Difference between revisions of "DMs Only: Tree of Parting"

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==Overview==
 
==Overview==
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Culverwood The Tree of Parting] sits halfway between the Emerald Kingdom and the Kingdom of New Elenna.
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Geography:_Izen Tree of Parting] The Tree of Parting sits halfway between the Emerald Kingdom and the Kingdom of New Elenna. Beginning as a Way House for those travelling from one to the other, it got its name from the strange looking little tree that marked the side trail leading to the house.  When two elves, were slain at the “House of Parting” and the site burned as well by Orcs, their great grandfather, Ilyndrathyl, made the site a memorial.  Traveling north, he beseeched the Culver, a grove of ancient treants who are the heart of the Culverwood forest, to give him a seedling for his memorial and told them the tragic story of his great-grandchildren.
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Beginning as a Wayhouse for those travelling from one to the other, it got its name from the strange looking little tree that marked the side trail leading to the house.  When two elves, were slain at the “House of Parting” and the site burned as well by Orcs, their great grandfather, Ilyndrathyl, made the site a memorial.  Traveling north, he beseeched the Culver, a grove of ancient treants who are the heart of the Culverwood forest, to give him a seedling for his memorial and told them the tragic story of his great-grandchildren.
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So moved was Deeproot, one of the elder trees, that he followed the Druid to see this place, knowing at his age, that this would last journey.  The Greenmage of Culverwood has forever since taken on the surname of Deeproot in honor of the great Elder tree so that he shall never be forgotten.  There he rooted himself and entered the eternal sleep.  Ilyndrathyl gathered family and built a grand tree house in Deeproot’s branches to keep the new Wayhouse out of the reach of those who would harm travelers upon the road.
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Making this his new family home, The Tree of Parting has stood for generations.  Ilyndrathyl’s children still manage what has grown from being a Wayhouse into a small trading post. No price is ever quoted to any visitor to the tree.  The Ilyndrathyl family instead lets visitors pay or not according to the service they feel they have received.  Usually, their generosity is reciprocated far and beyond what would have been charged.
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So moved was Deeproot, one of the elder trees, that he followed the Druid to see this place, knowing at his age, that this would last journey.  The Greenmage of Culverwood has forever since taken on the surname of Deeproot in honor of the great Elder tree so that he shall never be forgotten. There he rooted himself and entered the eternal sleep.  Ilyndrathyl gathered family and built a grand treehouse in Deeproot’s branches to keep the new Way House out of the reach of those who would harm travelers upon the road.
  
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Ciyradyl, sweet of heart and a shrewd judge of character, manages the inn and pub. Known for catering to all manner of guests, the inn has both fine wines and the stoutest ales. The food is first rate and the prices reasonable.  One can order a common meal or a 5 star meal to compete with the best pubs in the Floating City.  Rooms of varying style and luxury are available, all with a view.
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Making this his new family home, The Tree of Parting has stood for generations.  Ilyndrathyl’s descendants still manage what has grown from being a small bed and breakfast on a dangerous road into the most important waystation for all east-west trade on the peninsula of Elenna. No price is ever quoted to any visitor.  The Ilyndrathyl family instead lets visitors pay or not according to the service they feel they have received.  Usually, their generosity is reciprocated far and beyond what would have been charged.
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The Tree of Parting is considered by many to be one of the Wonders of the Wold.  It is known far and wide as neutral ground for negotiations and peace treaties by all in the area.  
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Even still, it is on the fringes of civilization where wild bands of orcs roam, where magical beasts and aberations hunt and is a hub of intrigue and thus one of the most dangerous safe locations in all the Wold
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==Adventures==
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Ilyndrathyl, who is ancient even for an elf, is still alive, but is not the active manager, having retired years ago.  However, the greenmage can still be seen daily walking among the branches of the tree each morning examining all the supports as well as the health of the tree.
  
 +
The manager and very much the man in charge is Folbre, Ilyndrathyl’s son.  Folbre is blind.  Only the family knows the story behind this.  However, do not mistake his abilities.  As with many blind folk, his other senses have expanded to make up for his lack of sight.  Many rumors abound that he enhances his other senses with magic.  Many more rumors are told as to why he can’t have his blindness cured.  A fastidious person, he craves neatness and organization.  He is very esteemed among all elves everywhere and has served in various capacities of elven leadership both in the Emerald Kingdom and Culverwood.  However, as with many things involving Folbre, the story of how he became so revered with the Culverwood elves is a cultural and racial secret.  Before he took over for his father in the Tree, he was served by a dozen elven maidens, each from a different elven village.  However, by his request, only one remains with him unless he chooses to travel.
  
