Elcàlla Yularith, Lon’ Mara na’Ehlenestra

High Priestess of the Harmonious Dells, De facto Mayor of Alaeduril, Elder of the Yularith (Fernshade)

Though the Lon’Törli gather at Alaeduril to rule, few remain there; in their absence, Elcàlla Yularith keeps the village breathing in rhythm with the forest. Near four centuries old and serene as deep water, she serves as Lon’ Mara na’Ehlenestra—High Priestess of Ehlonna in her elven aspect—and by common assent acts as Alaeduril’s mayor. She governs by garden and guest-hall rather than by gaol, weaving temple rites, water-rights, trade days, and patrol schedules into a single calendar that keeps the Dells tranquil despite the shadow of Nulb and the nearness of Ansynor.

Appearance & Bearing

Elcàlla is willowy and grave, with weather-burnished skin and fern-dark hair threaded with ivory blossom. She dresses in moss-green vestments bound with living cords, and bears a silver crescent over a heartwood gorget. Her gaze is bright green and patient; her voice is low, measured, and in council carries further than shouts.

Seats & Responsibilities

• Temple of Ehlonna, Alaeduril: Oversees liturgy, harvest-blessings, sanctuary law, and the training of shrine-wardens.
• Village Stewardship (de facto mayor): Mediates resource disputes, sets market eves, licenses way-guides, issues foraging and felling writs within strict limits, and coordinates with Meldarin patrol captains.
• Regional Communion: Maintains letters and messengers with human clergy of Ehlonna in Verbobonc and with Old Faith circles along the Namburil road, aligning fast-days, planting rites, and anti-poaching edicts.

History

• Fernshade Novice: Born to the Yularith mist-stalkers; learned marshcraft, trailcraft, and the reading of wind-scoured ferns before entering temple service.
• Keeper of Sanctuary Groves: In middle years tended the orchard shrines and oath-steles that ring Alaeduril; her ward-circles became the model for other clans.
• Years of Smoke (Elemental War): Orchestrated evac routes and field hospitals; her “Green Thread” supply lines fed Rangers and wounded alike.
• The Quiet Decades: After the war she refused elevation to the broader council, preferring to root herself at Alaeduril where, in truth, the council roots itself.

Personality & Method

Elcàlla prefers carrots to cudgels: festival obligations, shared work levies, and oaths witnessed in public light. She is tireless in hospitality and implacable in boundary defense. Her decisions are explained, recorded, and revisited at season’s end—accountability with courtesy.

Relationships & Politics

• Oranaen of the Leaflord (wood elf male, Druid 10): Her partner in stewardship; he minds the wild’s will, she minds the people’s. Together they keep the boundary between law and life permeable but firm.
• Thonás Elaenda, Garad’a’Besh (Binder of Oaths): She supports his consensus rounds and supplies neutral ground for hard meetings; when necessary, she quietly counts who actually showed up to keep their word.
• Gilathadar Telva, Lon’Törl: Respect with polite distance; she insists city compacts reflect field reality, not just parchment geometry.
• Venlathyr Quenlarue, Lon’Törl: Shares Venlathyr’s conservation goals, urges that any realignment with Celene include posted wardens and funded shrines, not merely proclamations.
• Old Faith & Human Clergy: Exchanges seed, lore, and letters; convenes joint rites that lower tensions with Woodsmen hamlets along the fringe.

Temple & Rites

• The Three Threads: Mercy (care of wounded, lost, and young), Measure (limits on hunt, cut, and forage), Memory (seasonal songs that encode law).
• Sanctuary Law: Any who reach the Temple grove unblooded may claim three nights’ peace, provided they submit to questioning and abide by restitution; offenders against the forest lose the third night.
• The Moon-Harrow: A moonlit rite used to scour blight from groves and from souls; offenders who accept the rite earn reduced penalties and labor in replanting.

Daily Governance in Alaeduril

• Market Eves: Oversees bonded vendors; all trades logged under temple porches; smuggling banned by oath and custom.
• Patrol Calendar: Publishes a moon-long rota aligning Sevensong signalers, Nolbrael shields, and Yularith scouts; closes paths during bad omens.
• Conflict Resolution: Restitution before punishment; offenders plant what they stole, mend what they broke, or guide those they endangered.

Conflicts & Current Concerns (579 CY)

1. Nulb’s Quiet Ferries: Temple scouts report food and tools drifting south by night; Elcàlla pushes for shared river watches with Rangers and human clergy.
2. Ansynor’s Whispers: Periodic surges thrum through the grove-stones; she coordinates with Ienre Lafkel to keep the cordon manned and the village calm.
3. Logging Petitions: Dyvers and Greyhawk factors press for inner-cut licenses; Elcàlla demands posted wardens, reparations funds, and hard limits—or no axes.

Adventure Hooks

• Sanctuary at Midnight: A wounded courier staggers into the Temple claiming a slaver ring plans to raid the blossom gardens; Elcàlla needs discreet defenders who can fight without breaking sanctuary law.
• The Moon-Harrow: A Woodsman youth admits to torch-poaching and begs for the rite; escort him through penitent labors while cultists try to drag him back to silence a witness.
• The Missing Ledger: The Temple’s market book vanishes; its names could expose a noble household’s Nulb ties. Recover it before the festival, or panic will do the cult’s work.