Tree of Names

The Tree of Names is one of the central artifacts of Avalir. It was created by the Gau Drashari of Toramunda when the wizards of the city created the flying city of Avalir from the top of Mount Ygora, leaving the ring city of Cathmoíra behind.

Fan art of the Tree of Names, by Clara.

Appearance

The stone chamber in which the Tree stands is massive and glowing with runes, holding two mighty arcane engines with large-bladed fins circling around glowing blue amethyst orbs crackling with light. There are stained glass windows of the flying city of Avalir, runes protecting it. Hovering in the center of the room is a beautiful tree with dark wood, dark leaves and blossoms, surrounded by the protective engines of the Arboreal Calix.

Background

During the Schism, two mighty Primordials called Rau'shan the Emperor of Fire and Ka'Mort the Empress of Earth were laid low and sealed away by the Dawnfather and the Wildmother under the brumestone-filled and elemental magic-permeated Mount Ygora on the continent of Domunas. Early in the Age of Arcanum, the ancient Gau Drashari druidic settlement of Toramunda was built there. Over time, other people settled in the area as well, growing the settlement into a city.

About 292 years before the Calamity, a group of mages led by Imyr Por'co sought the permission of the Gau Drashari to lift the top of the mountain into the sky to become the flying city of Avalir. To gain this permission, the wizards agreed that a certain percentage of the magic collected by Avalir in its travels along the ley lines of Exandria would be apportioned to the druids. The Replenishment refers the city's return to its terrestrial sister city Cathmoíra every seven years to return the collected arcane ether into the surrounding area. In the year following a Replenishment, crops explode throughout the land, and often, a generation of magical children will be born and there will be a revitalizing.

“

Honorable Magister, your assurances are taken in the most generous spirit possible. I do not distrust you, the person, for all people are children of Exandria. But what I distrust is enchantment, the enchantment of a people and of their ways. The wizards of Avalir have proven time and again that they do not see limitation. They do not see the limitation of a city that will be borne aloft into the sky, nor do they see risk. I wish that I could trust you. I wish that my order could trust you. I wish that we could, in good faith, tell you of the tree's purpose. Sorrow fills my heart for even if you kept your word, the wizard behind you, if they knew the nature of the tree, I can only imagine would see all that they could do with it and not what they could do for it. I implore you. The endless skies of Exandria are yours. The wonders of your imagination are your only master. Please, simply tend for this tree and do not ask again. We cannot trust you with its secrets.

”

– 

Head Druid of the Gau Drashari, the Temple of Toramunda.

[!h]

Although the archmages of Avalir present the Replenishment as an act of charity, it was actually a legal obligation to the Gau Drashari under the "Pact of Crown and Throne". Avalir became the City of Crowns, and Cathmoíra the City of Thrones. The city also performed a secret function as it traveled the ley lines of Exandria: it wrote a spell of protection on the face of the world. Vespin Chloras was apparently aware, however, of this function, as he commented to Lacrytia Hollow and Micah Cormorant that the Tree was the reason that duplicating the ascension ritual of the Raven Queen was difficult.

The Arboreal Calix

About 119 years before the events of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and approximately a year after the ascension of The Raven Queen to godhood, the Gau Drashari renegotiated the Pact by installing the Arboreal Calix over the Tree of Names to further protect it, taking part of the ether of the city to power itself. After the installation of this stone chamber, that had to be opened using a big wheel, the Tree itself was no longer talked about so much, and instead people were only aware of the Calix.

Events of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity

During the night of "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03), the Ring of Brass entered the chamber of the Arboreal Calix. Loquatius Seelie's fey eyes noticed caught in its branches the small toy Laerryn Coramar-Seelie had sent to another plane in her test earlier than evening. The party realized that the tree caught things going through a planar portal. Nydas Okiro stopped Laerryn from attacking the tree, sharing the prophecy he was shown earlier that evening: The limbs of a tree that can no longer scribe the name of our deliverance [...] will soon be as broken as our promises. Avalir shall fall. Laerryn, however, saw the face of Evandrin Alterra caught in the branches. As Patia Por'co cast Legend Lore upon the tree, a fight began among the other party members present.

In visions, Patia saw the last surviving Primordials (Rau'shan and Ka'Mort) sealed under Mount Ygora, and the seals tended to by the Gau Drashari. The wizards came and proposed lifting the top of the mountain to create their flying city. Imyr offered to bring them magical energy, and the Drashari agreed. Later, the Drashari summoned the Tree of Names into being, to protect Exandria by scribing the names of "those things beyond which should not come", scribing runes of protection. "For 292 years, Avalir has been writing a spell on the surface of the world to keep it safe," and the druids kept this secret from the wizards in an attempt to protect the tree. Patia learned that her grandfather Imyr Por'co had been the last to touch the tree. She heard the leader of the Gau Drashari, at the time the Pact was reached, shouting, "Unhand it", and voices saying, "What has it been doing? The tree is a wall. The tree is a gate. The tree is a pen, scribing, blossoms, leylines, writing, writing the names, the names. Petals falling all over Exandria. This was our bargain, Imyr." Zerxus Ilerez also read the birchbark scroll they had found earlier wherein the Head Druid of the Gau Drashari at the time the Calix was created wrote of why they felt they could not trust mages and could not share the tree's purpose with them.

When the tree appeared to attack both Patia and Loquatius, Laerryn cast Blight upon it, sundering it. As she did, Zerxus looked into the branches of the tree and saw Evandrin's translucent, fearful face, saying, "Not like this!" As a seam opened in the trunk, there was fire and the mutilated face of Vespin Chloras peered out. Behind him, Asmodeus's voice said, "Very good, my little puppet." Vespin crawled through and as the tree split further apart, the Lord of Hells emerged, saying, "Ah, to be home again!" as he set foot once more in Exandria.

References

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