The Creation of The Dales and the Ledges
The Ledges and The Dales are tied together by an ancient battle that has faded in time. The priests of the the Gracious Lady tell the tale every year during the Year-End Festival and during the Binding Festival that takes place every 5 years. Followers of the Gracious Lady travel down from The Dales to the shrines of the Gracious Lady and The Warden in the lowlands.
The Triune Vow
The tale centers around the Battle between the fallen god Sestus the Gracious Lady (Mauna) and The Warden (Ataos).The three gods were of one heart and mind back in the early days of Merida. When the gods came to Merida, they each chose part of the world that they would nurture and tend. Sestus, Mauna and Ataos, chose Merida and vowed to protect and help it flourish. They shaped the land and created their children, the inhabitants of Merida. They and the other gods agreed not to venture beyond the limits of the continents they had chosen. Mauna, Ataos and Sestus each tended to one aspect of Merida for most of the year. The three only met once a year to discuss their progress and to celebrate with their children in a two week festival. As time went on, Sestus wanted to expand their territory beyond the southern limits of Merida in the area now known as The Dales. He raised the question to Mauna and Ataos, but they didn't want to violate the agreement and start a conflict with the other gods.
Discord
Ten years into their caretaking, Mauna and Ataos met with Sestus only to find that he had started to expand his work to shape the land and people beyond the borders of Merida. He brought some of his children from the new lands to prove to Mauna and Ataos that the other gods did not care about the agreement. Mauna accused Sestus of trying to upset the balance agreed to with the rest of the gods. Mauna and Sestus' argument went on into the night. When Ataos woke the next morning, he saw that the townspeople had fled and Sestus had rallied his children to attack the town and Mauna. Mauna had called on the children from the Northern and East coasts of Merida to defend the town, but Sestus overwhelmed them. He broke their triune vow and used his power to destroy thousands of their children and scarred the land. The fighting went on throughout the day. When dusk came, Sestus had nearly overwhelmed their forces. To stop him Ataos and Mauna had to unbound their essence from his and used that power to destroy him. The fire came from the sky and enveloped him, the force breaking the earth beneath him. With another strike from above, he and his force were thrown back into the mountains and the paths that led into The Dales were obliterated.
Aftermath
In the silence after the destruction, the sound of water and the cries of their children were the only sounds. The Thulin River that had flowed from The Dales now cascaded down into the open wound of the earth and caverns of what is now known as The Ledges. The caverns became the home of the remnants of Sestus stolen children. They were children that were not his to claim, but they were trapped in the ruins of his hubris. They dug deeper into the earth and built their own city beneath. Wild magic sparked in the ledges and shattered underground caves where Sestus fell. To this day, it is dangerous to wander in The Ledges during the full moon if you don't know the safe paths as the wild magic storms that spark and travel the paths can be deadly. The Dales were isolated for 5 years until Mauna and Ataos reshaped the land to create a new path that went around the Ledges. The destruction created mountains that keep the verdant area isolated. In the winter, traveling out of The Dales is deadly. The followers of the Gracious Lady and the Warden travel down the path in the summer as part of the Homecoming Pilgrimage. It stops at the Shrine to the Warden and ends at the Shrine to the Gracious Lady. The people of Merida then celebrate for two weeks before the pilgrims from The Dales return home the way they came. That festival is now known as the Binding Festival, when they destroyed Sestus and bound the land to peace.
The Triune Vow
The tale centers around the Battle between the fallen god Sestus the Gracious Lady (Mauna) and The Warden (Ataos).The three gods were of one heart and mind back in the early days of Merida. When the gods came to Merida, they each chose part of the world that they would nurture and tend. Sestus, Mauna and Ataos, chose Merida and vowed to protect and help it flourish. They shaped the land and created their children, the inhabitants of Merida. They and the other gods agreed not to venture beyond the limits of the continents they had chosen. Mauna, Ataos and Sestus each tended to one aspect of Merida for most of the year. The three only met once a year to discuss their progress and to celebrate with their children in a two week festival. As time went on, Sestus wanted to expand their territory beyond the southern limits of Merida in the area now known as The Dales. He raised the question to Mauna and Ataos, but they didn't want to violate the agreement and start a conflict with the other gods.
Discord
Ten years into their caretaking, Mauna and Ataos met with Sestus only to find that he had started to expand his work to shape the land and people beyond the borders of Merida. He brought some of his children from the new lands to prove to Mauna and Ataos that the other gods did not care about the agreement. Mauna accused Sestus of trying to upset the balance agreed to with the rest of the gods. Mauna and Sestus' argument went on into the night. When Ataos woke the next morning, he saw that the townspeople had fled and Sestus had rallied his children to attack the town and Mauna. Mauna had called on the children from the Northern and East coasts of Merida to defend the town, but Sestus overwhelmed them. He broke their triune vow and used his power to destroy thousands of their children and scarred the land. The fighting went on throughout the day. When dusk came, Sestus had nearly overwhelmed their forces. To stop him Ataos and Mauna had to unbound their essence from his and used that power to destroy him. The fire came from the sky and enveloped him, the force breaking the earth beneath him. With another strike from above, he and his force were thrown back into the mountains and the paths that led into The Dales were obliterated.
Aftermath
In the silence after the destruction, the sound of water and the cries of their children were the only sounds. The Thulin River that had flowed from The Dales now cascaded down into the open wound of the earth and caverns of what is now known as The Ledges. The caverns became the home of the remnants of Sestus stolen children. They were children that were not his to claim, but they were trapped in the ruins of his hubris. They dug deeper into the earth and built their own city beneath. Wild magic sparked in the ledges and shattered underground caves where Sestus fell. To this day, it is dangerous to wander in The Ledges during the full moon if you don't know the safe paths as the wild magic storms that spark and travel the paths can be deadly. The Dales were isolated for 5 years until Mauna and Ataos reshaped the land to create a new path that went around the Ledges. The destruction created mountains that keep the verdant area isolated. In the winter, traveling out of The Dales is deadly. The followers of the Gracious Lady and the Warden travel down the path in the summer as part of the Homecoming Pilgrimage. It stops at the Shrine to the Warden and ends at the Shrine to the Gracious Lady. The people of Merida then celebrate for two weeks before the pilgrims from The Dales return home the way they came. That festival is now known as the Binding Festival, when they destroyed Sestus and bound the land to peace.
Type
Natural
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