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==Brainstorming and other unofficial items==
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The staff numbers around 25 people, mostly descendants of Ilyndrathyl.  Each is cross-trained to work in more than one area of the tree.  There are also between 7-10 permanent residents present at any time, renting stalls in the tiny market or staying in the Tree for other reasons.  5-10 wagons of traders stop here each night to rest and have a safe place to stay, recover from the road, and make important repairs to wagons and other equipment.  The Tree’s Inn and Tavern are large enough to cram them in, but there are times that late arrivals must bunk in the common room.
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*[[Areas near The Tree of Parting]]
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*[[To be used later]]
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*[[Module Ideas]]
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==Official Items==
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Ciyradyl, the oldest of Ilyndrathyl’s great-grandchildren, is sweet of heart and a shrewd judge of character.  She manages the inn and pub.  The pub is known for catering to all manner of guests, the inn has both fine wines and the stoutest ales.  The food is first rate and the prices reasonable.  One can order a common meal or a 5 star feast to compete with the best pubs in the Floating City.  Rooms of varying style and luxury are available, all with a view.
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'''Creatures'''
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'''NPC'S'''
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-Laughingwater runs the Free Trade Post at the top of the stairs.  Here, traders and travelers alike make arrangements to store their wagons, livestock, and other travelling supplies in the tree for the night.  He also is the one to see to set up a shop within the tree.  Businesses come and go, but Laughingwater sees that there is always a good leatherworker on site as well as a bowyer as the defenses of the tree are mostly missile based.  A craftsman himself of rare ability, he has designed a stairway that circles the trunk of the tree, which can be lifted and compacted when the denizens of Izen come calling.  He also has several lifts that can lift anything from a pile of crates, to livestock, to an entire wagon up into the safety of the tree for the evening.  More profit is collected from the storage of caravans than any other venture within the tree.  He makes it clear to each and every traveler that chooses to camp next to the tree, that the tree cannot come to their rescue if attack comes.
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-Moana not aware she is an actual fortune teller.  ie most of the times it is like fortune tellers of today, entertaining, so broad as to fit nearly anything the listener wishes it to and a complete scam so to speak.  Does not make her a bad person, just trying to make a living after all and most leave feeling better about themselves and their lot in life.  But every now and then, one of the gods steps in and uses her to communicate true portence.
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'''Outsider Ally''' Write up below is from Meagen the player.  it will be revised and solidified some.  Future DM's can expand as they see fit
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Hiflanyl, one of the younger grand-grandchildren, is in charge of the warehouse and stables. He runs the “lifts” to raise up the trade wagons into the tree and is the lead repairman for anything that needs fixed.  He is a virtuoso at repairing anything and has both blacksmithing and leatherworking skills.  Hiflanyl has designed a stairway that circles the trunk of the tree, which can be lifted and compacted when the denizens of Izen or the Red Hills come calling.  He also has several lifts that can lift anything from a pile of crates, to livestock, to an entire wagon up into the safety of the tree for the evening.  More profit is collected from the storage of caravans than any other venture within the tree.  He makes it clear to each and every traveler that chooses to camp next to the tree, that the tree cannot come to their rescue if attack comes.
  
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While Kesabrey doesn’t yet know much about her entity, it will be fun to discover it! Personally, all she knows is that it is her original home: the land she was raised in. So while she doesn’t officially pick an outsider until level 2, she already loves this location as her effective deity as well as the home and family she grew up with. Here are the major elements of its ethos and alignment:
 
  
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1.    It is a geographical location that can be visited. Ideally, it’s somewhere close enough to the main bulk of our campaign that she can travel there. I’ll probably pay for a coven there. Reading through the wiki, the best matches for what I had in mind would be: A) some small secluded part of the Emerald Kingdom, perhaps near the Red Hills where strange monsters roam, B) somewhere around Blackheart Woods or Lake Wellogy, though that area might be too wealthy or high traffic, C) the woods between Niffwig and Beetlebug. These are just ideas based on the terrain types I noticed on the maps.
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Laughingwater, Hiflanyl’s best friend, runs the Free Trade Post at the top of the stairs.  Here, traders and travelers alike make arrangements to store their wagons, livestock, and other travelling supplies in the tree for the night.  He also is the one to see if you desire to set up a shop within the tree.  Businesses come and go, but Laughingwater sees that there is always a bowyer on site as the defenses of the tree are mostly missile based.  There is also a branch of the Catacombs present in the Tree.
  
