Many legends tell of how Humans and Beastfolk became separate. The Foxfolk of the silver isles tell how two brothers were playing in the fields when they spotted a vixen who they mistook for a Beastfolk in her animal form. The younger of the two thought she was beautiful so returned to the same field each day sometimes seeing her, sometimes not until he grew to adulthood where he chastised the fox for never revealing its two legged form to him. It answered it had no two legged form but offered to take off his mask for him so they would live together as foxes in the wild. But she was mistaken because when he took off his mask he became a human no longer able to transform between animal and two legged forms.
The Catfolk of the Isles of Cats tell how those of them who were not as agile or clever often failed to find a place in Catfolk society. But one day one man and one woman decided to marry each other anyway. The children born to them didn’t have the features of cats or the ability to transform and when their house was burned by other Catfolk for being an abomination they developed human’s connection to fire. When it was discovered the family survived, the catfolk sent them off to live with others like them who became humans.
The truth is a long time ago all people were as the Beastfolk would say Beastfolk as they could transform into animals but they had the hairless bodies of humans in their two legged forms. But eventually the Beastfolk retreated into the forests guided by shamans while the humans lived closer and in harmony with their forges whose gentle flames marked every human child at birth in a form of fiery baptism.
The Many Islands (Comments Encouraged)
The Many Islands (Comments Encouraged)
Last edited by foxcatdog on Thu Feb 29, 2024 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Creation of Fire and Lightning
One time (it was a time before the sun when the world was only lit by lamps which hung in trees) some time after the creation of the world the god of light sought disciples. One of them, the first was a woman who could take the form of a fox and she loved him in all his resplendent glory. So she sought to create a gift for him, a light which could glow forever and not fade like the other lights. However her powers were imperfect so she created fire which could only glow so long as it consumed and which consumed everything including water. She showed it to her god and for a time he was pleased until he found out about what price you had to pay for it. So he rejected her but she had grown to love her creation so she gathered many disciples and taught them how to make fire before retreating to a different part of the island. She used it to burn forests and create fields where she built villages each centered on a great foundry which she offered gifts to which eventually gentled its nature and made it accustomed to the feelings of spirits.
Eventually she discovered these flames were friendlier when a child, a young boy accidentally stepped into them and came out with his skin charred but unhurt now bearing the distinctive bronze colour most humans now bear. She decided each child from now on would be marked by the fire of the foundry and so each new child would bear the bronze skin and glowing green eyes common to humans of this world.
Eventually this woman would found a school which broke the laws of nature with words and trickery and brought about many great and terrible things. The woman taught many disciples here who would become the first wizards. Although her own creations were suitable for the world, some of her disciples were excessive in their alterations to the whims of the world. Seeing this and how it twisted the sensations and sounds of the world, the goddess of the sky brought it low with a spark of lightning which created a fire of its own which consumed the school. Our woman took this as a chance to be absolved so leapt into the fire and added her own to it. In that moment she ascended to heaven as the goddess of fire. Seeing the destruction of the school many resented their teacher and took up arms against those who remained loyal to their teacher the battle raged in the fire for 3 days until the goddess of the sky again intervened creating a great being which would turn the tides in favour of the side remaining loyal to their teacher.
After this battle which expended a great deal of fire the ground grew black. But over time life burst anew and the forests which grew there now would stand up to even the harshest of flames. So the remaining disciples burnt the ocean between them and a nearby smaller island christening this one the island of learning and the one they previously inhabited, the island of black land. The school was led by a new woman, one who had been marked by the flames of a foundry and who was christened Burnt Face. She dealt with many subjects of magic but her favourite was light and when she died she ascended to the sky as the first and brightest of the stars of the world. Under the next teacher the school once again grew more corrupt and decided to burn the seas around them permanently to do so, figuring out a way to do this by converting the fire into earth. Enraged by this the goddess of the seas flooded the school and made it so fire could no longer burn water but would forever be snuffed out by its presence. After doing so she called upon her own mother to see if her actions were valid and she ruled it was done with the best of intentions but rebuked her rage. However she let the school be rebuilt only after her son (the god of light) pleaded for her to do so. She relented but forbid those of the school from doing fire magic.
Eventually she discovered these flames were friendlier when a child, a young boy accidentally stepped into them and came out with his skin charred but unhurt now bearing the distinctive bronze colour most humans now bear. She decided each child from now on would be marked by the fire of the foundry and so each new child would bear the bronze skin and glowing green eyes common to humans of this world.
