Westwick

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== About ==
Westwick was one of the last fully independent fae villages in Allutheria. It was located along the western most outskirts of a massive desolate forest, farthest in distance from both the White & Red Courts.
The town itself only lasted a generation or so, and the legend behind Westwick is spoken in mostly hushed tones around Allutheria. In most places the name is either long forgotten, or forbidden from being mentioned. The town was not in existence for very long, but it left a dark mark on Allutherian history.
Uttering the name Westwick aloud is rumored to be a black omen.
== General History & Problems ==
This was a time when there were quite a few independent fae villages outside the two factions, but not many. Freeholds of politically unaffiliated fae who wanted to live without royal influence. Thus, Westwick (the last of these villages) came into existence. This would become a serious detriment down the line, unbeknownst to its founders.
Westwick was founded by a small number of unhappy fae, who titled themselves the Elders of the village. They wanted to be in charge of their own destinies. Since these fae did not enjoy living under the thumb of authority, a majority of them left Court life to find their own paths. These fae were very powerful in their own right, and had been planning on leaving for a very long time. They wanted to exercise their full power, and old traditions away from the kingdoms. More fae were selected, and added to the population over the span of a few months.
Unfortunately, it did not take the fae of Westwick long to realize how truly awful the lands surrounding the town were. Most forests thrived in Allutheria, but the one near this particular village had the pungent essence of death running through it. Not even the strongest of magic could bring it back to life, and a lot of residents who walked through it were too frightened to return.The lands surrounding the town were infertile and unmanageable, no magical pulse strong enough could make it thrive again.
The few surrounding unaffiliated villages took pity and would trade consistently with Westwick, despite their own lack of resources. Food would have to be constantly brought in from more fertile parts of Allutheria, and everything had to be rationed out. This caused a lot of unrest in the residents, and Westwick was rumored to have a growing darkness over the town and its population because of it.
As the sole authority in this new village of Westwick, the Elders were terrified other independent villages around Allutheria would turn their backs on them. Being completely unaffiliated with the Courts left a bad imprint on the town to begin with, because it severely limited resources. The consensus among them was that an impossibly strong curse had been cast around the forest, and surrounding lands.
A year and a half into Westwick's founding, a portion of unaffiliated villages could not survive on their own, and reemerged back into their old affiliated faction. The goal of Westwick Elders was to make their lands completely fertile, including the desolate forest, so they could sustain without the influence of either Court. As the Elders would soon realize, the only way they could go about accomplishing such a daunting task, was to bring back a very dark ritual. A blood sacrifice.
== The Solution: Strong Magic, Stronger Bond ==
The Elders of this village had rich and deep traditions, spanning back centuries. They could not practice their customs in the Courts, which is why they completely isolated themselves from both factions in the first place.The mood of the kingdoms were not suited for the darkness of their rituals.
After much deliberation among Elders, the desperation to stay united outweighed the risks of planning, and properly executing a sacrifice. This was much more than draining a life force to refuel magic, this was putting blood back into the earth, and using a very powerful fae's magic to restore life into the land.
The sacrifice itself dates back centuries, and could only be done during certain times of the year. One of the Elders, Freya, was preparing to have a baby around the beginning of the summer solstice. Due to how small the community actually was, there were only a handful of children, and this one would be the youngest in the village. Though this was a sign of significance, the Elder's wanted to wait and see what skills arose out of the youth in their village, before making a full decision.
Together, they dug up a book of dark magic, and uncovered an ancient blood sacrifice ritual, and translated the instructions to start putting the wheels into motion.
Almost all of the Elders had young children at the time, including a lot of other residents. Ultimately these fae children would be the first and only generation to fully grow up in Westick. Freya's was the newest addition, and there were two other children who were also close in age to hers. These children would grow up together, they would be mentored by a few of the Elders, and encouraged to wield one element over the rest. Freya's child - a daughter - would show great promise and skill above the other two children. Because of this, Freya's only daughter was chosen as the sacrifice for the ritual.
The boy was chosen to perform the ritual as the Elder's realized how close him and the girl were. The tighter the bond, the stronger the impact. It was slowly put into motion, and the Elder's helped build up the girl's strengths, her power growing stronger with each passing day. They watched her grow up into a powerful and deliberate fae. It was all planned out in stages - every last detail, because restoring life to their lands was of the utmost importance. They anxiously waited for the day when the boy would take the girl down to the gallow tree and cut the throat of his dear, close friend.
Westwick was destroyed sometime after this ritual occurred. The story has been changed over time, no one knows the exact string of events that caused such havoc and tragedy. The Order of the Fate has the best recollection.
Needless to say, the desolation of Westwick left a dark mark that can never fully be erased from legend.
== The Aftermath ==
It is unclear, how Westwick was destroyed.
Once members from the Order were summoned, the village was simply a large pile of ashes. No corpses, nothing. Records indicate there was a disturbance heard from within the desolate forest. Further investigation verifies the sighting of a mangled, dead fae at the foot of a large tree. A couple was spotted yards ahead of the body, disappearing into a thick portion of the forest.
Unfortunately, they were never recovered.
There are impossibly large bounties on their heads if they are turned in to the Order. Then, they can truly be punished for the crimes they have committed. Serious rumors have flown around, stating the Westwick residents died out some time ago. Their home, a few miles from the Red Court, seemed to be cleared out entirely.
The Order and Hunters alike are still investigating the probability of their apparent demise.