n an age long passed, when Tunare walked the lands of Norrath living in peace with her followers, there was complete and utter bliss. The Trolls, the Ogres, and yes, even the Gnolls communed in peace and harmony with all the other creatures in Norrath. And oh, what a time it was! Where Tunare stepped flowers bloomed and greenery brightened. The earth seemed to melt with admiration wherever she passed; the trees would bend to shelter her from the golden rays of sunlight, the grass would stand at attention mesmerized by her angelic song, for where she walked she sang. Notes as crystal clear as the lakes in which she bathed could be heard through out Tunaria, the continent now known as Antonica. Gusts of wind danced around her, inviting her blonde, luminescent hair to dance to the rhythms of her song. Even the other Gods' creatures were not able to resist her beauty or her song, and lived in peace with the rest of Norrath. Violence was an unknown concept in this day of age. Gnolls, Orcs, Elves, and Men all worked together to care for our sister, the earth.

Then disaster hit our beautiful world with more force than was bearable! Deep within the Core of Norrath, a swirling pool of fire wrapped around a sliver of the magic Tunare sent forth to nourish her beloved world; except this time, the fire pool would not let her magic nourishment move on to the next pool. It hungered for the caress of her magic and selfishly held on to that one sliver in hopes to be forever nourished making it the Superior Being of the Core of Norrath. Tunare's sliver of magic, corrupted by the selfish whims of the greedy fire pool, festered with in the embrace of fire. It slowly began to increase, it began to solidify, and eventually, it became a being. This being was Innoruuk, Tunare's strongest creation, for it was her magic that was it's being. Innoruuk, at first, was just as peaceful, though not as attractive, as any of Lovely Tunare's creations. Tunare was later summoned for a meeting of the Gods, leaving Innoruuk in Tunaria with her children. I remember thinking that something was not right with the way Innoruuk was acting. My sister Sadora and I used to have long intellectual debates with Innoruuk, but since Tunare left, he had been acting hostile, which was something that was not known to our race. For 3 seasons we watched as his facial features slowly turned from saggy and depressed to an almost permanent sneer of hatred. As we soon found out, Innoruuk had been jealous of the fact that he had not been invited to the meeting of the Gods. That corrupted magic that he had been made from started taking control without the presence of Tunare to calm it. The events from one day changed the world as we knew it forever.

Innoruuk left his solitude determined to destroy the creatures that Tunare created in her own image. Shocks of Lightening flew from Innoruuk's fingertips slaying innocent elves as it passed through their bodies, the earth rumbled and cracked in anger at the murder of her brother and sister elves, the skies began to fill with clouds, lightening crashed and rumbled throughout the continent. Innoruuk, hatred filming his eyes, levitated towards the castle of the Elven King and Queen. Anything that stood in his way combusted in a single hate filled glance. That dark and unforgettable day, the Elven King and Queen were stolen from the Marble City to the Sky, Takish-Hiz, and were not seen again for another 300 years.

There we were, Sadora and me, astonished as we lay there bleeding. A deep rumble and a loud crack rang throughout our Elven forest. I turn to look to my right, only to see a huge marble tower come crashing down towards me?.instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Sadora protectively and placed myself between her and the crashing tower. The seconds rolled by like hours as I prepared myself for the death of my dear Sadora?.

?.No blood, no fallen tower, we were alive!! An arm reached down and removed me from my state of horror. As the fingers wrapped about my arm, total and complete tranquility engulfed my entire being. I knew that feeling, Tunare had come home! Sadora and I stood and faced Tunare staring in amazement at the immobile tower frozen in place by invisible, non-tangible bonds. For the first time ever, worry and maybe even a hint of fear appeared in Tunare's infinitely deep eyes. As she began to realize what had happened to her precious children, her eyes lost the brief moment of uncertainty only to be replaced by a raging inferno of anger! Her once soft blonde hair ignited into a crown of flames and she threw up her arms, sending a bolt of Light so bright that to look at it one would be instantly blind for life. Upon this signal, beings began to appear left and right. Some of these beings would have been able to fit in among the many creatures in Tunaria. Others, however, would be immediately identified as being foreign. The one thing they all DID have in common was their super-natural presence. Tunare had summoned the Gods of Norrath!