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2.    While her coven lived in a small and secluded forested area, there was a watery nature to this “land” and outsider. Something small scale so as not to mess up the Woldian world map: a swamp/bog, a pond, or even just an old well that’s tapped into an ancient source far under the surface (probably my favorite idea so far). The coven views this water source as particularly sacred, and believes that using this water in their cauldrons and potions is a “sacred” rite that imbues them with greater power (whether this is true or not). Whenever they do anything ceremonial, even if not magical, they prefer to come back to this land to incorporate this water.
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The “Head of Security” is a friend of the family named Miles Raynor.  He and his assistant, coordinate all defense efforts for the Tree.  Miles was a career officer with the Emerald Armed Forces until he saved the life of Laughingwater during a trip to Emerald City.  Miles was hired on the spot and though aging faster than the elves he works for, is very effective at his job. He is on hand with every “lift” to explain the behavior expected of all guests of the inn, much to the consternation of Ciyradyl, who thinks it harms her hospitality. He also runs regular drills for all able-bodied residents of the Tree as everyone, “And I mean everyone,” will help defend the tree if attacked.
  
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3.    The Ally is concerned mainly with magically (and rapidly) changing forms into other forms. It is particularly concerned with altering living things. While it does not necessarily think these changes should be permanent, it seems more than happy to indulge in permanency when it meets its criteria or strikes its whims. Its seemingly full-throated embrace of these sudden changes are a mystery that will be interesting to discover. Perhaps it feels it can improve upon nature’s inferior design, or perhaps it is more concerned with leveling the playing field in engagements. Kess truly has no idea what motivates the land, other than it seems to relish altering the biology and physiology of those the witch encounters. It does not appear to enjoy following rules, or perhaps feels that it can rewrite better rules.
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The Tree of Parting is considered “neutral ground” and is not part of either the Emerald Kingdom, nor the Kingdom of New Elenna. It is known as a site of negotiations, even among the vile and ignoble. There have been formal meetings in the Tree of Parting between feuding orcs, between giants and halflings, and even between dragon and adventurer.  Thus most kingdoms, tribes, and organizations do not consider ruining their ability to parley at the tree by attacking it. However, this “neutral ground” does not seem to apply to the rest of the East-West Road.  There is a tale that orcs came to the rescue of the tree against another orc tribe to keep their ability to parley from being removed.
  
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4.    It does not seem to have any power at all over the dead. If something is recently dead, it usually means it’s not quite there yet, and her spell selection will reflect that notion of healing from the brink pretty well. The concept of souls might be beyond the Ally’s purview or understanding; it is yet unknown how much it even knows or deals with Woldsblood and its workings.
+
There are two other forts on the East-West Road that leads from New Elenna through northern Izen to Aisildur.  They are more traditional in nature, being built on the ground with walls for protection. The road stays just south of the dangerous Culverwood.  Most traders travel in groups of two-five wagons and carry a few guards for protection.  In addition, the Emerald Horsemen patrol the road between the three outposts.  New Elenna has hired “adventurers” that patrol the road east of the Tree of Parting all the way to Edenmoor.
  
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5.     Kess presumes that her Outsider Ally is Chaotic Good, as sudden body changes seem chaotic in nature. She may simply be unwisely assuming that her Ally follows her own belief system. Just because Kess uses her powers to try and help people, does not necessarily mean that’s what the Ally wants. Though that said, I hope to play her for some years and it might be too tricky if their value systems are completely opposed.
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The Tree of Parting is considered by many to be one of the Wonders of the Wold. It is known far and wide for its hospitality as well as the incredible beauty of its views in all directions. From the tree, one can see Culverwood, Izen, The Red Hills, the Emerald Kingdom, and on a clear day offer a far off view of the plateaus of the Kingdom of New Elenna.
  
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6.     Its domain is Healing, as this can be seen as altering one living form to another. Especially if the Ally is trying to “improve” those its targets by whatever its own criteria happens to be, then healing is an easy way to express it. Its other domain would most likely be Animal or Strength: something that embodies the alteration of living beings. Chaos and Law are a bit too strange for this Ally – it almost seems to chaotically flaunt the laws of nature, but only because it thinks it can do a better job at writing them – so neither is probably dominant enough to deserve a viable domain option. It would never have Repose, or any of the concepts dealing with more man-made things like Artifice and Rune. Water might be suitable, however, depending on its mysteries.
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==Official Items==
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Past descriptions used for the Tree in game
 +
---The Tree of Parting looms ahead of you as late afternoon approaches. Reaching higher than any castle spire you have ever seen. Its great canopy stretches out and seems to help support the sky itself. You can see lights, torches, magic or lanterns is hard to tell, but they shine about the upper branches. As the party draws closer, you begin to make out structures built and blended artfully into the great boughs.
  
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7.    The idea was that everything about the land, and the powers it grants, seems to do with fighting against or converting nature. Even the notion that it is a flooded swamp or pond that wasn’t originally helps reinforce the gimmick that one type of biology/ecology is overcoming the original. That’s by far the least important, though; I don’t want to mess up the Wold map in any way, I just wanted to explain where my concept stemmed from.
+
---You need to get to TreeTops Inn and see Captain VonKlempt" His arm pointing skyward nearly 500' to a building in the great tree.
  
