Day 36

Kraet The Seer's Story

Teeluw is governed by the Elders and the Priestesses. From the point of view of the Elders, they are the highest power in our town, with the Priestesses in more of an advisory role. From the point of view of everyone else, the Priestesses are in charge. Now, that isn't because the Elders are unliked, or because the Priestesses demand their power; rather, it is because the Priestesses commune with the Goddesses and Gods, and they are granted with wisdom that the Elders simply aren't privy to. Because the Priestesses know more about the forest and its community, everyone (besides the Elders) accepts their word. If they say a storm is coming and homes need to be protected from flying debris, or that a tree will fall and a family needs to be moved to safety, everyone will help carry out their suggestions before the event happens - and the event always happens.

Kraet was an Elder. He lived at a time when Humen from the Western cities were beginning to hear about a community in Teeluw Forest. They came to find our people, and they came to take our Hazelignum wood - the wood used for the armour crafted for distinguished members of the society, it is both light and strong and, most importantly to Teeluw, it is rare. Only small amounts are allowed to be cut each year. Otherwise the Hazelignum trees would decay and die until none were left.

Unknown to the Teeluw, an army was amassing in distant lands with the intention of destroying the forest. They would take the Hazelignum wood first, and then take the wood from other trees to build with or burn in their city of stone.

A smaller group came first, and the Priestesses were told that the forest was in danger, so people were sent to deal with the threat at the western edge of the forest, before any harm could be done. But the priestesses were unaware of the troops that marched toward our home. The Goddesses had not shown them what was on its way.

However, for some reason, Kraet was shown. He could see them coming in his dreams. The Goddess Vel sent him the information he needed to keep the forest alive. He used all his influence with the other Elders and the Priestesses to focus the fighters in the town to move out to the edge of the forest where the first scouts had been spotted - where the army was heading.

As the army came over the hill on the horizon, the archers began to loose their arrows so quickly that it was as if a cloud had passed in front of the sun. Not one arrow struck a living creature. But this was Kraet's plan all along - to scare the invaders away, not to harm them as the scouts had been harmed under the direction of the Priestesses.

The Humen turned back to return to their homes moments before getting into the forest that they had spent so long trekking to, carrying heavy equipment for chopping and cutting and splitting back unused.

To Kraet's merit, he took no credit for the victory Teeluw had had, instead acknowledging that the Goddess chose him to unite the slowly distancing governing bodies of Teeluw before they were too far separated.