Grove of Banuja
Banuja then knelt down by the ground and waved her hand over the assembled tortoises. One by one, each tortoises' eyes flashed with a spark of sentience, and they begun to speak among themselves and with Banuja.Thousands of years ago, in the infancy of humanoid civilization on Tellandria, there lived a powerful archdruid champion of Icunda named Banuja. Banuja was well studied in the ways of Vivomancy, the magic of life and sentience.
Legends say that at the peak of her power, Banuja traveled deep into the forests of the Cradle of Kropall and used her powerful Vivomancy magic to imbue sentience upon a number of creatures. This place became known as the "Grove of Banuja", and the creatures she awakened through her vivomancy became the Beastfolk of Tellandria.
Historical Basis
Though the Grove of Banuja has never been found, many of the Beastfolk that were allegedly created by Banuja did originate from the forests of the Cradle, lending some legitimacy to the tale.