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8.    The coven currently believes that the Ally loves and grants favor to the following: Blood Witches that ally with it, Shapeshifters, and Monstrologers skilled enough to breed entirely new beings. The coven does not believe that it has much respect for Druids, for while they alter their forms they do so only in “natural” ways. To this end, Kesabrey’s witch coven actively despises any druid circles it encounters (for her part Kess doesn’t dislike them, but probably fears them due to her sheltered upbringing). The coven also believes that their Ally hates the undead – if perhaps not fully understanding them – so Its blood witches are always sure to destroy such blights on the land.
+
--The party wakes and cleans up and gathers about the one of the lifts. The lifts themselves, unlike the large one that came down last night, are unmanned. Ropes at each corner secure them with a mid chest high dual rallied fence surrounds it. A small built in gate easily swings open and locks back into place as everyone steps aboard. A second or two pass and then the lift begins climbing into the sky. The platform feels completely steady and you can barely feel it move. Soon enough, the platform comes to stop at a great bough in the tree, nearly 120' up, the branch is almost 15' wide. A man greets you as you step off and directs you towards the trunk and the winding staircase you took the previous evening to get to TreeTops.
  
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9.    Kess’s coven hates outsiders far more than Kess does. They probably view the land and especially its water as a secret thing that is not meant to be known in the Wold. Kess thinks that’s a load of hogwash and feels quite sure that by “travelling with her,” the Ally will get the chance to explore the Wold and its people instead of being stuck back home. Plus this way, it can help so many more people!
+
You pass only a few merchants at this early hour and see no one that you would consider a guard or watchman. With the great canopy of the tree, the sunlight is very filtered and streams through in very select places. To illuminate a piece of art, or branching of some path, a water fountain or other specific thing. Hooded lanterns hang in many other locations from stout poles attached to the path, or hang from a convenient branch above. None of the lanterns give off any heat.
  
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The coven of course doesn’t know the Ally’s true name. Their knowledge is so limited that it might not even be a Land at all, but rather something living deep beneath the crust that can currently only gain access through the well or water source, and the animals and plants feeding off it in the immediate vicinity.
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If the tree looked wondrous in the night it looks even more majestic in the daylight. Its great branches, now so clearly visible twisting and turning about in what seems to be the only way they could so as that the buildings and paths built within could exist. Below about the trunk, the bark appeared to be thick, coarse brown with grey highlighting. Here above, though, the branches are wrapped in a smooth grey with white highlights and slivers of tan.
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The trip from exiting the lift to the upper reaches of the tree where Tree Tops sits takes nearly an hour and somewhere around 500, you stopped counting stairs. At last you have reached Tree Tops Inn. The great oaken double doors are open, soft string music is within and the quiet tones of a few guests in private conversation.
 +
 