The gods gathered inside the magnificent Tower of Tunare, and did not return until 2 seasons after their appearance. There were crowds and crowds of Elves gathered outside the palace awaiting a Divine Proclamation, but all they saw was a light mist envelope each God one by one as they disappeared from our beautiful city of Takish-Hiz. Only Tunare remained. There was a loud rumble of mixed voices as the crowd yelled out question after question. Tunare stood for a while, eyes drawn down, a tear running from her cheek. She opened her mouth to produce a sound immortal to Elvish ear. The entire crowd went quiet as Tunare sang one note that penetrated to the very soul of every individual. In that instant all was explained. We could feel all her grief, her guilt, and her resolution in one instant. That one note became more complex as it intertwined with harmony upon harmony until it was an endless choir of endless harmonies. As she sang her crown of flame grew bigger and brighter, with each added harmony the song became more confident and uplifting. I remember watching in awe unable to move, unable to think, only able to feel. In that instant we all knew that the Gods would be leaving Norrath forever. For only upon their disappearance would Innoruuk be taken with them. We all grieved, for we loved Tunare more than anything else in the entire world, but her song explained what words could not. We knew that this must be, and that the world would prosper from their departure.

That very night, I awoke during high moon. Something was pulling me, urging me to walk deeper and deeper into the forest. I saw a flame and followed its light as it guided me through the forest. I knew that flame, for it was the newly ignited crown of Tunare. As I approached, I noticed that my sister Sadora was standing with Tunare. For some reason it appeared to be the most natural thing I had ever seen. Tunare looked down at us and once again, love filling her eyes, she spoke. I will never forget these words until the day I die.

"Belgazar, trouble has come to our once peaceful world of Norrath. I am laying a task of great responsibility before you. On the light of the morrow, all Gods in Norrath shall be removed from this beautiful world. However, evil doth still reside in our peaceful land. Two beings hath been created out of pure hate and pure evil. They were known previously in their former lives as your very own King and Queen. As thou doth recollect from memories 2 seasons passed, they were stolen away from Takish-Hiz by Innoruuk, the Prince of Hate. In his hatred towards me, he hath disembodied your former King and Queen and has resculpted them to his evil image. During this horrific process, they were not allowed to pass into the afterlife, but were kept in this world so that they may feel the unendurable pain! Innoruuk has detected our plan to pull him away from this world, and though he cannot resist, he has placed a powerful spell, causing your former King and Queen to reform piece by piece. Unfortunately, they hath placed the blame for their torture upon me, and have vowed that after their re-formation in 300 years, they shall raise a race called Teir 'dal to oppose all in Norrath who follow my similar beliefs. Upon my departure, both you and Sadora shall receive Elvish immortality, along with the power to make others immortal to help your cause. Norrath will need guidance, a reliable group to turn to in to in their time of doubt, and most importantly, people they will be able to call their friends in their time of need. Thou must approach your new powers with caution, and learn to look within the hearts of all! You shall encounter those who appear noble, but their hearts are not; on the contrary, you shall encounter those who appear evil, but in reality they wish to do good. Choose the members of your family well, for they shall reside with you for all eternity. One race can be just as loving as the next, do not let your heart become thwarted with prejudice as your former King and Queen have. From this point forth your newly created family will be known as The Tree of Life.

"Belgazar, Sadora, come forth, for I wish to receive one last kiss before I depart." Sadora and I leaned forward touching our lips to the soft, radiant skin of Tunare's cheeks. A surge of energy ran through my body as a green light began to engulf us. The light ran through our veins, flowed deep into our soul, and re-focused itself upon Tunare. She grew brighter and brighter, her crown flame billowing in the wind that stormed through the skies. My entire view was solid green, but I could feel the power pulsating throughout my body. Then all was clear. Tunare had transformed into a solid column of green light. The air around it fizzled and sparked and her song broke through the Never-ending forest of the Elves. Sadora and I kneeled in humility and reverence as the green light of Tunare shot through the sky. For weeks the sky shed drops of green fire. This fire was a magic fire, Tunare's last physical benison to her beloved creatures, for it did not burn and destroy, but instead it nourished and protected.

That is the story of how The Tree of Life came to be, and for 500 years now we have held true to our vows.

Every once in a while during high moon, Tunare's song, the very song that penetrated my soul so many years ago, can be felt pulsating through the forest ground as it reverberates through the trees and echoes into the night.

Thank you for listening to our story, feel free to re-tell it to whomever you wish!!

Belgazar
Leader of The Tree of Life