Gartrin & Boria

"From sacred groves they rose in glory, children of forest gods whose love should have nurtured realms eternal. Their fall would paint the leaves in blood, and their redemption would cost creation dearly."

- The Book of Fallen Groves

In the verdant realm of Nolavor, where ancient forests stretched endless beneath divine skies, few tales echo with such profound tragedy as that of Gartrin and Boria. Born to the mighty forest gods Nolavor and Liet-Nom, they emerged as shining exemplars of divine power and purpose. Their love blossomed beneath immortal canopies, where deciduous and evergreen trees intermingled in perfect harmony under their parents' blessed guidance.   Gartrin, whose martial prowess matched his dedication to the forest's protection, and Boria, whose beauty and fertility powers made barren lands bloom, seemed destined to inherit their parents' sacred charge. Together they walked paths both mortal and divine, their combined powers nurturing the delicate balance between growth and decay that sustained Nolavor's mighty woodlands.  

"Through leaf-dappled light they danced,
Where ancient groves stood proud and tall,
None could know their sacred romance,
Would lead creation to its fall."

- Songs of the Betrayed

  Yet beneath this facade of divine perfection, ambition festered. As first-generation Eeirendelios, both Gartrin and Boria possessed tremendous power, but they chafed under the established hierarchy of the Drandsia Vatar. Their parents' domains felt like chains rather than birthrights, binding them to traditions they had not chosen.   When Te Nesavatar, then known as Malovatar, began whispering promises of power unrestricted by divine law, his words found fertile ground. Boria proved particularly susceptible to his influence, her desire for autonomy and greater power overshadowing her loyalty to family and forest alike.  

"The corruption began so subtly - a shift in the way leaves fell, a change in how saplings grew. By the time the great trees noticed something amiss, their own children had already betrayed them."

- Witness to the Fall

  Their betrayal unfolded with calculated precision. Using intimate knowledge of their parents' domains, they corrupted the sacred sites that anchored Nolavor and Liet-Nom's power. Ancient groves became death traps, blessing circles transformed into snares, and the very trees that had witnessed their birth became weapons in a patricidal arsenal.   The catastrophe of the Matrix of Earth found them leading Malovatar's forces through Southern Lietnom, where their parents had gathered with other forest deities attempting to heal the land through ancient rituals. The collapse of the matrix, its destructive energies amplified by the complex weave of forest magics, exceeded even the Black Fire's cruel calculations.  

"When the Matrix shattered, even the Black Fire recoiled. The very concept of 'forest' seemed to fracture, leaving only twisted mockeries of what divine woods should be."

- Records of the Sundering

  Nolavor and Liet-Nom perished in the cataclysm, their divine essence scattered among the very trees they had tended since creation's dawn. The sight of their parents' destruction shattered Malovatar's hold over Gartrin and Boria, granting them terrible clarity. In that moment of horror, they fully comprehended the magnitude of their actions.   The price of their betrayal manifested physically - Gartrin's noble visage transformed into a skull-like mask, forever marking him as death's herald rather than life's guardian. Boria retained her beauty, but it became her curse, an eternal reminder of the purity they had sacrificed.  

"Let my face mirror death's truth, while yours remains a mask of life's promise. Together we shall bear witness to our crimes until the last leaf falls."

- Gartrin's Vow to Boria

  Their attempts at redemption through founding the Reclaimers seemed to only deepen the corruption. Each ritual of purification twisted into something darker, as if the land remembered their betrayal and rejected their penance. The region now known as Nolavor became a dark reflection of its former glory, where twisted jungles spread in chaos, feeding on the lingering essence of fallen gods and the weight of divine guilt.   The Reclaimers who followed them split into factions, some embracing increasingly radical methods of preserving what remained. The Mistwatch emerged from this division, their militant approach to conservation reflecting the harsh lessons learned from their patrons' fall.  

"In the darkest reaches of corrupted groves,
Where shadows breed and mutants crawl,
Two gods walk their endless roads,
Seeking grace beyond recall."

- Lament of the Forest Sages

  Recent years have seen Gartrin and Boria withdraw further into the northern reaches, their influence waning as new threats emerge. Some whisper they sense another catastrophe approaching, similar to the one that claimed their parents. Others suggest they have finally succumbed to the corruption they fought for so long.  

"The true horror lies not in what they did, but in what they became - immortal witnesses to their own damnation, forever trying to heal wounds that their very presence deepens."

- Meditations of the Last Grove Keeper

 

"Through corrupted groves they walk their penance, the skull-faced knight and his eternally beautiful queen. Each step seeks redemption, though the very soil rejects their attempts at healing."

- Chronicles of the Fallen Woods

  Through centuries of tireless effort, Gartrin and Boria led their Reclaimer followers in desperate attempts to heal the land. They personally oversaw the replanting of devastated groves, the cleansing of tainted waterways, and the restoration of natural cycles. Yet each act of redemption seemed tainted by the lingering corruption of their betrayal, as if the land remembered their crimes and refused their penance.   In the contested Kanonos Region, where the Bloodclaw tribe's industrial ambitions threatened ancient forestlands, the Reclaimers waged a hidden war. Their shadow campaigns sabotaged lumber mills, disrupted mining operations, and protected sacred groves through both subtle manipulation and direct action.  

"With every tree they save, another dies. With every spring they cleanse, another turns to poison. Such is the price of divine treachery - that even acts of redemption carry seeds of corruption."

- Observations of the Grove Wardens

  The scars of the Black Fire War proved resistant to even their most powerful healing magics. Vast regions of Nolavor remained twisted beyond recognition, where mutated flora and corrupted fauna mocked the natural order they had once sworn to protect. The combined powers of Gartrin and Boria could only contain these blighted zones, never truly cleansing them.   As millennia passed, the Reclaimers' influence began to fragment. Some factions embraced increasingly militant methods, while others withdrew into isolated enclaves focused on preserving what little untainted wilderness remained. The Mistwatch emerged as perhaps the most aggressive faction, their methods reflecting harsh lessons learned from centuries of failed conservation efforts.  

"Between corruption's darkness deep,
And industry's relentless crawl,
The ancient woods their vigil keep,
Though sacred groves may fall."

- Songs of the Last Defenders

  Gartrin and Boria, their divine powers diminished by both time and the lingering taint of their betrayal, retreated deeper into Northern Nolavor's wilderness. Rumors spread that they sensed approaching catastrophe, a second Black Fire War that threatened not just their realm but all of creation. The signs grew increasingly clear - stars vanishing from the heavens, prophetic visions of blood and fire, and an unnatural silence falling over divine realms.   The Haplocai, oldest of Nolavor's races, maintained their ancient alliance with the Reclaimers. From their strongholds in the Eldowe Fern Forest, these luminous beings stood vigil against encroaching darkness, their very presence helping to hold corruption at bay.  

"Even as stars blink out above,
And visions dark assail the mind,
Two gods walk paths of fading love,
Seeking grace they may not find."

- The Reclaimer's Vigil

  As omens of the Second Black Fire War multiply, the scattered Reclaimers prepare for battles to come. Though diminished in number and influence, they draw strength from the tragic example of their divine patrons. The Haplocai's continued support, maintained through millennia of struggle, provides crucial stability in increasingly uncertain times.  

"The corruption spreads, the stars grow dim, yet still they walk their endless paths of penance. Perhaps in their very persistence lies hope for all who seek redemption beyond the reach of grace."

- Final Meditations of the Grove Keeper