Wellspring

In the early part of the last third of the last century, a curious thing came to pass. Like the sap rising in a tree in the springtime of the seasons, the Old Gods felt the same rising as need fire amongst the folk, on all sides of the Atlantic Ocean and all at the very same time, seeking the mysteries of their ancestral heritage.

And so it was once again that a great Wellspring came into being, and from this Wellspring issued forth many more streams. Now this ground was frozen and they found it was very hard, cold and restrictive, almost impenetrable and strewn with rocks, stones, and all manner of hindrance and obstruction.

Some of the streams found hollows and depressions, and settled in them happily and lazily, forming pools. But these shallow pools soon became cut off from the Wellspring and became foul and stagnant, revelling in their own entropy.

Some of the streams were chaotic; they were enthusiastic, boisterous and noisy. They skipped and splashed against the rocks and stones, making a great show of themselves but barely moving the obstacles in their paths, slowing all the while in their progress until in the heat of the day they became tired, bored and simply evaporated away.

Some of the streams pushed on quietly, working a little harder they travelled long and hard and found their way to a Rivers cut, and joined it trusting to luck. But the Rivers all had their own very different path from that which the stream should have taken but nevertheless once the merging was made then too difficult was it to change course so the streams became a part of something else entirely and too were lost to the Wellspring of the Gods.

Some of the streams were more determined and pushed yet harder still with great energy and might, diligently finding cracks in the hard ground and harried and worried away the rocks and stones in their paths, some joining one another in their purpose and course and yet others continued alone, but each becoming their own rivers and flowing with grace on their own course set them by the Wellsprings.

One or other of the young rivers however found that the only way forward was to go down and away from the daylight, separated from but ever guided by the force and love of the Wellspring. Burrowing and wearing a way through the realm of Dwarves, the gloom breached by wisdom, all the way collecting up fragments of sacred lore and mystery until one day the burrowing led up, up to the surface into the sun’s light as a breaching took place; the hidden current emerging once more not as a River, but all at once reunited with the Wellspring as the same. And so shall it continue until all the Wellsprings and all the Rivers run freely widely, strongly with justice, joy as gift, nourishment and inspiration for the Folk that long for such refreshment and blessing from the High Ones and truly seek the mysteries of the Lady Runa.