1182. The Elven Underworld Had to Feel Like This~
After a few moments of weakness, the Father of Oaks quickly took shape. Shaped by the doctrines and scriptures of the Avalon Church, and constrained by their teachings, his appearance was now worlds apart from that of the Forest Mother, who had just perished.
He was no longer an elf.
No longer representing a particular race, he had become a god of faith for civilization at large, and his outward appearance had grown more varied.
Amid the wind and mist formed from nature's essence, there was a white-haired sage in a thornwood robe, holding an oakwood staff of enlightenment. He had the mystical air of Gandalf, both majestic and affable, and even his wizard's pointed hat had been recreated to perfection.
Of course!
When Ravenbro was revising the Avalon Church's new scriptures, he had used this world's most deeply beloved image of the classical wizard to depict the wise and mysterious human form of the Father of Oaks, Avalon.
As it turned out, when it came to aesthetics, the other world wasn't all that different from Earth.
If Gandalf could be beloved in a world without magic, then his character would be just as popular in a world with magic. In particular, his remarkable identity as "the Maia of the mortal world" struck straight at a curious longing in the hearts of Avalon Church's faithful: the desire to befriend a god.
But the next second, as Avalon took his second step, that wise figure became a tall elf clad in silver scale armor and holding a massive oakwood warhammer.
By elven standards, this form was dignified and handsome, and gave off a powerful sense of security. The warhammer in the Father of Oaks' hand was especially significant: it represented his transformation