Long ago, at the very edge of the forest, explorers from the Tanisian underground attempted to settle the edge of their territory, hoping to establish the first above-ground village the elves had built in centuries. The settlers of what would come to be known as Plains Sight Village for its proximity to Resta faced a rough start. Lacking the support of the elven cities and facing the once unchallenged threat of the forests and wildlife, the elves of Plains Sight quickly found themselves ill-equipped for survival away from their cities.
In the spring of their first year, the elves fell victim to wolf attacks. A large pack swept through their village, tearing into dozens of people. It was only through the timely intervention of a pack of Restan adventurers that the beasts were driven out of the village and all but a handful of the villagers survived. Desperate to keep themselves safe from future attacks, the elves hastily agreed to trade most of their food for weapons to repel the wildlife. While they eventually had no reason to fear the animals, they struggled to replace the food they had given up. While they could grow more, what they had could only last them through the fall.
Desperation began to set in during the final weeks of fall, when the last of their meager supply of food had begun to dwindle. Although they had pulled in a successful harvest, they had not managed to plant enough to last through the winter. The villagers' troubles were compounded with a raid by bandits who sought to take advantage of their vulnerability. Although the elves managed to rout the invaders, the carnage they brought had devastated most of the supplies remaining in Plains Sight.
It was during a time of peak starvation and distrust in humanity for the villagers that a bishop from the Restan city of Amora traveled into the village, hoping to rest before a long pilgrimage to each of the elven temples. Introducing himself as Nicholas Whitetree, the kindly old man was understanding of the suspicion the elves met him with. Recalling his training as an acolyte, he listened to the village's story and offered his words of sympathy. When he left the village, however, several people noticed that he had left in the direction from which he came.
Bishop Whitetree returned a week later with a caravan loaded with supplies from Amora. He had brought food and tools that would help the villagers to live through the rest of the year, including additional construction supplies that they used to enhance their fortifications. After a hard year, this unexpected act of benevolence would have been overwhelming to the people of Plains Sight on its own, but the bishop's bounty also included gifts of books and toys for the children. So it was that the elves of Plains Sight spent its first week of winter in celebration for the first time after a hard year.
The citizens of Plains Sight bid the priest a fond farewell as he left to finally begin his pilgrimage. They promised to never forget his kindness and vowed to repay it by spreading his good will to all. So, in the village's second year, the elves made use of their improved fortune by crafting various toys and trinkets. They then spent the next winter distributing their gifts throughout the cities of Tanis, as well as the nearby Restan towns. They did this all in honor of their savior, who they called Tey Bola Ul Handeen, which means The Father of Giving in the language of the ancients.
While the villagers spread word of the Bishop's legendary act of kindness, he continued his pilgrimage through the cities. One day, on the third year of his travels and the second year of the villagers' growing tradition, he met one of the elves he had spoken to on that fateful day and told him this.
"This money, these supplies. I gave them happily to you because they meant almost nothing to me, but everything to you. It is the will of Serenity to bring hope to those who need it and comfort to those who seek it. For every person I saved with my paltry act of grace and for every smile you have created since, Serenity looks upon us all with joy."
From that day on, the Bishop's message changed to include the tale of the elves who responded to his charity with a yearly tradition of spreading good will in his and Serenity's names. It is because of this that the traditions of Tey Bola Ul Handeen have become a national festival for the people of Tanis. For the first month of winter, all elves craft toys and works of art and offer them to others for the purpose of celebrating the potential good will of mortal kind.
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