 +
--Maltius leads the group across the room and up a side flight of stairs and down a hall. The walls are open, granting more pristine views of the beauty of the Tree. The covered walk has several other paths that lead to other rooms situated about. Looking to only be accessible by the walkway or, of course magic. At the end of the walkway, about 250' from the main room, is a short 8 steps to a beautiful cherry wood door highlighted with red and gold trim. Maltius walks up and kisses an engraved circle and then opens the door.. After the party enters, he closes it.
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The suite consists of 3 rooms and a wash room. 2 sleeping rooms with 2 large beds each, separated by a communal room of about 300 square feet. The suite is pleasantly furnished, but not extravagently so, a fire place is located in each room and a pair of filled water pitchers with glasses sits on a small table backed by chairs and a couch. A third large sized chair is just to the side by a window looking out to the west.
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==Creatures==
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==NPC'S==
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===The Tree of Parting Full Time residents===
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*''Laughingwater - Male Human, runs the Free Trade Post at the top of the stairs. 
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*''Moana'' - Female Human, runs Moana's Fortunes and is not aware she is an actual fortune teller.  ie most of the times it is like fortune tellers of today, entertaining, so broad as to fit nearly anything the listener wishes it to and a complete scam so to speak.  Does not make her a bad person, just trying to make a living after all and most leave feeling better about themselves and their lot in life.  But every now and then, one of the gods steps in and uses her to communicate true providence.
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*''Dungarth'' - Male Human, runs Dungarth's Leatherworking Shop
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*''Saide Silvergraft'' - Female Half elf, runs The Big Nest a general store. 
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*''Lorifir Lorhalien'' - Male Elf, runs the Fletcher
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*''Liliput Muffinbubble'' - Female Halfling, Caretaker of The Leafy Chapel [a shrine to Alemi as well as a memorial to Ilyndrethyl and Deeproot.]
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*''Boolia'' - Female Half-Orc, runs Studs and Gems
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*''Miles Raynor'' - Male Human, Head of Security
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*''Folbre Ilyndrathyl'' - Male Elf, Tree of Parting Manager.  Folbre is blind though only his family knows this.  DC Local 35
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*''Ciyradyl Ilyndrathyl'' - Female Elf,  Runs Treetop Tavern
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*''Hiflanyl Ilyndrathyl''  - Male Elf, Runs the warehouse and stables
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*''The Ilyndrathyl family''– overseers non public behind the scenes DC Local 35
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===Other NPCS===
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*''Garret VonKlempt'' – Caravan captain of the Guard (Agent of the Fist)
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*''Dubrin'' – older dwarf merchant from Module 1
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*''Korbiss'' – older dwarf merchant from Module 1
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*''Boy'' – teenaged carpenter  from Module 1
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*''Gaston Laroutte'' - Human Male, wealthy noble trying to get into The Chancers Club.  Boistrous, loud, extravagant and self superior.  Gaston talks a good game, has good fighting skills, but is a bit full of himself.  Gaston failed the test and found his courage lacking against the strange denizens of the Eastern Wood.  The party sided against Gaston and he has been denied entrance to the Chancers Club.  He is a nephew to Quason Thesk, Duke in Plateau City.  He is hostile towards the party.  Gaston particularly hates Cameron and wants to cause the halfling as much grief as he can.  Gaston will be spending some time researching Cameron.  He will start with the Mailed Fist and go from there.  If Gaston has the opportunity to thwart any plans Cameron partakes in for himself, Gaston will do so.  he is not so much interested in killing any of the party.  He wants to make their lives harder, much harder either directly or indirectly to friends and associates.  Possible ideas of barring memberships to other organizations in the Wold.  Pulling permits and trade franchises.  Spreading rumors to gain a negative reputation.
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Gaston has dozens of people in direct employ, a strong level of political and business influence and a tremendous amount of cash to apply
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Gaston wants to humiliate the party, making the Tree kick them out, disband as friends basically all but ruin them
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Gaston has learned of how Cameron left the group through his network and the dwarf merchants Durbin and Korbiss (Mod 5)
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He has learned the family history and backgrounds of Atlas, Mack, Carver, and Owen
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*''Mikalus Dragonspell'' - Human Male, Silver Bishop of The Chancer Club Questor Committee.  Self made nobleman of Plateau City.  One of the key figures in blocking Gaston from gaining entrance into the Chancers Club.  Worked behind the scenes to accomplish this by bringing the party into the testing.  Module 2  He has a neutral if not slightly favorable towards the party.  As a former adventurer Mikalus is rooting for the party.  He was a well thought of member of the WLA, holding the rank of Lt Commander, before joining the Chancers about 10 years ago.  He has been the Silver Bishop for 6 years.
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*''Lady Dragonspell'' - Human Female, married to Mikalus, holds the rank of Master Mage in Plateau City Star Mage Guild.  the Dragonspell's live in Gold Quarter of Plateau City
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*''Quason Thesk'' - Human Male, wealthy noble of the rank of Duke in Plateau City.  His position towards the party is neutral.  He considers himself and all noble born at the top of the pecking order and demands respect for that fact.  He consider's the group beneath his notice.  He feels it is a slight to him from the Council that his nephew was not granted acceptance to the Chancers Club.  He did not know Gaston was his nephew though until only this year.  If he crosses paths with the party again he will be indifferent. 
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*''Lord Bezel'' - Human Male, Silver Board of Selections Member.  Worked with Mikalus Dragonspell behind the scenes and holds a Neutral position towards the party.
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
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http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Culverwood
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Geography:_Izen Tree of Parting]
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Geography:_Red_Hills Red Hills North of the Tree of Parting]
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Geography:_New_Elenna New Elenna to the East of The Tree of Parting]
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/Culverwood The Tree of Parting]
  
