„Do not be so quick to judge, young one. The Vestige witches may be mad now but there was a time when they were the first to stand up and protect. Do you even know how the Vestige came to be? No? Well then, my child, sit down and listen. After all, I am The Storyteller...“
In the days far gone, Mother Issilith had many children. They all lived together happily until one of them, Lucille, started to yearn for more. She left her home and her siblings, leaving her past way of life behind. The journey led her to seek shelter beneath the large tree crowns where she created Bratuscula, or the Eternal Tree as you may know it, the beginning and end of every Vestige witch.
But if Lucille thought that her deeds would go unpunished, she was gravely mistaken. Her siblings, consumed with rage, cast a curse on Lucille so horrid and oh, so twisted... If Lucille was ever to have a child it would not live past its childhood years. For the one who betrays her family, only to live amongst inferior beings, does not deserve to feel the warmth of motherly love, only the harsh grip of excruciating pain. Eradicating her legacy will just be an added bonus.
Eager to help and protect, the Vestige witches soon became the protectors of nature and all living creatures in their midst. The most powerful ones were even handpicked by Lucille herself and bestowed with a gift of immortality, so if someone managed to kill them they would just be reborn with all of their memories intact. They lived in harmony, happy and thriving. Until Lucille had a daughter. After a few years, the child fell ill. Lucille tried everything she could to save her. But nothing worked, healing magic couldn't save her life. Devastated with grief she became desperate. In one last attempt to save her child, Lucille sacrificed a part of herself so she would become one with her daughter again. And so it was.
As the time flew by we can only assume that the curse affected Lucille too. She started to lose herself, madness crept into her mind, and even the Vestige had to turn against her. But they couldn't hurt the High Queen, their Mother, they were made in her image and likeness after all. And they sealed her away so she couldn't hurt anyone. The immortal witches fell into deep slumber afterwards, only to wake up if their protection is needed.
„The rest of the story you should remember, my child. It is with the arrival of the Phage that the Vestige witches started to go mad as well, without even knowing why. Such a shame...“