Half a century ago the Elder Oak formed a pact with the Lady of
Corruption, accepting Her forbidden fruit in exchange for the awakening
of the forest in which he lived. Unbeknownst to the Oak, Lady Chakrasul
was also forming a contract with one very close to him.

Under the boughs of the Black Forest, the Goddess of Corruption
disguised Herself as a radiant, powerful dryad. She approached Amelia,
the Arch Dryad, regarding the slumber of the trees and her spirit court.
Easily convinced by the well-oiled words of Lady Chakrasul, Amelia
agreed to bind herself and her consort Namal to the Lady and be Her
servant in exchange for the awakening of the forest.

How could the Arch Dryad know that it was all a ploy? How could she know
the Goddess intended to trap her in servitude within the Castle of
Despair? How could she know the forest was already beginning to stir
from the Elder Oak's pact?

Bound to the Goddess of Despair, Amelia and Namal were transformed
their spirits were separated and held captive within the Castle. While
the dark forest came to life from the ritualistic hand of the Children
of Despair, all that would remain for decades to come would be a
crystalline dryad and an obsidian nayar.

Years wasted away. Separated, the minds of the dryad and nayar fell to
the unrelenting despair of the Dark Lady and Her priests. Memories of
their once peaceful forest dwindled until they all but disappeared,
leaving nothing but the corrupted life they had come to know as their
own.

Time and again curious wanderers came to the lone island within the
misty lake, trying their hand and wracking their minds for a way to free
those trapped within the crystal. Yet the forestal royalty remained
trapped, despite all attempts to free them.

The dedication of those few who spent the years toiling for the answer
could not know the affect that each of their actions had. Slowly but
surely, the powerful bonds holding Amelia and Namal within the Castle of
Despair were worn down.

Dreams began to surface within the forest as the invisible and nearly
unbreakable bonds of servitude began to weaken their hold upon the two
forestal spirits. Nightly visions within the Morgun Forest gave insight
into the past that had bound the Arch Dryad and of the fate that Amelia
and her consort now suffered.

Pearls continued to fall within Amelia's prison, absorbed into its
ethereal essence and altering the structure of its very core. At last, a
visible difference was seen! Together as mother and son, Wedric
Vespertine and Lua Runae worked to add the greenish pearls to the
radiant crystalline statue. Fellow Druids and others contributed too,
ever teetering the scales as the frozen form of Amelia began to emit a
haunting emerald glow.

Visions beleaguered many who ventured to the island within the depths of
the misty Morgun, clouding their thoughts and filling their minds with
the faint whispers of despair that had ensnared Amelia's own for so many
years.

Finally the crystal cracked, and the dedicated Morganites worked round
the clock to search for the pearls that seemed to hold the key to Amelia
and Namal's freedom. Reverberations ran through the forest as Wedric
placed the final pearl. The Elder Oak began to realize that something
was stirring within his forest.

Amid friends and ever-curious onlookers, Lua fled to retrieve the
essence of the Morgun, knowing in her heart that this was the key to
what she had fretted over for so many decades. Placing the green crystal
within its home in Amelia's arms, the two statues shattered, stunning
those present and setting the area alight in evocative green fire.
Miasma filled the air as torques of the mist pulled from the sky,
releasing the imprisoned pair and leaving them in place of their stony
counterparts.

Collapsing to the ground, confusion was all that filled the mind of the
Arch Dryad, torn from the torment of Lady Chakrasul's temple and
surrounded by the questions and rantings of strangers. Namal was left
nearly speechless, seeing his beloved once more after so many years of
heartache. Wary of the strangers, Amelia did her best to address their
concerns as she came to realize her sacrifice was naught but a sham, and
that it was her own Oak that had enacted the deal with the Dark Lady to
awaken the forest.

However, Amelia was pleased nonetheless that her forest and court were
alive and active. It soon became clear that the Arch Dryad of the Morgun
had no plans to change the forest from its corrupted, despairing state.
Lua Runae was unable to withstand being spurned by the one she had
dedicated her life to and flew into a lunatic rage. She attacked all
present before fleeing and dying by her own hand.

The crowd and the re-awakened royalty were left puzzled. Amelia and
Namal were weak beyond any natural measure. Offered manna, berries, and
fruit did not aid their condition. The search continues for something
with which to strengthen them.

In the wake of the revival, fights have broken out amid the Druids and
Duiran

whispers of Corruption play upon every pair of lips. Concern for the
Morgun Forest grows with each passing day as individuals rally together,
debating sides and searching for the means to reach their goals.

Penned by my hand on the 20th of Khepary, in the year 160 MA.