Myrielle's Tears
Before the breaking, when the forest stretched forever, Myrielle sheltered us. Her warm embrace made the forest bloom with life. Fruit hung heavy from the trees, and the rivers were filled with oilfish. Our ancestors days were filled with joy and laughter, and they praised Myrielle with all their hearts.
But the Others were not content to laugh and love. They sought strife to advance their cause, for they desired all. They came to the forest with fire and ice, lightning and thunder. And with them came the breaking.
Myrielle protected us, hiding us within the mist, but the Others continued warring in the beyond. Their battles shook the ground, and the forest was ripped asunder. The great rivers split and the sea flooded in, separating the tribe. We huddled together in the mist as the world fell apart around us, Myrielle's grace sustaining us.
But Myrielle could not hold against the betrayal of the Others. As the world broke, she gave the last of herself to hide and protect us. She saw the broken forest, and the loss of the fruit and the fish, and she cried for us. Her tears fell on the forest, clinging to the trees that survived. She cried for us until she was no more, but her Tears remained on the trees. The Tears sustain us, and though the world is harder than it was, we thank Myrielle for providing for us even now.
Summary
In the Beginning, the Endless Forest stretched across the entire world, sheltering the people of the Dragon. The people of the Dragon lived in peace with the Forest, living off the bounty the Forest provided. In return, they worshiped the Great Ones, giving thanks for the world the Great Ones had given them.
Over time, the Great Ones began to squabble, each insisting that they should direct the Forest and the world. The Great Ones had each begun to focus on their facet while forgetting the whole. As the Great Ones fragmented, so did the tribes of the Endless Forest. War came to the peaceful land.
Myrielle saw the havoc wrought by the other Great Ones and despaired. She loved all of the people of the Forest, and wanted to protect them all, but she could not stand against all of her fellows. She cried as she isolated one tribe to protect. She did not love them more than the others, but she could only save so many.
As Myrielle cried, she sheltered her chosen people from the wars of the Great Ones. The land broke around them, and the seas crashed in, cutting them off from the rest of the Forest. The Endless Forest had become the Broken Forest, and the bounty that sustained the tribes had withered away. All that remained were Myrielle's Tears, clinging to the trees of the Broken Forest. Her final act to protect her people was to put her life force into the Tears, enabling them to sustain her chosen through the difficult times ahead.
Historical Basis
The Broken Forest covers a section of the Dragon Isles, just north of the equator, situated between the continents of Helion and Hellonde. The only fruit-bearing trees in the forest, and only in the northern stretches, are the Myriellum, evergreen trees that yield the Myrielle's Tears fruit. The fruit is roughly teardrop-shaped, with a bulbous bottom that tapers to the stem. An individual fruit grows to well over 100 pounds before ripening, and an established tree can produce more than 500 of them a year. The fruit provides for most nutritional needs, and it is possible to survive for long stretches with access to nothing but the Tears.
The vegetation across all of the islands is similar except for the Myriellum, which only grows on the northernmost islands. The tribe on the island call themselves the Myriella, claiming it comes from their patron in the same way as the tree. They are the most prosperous of the tribes of the Broken Forest, directly due to access to the Tears.
Spread
Few outside the Broken Forest know of the myth or the existence of the Tears. The tribe itself jealously guards the secret, worried that outsiders will bring destruction to their land if they learn of them. The tribes of the Forest, other than the Myriella, know of the myth but do not believe in it or that the Tears are as valuable as the Myriellans claim.
Variations & Mutation
The less populated eastern island has significantly fewer Myriellum trees than the western island, leading to a variation in the belief. They believe that Myrielle was wounded, and the Tears are the Blood of Myrielle. They speak of her sacrifice for her chosen people. They have no contact with the other islands, and tend to attack anyone who lands on theirs.
Cultural Reception
The Tears are critical to the identity of the Myriella clan. The fruit itself is their largest, and sometimes only, food source. Every aspect of their culture is influenced in some way by the existence of the Tears.
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