Eventually this woman would found a school which broke the laws of nature with words and trickery and brought about many great and terrible things. The woman taught many disciples here who would become the first wizards. Although her own creations were suitable for the world, some of her disciples were excessive in their alterations to the whims of the world. Seeing this and how it twisted the sensations and sounds of the world, the goddess of the sky brought it low with a spark of lightning which created a fire of its own which consumed the school. Our woman took this as a chance to be absolved so leapt into the fire and added her own to it. In that moment she ascended to heaven as the goddess of fire. Seeing the destruction of the school many resented their teacher and took up arms against those who remained loyal to their teacher the battle raged in the fire for 3 days until the goddess of the sky again intervened creating a great being which would turn the tides in favour of the side remaining loyal to their teacher.
After this battle which expended a great deal of fire the ground grew black. But over time life burst anew and the forests which grew there now would stand up to even the harshest of flames. So the remaining disciples burnt the ocean between them and a nearby smaller island christening this one the island of learning and the one they previously inhabited, the island of black land. The school was led by a new woman, one who had been marked by the flames of a foundry and who was christened Burnt Face. She dealt with many subjects of magic but her favourite was light and when she died she ascended to the sky as the first and brightest of the stars of the world. Under the next teacher the school once again grew more corrupt and decided to burn the seas around them permanently to do so, figuring out a way to do this by converting the fire into earth. Enraged by this the goddess of the seas flooded the school and made it so fire could no longer burn water but would forever be snuffed out by its presence. After doing so she called upon her own mother to see if her actions were valid and she ruled it was done with the best of intentions but rebuked her rage. However she let the school be rebuilt only after her son (the god of light) pleaded for her to do so. She relented but forbid those of the school from doing fire magic.
Re: The Founding of the Court of Storms
Beastfolk will tell you that in the ancient era all peoples were beastfolk. So naturally the title of the first leaders of the school of disciples would be beastfolk. And many of them would be beastfolk in later times when beastfolk and humans had split and a few would even be sunborn. But in time the school came to be dominated by humans who naturally wanted the age-old ban on Pyromancy: their own distinct magic to be taught there. The then steward, an aging female named Whispers Not was challenged by the leader of the faction a man named Wind’s Breath to allow Pyromancy but she objected saying it also didn’t teach Beastfolks own distinctive magic Shamanism. After much commotion and gossip amongst the upper ranks she named a Beastfolk named Fresh Dew who would have been the first man to ever hold the title of head of the school and the first Beastfolk in a thousand years. But he was assassinated under mysterious circumstances before she could pass onto the realm of death. She held a meeting where she asked whoever should name himself the killer of her successor to reveal themselves and if they did she would offer them the title of Understudy to the new steward. But no one came forth when she reiterated that Pyromancy would still not be studied at the school. So she banished all members of the scheming faction and asked any who held sympathies with them to leave. Fully half the school left and she provided them with many ships which took months to build to go on an island in the sea to the east. But they instead used their ships to travel to an archipelago then inhabited by some primitive human states without writing who had migrated from a peninsular to the west under Sabyrian (we’ll get to them later) pressure as well as a few scattered Beastfolk tribes particularly Catfolk, Foxfolk and Tanukifolk. They worshiped the sun as well as many other spirits of the land and were noted for their religiosity having many priestesses.
Wind’s Breath married the most powerful of them; a girl passed her youth but still fertile and here they would found the Court of Storms after the most powerful spirit of the land, a great storm dragon who had offered his blessing to the marriage. It was here they began to practice Pyromancy and began marking all newborn humans within the tribe with the mark of the sun. This family became the royal family of the budding nation which waged war for 500 years against outlying clans until they were brought under their fold gradually assimilating their language to the one the wizards learnt in school.
Soon the clans turned to burning the forests to expand their power except for a select few too heavily guarded by Beastfolk and protected by great magics to burn. This was done to expand their power as other avenues of expansion were tightly controlled by the royal family. As such clans near much virgin forest grew the most powerful, the most important non-imperial clans being those of the Crane, Wolf, Weasel, Crab, Bear and Star. In time the Beastfolk displaced by human expansion went into hiding only appearing at night or when humans weren’t watching, protected by magic which the humans could not break. They came to prey on humans and would often abduct young adults to be feasted on by their spirit guardians. Many humans in outlying villages began to offer blood sacrifices as well as firstborn sons (in later times firstborn daughters) and never dared tread in the few woods that remained.
