It was said to be a magical place. A place where one can start anew. The Garden was a place for sinners to start over. Legend has it that those who truly wanted forgiveness would enter the Garden to be “reborn.” The people of the forest described what happened there as something that only the gods could be responsible for. There are very few remaining artifacts of The Garden, but there are still the stories. The most famous being that of a man named Balbus. Balbus was seen as the devil himself. He was cruel, devious, and a sworn enemy to the common good. The man, who was not a believer, entered The Garden deep in the forest in an attempt to destroy it. As he was walking, a bright light had blinded him. Before he fainted, he heard a voice say, “The Cruel and Wicked becomes the Gentle and Loving.” When he woke up, he was in the body of a woman. Before he could question anything he once again heard a voice. “Be reborn my child of the garden.” All of the sudden, he felt a sense of peace. He was not angry at the gods, but instead he prayed to them. He was now She, and she was clothed in what appeared to be a dress of fine silk often worn by the Sisters of Ailania who are known throughout the land as missionaries and caretakers. She became famous throughout the land for her good deeds and was known as Laurlia the Gentle. As time passed, Laurlia became a legend of a magical world. And while The Garden was lost in time, a woman was not.
