To everything there is a season.
In spite of the decay, a
crisp, sweet breeze ruffled through the deadening leaves and grasses about the shrine of Mielikki as a result of a pledge given and a
Blessing bestowed. If only for a moment, the pleasure of the goddess seemed to resonate upon the site.
Some days later, a
soft, orange glow might be seen to emanate from the shrine of Mielikki in the presence of a group of adventurers gathered there in concern and devotion. For just a moment, amid the rustling of trees, the scent of
sun-ripened things ready for the harvest dispels the tang of death from the air.
The rot and decay persist on, but there is hope that life and the
glory of autumn may yet return to the shrine of the Forest Queen in the wake of several acts of devotion there.
Divine magic lingers within the area and the icon of Mielikki finds herself recently festooned with the
gift of a spidersilk crown - comforting signs that there are those who would not see the place fall to foul influences.
Those gathered in the name of friendship with nature for a cooperative push against the dark forces at the shrine of Mielikki are favored with a
sigh of divine breeze whispering through the site at the end of their prayers. The shrine pulses with light that reaches out in a
globe of divine joy for some minutes and the offerings left at Mielikki's feet are swept away before onlookers' gaze, one by one. For those who walk closely with nature, the stirring of
life within the earth underfoot might be faintly detectable amid the rot.
Something has begun to improve for the better...
A flowering wreath comprised of knots that are clearly elven in nature may be found upon the icon of Mielikki; another memento crafted by
caring hands to honor the goddess in her shrine's time of need. The note of sadness that has been present in the wind nearby seems to hush with the giving of the gift.
A solitary offering left with a word of prayer and a shower of
consecrating magic might have been spied briefly before it was swept away from sight, vanishing into the ether. Noticeably, the stench of dying things simply seems to have lifted from the site of the struggling shrine as a result.
In light of another small offering placed at the feet of Mielikki by a
faithful servant of nature, the pall of gloomy sadness that has been lingering near seems to lessen noticeably. After the most recent gift disappears into the bosom of the earth, a
single, autumn-kissed leaf descends to rest upon the statue's shoulder, gilded by the coming season.
Where the shrine of recent days has seemed to crystallize in time, half caught between lingering taint and the rebudding of vitality,
a pair of new offerings laid at the feet of Mielikki to show reverence paired with a
prayer of consecration have provided a much-needed spark. As a result of this attention, a small resurgence of nature's power lances through the area, breaking stagnation's hold.
A
new collection of faithful gifts is left at the shrine, these sinking into the earth underfoot in acceptance once they are placed by those who visit. A small, almost electric current seems to
crackle with vitality in the area about the shrine in response, the blackness of the roots and the shriveled nature of the grasses seeming to lessen somehow.
A heartfelt ritual led by a servant of Mielikki - a red-haired woodswoman sporting all the trappings of a ranger - yielded a trifold result at the withering shrine. First, as gifts of new plantlife were ushered into the land and as three distinct, personal gifts were sacrificed for the love of the goddess, the Lady of the Forest's joy shone clear and radiance enveloped her statue. Secondly, as prayers were lifted high by those who congregated together for the ritual, divine lights burst forth over the site and stripped the blackness of rot away, leaving only the colors of autumn. Finally, a shy dryad approached the group as the result of remarkable deeds done in Mielikki's name, pledging her protection of the shrine as its guardian.
The shrine of Mielikki has been purified.
