Outcasts
The Outcasts are a mysterious and malevolent type of Sylvaneth long exiled from the clans that make up their society. Sylvaneth consider Outcasts to be entirely mad and avoid them whenever possible, for they can only hear the darkest melodies of the Spirit Song and exude an aura of spiritual dissonance that unnerves all who are in their presence.[1a][2a]
Contents
Appearance
Outcasts come in many forms, though all are obviously unnatural. Some have grown sedentary, looking to all the world like ancient, gnarled trees, but they are still spiteful and cruel and their roots and branches reach out to attack any who come near. Others are strange, winged creatures that flit through the trees, attacking those they find with barbed and vicious talons and stingers. The most common Outcasts, the Spite-Revenants, look superficially similar to the noble Tree-Revenants - though they move in unnerving ways and the darkness of the deep woods seems to flicker around them as they attack with their deadly claws.[2a]
Origin
It is generally accepted by the Sylvaneth that the Outcasts appeared sometime in the Shrouded Season; while a powerful enchantment prevents them from remembering what happened during that time, the first remembered sightings came from just after the enchantment lifted. What is less apparent is why the Outcasts appeared. Some say they were grown from seeds Alarielle had been afraid to plant until the darkest days of the War of Life; others, that they are the product of soulpods grown in soil tainted by Chaos; still others, that they are a punishment inflicted on Sylvaneth who gave into despair or broke an oath to the Everqueen. Some even claim that they are Spites who attempted to become Sylvaneth but became mostrous parodies of them instead. More disturbingly, no one knows where new Outcasts come from - could their madness be contagious, and those who catch it be twisted into a new, hideous Outcast form? Or do these unnatural creatures reproduce as naturally as other Sylvaneth, albeit in groves hidden away in the dark places?[1a][2a]
Habitat
The Outcasts hide in the deepest, darkest parts of the woods. These wild places are tainted by malice, though whether this was what attracted the Outcasts or the Outcasts tainted their lairs, none can say. Most beasts fear to enter these dark enclaves, and often plants with wicked thorns or poisonous fruit proliferate around them.[2a]
Spirit Song
What is certain is that the Outcasts cannot hear the Spirit Song except in its darkest, most violent aspects. This, more than anything else, is the terror of the Outcasts to the Sylvaneth. The connection to the Spirit Song is fundamental to Sylvaneth existence; the song binds together their society and most spend their entire lives bathed in its harmonies. Many cannot conceive of a more terrifying fate than to be left in empty, terrifying silence, without a connection to their clans or kin. When Sylvaneth muster up the courage to think about the Outcasts' inability to hear the Spirit Song, they often ask: Is their deafness the cause of their madness, or a symptom of it?[1a][1b][2a]
Interactions with Others
Since the most frequent time the dark tones that Outcasts can hear surface is when a powerful spirit is singing the Song of War to muster a wargrove for battle, most Sylvaneth only see Outcasts when at war. It is also at these times that the Outcasts are most valuable to their kin; while their violent excesses are disturbing, they are effective fighters and superlative terror troops. Even so, their dissonant song and the fear of potentially catching their madness means that they are relegated to the far flanks of any battle-line.[1a][2a]
Queen of the Outcasts
After Drycha Hamadreth was cast out by Alarielle - her irrepressible cruelty too much for the Everqueen even in the darkest part of the Age of Chaos - Drycha declared herself Queen of the Outcasts. Despite this self-mocking title, the discordant dirge of hatred that is her personal song attracts Outcasts in great numbers, and she commands them just as a Regent might direct their Glade.[1a][2a]
Sources
- 1: Battletome: Sylvaneth (2016)
- 2: Battletome: Sylvaneth (2019)
- 2a: Outcasts, pg. 38-39