The court continued the practice of Pyromancy and fire rites gradually morphing it into a practice centered around great central flames controlled by powerful clans in which would be burned copies of the clans' history. Any children of these great clans would be marked by the fire to learn the history of the clan. Commoners went unmarked and gradually developed lighter skin especially women and along the faces of commoner men as only the bodies of commoner men could be burnt in reward for their service.
Wind’s Breath married the most powerful of them; a girl passed her youth but still fertile and here they would found the Court of Storms after the most powerful spirit of the land, a great storm dragon who had offered his blessing to the marriage. It was here they began to practice Pyromancy and began marking all newborn humans within the tribe with the mark of the sun. This family became the royal family of the budding nation which waged war for 500 years against outlying clans until they were brought under their fold gradually assimilating their language to the one the wizards learnt in school.
Soon the clans turned to burning the forests to expand their power except for a select few too heavily guarded by Beastfolk and protected by great magics to burn. This was done to expand their power as other avenues of expansion were tightly controlled by the royal family. As such clans near much virgin forest grew the most powerful, the most important non-imperial clans being those of the Crane, Wolf, Weasel, Crab, Bear and Star. In time the Beastfolk displaced by human expansion went into hiding only appearing at night or when humans weren’t watching, protected by magic which the humans could not break. They came to prey on humans and would often abduct young adults to be feasted on by their spirit guardians. Many humans in outlying villages began to offer blood sacrifices as well as firstborn sons (in later times firstborn daughters) and never dared tread in the few woods that remained.
The court continued the practice of Pyromancy and fire rites gradually morphing it into a practice centered around great central flames controlled by powerful clans in which would be burned copies of the clans' history. Any children of these great clans would be marked by the fire to learn the history of the clan. Commoners went unmarked and gradually developed lighter skin especially women and along the faces of commoner men as only the bodies of commoner men could be burnt in reward for their service.
The Speech of Spirits
“Let me tell you dearest disciples about the speech of spirits. It has no words, it is a cacophonous mix of sibilance, humming, buzzing and music if you hear it. Say a spirit says for a rock to move you could all well translate that in the speech we craft as “rock step aside” or for those more direct “rock move” but if you translate the words of a spirit with say another spell the rock will never move for you as it did: because the speech of spirits calls upon things inner state as well as current state rather than any form of being. It’s also a game of call and response. The spirit calls out and the lesser spirit is dominated by its words, for all things are spirits and all things contain the weave and magic of the three sisters. You can dominate anything in our human tongue and you can name its form but you can never reproduce it as a spirit does. A spirit can wish to make you young again or to forget your most terrible memories. It can change your skills and aptitudes as well as manners and such. For every spirit has an innate understanding of what it means to be and in the tongue of spirits anything can be described in the most exacting detail in the most exacting detail. A spirit can replace what a human or beastfolk has lost in the most exacting detail yet you can never unless the spirit accepts the new thing either out of great wisdom or just overcoming its hunger for familiarities and of course evil spirits can lead you astray if you promise to replace something of theirs. One thing to know about spirits is they are bound to water and the call and response they have with the great sea or a great spring or waterfall is unlike anything else they produce. The sound of a spirit reacting to fire: its enemy also sounds like the darkest terror you can imagine and when dealing with a spirit it is wise to remember never to use fire unless it is of evil nature or only responds to intimidation. Offering it holy water from a sacred spring or purified by a priestess or paragon is wise if you want to win its favours as the daughter of the sea, great spirit of water is the most kind to spirits as the daughter of the land is most kind to humans and beastfolk. If you ever wonder why spirits don’t remake the world giving everything i tell you it is because they don’t wish to except for the most evil of them and evils power over good will not triumph until some say the end of days when all who have lived evil lives or wish to just simply rest the latter unwillingly return to the world and it turns over spilling the seas and hiding the stars. Hopefully when this happens the great spirits will shatter the earth and expose us once again to the glory of heaven and once again give us what we desire the most, a world to live in not so different from the one we currently live in and one which abounds with our friends and allows us to craft what we deem most precious.”
