→Seol 15: His First Effort

[seol_plumfall]

The Light

Astrolabe told me that     I think



One of the first things a druid will tell a curious blood elf is that the force called "nature" that they revere and beseech does not always appear to act towards good. To one brought up inside sheltering city walls, wild forces can seem cruel and terrifying. Thus the wolf becomes vile and rapacious in myth, as the fox becomes nefarious and insincere.

Those who worship nature, though, look beyond the perspective of a farmer who has lost a sheep or child. The preying wolf inflicts pain upon the settled folk, true. But she brings home meat to her children, preparing them for the hunt. Once grown, they will hunt the deer and bring down those who are sick and weak, strengthening the herd; this lesson is one of the first taught to explain the balance of nature. But the young wolves will also grow up to protect the young seedlings which are eaten by the deer. Through actions which appear selfish, each pup nurtures the future forest -- one that will not manifest for at least a century, long after each particular wolf is dead.

Nature, then, can be understood as a collective organism, flourishing or suffering through the sum of its components' selfish actions, nourishing, harming, or rejuvenating themselves. The balance is delicate, and it is easily skewed by the actions of the sentient races. Such is nigh-impossible to avoid, as even those who would like to preserve the balance alter it just by living in the world. But nature is robust, too, and it recovers from its illnesses. With wisdom, a preserver can divine the most helpful actions, at least most of the time.

And so the natural force grows, waning sometimes, but waxing when in good health. It expands, gradually filling the universe with more and more life. The actions of creatures today enrich the future possibilities for life; the flesh and bones of ancient generations become the rich soil that feeds their descendants. And those who use nature magic tap into it as a substance itself, the vast memory and dream of vitality.



It seems possible that these ideas could also provide some insight into the nature of the Light.

Astrolabe 10 ← Seol 15 → Seol 16