#iris lake

Mundane Uses: Emotional catharsis | Mental clarity

Magickal Uses: Corruptive purging | Banishing

A sister to the many holy lakes of Ashenvale Forest, Iris of the northwest is yet another where the realms of earth and spirit converge. This islet long served as a repose for the shed tearstones of Elune, often manifesting on nights of especially heavy rain and unusually radiant moonlight. These lunar lachryma are powerful sources of clarification; both on the mind, and against profane forces.

Many believe that they fall when the Goddess Herself cries, though the reasons are widely contended. Some purport that the stones appear after the spread of corruption in the natural world, or perhaps from Elune taking the grief and burdens of Her devotees upon Herself. Lunar historians note from records that some tearstones of yore have curiously fallen on ill-fated anniversaries of past events, such as the coronation date of Queen Azshara, the eve of the Sundering, the creation of the Scythe of Elune, and so on; though no one is certain if this is mere coincidence or not.

Philosophers maintain, however, that Elune’s tears are poignant reminders on the purifying nature of weeping, and the healing which can arise from relinquishing one’s sorrows. These ideas are further solidified by the demonstrated properties of the lunar lachryma. In a mundane sense, their uses are primarily two-fold: emotional catharsis, and mental clarity. For example, one might seek a tearstone for temporary and gradual reprieve when emotional wounds run exceptionally deep, or completely consume one’s thoughts. The same could be said for severe mental and physical stressors; such as delirium from illness, Her tears reportedly washing away such ailments with an ephemeral calm. Magickally, the tears are particularly robust in the purging of corruption, as well as the banishment of extraplanar beings back to their dimensions of origin. Historically, Iris Lake and the lachryma became a pivotal location for rousing those trapped in their slumber across Ashenvale and Darkshore during the War Against the Nightmare.

Lineage II artworks I haven't posted here yet. And a little bit more:

This could be a series of novels, set in two ‘world’, one is a fantasy alternate history Earth, and the other is an ‘afterlife’ world mirroring that Earth.  Throughout, the theme is boundaries, what are they, when should they be crossed, and when should they be respected, and why.

Magic(k) does exist, and while it is not common, it plays a big role on Earth.  

The historical divergence becomes noticeable around 1618.   

Resurgent native magic helps the Bohemians keep their independence. Albrect von Wallenstein sees the power of the Protestant actions, and returns to the faith of his youth.  The home-field advantage of the returned magic, combined with von Wallenstein’s forces, aborts the war we call the “Thirty Years War”, after its first year.  Military conquest is not an option, and so the incumbent situation remains.

In China, the Wanli Emperor is brought back into interest in ruling his country by a Daoist monk who was lost to history in our timeline.   He also repulses the later Jin Empire, and Nurhachi dies early.  The Ming, rebounding, take the Jurchen lands, and the Qing Dynasty never happens.  Ming is strengthened, and does not have a subordinate role to the would-be colonizing European powers.   Ming later establishes trade colonies across the Pacific from our-world British Columbia through Guatemala. 

Spain is targeted by Protestant and French armies, and pulls out most of its forces in the Americas and elsewhere overseas.  The “homefield advantage” of the natives in the Americas, lets them then throw out the Spanish entirely.  A small minority of Spanish and some of the Mestizos holds on barely there, forming a commercial and cultural link to Europe.  By the time that Span has secured its borders, the natives in the Americas are too strong to be subjugated.  Some areas form a hybrid government and culture, e.g., La Republica de Gran Florida -- which has influences both ways with Carolinia, ruled by the Lords and Ladies Proprietor.   

In Quebec, there is a massive influx of immigrants, including refugees, both draft dodgers, and those overpopulation that wasn’t lost to war as in our timeline.  A more European French culture develops in the urban areas, and in the country, two cultures arise, blending the native and the European:  the  «  Ratons-Rivieres » or “river rats”, with a culture centered on the St. Lawrence River, very oriented to sea-going and fishing, and small, intense agriculture.  It’s a very low-brow, working-class culture, but they are real survivors, they handle anything.  They’re totemic native combined with Catholic.  North and South of them, the “woods-raccoons” culture arises, which is more land-oriented, also very strong survivors.  It has more native and less Catholic, but still blends into the river rats.

North America has on the East Coast, the Wabnaki Confederation, the New England theocracy, the Iroquois Confederacy, the United States (NYC, Long Island, Most of New Jersey, southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia), the lands of the Lords Proprietor of Carolinia, and Gran Florida.  Inland, there are the Cherokee lands, the Miami lands, Ojibwe (Ontario, Michigan, and Minnesota), and more (not yet all worked out).  In what’s 

Only the US and New England have mostly European derived cultures and politics, and even then they are influenced by the other nations on the Continent.