Setting:Tabula Gloria/Phrennoack/The Eltyain People

The Eltyain people have been friendly with the Empire since the reign of Margurim II, whose diplomats made a treaty with them to allow for westward expansion to the Forest's treeline, as well as limited resources from the forest itself. Though the Eltyain are swift to punish Imperials who violate the treaty, they are also benevolent to those who wish to abide by it. Imperials have a lasting presence in the central village of Caladuon, protected them from the vile creatures as they traveled through Crenskaw Creek and Alboniset Lake to the western side of the Forest, and have graced them with their blessing as Emperor Alexius II and his son Marguirm IV built the Eternal Bridge at the mouth of the Eternal Flow. Despite this friendship, sometimes bordering on alliance, there are some facets of Eltyain society which still baffle Imperials.

Eltya of Life's Eternal Flame

Whereas the Imperials worship no god and follow the Founder's Legacy as a rubric for their civilization, the Eltyain pay homage to a god of fertility and benevolence. Eltya, as their god is called, is often depicted as a stag with sprawling antlers, each of which tipped with an ever-burning flame. This burning crown frames an eerily humanoid face, eyes set as deep as can be and with a somewhat concerned expression at all times. Though almost every Eltyain knows of the existence of their god, not many are able to see Him, much less understand His message. This fact is how the tribe's elders are chosen. It is said that Eltya would peer through the perpetually dense fog of the Forest unto those He deems worthy and capable of translating His message to the people. Those who have been graced by Him will come back to the current elder, his forehead graced with the holy wax of His antlers.

Though the cabal who commune with Eltya Himself is extremely small, the majority of people, Eltyain and otherwise, know of His existence through his servants, the Phrennoack Stags. Borne of the holy wax shed from His antlers, the psychopomps usually appear before someone who has become recently deceased, their primary function is to shepherd its soul back unto Eltya's flame. If for whatever reason that something or someone else gets a hold of that soul before a Stag can reclaim it, there are known to be dire consequences. If there are not souls to be harvested, the Stags usually appear in areas of the Forest in the balance of life and death is disrupted, driving back whichever force has too much of an advantage. As such, their presence is usually considered a good omen for humble travelers venturing into otherwise dangerous lands.

The Balance of Life and Death

The symbology behind Eltya may embody the positive qualities of life, one has to bear in mind that life wouldn't be life without death. It would simply be a mere existence otherwise. This duality is something that the Eltyain know well of, the balance of which must be preserved in order for not just the Forest, but for the whole world to continue. It is already known that the Stags maintain the circulation of souls between Eltya's flame and the World Itself, as well as the fact that the Stags are also dispatched to deal with areas of the Forest in which there is an unnatural spread of death and disease as well as an uncanny proliferation of life. The Forest has others alongside the Stags which help in this daunting task, including the Pale Maws which attract and prey on the particularly ambitious folk wishing to exploit the Forest for their personal gain. The aquatic Echoes of Alboniset Lake do much the same with those wishing to disrupt the fragile marsh which surrounds it. There are also stories of the colossal Forest Harvester which maintains the limited growth of the Forest itself, preventing it from losing too much territory, but also from gaining too much.