Grove Tender's Aromatic

In the days when the forests were vast and unbroken, before the roads carved their way through ancient groves, there were whispers of the Grove Tenders. They were not men, nor beasts, but living trees - guardians of the old growth, standing tall and knowing. Their gnarled roots ran deep as veins, their limbs stretched wide, and their eyes hidden in the knots and whorls of bark, watched all who entered their realm.

It was said that no blade could cut the trees under their watch, no flame could take hold, for when the Grove Tenders stirred, the forest itself would rise in defiance. Many a woodcutter told stories of their axes turning to rust in their hands, their saws snapping like brittle twigs. Some swore they had seen the trees move, shifting in silence to block paths, their shadows deepening until the would-be trespasser fled, heart hammering. Others, less fortunate, vanished within the whispering embrace of the woods, never seen again.

Yet, the Grove Tenders were not cruel. They did not despise men, only those who took without care. Travelers who walked with reverence - who placed an offering of seeds in the soil or whispered thanks to the towering giants - were granted safe passage. And they knew when they had entered protected ground, for the air itself changed.

A scent unlike any other would fill the air, drifting like a blessing through the leaves - a mystical blend of tree essences, both fresh and ancient. Pine, resinous and sharp. Cedar, deep and grounding. Eucalyptus, cool and clean. It wrapped around the wanderer like unseen hands, a sign that they had stepped into a place untouched by time. Those who breathed
it in spoke of clarity, of the forest itself murmuring its secrets. Some travellers
took to carrying aromatic lanterns with them as they passed through these lands, understanding the Grove Tenders' affinity for natural aromatics.

But as the centuries passed, the great forests fell, their stewards fading into legend. The Grove Tenders became stories told by the fire, old myths of a world where the trees fought back. The scent of their woods was all but forgotten.

Yet even now, in hidden glades where the axes never reached, where the old growth still stands in defiance of time, the scent lingers. Those who seek carefully - who step with quiet feet and listen to the hush of the leaves - might still find bundles of essence nestled in the undergrowth. Resin clotted like amber, bark rich with perfume, fallen needles still carrying the whisper of their guardians.

These rare finds are gathered by knowing hands, shaped into candles that, when lit, release the Grove Tenders’ Aromatic into the modern world. For a time, the ancient scent returns, filling homes and hearts with the memory of untouched woods. And those who inhale it deeply, closing their eyes against the glow of the flame, might almost believe that somewhere, deep in the forgotten places of the world, the Grove Tenders still stand…