Allow me to digress for but a moment, and bring ye all back to a childhood memory of mine...
Picture my village, an absolute shrine to nature, a testament to how Lurikeens can live at one with their surroundings. I must say that we lived with some of the most marvellous and kind mushrooms that I have ever known! Our village was a conglomeration of gargantuan pine trees, aged moss covered stones, and as I have mentioned, the most wonderfully astute mushrooms that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Many may not understand what I am talking about, with the exceptions of Sylvans and Animists (which I might add mushrooms absolutely love Animists, as they are the bards of mushrooms, making them dance to their earthly rhythms).
"An astute mushroom, a kind mushroom" I hear you say, "Is she completely balmy? Was she born so short that she missed out on a brain?" The answer is a wholehearted 'nay!' Many think of mushrooms as just 'plants', similar in the way that Sylvans were misunderstood as walking trees until we learnt to converse with them. But they are perhaps the most amazing creatures that I have ever met, and they smell great!
When the sun's rays are too harsh, what better past-time, than to sit beneath a giant mushroom for protection, and listen to rhyme of the earth-song. If you listen very carefully, when your mind has almost left your body, you may understand what I mean. It is the most tranquil and yet at the same time, completely invigorating sound and feeling that one can hear and feel!
Which leads me onto the point of this rambling...There I was, but a wee lass of fifteen winters, resting under one of my favourite mushrooms, when She first spoke to me. Her rays were caressing my face, barely shining through the trees, and I felt a power awaken within me. It was the power of magic!
Most people learn their craft through practice, or from studying the magic in ancient dusty tomes. But not I, my power was granted to me from the love of Arianhrod. I did not know her name back then, but I knew her caress, her guiding light that rent the darkness of the night asunder.
That awakening happened many years ago now, and I forsook living a humble yet enjoyable life with my kin. She imparted a message to me of grave importance, one that I can not share until the time is right. But I can tell you all this much - meeting kindred spirits, those who worship the Old Gods is but the first step in that path.
And I hope that The Pantheon are those kindred spirits that I am to have sought. This is but part of my story, a story that perhaps I shall continue if the time is right and the audience is keen of ear. I am certainly no bard, but I shall endeavour to do my best with its telling.