The Solas Tree
The Solas tree, sometimes called the Solace Tree, sits at the heart of Hafod.
Its exact age is unknown, but it is obviously ancient, and its roots seem to extend throughout the earth of Hafod.
Legend says that in the early ages of the world, during The Era of Tranquility, a deva named Solas was sent by her god as an emissary to the feywild, when a number of their worshippers struck an unwise deal and ended up trapped as servants eternally to the archfey, Queen Zija of the Court of the Damask Steps. The story follows that Solas and Zija fell in love the moment they met, their souls instantly recognizing inexorable destiny in the other. But Solas was created for the specific purpose of being her emmissary's deity, and Zija's immortality was bound up in the power and place of her court. So they parted after Solas's business was completed, and the servants freed from their ill-made bargain. But neither celestial nor archfey could so easily dimiss the other. In their dreams, they saw each other, and their waking hours were marked by a perpetual soul-deep tug, which over the course of the next century, became unbearable.
Eventually they did meet, on the material plane during the winter solstice, where they hoped that their absences would go unmarked. This meeting cemented their love for one another, and they realised that they could not simply give each other up, though they knew that at some point, their love would lead to the destruction of one or both of them. But they determined to put off that date as long as they could.
For many years, they met at the winter solstice, when Queen Zija's court was sleeping, and Solas's deity's power was at its weakest. And their love grew and grew, and despite the long absences, they were joyful, always anticipating their next meeting.
But one day, the Queen's absence was discovered when a messenger from another court came to summon her to a meeting. The news spread throughout the courts, embarassing and concerning her courtiers, who were left furious and anxious about the waning reputation of the court. When the Queen returned they confronted her. She could not conceal the celestial glow left on her face from her meeting, and told them the story. Enraged, they told her that if she did not give up her love, she would be banished from her court- a situation which would quickly have resulted in the waning of her powers, and therefore her life. Archfey are so intensely tied to their place of power, that banishment from their court is fatal.
Word also spread to Solas's superiors, and to her deity. Who was not angry, but disappointed in their creation, and only advised her that she had been gifted life and divine purpose in this world, and by indulging her own interests and seeking a different path, she was betraying both. Either she give up Zija, or the celestial energies that comprised her being would be dissolved and used in the creation of a new, loyal servant.
Zija and Solas met for the final time on the material plane, on the land where Hafod would be built in later centuries. They met at dusk, talked all night, and in the final hour before dawn, they realised that to give each other up would be to live a grey and empty existence. They embraced, in defiance of their preordained futures, and from their feet, roots began to sprout. Their entwined arms and nestled heads pressed closer, their skin became bark, and their hair became twig and leaf. When the first ray of sun crested the horizon, neither celestial or fey stood there, only a young tree with golden bark, with branches full of budding leaves in contrast to the bare winter trees around it.
Some believe that this transformation was a gift from Solas's deity, who realising that their servant could not live a meaningful life alone, granted them centuries as one with their soulmate. Others wonder if it was revenge from Queen Zija's court, stealing immortality from the lovers. But most believe that it was simply an expression of the powerful love Zija and Solas bore each other, and that they deliberately sacrificed their power and ambition and immortality itself, for the centuries of life together that they could have in this form.
Legend says that in the early ages of the world, during The Era of Tranquility, a deva named Solas was sent by her god as an emissary to the feywild, when a number of their worshippers struck an unwise deal and ended up trapped as servants eternally to the archfey, Queen Zija of the Court of the Damask Steps. The story follows that Solas and Zija fell in love the moment they met, their souls instantly recognizing inexorable destiny in the other. But Solas was created for the specific purpose of being her emmissary's deity, and Zija's immortality was bound up in the power and place of her court. So they parted after Solas's business was completed, and the servants freed from their ill-made bargain. But neither celestial nor archfey could so easily dimiss the other. In their dreams, they saw each other, and their waking hours were marked by a perpetual soul-deep tug, which over the course of the next century, became unbearable.
Eventually they did meet, on the material plane during the winter solstice, where they hoped that their absences would go unmarked. This meeting cemented their love for one another, and they realised that they could not simply give each other up, though they knew that at some point, their love would lead to the destruction of one or both of them. But they determined to put off that date as long as they could.
For many years, they met at the winter solstice, when Queen Zija's court was sleeping, and Solas's deity's power was at its weakest. And their love grew and grew, and despite the long absences, they were joyful, always anticipating their next meeting.
But one day, the Queen's absence was discovered when a messenger from another court came to summon her to a meeting. The news spread throughout the courts, embarassing and concerning her courtiers, who were left furious and anxious about the waning reputation of the court. When the Queen returned they confronted her. She could not conceal the celestial glow left on her face from her meeting, and told them the story. Enraged, they told her that if she did not give up her love, she would be banished from her court- a situation which would quickly have resulted in the waning of her powers, and therefore her life. Archfey are so intensely tied to their place of power, that banishment from their court is fatal.
Word also spread to Solas's superiors, and to her deity. Who was not angry, but disappointed in their creation, and only advised her that she had been gifted life and divine purpose in this world, and by indulging her own interests and seeking a different path, she was betraying both. Either she give up Zija, or the celestial energies that comprised her being would be dissolved and used in the creation of a new, loyal servant.
Zija and Solas met for the final time on the material plane, on the land where Hafod would be built in later centuries. They met at dusk, talked all night, and in the final hour before dawn, they realised that to give each other up would be to live a grey and empty existence. They embraced, in defiance of their preordained futures, and from their feet, roots began to sprout. Their entwined arms and nestled heads pressed closer, their skin became bark, and their hair became twig and leaf. When the first ray of sun crested the horizon, neither celestial or fey stood there, only a young tree with golden bark, with branches full of budding leaves in contrast to the bare winter trees around it.
Some believe that this transformation was a gift from Solas's deity, who realising that their servant could not live a meaningful life alone, granted them centuries as one with their soulmate. Others wonder if it was revenge from Queen Zija's court, stealing immortality from the lovers. But most believe that it was simply an expression of the powerful love Zija and Solas bore each other, and that they deliberately sacrificed their power and ambition and immortality itself, for the centuries of life together that they could have in this form.
Comments