Campfire Stories from the Sanctuary

These will be a collection of stories from varying sources across the Mother Trees roots; tales of Spirits, the unseen, and incomprehensible.

Welcome dear readers, to the light of The Campfire.

Tonight we visit the deserts of Sanctuary and the fringes of the city of Somati. Where many locals and travellers alike claim to see spirits out in the sand. Many know all too well that the Eolo people have been subject to fighting and exile, until they would eventually settle in the desert. For a brief period, the Eolo flourished as none of the other races would lay any claim to the sands, but it was during this period, before the Pilgrimage of the legendary Kak’Vasha settled Sanctuary. This time would be called the ‘Warring Period’ by the Eolo people.

During the War Time of the Eolo people, few small empires rose among the sand. Eolo archivists and outside scholars later on, were able to determine that many of the ruins scattered about the wastes were erected by some of these imperials. Only so many of these ruins remain, each one telling a tale of infighting, or being crushed by a greater force. Whether it was outsiders, or another of their race vying for dominance, the Eolo of this time only knew strife and struggle. Many of these groups would come to clash with each other for resources, or having to fight off outsiders in a war of attrition to end the Eolo race, but still the Eolo people persevered, leaving behind countless battlefields to be claimed by the flowing sands, and the scores of bones that lay beneath.

Somati to this day is still no stranger to conflict, with the Desert Striders and the recent struggle with the Lokasta within the boundaries of the city. The people of Sanctuary have been reporting sightings of spirits, both inside and outside the city for years now since written records have been established.

In a world full of Profane blighted monstrosities, many argue that a spirit is the least of their troubles, until they encounter one for themselves.

Our first recounting comes from one Ichabod Stern, a Human Merchant who was in transit between Somati and greater Arcvelt, by way of carriage. Ichabod’s story began like any other Merchants, travelling like any other in his profession. He would go on to state that he was far from being a superstitious or religious man, that was until one fateful night in the sands. Ichabod had settled down by a small oasis, his carriage having been parked a few feet from the water, and his Kilmei resting by the fire light with him. Ichabod had always heard stories of strange happenings from others who had made the journey, but he had always denounced them as nothing more than stories, the Eolo provided good business after all.

Ichabod would eventually hitch his Kilmei to a nearby tree and turn-in for the night. He would later be woken up in the dead of night by his Kilmei who was stirring up a ruckus, thrashing about and kicking at the air. He tried his best to search for what caused his beast of burden to become so agitated, but found no one in sight. Ichabod went on to say that he spent the next couple of hours searching the oasis for a cause, even taking the dangerous risk of sticking his arm into mysterious burrows, but again came up short. Ichabod would then try to get some sleep before dawn, but that was when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Shadows, circling his camp, stirring up the sand around the oasis like a windstorm, or a troupe of bandits creating a smoke screen.

Ichabod swears he heard a man yell “Take them!” before the apparitions rushed his position. He leapt to the ground, protecting his face as shades rushed forward. When he finally opened his eyes, it was morning, and the shadowy figures were gone, and so was his Kilmei.

Ichabod told us that he had to spend the next twelve hours on foot, making his way to the edge of the city of Somati.

According to Ichabod, the locals called his story a common occurrence when the moon is full. The Eolo allege that the restless spirits of the dead are illuminated by the light of the moon, revealing themselves as shades of the past, or that is at least how their people tell it.

Our next story comes from a guardsman of the city of Somati, working in the slums and fringes. Just after the city was left in ruin by the Lokasta rampage, the bodies of the dead were piled in the streets, causing an issue of infection for a time.

You see readers, Eolo funeral practices became engrained in their culture during the Time of Pilgrimage. According to old legends, the Eolo people became one again under the banner of Kak’Vasha, and it was during this time that they began the practice of the Rites of the Pyre. An Eolo burial consists of a gathering of close relatives, friends and family. They tell stories of the departed’s accomplishments, some recite ancient poems that share the name of the deceased. Once the speaking of words is done, they lay prized possessions of the departed alongside them before lighting the Funerary Pyres.

They say that the fire purifies the body and soul, and the spirit travels with the ash to be reclaimed by the winds and sand. 

Yakh was a part of one of the details to ensure there would be some respect for the dead, but the cities nobles were starchily against standard funeral practices as they could see the mounds of decay from their ornate balconies, so it was ordered that the clean up be rushed.

With the traditions ignored by outsiders who had made their home in the city, and Eolo nobles ignoring the practices, there were many who reported strange happenings in the slums. Many guards echoed the same stories, whispers in the dark, shadows stocking the halls, objects moving on their own. One late evening, Yakh was between shifts, and his partner had gone to relieve himself for the evening. When he was alone, he reported seeing strange figures, and after following them, he would turn to a dead end and find no one to be seen. After extensive searching, he would spy a figure enrobed in white, ushering a group of smaller shadows through a gate. This figure gave Yakh a nod, before returning to his duty for another moment, before evaporating with a breeze.

It is according to legend that the spirit of the Great Wanderer Kak’Vasha would come to recollect the lost souls of the Eolo flock, and Yakh believes that the friendly spirit in white, was indeed the Eolo of Legend.