 
==Life in the Tree==
 
==Life in the Tree==
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Daily visitors shooting through is not many.  2 wagons and groups of 4-6 horseback riders
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*The Suite of Rooms -From the Main room in Tree Tops Inn, across the room and up a side flight of stairs and down a hall. The walls are open, granting more pristine views of the beauty of the Tree. The covered walk has several other paths that lead to other rooms situated about. Looking to only be accessible by the walkway or, of course, magic. At the end of the walkway, about 250' from the main room, is a short 8 steps to a beautiful cherry wood door highlighted with red and gold trim.  The suite consists of 3 rooms and a wash room. 2 sleeping rooms with 2 large beds each, separated by a communal room of about 300 square feet. The suite is pleasantly furnished, but not extravagantly so, a fire place is located in each room and a pair of filled water pitchers with glasses sits on a small table backed by chairs and a couch. A third large sized chair is just to the side by a window looking out to the west.
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Monthly larger train 10-15 wagons tops comes at different times so the bad guys can’t easily mount attacks and prepare
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Inn and Tavern are large enough to cram them in, but depending on the monthly size, perhaps not everyone gets ‘up’ and certainly not all the wagons and horses.
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==Adventures==
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Permanent residents is about 35 and then maybe another 25 in children
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Neutral ground allows for there to maybe only be 2-3 deputies and a sheriff type as security. Most of the adults could double as militia if needed but the sheriff is looked to keep order among the many visitors
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/DMs_Only:_Tree_of_Parting Top]
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4-6 entertainers
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Emerald Kingdom “horsemen” patrolling the roads between the “three” out posts west of the tree.  We could have New Elennian “adventurers” patrolling the road from the tree east to Edenmoor.
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*The Eastern Woods - (Module 2) A subset of woods from Culverwood.  It has a low sentience about it.  It is generally neutral in disposition, but wants to be left undisturbed.  It becomes violent if violence is acted within.  Vegepygmies are the main defenses in dealing with violent intruders.  The Wood can alter game trails, trees and bushes can move some to aid in misdirection.  Other inhabitants include several dryad, nymphs, small fairey folk and a treant.  Animals abound including giant varieties.  The wood encompasses approximately 1200 square miles
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*Teucri Outpost -  Just inside the Red Hills, 30 miles northeast of the Tree is a Teucri outpost (Module 3)  At the end of Module 3 'The Beacon' a missing key piece will still be required to access deeper secrets at this exotic location.  One possible out come is the activation of an Air City, sister and companion of Floating City.  In this Dragon Consortium event the Air City activates and begins heading towards Floating City where upon discovering an infestation will begin cleansing Floating City before the final linage is completed.  Cleansing would kill all life in Floating City.  Inevitables and various powerful constructs would deploy to do so.
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==Brainstorming and other unofficial items==
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*[[Areas near The Tree of Parting]]
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*[[To be used later]]
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*[[Module Ideas]]
  
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Current businesses renting space in the Tree of Parting include:
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==Trophy requirements==
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--Dungarth’s Leatherworking Shop
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[http://www.woldiangames.com/Woldipedia/index.php/DMs_Only:_Tree_of_Parting Top]
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--The Big Nest [general store managed by Saide Silvergraft half/elf]
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*[[Trophies]]  Link to guidelines and requirements of the available trophies that can be earned by characters and the party as a whole
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Lorifir Lorhalien, Fletcher
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Other locations of note are:
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--The Leafy Chapel [a shrine to Alemi as well as a memorial to Ilyndrethyl and Deeproot.]  Liliput Muffinbubble is the priest in residence.
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--Shrine to the Culverwood, honored as an immortal power, off in the woods, secret, a bit of a cult?
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--Moana’s Fortunes [crystal ball reader]
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--Studs and Gems [Boolia the Female Half-Orc makes studs and gems]
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Latest revision as of 10:56, 27 February 2016

Overview

Tree of Parting The Tree of Parting sits halfway between the Emerald Kingdom and the Kingdom of New Elenna. Beginning as a Way House for those travelling from one to the other, it got its name from the strange looking little tree that marked the side trail leading to the house. When two elves, were slain at the “House of Parting” and the site burned as well by Orcs, their great grandfather, Ilyndrathyl, made the site a memorial. Traveling north, he beseeched the Culver, a grove of ancient treants who are the heart of the Culverwood forest, to give him a seedling for his memorial and told them the tragic story of his great-grandchildren.

So moved was Deeproot, one of the elder trees, that he followed the Druid to see this place, knowing at his age, that this would last journey. The Greenmage of Culverwood has forever since taken on the surname of Deeproot in honor of the great Elder tree so that he shall never be forgotten. There he rooted himself and entered the eternal sleep. Ilyndrathyl gathered family and built a grand treehouse in Deeproot’s branches to keep the new Way House out of the reach of those who would harm travelers upon the road.

Making this his new family home, The Tree of Parting has stood for generations. Ilyndrathyl’s descendants still manage what has grown from being a small bed and breakfast on a dangerous road into the most important waystation for all east-west trade on the peninsula of Elenna. No price is ever quoted to any visitor. The Ilyndrathyl family instead lets visitors pay or not according to the service they feel they have received. Usually, their generosity is reciprocated far and beyond what would have been charged.

Ilyndrathyl, who is ancient even for an elf, is still alive, but is not the active manager, having retired years ago. However, the greenmage can still be seen daily walking among the branches of the tree each morning examining all the supports as well as the health of the tree.

