Question 52: Why Did Mario Come to Ardenweald?

Question: Why Was Mario Tied to a Stake in Ardenweald?

"Every grove in Ardenweald has an incredibly, incredibly powerful dream tree planted within it. Every dream tree has its own name, and those great trees are so old they could be grandfathers to us faeries.

Every Tree Grandfather began as a seed personally planted by the Queen. They grew by absorbing anima and eventually became super-powerful 'fae groves'!

Every dream tree is the core of its fae grove. Its children and roots grow and spread, forming all the groves across the land.

We Night Fae faeries were supposedly beautiful butterflies living in the first batch of fae groves when they were born. The Queen granted us our current forms and wisdom."

While searching for the Forest Spirits that had taken her pet, Mao Mao, the Night Fae faerie called Willow Wisp floated like a butterfly beside the shoulder of Diakum, the "Giant of Light." She enthusiastically introduced Ardenweald's basic circumstances to the Vigilant.

She considered it polite, though she had not actually met many outsiders.

Ardenweald was the most conservative region of the Shadowlands. People from other realms rarely came here. Aside from formidable faeries appointed by the Queen as "diplomats," who often traveled to the Eternal City of Oribos to discuss matters with diplomats from other covenants, most faeries spent their entire lives within Ardenweald's forests.

Of course, being conservative did not mean they were closed off.

Anyone foolish enough to think faeries were stupid and easy to deceive was practically destined to become "flower fertilizer" in Ardenweald the instant they got any crooked ideas.

These faeries could live for a very, very long time. Though their lives had an end, they carried out all kinds of duties for the Winter Queen. Moreover, the spirits of life from across