The New Wood, a beacon of resilience and justice, rises from the heart of the fallen Ancient Wood, heralding a new era.
The New Wood is a nature deity of the Elven Pantheon, born in 1526 PE (403 TC) from the death of the Ancient Wood, whose divine portfolio, sacred obligations, and memories it inherited. It is young by divine standards and is still consolidating its relationship with the Chokurri Elves and with the sacred grove in the Elmwood of Ofica. Its primary animating purpose, beyond the stewardship duties inherited from its predecessor, is to seek justice for the Ancient Wood’s death. It knows that Tah’Caluss Yorn, acting as an agent of the Raven Queen, cursed and killed the Ancient Wood following a failed negotiation.
Divine Domains
The New Wood’s domains are Nature, Life, and Protection, inherited directly from the Ancient Wood. Its particular experience of emerging from a predecessor’s violent death has added a dimension of renewal and justice to how it expresses these domains. It treats the cyclical nature of life and death not as an abstraction but as something it has experienced directly: the Ancient Wood’s end was the condition of its beginning.
Its expansion of the Protection domain to include justice reflects its specific situation. It does not pursue vengeance as an end in itself but regards the identification and accountability of those who disrupted the natural order as an extension of its duty to protect it.
Divine Goals and Aspirations
The New Wood’s primary inherited obligation is to serve as sanctuary and sacred axis for the Chokurri Elves and to preserve the natural balance of the Elmwood. It also inherits the alliance with the Fourth Fairy Kingdom and the oath sworn by Greenlord Oberon, which it regards as binding on both parties regardless of its predecessor’s death.
Its self-directed goal is to pursue justice for the Ancient Wood’s death. It knows Tah’Caluss Yorn as the agent of the curse and knows the Raven Queen as the directing authority. It is four years old and is not yet in a position to act directly against either. Its current posture is to gather knowledge, consolidate its relationships with Chokurri Elves and Fey Court allies, and wait for the appropriate moment.
It also aspires to inspire new devotional literature to accompany the Song of the Leaves and the Lore of the Roots, extending those traditions into its own era.