Mine eyes have been opened. It is said there is truth in wine, and a great many mysteries have been revealed to me beneath the sweet embrace of Dionysus. But the nectar of his vine has never yet revealed such marvels to me as the Springtide blooms. \n\nThe fog over this land has parted and I have seen beyond into the sun-kissed fields of Elysium. Pan and his sylvan get dance among the hemp rows, prancing on cloven hooves and whistling through reedpipes while the Wispybloom blossoms shimmer like spilt wine amongst the plantings. At the edge of the field, I beheld the hound Orthos dutifully standing guard, his twin heads darting this way and that as he scoured the past and infinite future for intruders. The red cattle of his master mooed and snorted listlessly in the pasture, awaiting the return of their divine master. \n\nHere, in this eternal place, the gods have granted me a small mercy: a waking dream of an afterlife I may never know, filled with marvels I feared I might never behold. Praise and approbations to all the gods of Olympus, for offering me this gift on the eve of precious Springtide!

A glimpse of the hereafter

Elysian Visions

I remember the day when I first beheld the bloom. It was on this night, when the sun and moon have equal share of the eternal cosmos, locked in their endless dance across the sky, that I spied the sacred blossoms out amongst the hemp, shining like beams of moonlight kissed by the setting sun. As I plucked one from the earth, still wet with the morning dew, it offered me a glimpse of what lies beyond perception. \n\nAll around, I could see the web of fate spread out before me – innumerable, luminous strands intertwined with one another – each a whole lifetime of wisdom and experience and love and regret. As I gazed into the depths of each, my eyes drawn to the endless stories they held, a strange ripple cascaded across the web. I looked up and at their center, I beheld a strange creature: a coal black spider with the face of a man. \n\nAs I watched the industrious weaver go about his business, his gaze fixed upon me. I asked him to find me the most interesting and beautiful stories in the all the world. His smile disarmed me. He told me some things are beyond human comprehension, and that when I wake, all I have witnessed here will be like a dream. My vision blurred and I found myself once gain standing among the fields, with only a hazy recollection of all the splendors I had witnessed among weaver’s web.

My first time among the blooms

Memories of Eternity

I have witnessed a miracle. An experience of such strange magic, I struggle to put thought to paper. In my youth I had heard the elder druids whisper in hushed tones of such marvels, but until last night I never dreamed I would experience such a thing. \n\nIt was a bright and moonlit night when I partook of the Wispybloom. Then, suddenly, the skies caught fire. The stars tumbled down around me, great rivers of firelight, and yet remained in their place to brighten the evening sky. Amid the brilliance, I found myself transported to a realm apart. Where, I cannot say, but the weight of the world had lifted from me. I floated, as if cradled by the waters of the sea on a still day, at once empty of my mortal vessel and at one with all things. \n\nThe leaves of the trees lit up like lightning bugs, and mushroom blooms formed ringlets in the fallow earth. Wisps of light darted from among their caps, leaving trails of radiance hanging in the night air. And the sound! I could hear the rustling of leaves and the chirping of insects, but above it all, the clarion call of female voices, raised in song. \n\nIt was then that I beheld… HIM! The black wolf, Gwyllgi, tall as a man, skulking at the edge of the grove, his blazing red eyes fixed upon me. I knew at once that I was a trespasser here in the land of Annwn, and must return across the veil to my own land.

A journey of light

The Stars are Burning

A most peculiar thing happened to me today, as I went for a walk among the wildflowers. \n\nAll at once, the wind began to howl and the Wispyblooms swirled around me like wine-tinged snowflakes. Just past the vortex I could see them: visions of my past, all present, all at once. My grandmother and father, showing mother how space plantings among the rice fields. They were somehow both young and old, visions of their youthful selves aglow with all the wisdom of ages past. Then there was mother, both child and matron, passing on this knowledge to my brothers and sisters. And I among them, young for eternity in this unnatural place – a ruptured stitch in the tapestry of our line. I looked up at the sky, past the swirling petals, to bask in the light of Cheng’e, hoping that she would carry me from this lonely place, back to the land of my ancestors. \n\nInstead I saw only the eyes of the wolf Tiagou, mouth agape as he loped toward her alabaster light, famished and longing. I dropped to my knees and cried out in warning! \n\nDarkness enveloped me, and I felt a cool springtime breeze on my face. I awoke among the shoots and stems of the hemp fields, holding this precious memory of hearth and family in my mind’s eye. All trace of my fear had been forgotten.

Whisked away to a long-lost home

Carried on a Springtide Wind

Last night, out upon the field, I spied a queer-looking raven perched among the stalks. Its feathers were white as snow, and its red eyes locked on mine, as if I were somehow familiar. I slunk forward, hoping to get a better look at its magnificence, but it took flight at my approach. Unsure I could trust my eyes, I stooped to pick up one of its fallen feathers. \n\nSuddenly, I was elsewhere, the sounds of nature roaring in my ears. The noise of birds and beasts and insects soared around me. But also… drums! Where the white raven had been, there stood a waiflike woman. Her skin was ivory, and her cascading blonde locks so sun-bleached, they were almost white. She took me by the hand and raced deeper into the woodlands, tugging me along behind her. I dashed after her, free hand raised to protect my eyes from branches whipping by on either side. \n\nThe ground began to shake, and I realized what I heard was not the retort of drumbeats, but a cavalcade of horse hooves! A huntsman’s horn sounded, and jet-black steeds broke through the foliage, each one beset by an ashen rider, pale and unearthly like my strange attendant. The great host enveloped us, but my companion ran on without fear, leading me on in her wake. The hot breath of horses stuck in my throat as dust filled the air, until all was darkness save the sounding of hooves and the beating of my heart and the clarion peals of her laughter. \n\nThen I was alone again, racing at a fever pitch through the hemp, each gasp of the cool night air chilling the ecstasy in my heart.

The white raven calls

On Pale Wings

For all truth-seekers and those who feel the call of what lies beyond the senses: \n\nThe Wispyblooms you crave lie hidden in the fields and grasslands. There, beneath the rainbow clouds, these secret blooms wait for those who dare to dream. Be bold, and go where intuition guides you! \n\nLet the Springtide blooms carry you on a journey to new horizons, friend!

Let the Springtide spirit guide you

The Wispyblooms Lie Hidden in the Tall Grass

Alder left a token for me. I found it nestled inside one of the Prismablooms on the hill overlooking the hemp field. A talisman, meant to bring me good luck as I set off on my reverie. \n\nIt was a sweet tradition. When he first joined us, I left a token for him among the blooms near the river – a place he would often journey to be alone with his thoughts after more ecstatic revelations. He returned beaming at his good fortune, and so the others quickly joined in. Soon, we had hidden so many tokens, I doubt we shall ever reclaim them all. Perhaps someday soon, a stranger will visit us, and will stumble upon one. I can only hope it will offer the same sense of kismet it has brought to those of our number.

Springtide Village Chapter - NWGuide Database of Lore

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