The manager and very much the man in charge is Folbre, Ilyndrathyl’s son. Folbre is blind. Only the family knows the story behind this. However, do not mistake his abilities. As with many blind folk, his other senses have expanded to make up for his lack of sight. Many rumors abound that he enhances his other senses with magic. Many more rumors are told as to why he can’t have his blindness cured. A fastidious person, he craves neatness and organization. He is very esteemed among all elves everywhere and has served in various capacities of elven leadership both in the Emerald Kingdom and Culverwood. However, as with many things involving Folbre, the story of how he became so revered with the Culverwood elves is a cultural and racial secret. Before he took over for his father in the Tree, he was served by a dozen elven maidens, each from a different elven village. However, by his request, only one remains with him unless he chooses to travel.

The staff numbers around 25 people, mostly descendants of Ilyndrathyl. Each is cross-trained to work in more than one area of the tree. There are also between 7-10 permanent residents present at any time, renting stalls in the tiny market or staying in the Tree for other reasons. 5-10 wagons of traders stop here each night to rest and have a safe place to stay, recover from the road, and make important repairs to wagons and other equipment. The Tree’s Inn and Tavern are large enough to cram them in, but there are times that late arrivals must bunk in the common room.

Ciyradyl, the oldest of Ilyndrathyl’s great-grandchildren, is sweet of heart and a shrewd judge of character. She manages the inn and pub. The pub is known for catering to all manner of guests, the inn has both fine wines and the stoutest ales. The food is first rate and the prices reasonable. One can order a common meal or a 5 star feast to compete with the best pubs in the Floating City. Rooms of varying style and luxury are available, all with a view.

Hiflanyl, one of the younger grand-grandchildren, is in charge of the warehouse and stables. He runs the “lifts” to raise up the trade wagons into the tree and is the lead repairman for anything that needs fixed. He is a virtuoso at repairing anything and has both blacksmithing and leatherworking skills. Hiflanyl has designed a stairway that circles the trunk of the tree, which can be lifted and compacted when the denizens of Izen or the Red Hills come calling. He also has several lifts that can lift anything from a pile of crates, to livestock, to an entire wagon up into the safety of the tree for the evening. More profit is collected from the storage of caravans than any other venture within the tree. He makes it clear to each and every traveler that chooses to camp next to the tree, that the tree cannot come to their rescue if attack comes.


Laughingwater, Hiflanyl’s best friend, runs the Free Trade Post at the top of the stairs. Here, traders and travelers alike make arrangements to store their wagons, livestock, and other travelling supplies in the tree for the night. He also is the one to see if you desire to set up a shop within the tree. Businesses come and go, but Laughingwater sees that there is always a bowyer on site as the defenses of the tree are mostly missile based. There is also a branch of the Catacombs present in the Tree.

The “Head of Security” is a friend of the family named Miles Raynor. He and his assistant, coordinate all defense efforts for the Tree. Miles was a career officer with the Emerald Armed Forces until he saved the life of Laughingwater during a trip to Emerald City. Miles was hired on the spot and though aging faster than the elves he works for, is very effective at his job. He is on hand with every “lift” to explain the behavior expected of all guests of the inn, much to the consternation of Ciyradyl, who thinks it harms her hospitality. He also runs regular drills for all able-bodied residents of the Tree as everyone, “And I mean everyone,” will help defend the tree if attacked.

The Tree of Parting is considered “neutral ground” and is not part of either the Emerald Kingdom, nor the Kingdom of New Elenna. It is known as a site of negotiations, even among the vile and ignoble. There have been formal meetings in the Tree of Parting between feuding orcs, between giants and halflings, and even between dragon and adventurer. Thus most kingdoms, tribes, and organizations do not consider ruining their ability to parley at the tree by attacking it. However, this “neutral ground” does not seem to apply to the rest of the East-West Road. There is a tale that orcs came to the rescue of the tree against another orc tribe to keep their ability to parley from being removed.

There are two other forts on the East-West Road that leads from New Elenna through northern Izen to Aisildur. They are more traditional in nature, being built on the ground with walls for protection. The road stays just south of the dangerous Culverwood. Most traders travel in groups of two-five wagons and carry a few guards for protection. In addition, the Emerald Horsemen patrol the road between the three outposts. New Elenna has hired “adventurers” that patrol the road east of the Tree of Parting all the way to Edenmoor.

The Tree of Parting is considered by many to be one of the Wonders of the Wold. It is known far and wide for its hospitality as well as the incredible beauty of its views in all directions. From the tree, one can see Culverwood, Izen, The Red Hills, the Emerald Kingdom, and on a clear day offer a far off view of the plateaus of the Kingdom of New Elenna.

Official Items

Past descriptions used for the Tree in game ---The Tree of Parting looms ahead of you as late afternoon approaches. Reaching higher than any castle spire you have ever seen. Its great canopy stretches out and seems to help support the sky itself. You can see lights, torches, magic or lanterns is hard to tell, but they shine about the upper branches. As the party draws closer, you begin to make out structures built and blended artfully into the great boughs.