The Laws of Magic
Magic which is known in the Wizard’s Tongue as Speechcraft Alun Kani in contrast to divine power which is an unanalysable root Tana. Has existed as long as wizards have used words to shape the land and some say is even older. The first wizards of note (probably others existed) were those who formed the School of Magic on what would later become known as the Island of Black Land. The most powerful of these tongues descends from their speech with many additions from the Speech of Dragons as well as formations that would have been unfamiliar to the earliest wizards. The first wizards were also Pyromancers but later the schools became distinct due to differences as Wizards used magic of words while Pyromancers called upon their inner flame and did not need to speak to cast spells. Wizards use a little bit of the power of spirits in their spells but of course crafted with the Language of Forms Sawa an Kalan as any tongue of any humans, beastfolk or sunborn is known as in the Wizard Speech. Some say Speechcraft uses the speech of the Powers Below and wields their own tongue the Gnawing Speech which is like that of Spirits. While others say it is from the hidden realm of forms or a facet of the human mind and proof of their innate connection to spirits. Some even say it was a gift from the great mother, the mental extension of the physical hands which allow one to shape things to what is desired. All know it is powerful and not something to be taken likely.
The Powers Below
Named so because of their supposed location under the earth and sea which whisper to those who get close or to those which beseech them. Their motives are inscrutable and they rarely interfere with anything that doesn’t concern them. Some say they were enemies of the great mother which is suggested by her epithet first dragon in some Dragon Poems who she threw off in a great battle before time. The blood that was spilled is known as the Stars Below forever destined to be covered by the land and sea until the world spills over. Others say that they are her doubts which gnaw at her about her choices. Others say they are great wizards who sought immortality and were cursed to live below the earth instead of up in the stars as those who had good hearts did.
The most famous of the Power’s Below is called the Lost Son after an apparent stylisation as the lost son of the Great Mother who was destined to bring creative power to men but was rejected in favour of the Son of Light because he did not seek it. He was to be raised from the World Below by a rogue cult of followers seeking power and a new god but these efforts were thwarted when others stopped the ritual which involved the sacrifice of someone pure of heart.
The most famous of the Power’s Below is called the Lost Son after an apparent stylisation as the lost son of the Great Mother who was destined to bring creative power to men but was rejected in favour of the Son of Light because he did not seek it. He was to be raised from the World Below by a rogue cult of followers seeking power and a new god but these efforts were thwarted when others stopped the ritual which involved the sacrifice of someone pure of heart.
The First Night
The events known as the First Night refer to the act of the first necromancer to send the Son of Light to the World Below in an attempt to achieve immortality. He did so but the world fell into darkness and would have been destroyed had his three sisters not devised a seal to prevent it. Meanwhile the necromancer ruled over his own realm with the power of god’s as the other islands lay dying. This was until four brave heroes, a warrior of strength unmatched, a rogue of shadow’s skulk, a priestess of the earth and a wizard of many names restored life to the dead god by finding his body in the World Below and ending the spell which parted him with his life. The necromancer was then defeated with the help of the god.
The First Cat
The Great Mother is known among the Isles of Cats as the First Cat who dreamt of the sea and sky in her dreams and raised up the islands of earth with a fishing spear. She (or sometimes he) spoke the name of everything in her own tongue and set those who wished to not be reborn when death first came among the stars. She took a husband from among her creations and with them gave birth to the sun who she set in the sky so all could see her light. She also granted her brother (or sister) the Great Light a place within this world so he could walk amongst those who worshiped him as his presence invoked holiness, healed wounds and left her children in awe.
She then took her fishing spear and marked the sky with the great milk an oasis of stars and left the world but not before teaching the people of the world her own language which had been forgotten by everyone except the catfolk of the Isles of Cats and even then they only spoke a corrupted version of it. She then told the best of them would join her in the stars in a realm above the world forever to watch over those who came after and to provide guidance. So the stars multiply as do the isles of the world.
She then took her fishing spear and marked the sky with the great milk an oasis of stars and left the world but not before teaching the people of the world her own language which had been forgotten by everyone except the catfolk of the Isles of Cats and even then they only spoke a corrupted version of it. She then told the best of them would join her in the stars in a realm above the world forever to watch over those who came after and to provide guidance. So the stars multiply as do the isles of the world.
The First Day
Gradually the proto-humans found the lamps which lit the forest no longer grew in their lands. So one day a princess whose identity as human or beastfolk is long forgotten only that she could transform into a dog, the favoured companion of all peoples. She felt reverence for the great light and by his touch she developed great powers until her ability outshone all others and she was deemed only fit for the realm of heaven. There she romanced and eventually came to fall in love with the Son of Light and she wed him and their union was celebrated with light spilling over the world with no corner left unlit as she completed him. In later times this would be known as the first Summer Solstice and to this day nowhere escapes the light and all are exposed on this day. But at night she retreats into the west to make love to her husband. Meanwhile her dog was transformed in her presence into the first Sunborn and his many children and kin forever walk the earth to this day as the third race of the Many Islands.
