Over the years, Gilnean families passed down many tales and nursery rhymes as retellings to their children. Many of these were lighthearted, but some of them were born out of myths meant to scare. Some of the tales revolved around the harvest witches and their rituals within the woods. Despite their help during the famine, they were still shrouded in mystery. In reality, many of these stories were meant to keep the children from wandering too far off the town roads and into the dangerous woods that surrounded the areas.
The following rhyme is from the now sunken town of Duskhaven that bordered the western side of Gilneas. There was a harvest witch who lived on the edge of the woods who was known as “Old Lada”. Rumor says that she would remain indoors most of the day, only emerging after sundown. She was known to let her long white hair down as she walked barefoot, blessing the local crops and gathering herbs for potions. The children would try to sneak quick peeks of her through their candlelit windows.
During playtime, the children could be heard laughing and singing the following rhyme as they skipped, jumped roped, or chased hoops down the town streets.
“Old Lada walks the woods at night. She blesses our fields by the pale moonlight. With bone, and blood, and feather of the raven, Keep us safe and well, o’ Ghost of Duskhaven.”
My Gilnean folklore series takes from in game lore and is mixed with my own headcanon to create a deeper backstory for writing/roleplay. You can read my first piece on harvest witches here.
