The Sanctuary is the place where the council puts animals that have been trained as vegetarians to protect them from going extinct. It has all types of animals, including ones humans believe to be extinct, like woolly mammoths and dinosaurs. Elves believe if any species were to die off the planet, it would upset the delicate balance of the world; they call this to the Timeline to Extinction.
The Sanctuary is located in the Himalayas. It is described as a beautiful place with lush meadows and green forests that seem to stretch out forever. It is also described that the sky is a cerulean blue that sometimes seems to flash every color of the spectrum as if walking inside a rainbow. The air is fresh and has a crisp sweetness to it. The meadow with rainbow skies contains pegasi, unicorns, and (previously) the last two known alicorns, Silveny and Greyfell. Silveny was moved to the Sanctuary in a celebration at the end of Exile, but they were released at the end of Lodestar because they could get away from attackers far better in the wild.
Requirements
To have an animal enter the sanctuary, there are a few requirements.
- Illness free - an animal needs to be checked to be illness free to prevent large-scale infections.
- Vegetarianized - an animal has to learn to eat only plants to prevent predators from hunting other animals.
Role in the Story
In Everblaze, Keefe Sencen and Sophie Foster go there because Silveny the Alicorn needs help. It is hidden inside the mountain range of the Himalayas, which the elves use as a sort of shield from humans accidentally finding the Sanctuary, to stop elves (or any other species with light leaping crystals) from light leaping directly into the Sanctuary, and so alicorns can't use their teleportation ability to get in or out. The animals that live in the Sanctuary must first be trained to get along with other animals and to be vegetarians; a task that is taken care of by the Ruewens at Havenfield, and the Hekses.