More info on the Court of Storms
Ghost Theater of the Court of Storms
The Nō Kamī or Ghost Theater is a seasonal performance usually performed during the winter to stave off the influence of spirits and beastfolk. Participants both humans and dogs wear masks and the dogs circle around the human performers while representing the beastfolk’s two legged form while the human performer steps into the background and the dog takes their place when they want to represent an animal form. The theater usually revolves around the change of seasons and the revival of spring as well as many tales of beastfolk concern although these matters are kept secret to humans. At the end of each performance blood is usually spilled and in that moment actually spirits are summoned, turning off all the lights and allowing them to make way with any of the performers or participants. If the spirits do not come a sacrifice is performed to appease them and in later times the spirits would simply select from among the performers if they deemed one worthy.
Ghost Pacts
Pacts formed with spirits usually beastfolk (who in the court of storms have become more spirit like) the term Nō Jirekana is literally translated as ghost soul debt and the second element is often used in secular society for pacts which fall out of the norm although these carry a lighter punishment if broken then say if a warrior betrays his lord. Regardless in the case Ghost Pacts if the pact is broken the spirit will often kill the offender. Ghost Pacts are usually not made and in later times they were only made by outsiders such as warriors who had lost their lord, younger sons of nobles who were not deemed fit to inherit and lords who craved more power then they had. Such pacts were always signed in blood and were often made on the full moon.
The Great Forest
One of the three largest forests in the territory of the Court of Storms. It divided the largest island nearly in two except for a passageway which was nearly as haunted. It was protected by the great Beastfolk known only by her title Forest Queen and she enacted tribute in blood on all who wanted to pass through her forest. She presided over the forest’s court which consisted of beastfolk and spirits as well as a few dogs and wolves. It wasn’t always so great but it grew in size after a human army lost a battle against Beastfolk led by a spirit of the earth. She pronounced her daughter queen after she won and ever since the forest has been ruled by its queen who is benevolent to all who seek her aid if they have not terrorised the earth.
The Nō Kamī or Ghost Theater is a seasonal performance usually performed during the winter to stave off the influence of spirits and beastfolk. Participants both humans and dogs wear masks and the dogs circle around the human performers while representing the beastfolk’s two legged form while the human performer steps into the background and the dog takes their place when they want to represent an animal form. The theater usually revolves around the change of seasons and the revival of spring as well as many tales of beastfolk concern although these matters are kept secret to humans. At the end of each performance blood is usually spilled and in that moment actually spirits are summoned, turning off all the lights and allowing them to make way with any of the performers or participants. If the spirits do not come a sacrifice is performed to appease them and in later times the spirits would simply select from among the performers if they deemed one worthy.
Ghost Pacts
Pacts formed with spirits usually beastfolk (who in the court of storms have become more spirit like) the term Nō Jirekana is literally translated as ghost soul debt and the second element is often used in secular society for pacts which fall out of the norm although these carry a lighter punishment if broken then say if a warrior betrays his lord. Regardless in the case Ghost Pacts if the pact is broken the spirit will often kill the offender. Ghost Pacts are usually not made and in later times they were only made by outsiders such as warriors who had lost their lord, younger sons of nobles who were not deemed fit to inherit and lords who craved more power then they had. Such pacts were always signed in blood and were often made on the full moon.
The Great Forest
One of the three largest forests in the territory of the Court of Storms. It divided the largest island nearly in two except for a passageway which was nearly as haunted. It was protected by the great Beastfolk known only by her title Forest Queen and she enacted tribute in blood on all who wanted to pass through her forest. She presided over the forest’s court which consisted of beastfolk and spirits as well as a few dogs and wolves. It wasn’t always so great but it grew in size after a human army lost a battle against Beastfolk led by a spirit of the earth. She pronounced her daughter queen after she won and ever since the forest has been ruled by its queen who is benevolent to all who seek her aid if they have not terrorised the earth.
The Twin Sisters
During the Third Age long after such events as the death and resurrection of the god of light and the creation of the sun there came a time where Humans and Beastfolk were fully separated. In this time on the Isles of Meadows a woman of the Foxfolk gave birth to twin daughters who liked to play together as soon as they had two legged forms. Eventually it was discovered the older of the two had powers over water specifically to change its shape and form as well as its very nature. First she evaporated it much to the dismay of her villagers but then she solidified it. Eventually she grew cold and weary and her power greater so she fled the village but not before her power cursed the land with the first winter. Her sister followed and her friend did too when she didn’t return after a few days. She eventually found her on the Isles of the North and she begged her to stop the curse that she brought to the land but in doing so she accidentally awoke her fury and she froze her. Following her trail her friend found her frozen and with his own feelings for her he kissed her awakening her own powers and creating spring and eventually summer. He married her and came to dwell on the same island they were born on before ascending to the stars, the twins as the sisters of summer and winter and him as the caretaker of spring.
