Aihrde: of the Will Eloth

The valley blossomed about Eahrtaut, and the river flowed through it. The tree stood then in the Pools of Green and these pools lay upon the feet of the tree and it is told that when the pools should run dry, then indeed the days of the Gonfod are upon the world and the final Rin begin.

The chroniclers record, that in after ages, during the Winter Dark, when the Horned God came to see the tree, he thought to master it. He pulled upon the tree but its roots were too deep, and he cursed it, and that it was in grim mockery of Eahrtaut that the Horned God fashioned the fortress of Aufstrag, making its shape that of a horribly twisted oak.

Wenafar came to the tree and saw that it was heavy with Mordius’ life and wisdom, and she was amazed. She opened her hands and unleashed a torrent of birds. Thus, the avian folk came to the world, and they occupied the high branches of the Eahrtaut and made nests there and sang and frolicked in its rejoice in it.

The year passed, and the season changed. The leaves of Mordius wilted and fell to the ground, exposing the power and the wisdom beneath. The gods marveled and waited to see what might unfold. Thus the seasons turned, and the tree renewed and grew taller and stronger. And at last after a long age, the tree grew heavy with seed, and the birds gathered them up and flew them wither they would, dropping them in the deep valleys of those mountains where the water flowed clean and fresh.

These seeds took root and grew, and in turn they dropped seeds until after the space of many years, the children of Erde’s thought spread wide and far. These were the trees, and they were of the Val Eahrakun for they were of the All Father’s thought. They became aware of the warm, clean air through their leaves, the warm sun energized them and their leaves spread to take in more, sating them on life giving light. Beneath them, their roots spread out like toes, pushing through the cool earth, thirsty for nutrients and absorbing water from the soil. And they marveled, for they could not see their lives behind them but knew that the world was alive around them. So the trees became sentient creatures, for Erde made them aware of the world around them.

These were the Wil-Eloth

The Codex of Aihrde, The Andanuth, 12