1 Ailaerim, 1003: 10,000 elves gather to hear the High Priestess Eraemia Ailaevieria speak and lead us in prayer. It is the old appeal to the Silver Mother, and each nation responds in its own fashion as one. The final word spoken is 'Ashariel'.
I and one other from each elven nation are transported to a strange place, and I here record my memory of the events.
In the center of the hall is a throne that is empty. At its feet, a man in orange, platinum grey, and green motley sits smiling. Around the hall are five trees, each of infinite height, though somehow the top of each is still visible. One of the trees is bowed, its fruit ripe and desperate to fall. It seems to want to give us its bounty. Another is wide and hardy, its fruit full of promise and greatness. It shines. Another is so vast that, while it grows from this room, it also holds this room in its branches. Great moths spin the fabric of this realm within its branches. Yet another stands by a glowing gate, and its leaves are made of light and some strange substance that emanates power. And the fifth is as the Tree of Life, and beckons to us all.
The Arboreal representative is the first to touch it, and we all enter her vision, with the last one fading away. Amongst the branches of the Tree, I can see the entirety of the evolution of life on Shem. Of note here, though is a pattern that is somehow more prominent than the others. At the base of the branch are the most primordial, basic, fundamental beings: living dreams, angels, demons, spirits, elementals, and living sounds (commonly called voxes).
As the branch goes out, they become less and less basic. Next come living presences that are uttterly foreign to me (I learned later these are known as haltija), common plants, animals, and fungi, bacteria, and the pusarans, beings that absorb the world around them. Next are the faeries, from whom the elves came, and then shemirs, watchers, and thaumars stand next to the intelligent animals and dryads. Then come the lunarians and some animalmen, and then come the humans, who are the center of the branch. Just beyond the humans, who are like a blank slate, capable of being anything, the species begin to get more specific again.
Dozens of races are next, including elves, dwarves, doppelgangers, asterians, goblins, giants, many animalmen, all forms of halflings, and so many others. Beyond them are slightly more powerful or specific beings: athaks, ka’ar, empaths, tythes, and shapeshifters come next. Then following them there’s inmortal races again: cocidians, akka, islanders, valkyries, brightanes, Brannish folk, Wathites, chain folk. Beyond them are ever greater figures: djinn, etherions, and archoses, then beyond them are the dragons and hivers. Next are Aeonians, and then there is a gap, and then come judges, shepherds of kindness, abominations, and hyperfauna. And just beyond them are the Divine.
When the vision ends, we stand on the branch amongst the animals, plants, and fungi. Around us are a strange assortment of animals, most of which are silver in hue, the color of life: two lambs, a beaver with silver fur, a silver colored leech, a small group of frogs, a winged white horse, a large silver snail, a rabbit, a massive being of moss and earth that I was told later is a silver behemoth, a silver ladybug, a bird of silver flames, a great red wolf, and a kingfisher bird. A sprig of some silvery looking plant is also present. Each elf stares at a different creature, their focus pulled toward it. A Dwonnic fisherman laughingly approaches the beaver, while a Vewelian Knight of the Black Velvet is gently petting the lambs. For having reputations of evil and cruelty, they both are very gentle here. The Arboreal remains where she is, kneeling to touch the branch, and the Kesanese curiously examines the leech. The Evernortherner is tapping the shell of the snail with wonder, and the elder elf is gently examining the silver plant. The Qallurgian is staring in awe at the behemoth, and the Windkeeper is laughing as the ladybug crawls up her arm. The Stonedelver is chasing the rabbit, joyfully, and the Ailanean child that stood next to the high priestess is here respectfully caressing the kingfisher. The Iniseli Da'sabash goes to the bird of flames. The Valhonian Rindacsa goes to the frogs. the Kyellezhi Nas goes to the winged horse, and the great red wolf looks me right in the eyes. I here record our conversation.
Scholar, you understand the world outside of the elven nations somewhat. You grew up away from your people. You are almost un-elven._
"Understanding is but a stepping stone on the road to true Wisdom. That is what I believe."
_I mean no offense. This part of you is a strength. I bear a message from the Silver Mother, and two boons and a quest for you, the wolf says, quietly, bending to lick a paw for a moment.
