Sylvan Sunlight Remedy

"On nights so clear, when worlds entwine, The Sylvans' forms in moonlight shine. Their beauty veiled, yet softly seen, With ancient eyes of forest green."

In the hearts of the ancient forests dwell the Sylvans. Guardians as old as the first seedling that ever broke through soil. These ethereal beings, all bearing the grace of femininity, are woven from the very essence of nature itself. Their hair flows like cascading waterfalls, their eyes hold the depth of forest pools, and their skin bears the light of moonbeams dancing on dew-kissed leaves.

The Sylvans are the silent protectors of all wild places, tending to groves where no human foot has tread and nurturing life in its purest form. They share an ancient bond with the Grove Tenders - those towering, bark-skinned sentinels who stand watch over sacred woodlands. Together, they maintain the delicate balance between growth and decay, ensuring that the wild heart of the world continues to beat.

Yet for all their otherworldly nature, the Sylvans possess an insatiable curiosity about mortals. Perhaps it is the brevity of human life that fascinates them, or the passionate intensity with which humans love and dream. Whatever the reason, throughout the ages, brave or fortunate souls have encountered these forest spirits, usually glimpsing them as women of impossible beauty at twilight’s edge or beside moonlit streams.

When a Sylvan chooses to reveal herself, it is never without purpose. Love, that most mysterious of magics, has been known to bloom between Sylvan and mortal - transcending the boundaries of gender and being. These are blessed unions, though rare and often fleeting.

The most famous of these tales speaks of Seliana, a Sylvan who fell deeply in love with a village herbalist named Mira. Day after day, Seliana would watch from the forest’s edge as Mira gathered healing plants, enchanted by her gentle touch and compassionate heart. When at last she revealed herself, their bond grew swift and strong.

Mira, who spent long hours in the sun tending her garden, bore the telltale marks of her devotion - dark spots that had bloomed across her weathered hands and kind face. Seliana, with tears like spring water in her eyes, could not bear to see time’s harsh kiss upon her beloved’s skin. Drawing upon the ancient secrets of forest alchemy, she crafted a remedy from morning dew, the essence of moonflowers, and her own sylvan magic.

With infinite tenderness, Seliana anointed Mira’s skin with this luminous elixir. Where it touched, the sun spots faded like shadows before dawn, leaving skin renewed and radiant. But more than mere vanity was healed - each application was an act of love, a promise that beauty exists not in perfection, but in the caring touch of one who sees past all surface flaws to the soul beneath.

As with all such unions between mortal and fae, Seliana eventually had to return to her realm, for the forests called to her with voices that could not be ignored. But the memory of their love remained, and whispers of the miraculous remedy spread from village to village, growing into legend.

Centuries have passed since anyone has claimed to see a Sylvan with certainty. The ancient forests have retreated, and the world has grown loud with the noise of civilization. Yet in some places, in mysterious shops where old magic is collected, one can find curious things.

In Lichen & Lumina, a Veylins Boutique, a proprietor with unusually green eyes and an enigmatic smile sells small vials of “Sylvan Sunlight Remedy.” Those who purchase it swear by its effectiveness, claiming their sun spots fade with an almost supernatural swiftness. The shopkeeper merely smiles when asked about the source, mentioning something like “there's always some truth in legends”.

But late at night, when the moon is full, some claim to see a figure moving between the vast green gardens behind the building... a woman whose movements are too graceful, whose touch makes flowers bloom out of season, and who seems to shimmer slightly in the moonlight before vanishing into shadow.

Perhaps the Sylvans never truly left us. Perhaps they simply learned to hide in plain sight, weaving their magic into the mundane world, continuing their ancient work of tending and healing. And perhaps, for those with eyes to see and hearts open to wonder, love between the magical and mortal continues to bloom, leaving traces of its passage in small miracles and gentle remedies that carry the whisper of wind through leaves and the promise that magic, like love, never truly dies.

"They walk among us, secrets deep,
Of love and woods, their hearts still keep. In search they roam, far from home, Their hearts to gift, where love is known."