: Perhaps the pinnacle of my journey has been saving The Great Oak from General Bloodstone’s forces. The year was 1402, and the struggle between all of Layonara and General Bloodstone had reached critical mass. He was on the move, and looked this time to be going for the fatal blow to finally take all of Layonara into centuries of slavery and submission. General Bloodstone had a three pronged attack plan, and was drawing on all his forces for the final surge to dominate the land. One prong was aimed directly at the heart of the forest—The Great Oak. The battle against Bloodstone’s forces lasted for weeks in The Great Forest. We lost more than I can count over that period. I myself, was killed three times in the epic battle. But in the end, we were victorious in saving The Great Oak. In fact, we were victorious in saving all of Layonara since the other two prongs were defeated as well. This was a great day for all of Layonara, and represented the beginning of peace and tranquility for all the forests in the lands.
Only time can judge if my contributions will make a meaningful impact on the Great Spirit of The Forest. But these deeds, too, are but footprints in the sand and will fade from the collective memory in time. No one will remember Jade Willow when the oceans give way to mountains, and the sands are quenched by the seas. The Great Spirit, however, will continue and will, hopefully, be stronger due to my small part. Only the short time that remains to me, a blink of the eye, is in my hands to mold. What shall I do with it?
Jade will continue to be a champion of The Great Spirit that is the forest. I will begin to tap the darker side of the spirit to further its cause. I will continue to cherish The Forest as my teacher and will watch and listen for her subtle, yet powerful, direction. Many things are left undone. For example, the cries of the Broken Forest ring loudly in my sleep. It has been a hole in the fabric of the Spirit for too long and needs to be mended. I will champion those of like mind to focus all the strength of Layonara to this end. Once complete, I hope to return to the land of my people. Perhaps they will accept me back after such a wondrous deed. I hope to bring to my people what I have learned, and convince them to open up to the rest of the world. Although full of malicious and greedy people, it also gives birth to some of the greatest embodiments of The Spirit I have experienced. My people must learn to embrace this diversity in order to endure the difficult times ahead. My greatest achievement would be to build a bridge between my people of old, and the remainder of Layonara. It is critical for all our survival. The dialogue must begin.