"None was taken, and I thank you. What is the message?"
_I will tell you the boons first, and the quest. The first boon is respect. All living things will inherently respect you, should you will it. The second boon is a prior knowledge of the results of any given Ceremony in the Gardens, for it will be on your shoulders to decide which ingredients get used. Listen to the other Last Elves before making that decision, for it is your quest to lead those who seek the seeds, and the ashes.
"...I understand."
_And the message from the Silver Mother is this: the forest king wolf’s voice changes to one with an elven lilt, though more profound, deeper, more ancient, Save all of my children. Guide them to their next stage, whether it be in their past or their future. I love them all equally, from those in the silver forests to those on the greenest moon, from those beneath the ground to those high in the mountains, those who honor the spider and those who honor the hawk. All elves are my children. Let their lives continue, even if they may no longer be elves afterward. Let them be actualized._
"I will do everything in my power. My word on that."
The forest king wolf’s voice is once more its own, _Thank you. All will be clear soon._
The other elves present are also communing with their new bonded diversants. As each finishes, they turn back and look at the child. Our attention is drawn to him. He is glowing bright silver, and his presence fills us all with energy and comfort. When he speaks, I can feel his words as much as hear them:
_I am Thannas Faebrenner, the Silver Fisher King Reborn. I am Offerant, and perhaps one day I will be Messiah. It is my duty to rule over all elvenkind, until there is no more elvenkind. I am the Silver Mother’s greatest servant, and I beseech you in her Name: be our salvation.
Daenil(Dwonnic), you are the Fisherman. To you, you will gather the elves of the world, guiding them to their homes.
Endhathef(Vewelian), you are the Thaumaturge. To you, you will gather the ceremonies of rebirth, rejuvenation, and health, all of the most powerful in the world.
Lamaera(Arboreal), you are the Tender. To you, you will gather the trees that will mark the salvation, and you will make the tea of their leaves that will transform the selected elves into new Manifests.
Noinalla(Kesanese), you are the Healer. To you, you will gather the sick, the dying, those afflicted with the disease, and you will soothe them in their need, as would a mother.
Rindacsa(Valhonian), you are the Counterpoint. To you, you will gather the lost, the lonely, the outcast, and you will urge them to return, and you will find amongst those who will stand as Counterpoint in the Ceremonies, and they will be the Consequents.
Ennasrion(Kyellezhi), you are the Navigator. To you, you will draw the paths. You will guide the Last Elves in their quest for the seeds and the ashes, for it is to you that is given the understanding of location.
Yloquith(Evernortherner), you are the Armorer. To you, you will gather the materials you need to fashion great armors, and you will fashion them for each of the Last Elves, to protect them from the dangers they will face.
Jheshemirath(Elder), you are the Ancient. To you, you will gather the histories of all the elven nations, living and long dead, and you will share this information with all of the Last Elves.
Kohae'nuadhakiero(Quallurgic), you are the Nexus. To you, you will bond every living species, and from this, you will offer guidance as to where to find the most potent individuals of each for the Last Elves to seek. Notamit'qaetan(Windkeeper), you are the Mountaineer. To you, you will summon the obstacles. You are the one who overcomes the impossible, and so it shall be that you will lend this resolve and understanding to the Last Elves.
Da'sabash(Iniseli), you are the Protector. To you, you will find the firebirds. You are the shield of the Last Elves, and the one whom flame cannot burn. You will bear the ashes to the Gardens, and, with your sister, you will protect the Last Elves on their quest.
Rodaxana(Stonedelver), you are the Architect. To you, you will guide the currents. As now you make vents such that the Stonedelvers might breathe, you will now make Gardens where life might begin anew, in the homelands of every elven nation.
Anastasia, you are the Leader. To you, you will gather all of the information required to make the decisions of which seeds are planted where, nourished by which bloods or saps, fertilized by which ashes, at which hour of the day, through which ceremony you are provided. You are the leader of the Last Elves, unless you fail in my eyes.
Your quest is to find the seeds and ashes, the bloods or saps, and the gardens in the elven homelands, then plant the trees and perform the ceremonies to save the elves. I am Thannas Faebrenner. I am the Silver Fisher King, Ruler of All Elves. Heed my words. Awaken.