The First Sabiry
In time many humans on the Island of Black Land grew unsatisfied with their governance and so they set sail towards the Isles of the North. There they found the land abundant in the summer but filled with ice and snow in all other seasons. They begged the local Beastfolk for a cure but it was not until ten winters later when the people had been diminished that a woman decided to expose herself to the cold for a night. She emerged transformed her bronze skin and hair golden and yellow and her eyes no longer green but a light blue. She gave birth later blessed by the cold and her daughters enchanted those who married them into being the same colour as them. In time they practiced their own ritual of leaving out the babies in their first winter so they would be the same colour as them and resistant to the cold. And so they became the Sabiry although this was long before they gained their customary culture of raiding and pillaging led by the heads of clans.
The Time Before
The codex of the sky, a sacred book of the previous religious practices of the great Narie of the continent to the southeast of the Isles of Cats and Southwest of the Court of Storms tells of how the world came to be as revealed to them by the Daughter of the Sky. It tells of how long ago the great mother grew lonely so decided to create children. First she wished for a great child of expansive power and so came to be the daughter of the sky who was previously worshiped by the Narie. Her will was iron and with it she formed the bounds of the world although they were always constantly expanding. She did not like to play very shortly after her birth so she then created her next daughter the sea who she gave her secrets and desires and created a serene child who kept much close to her. She too grew unkind to her mothers desire to play with her too quickly so she created another, the fertile earth who was abundant and fertile and had many things to give. She played with her to her satisfaction but eventually she felt like she wasn’t enough for this world so lastly she created her son the light pure. He sang with pure voice and entertained his mothers desires for he was gifted with everlasting love. Together these four children created the world creating space and sea and raising the first islands among them the Isles of Jewels, the Isles of the North (where the Sabiry now dwell), the Isles of Meadows, the Island of Black Land and the Isles of Cats. Lastly the Son of Light filled the world with his power lighting the lamps on the trees. In the secret tongue she weaved the spirits and so began the first age when Humans and Beastfolk existed as one and light was ever present.
Re: The Founding of the Court of Storms
I like the brittle balance here: the Beastfolk having been beaten into small pockets by ribald human expansion, but by consequence defending those pockets fiercely and making the forests too dangerous to set foot in for humans.foxcatdog wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:33 pm Soon the clans turned to burning the forests to expand their power except for a select few too heavily guarded by Beastfolk and protected by great magics to burn. This was done to expand their power as other avenues of expansion were tightly controlled by the royal family. As such clans near much virgin forest grew the most powerful, the most important non-imperial clans being those of the Crane, Wolf, Weasel, Crab, Bear and Star. In time the Beastfolk displaced by human expansion went into hiding only appearing at night or when humans weren’t watching, protected by magic which the humans could not break. They came to prey on humans and would often abduct young adults to be feasted on by their spirit guardians. Many humans in outlying villages began to offer blood sacrifices as well as firstborn sons (in later times firstborn daughters) and never dared tread in the few woods that remained.
It’s a sad situation! Do each side feel grief over it? And what about the counterpoint to that ‒ are there examples of friendships or cooperation between human and Beastfolk?
In general in this thread, something that would help me lock into your worldbuilding more easily is to take it further into the specific, personal and vivid every now and again. For instance, each post generally mentions numerous characters, but few have names. Scaffolding your myths with that extra personal detail would really help me dive in.
Some of your other threads do this well, so I’m probably preaching to the converted. But to make a simple illustration of this point, we all probably have many pastel-coloured mythoses running around our heads that abound in terms like The Great Tree; until a reader can know it as The Great Deku Tree, in the village of Kokiri in the Kingdom of Hyrule, it doesn’t have much form (no matter how much you describe it) and it doesn’t really feel like it belongs to them. Naming something (as you’ve described yourself in your post about magic) is weirdly powerful; I suspect it is an organising force neurally that creates pockets of neurones that suddenly operate as a ‘thing’, which can then be connected to and reflectively fleshed out by other neural ‘things’.
This may not be your aim, but if you want to encourage comments here, I’d friendlily suggest giving it a go!