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Chapter 1: Not as it is.
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The Endless Forest was not always such. Once, long ages ago, life and death played out the dance of existence as in any other wood. Now this is not to say it was as any
normal forest, for it was a place of great tranquility and balance. Even humans recognized it's peaceful nature, retreating there from the turmoil of civilization to live in simplicity and contemplation. Under the leaves they built a monastery of stone and timber in which to live and worship the God that had blessed them with the discovery of such an Eden.
All of this was watched with great anticipation by the other inhabitants of the wood. The animals of the wood did not know what to make of the new-comers. Eventually learning of the carnivorous nature of the upright beasts, they fled their presence and skirted the monastery with uneasy steps.
Largest and most respected of creatures were the woodland deer, who ran through the trees in great herds. At the head of each herd was a great and mighty deer spirit, benevolent and protective they watched the workings of all within the forest. These spirits, being both powerful and wise, were charged with the sacred duty of guiding their herds through life. When the time came for a deer to die, either by the hunt or the failings of age, it was also the duty of the spirits to take their deer to the final rest.
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