Seeking the Grassland Guardian
A pilgrimage for those who seek to heal with nature...
Information
Name: Hyllis
Pronounced: Hie-liss or Hih-liss
Age: Unknown
Gender: Unknown
Classification: Guardian
Affiliation: Grassland
Alignment: Neutral, ambivalent
Active: all throughout Light Year. hibernates during Dark Year
Abilities:
• Shapeshifting: Hyllis is capable of drastically changing their size.
• Toxic Cure: Hyllis’s saliva can act as both a medicine and a poison.
• Plant Growth: Hyllis has the ability to enrich the growth of local flora, particularly of the medicinal variety.
• Hibernation: Hyllis enters a deep slumber during Dark Year. best not to disturb them!
Length: 12m/40 feet (though reports seem to vary considerably for some reason...)
Weight: 821kg/1,810 lbs
Bestows:
• Fanciful Foliage
• Serpent's Spire
• Brilliant Bloom
• Hyllistara Flower (1 per visit, and must have been blessed by Hyllis previously)
• Blessing - Wildcrafter’s Sense: Your character seems to have developed a sixth sense for finding medicinal herbs, and somehow always finds exactly what they need soon after they start to look.
• Curse - Blighted Touch: Medicinal plants wither and rot at your character’s touch. They are able to consume them when prepared by others, but they themselves are no longer able to collect, grow, process, or otherwise interact directly with them.
Shrine Location: Atop a hill located in the northeast grasslands.
"It is of the utmost importance that you remember to be respectful of all Spirits when on this Pilgrimage. Fae spirits are always in communication with the Guardian of the area! Word travels quickly, so actions that may have caused grievance with a Fae, can very well cause grievance with their Guardian as well!"
Hyllis
Little is currently known about this elusive guardian. Depictions of this being can be found in ancient writings about medicines, miracle cures, and even the secrets to immortality. Legends claim that the flowers growing on its pelt, referred to as Hyllistara Flowers, can even bring back the dead.
This spirit is believed to be a guardian of grasslands and meadows where medicinal plants grow in abundance, tending to the plants and creatures found therein. Based on a few surviving tapestries of this guardian depicted alongside Munerith and Samarra, Tobias theorized the three of them to be part of the same pantheon. Due to the scarcity of records about this guardian, and no concrete proof of Hyllis’s existence, this couldn't be proven - until now.
With Hollow’s escape seems to have come a great wave of spiritual disturbances, strong enough to affect even guardian spirits. Hyllis seems to have been displaced from their preferred location to the northeast of Whistler Crest, and sightings began in the grassier areas on the outskirts of town. Some residents described running into a small, mesmerizingly beautiful snake they’d never seen before, while others reported sightings of a massive beast whose gaze held them frozen in place before it slithered off and seemingly vanished into thin air.
The Grassland Shrine
Shrines dedicated to guardian spirits are known to exist in many locations surrounding Whistler Crest. Similarly to the guardian statues, it is unknown when and by whom these shrines were built. Hyllis’s shrine is quite easy to miss if you aren’t sure where or what to look for - it appears to have been left to the mercy of the elements, and has lost its traditional maroon roof. What remains is the stone parts of the original building, with tall grasses and wildflowers growing around it. Many of the plants surrounding the shrine appear to be medicinal in nature, and some are quite rare in this type of biome!
Shrine's Altar
Traditional shrine altars have a very simplistic design. Usually they consist of a flat surface on a thinner slab of cut and smoothed stone, creating a table-like structure. At the far back is the Altar Window. Hyllis's seems to consist of a specially crafted curved stone piece. This area is usually decorated with hanging herbs or flowers, and ocasionally bells or chimes. It is believed that the purpose of these windows is to see into the realm of the Spirits. Prayer is usually undertaken at the altars, and offerings to Spirits are left on the flat surface. Surprisingly, these offerings are usually gone upon the next visit...
Despite the outward appearance of Hyllis’s shrine, the actual altar itself seems to be quite well kept. Decor is minimal, but you can see the pressed stains of long-gone flowers and herbs in the flat stone, and some small bowls made of wood and clay remain. Perhaps they once held something inside?
The Pilgrimage
Due to the distance that needs to be traveled to find Hyllis's shrine, this pilgrimage can be quite dangerous and must be undertaken by a single determined character. This character may be accompanied by a companion or Companion Stone. As this pilgrimage may prove to be more difficult than other ventures out of the safety of town, a character must know some magic.
Regardless of species, Finley undertaking this pilgrimage must know at least three (3) tiers of magic total.
Your character may receive tier 4 injuries from this quest. Dangers may include environmental hazards as they travel through the forest; over the river; across the grasslands; or getting caught by an angry wild animal. There is danger all throughout the path to the shrine.
Steps one and two of the pilgrimage both have a minimum requirement of 1 shaded fullbody and a simple scenic background OR 775 words.
Then, to commune with Hyllis in step three, you must meet ONE of the following requirements:
• 1 shaded halfbody character + complex background OR
• 1 shaded halfbody character + 1 shaded halfbody guardian + medium background OR
• 1,275 words.
To be Blessed, to be Cursed
Should you desire to be Blessed...
There are three important tasks which must be done.
1. You may choose to create or acquire a medicine, or bring with you the seeds of some beneficial plants.
2. You must show that you have pure intentions towards learning medicine. Use your medicinal knowledge to help a sick or injured animal or plant.
3. You must encounter Hyllis during their active time and present your offering. The guardian will regard you for a moment, seemingly staring into your very soul. They will make their judgement once they are satisfied.
Completion of these tasks will result in a Guardian's Blessing and one of the Blessed APs.
Should you desire to be Cursed...
There are three important tasks which must be done.
1. You may choose to create or acquire a poison, or bring with you a harmful plant.
2. Use your medicinal knowledge to intentionally harm an animal or plant, such as poisoning them or injuring them.
3. Encounter Hyllis during their active time and present your offering. The guardian will regard you for a moment, seemingly staring into your very soul. They will make their judgement, and may attack you, inflicting up to a tier 4 injury.
Completion of these tasks will result in a Guardian's Curse.
Hyllis's Blessings
You can locate these upgrades in the "Other" tab of the upgrade directories for all species.
