Holy Sites of Eifel

The Holy Tree - This tree can be seen from anywhere in Eifel, even as far south as the Frozen Lands. It's foliage is lush and green and drooping, with wysteria-like flowers interspersed. The tree predates all known history and it's a strong possibility that the endire world of Eifel rests upon it's mighty roots. At the very top of the tree, unseen by any Eiflan, lives the Goddess of Eifel, Laine, and her two Guardian Dragons, Ramiel and Shamsel. Recently, the Holy Tree has begun to bear fruit, something that has never happened before. And while some think it is a blessing from the Goddess, there are others who belive this to be an ill omen that speaks of a tragedy yet to come.

The Tree and the Goddess - Some think they are one and the same, but only the Guardian Dragons know the truth. Either way, one thing is clear: the goddess made the tree, and from it she generated all life in Eifel. From the lowliest plants and bugs, to the Eiflans and it's rumored even the Dragons themselves were taken from the very tops of this great trees lofty branches. Its roots can be found all over the world and there are even entire forests that are really just branches growing from these roots. These forests are considered sacred places and it is only in the direst of circumstances that anyone is allowed to do any sort of damage to the trees growing there.

Although the tree itself is very hard to get to, being located in the center of the vast Ocean, it's branches can be seen from almost anywhere in the world as long as you are not below the surface. Though the tree's presence can be felt even there, where at it's roots are vast underground lakes filled with fresh water. The roots here are covered with phosphorescent mosses and unique, subterranean plants.

(The Goddess and the World are one, As long as the Goddess flourishes, so too does her world. The Goddess is with child at this stage in her life. When the child is born, the Goddess and her world will die, making way for the new Goddess and her new world. However since the Goddess is much longer lived than any other being in existance, this will not come to pass for another several hundered thousand years.)

Ramiel and Shamsel - These two Elemental Dragons guard the tree of life. Which is the basis of the Eiflan religion and involves four dragons and a Goddess, though only two of them are mentioned here. Ramiel is the Dragon of Water. He is calm and gentle with most things. He always wants to help people, even if it means leaving his post at the tree of the goddess for a while. Shamsel is the Dragon of Fire. She's much more hot-tempered and serious than Ramiel and usually doesn't like to leave her post though she will sometimes follow Ramiel on his goodwill missions despite her loudly voiced discontent. She doesn't seem to care much for the Eiflans, thinking that they should be happy that they're up there guarding the tree that all life is said to originate from.

Surroundings - The ocean surrounding the Holy Tree is vast and treacherous. There are no boats or airships capable of sustaining flight or propulsion long enough to reach the outer rim of the tree's bounderies, and aside from that, the sea and sky around that boundery is filled with raging torrents of water and fierce winds and storms which no airship can fly through safely, and no ship could navigate. The closer one gets to the base of the tree, the more dangerous it becomes, rocky spires jut out from the violent and angry seas, and just below the waters surface, vast flats of rocks make the ater level alternate abruptly between endless depths and ankle-deep shallows. The sea around these rocks is even rougher than it is on the outer edge.

If anyone ever got past all that though, they would find the small area of sea surrounding the base of the tree to be almost unnaturally calm by contrast. It's waters gently caressing the massive roots of the Holy Tree. Nestled amongst these roots is a Fey Colony built on both the roots and floating on the gentle waters, cut off from the rest of the world they know nothing of Eifel, nor does Eifel know of their existance. The Majority of these Fey are Angel Fey and Dryad Fey, who work to maintain the health and well being of the Holy Tree. Beneath the roots in the calm waters, is one of the rare settlements of Merfolk, similarly cut off from the Rest of Eifel and unaware of recent events.

The Sacred Forest - This lush forest rests on an Island as near as any land mass can get to the Holy Tree. The entire forest is acutally shoots budding from one of the roots of the Holy Tree itself, and because of this the trees are filled with the same wysteria-like flowers. Like the Holy Tree itself, the Sacred Forest has recently begun to bear fruit, and this is being collected by a sect of Priests and Priestesses who's sole job it is to live in and look after the Sacred Forest. No outsiders are allowed in this area and the Priests and Priestesses as well as the Sacred Forest are protected by a powerfull sect of Warrior Monks who also live on the Island. The only time any of these dedicated Eiflans leaves the Sacred Forest, is when one of them has died, and needs to be taken to the Sacred Chain Cathedral for burial, or when they need to restock on food, fresh water, and other supplies.

The Sacred Chain Cathedral - The Cathedral of the Sacred Chain is the foremost trainers of Preists and Priestesses, and it is here that all young acolytes aspire to go to complete their training in the Holy Arts. It is also the final stop for Holy Knights on their pilgramage to be officially ordained as such by the Church of the Goddess. The Cathedral and it's anexes take up the three western most Islands in the Sacred Chain, with stone pathways connecting the Islands to eachother and thereby making three Islets into one expansive building.

Oasis Temple Ruins - While the Sacred Chain Cathedral is the largest temple in Eifel today, it is not the oldest. That distinction belongs to a ruin in the desert oasis which the Undine have built the city of Melva upon. While the oasis lake is the enterance, the ruins themselves are submerged in a vast underground lake, and there is a possibility that there may be a ruined city there as well, though exploration has been slow due to the difficulties of traversing the aquatic terrain. The entire thing is belived to date back to the ancient time of the Alfs, those beings which Eiflans descended from, so many archeologists are keen to study it more. But there are also ruin raiders who would like to have their crack at any possible treasures lying undiscovered there, which further hinders any progress in finding out the truth.