---You need to get to TreeTops Inn and see Captain VonKlempt" His arm pointing skyward nearly 500' to a building in the great tree.

--The party wakes and cleans up and gathers about the one of the lifts. The lifts themselves, unlike the large one that came down last night, are unmanned. Ropes at each corner secure them with a mid chest high dual rallied fence surrounds it. A small built in gate easily swings open and locks back into place as everyone steps aboard. A second or two pass and then the lift begins climbing into the sky. The platform feels completely steady and you can barely feel it move. Soon enough, the platform comes to stop at a great bough in the tree, nearly 120' up, the branch is almost 15' wide. A man greets you as you step off and directs you towards the trunk and the winding staircase you took the previous evening to get to TreeTops.

You pass only a few merchants at this early hour and see no one that you would consider a guard or watchman. With the great canopy of the tree, the sunlight is very filtered and streams through in very select places. To illuminate a piece of art, or branching of some path, a water fountain or other specific thing. Hooded lanterns hang in many other locations from stout poles attached to the path, or hang from a convenient branch above. None of the lanterns give off any heat.

If the tree looked wondrous in the night it looks even more majestic in the daylight. Its great branches, now so clearly visible twisting and turning about in what seems to be the only way they could so as that the buildings and paths built within could exist. Below about the trunk, the bark appeared to be thick, coarse brown with grey highlighting. Here above, though, the branches are wrapped in a smooth grey with white highlights and slivers of tan.

The trip from exiting the lift to the upper reaches of the tree where Tree Tops sits takes nearly an hour and somewhere around 500, you stopped counting stairs. At last you have reached Tree Tops Inn. The great oaken double doors are open, soft string music is within and the quiet tones of a few guests in private conversation.

--Maltius leads the group across the room and up a side flight of stairs and down a hall. The walls are open, granting more pristine views of the beauty of the Tree. The covered walk has several other paths that lead to other rooms situated about. Looking to only be accessible by the walkway or, of course magic. At the end of the walkway, about 250' from the main room, is a short 8 steps to a beautiful cherry wood door highlighted with red and gold trim. Maltius walks up and kisses an engraved circle and then opens the door.. After the party enters, he closes it.

The suite consists of 3 rooms and a wash room. 2 sleeping rooms with 2 large beds each, separated by a communal room of about 300 square feet. The suite is pleasantly furnished, but not extravagently so, a fire place is located in each room and a pair of filled water pitchers with glasses sits on a small table backed by chairs and a couch. A third large sized chair is just to the side by a window looking out to the west.

Creatures

NPC'S

The Tree of Parting Full Time residents

  • Laughingwater - Male Human, runs the Free Trade Post at the top of the stairs.
  • Moana - Female Human, runs Moana's Fortunes and is not aware she is an actual fortune teller. ie most of the times it is like fortune tellers of today, entertaining, so broad as to fit nearly anything the listener wishes it to and a complete scam so to speak. Does not make her a bad person, just trying to make a living after all and most leave feeling better about themselves and their lot in life. But every now and then, one of the gods steps in and uses her to communicate true providence.
  • Dungarth - Male Human, runs Dungarth's Leatherworking Shop
  • Saide Silvergraft - Female Half elf, runs The Big Nest a general store.
  • Lorifir Lorhalien - Male Elf, runs the Fletcher
  • Liliput Muffinbubble - Female Halfling, Caretaker of The Leafy Chapel [a shrine to Alemi as well as a memorial to Ilyndrethyl and Deeproot.]
  • Boolia - Female Half-Orc, runs Studs and Gems
  • Miles Raynor - Male Human, Head of Security
  • Folbre Ilyndrathyl - Male Elf, Tree of Parting Manager. Folbre is blind though only his family knows this. DC Local 35
  • Ciyradyl Ilyndrathyl - Female Elf, Runs Treetop Tavern
  • Hiflanyl Ilyndrathyl - Male Elf, Runs the warehouse and stables
  • The Ilyndrathyl family– overseers non public behind the scenes DC Local 35

Other NPCS

  • Garret VonKlempt – Caravan captain of the Guard (Agent of the Fist)
  • Dubrin – older dwarf merchant from Module 1
  • Korbiss – older dwarf merchant from Module 1
  • Boy – teenaged carpenter from Module 1
  • Gaston Laroutte - Human Male, wealthy noble trying to get into The Chancers Club. Boistrous, loud, extravagant and self superior. Gaston talks a good game, has good fighting skills, but is a bit full of himself. Gaston failed the test and found his courage lacking against the strange denizens of the Eastern Wood. The party sided against Gaston and he has been denied entrance to the Chancers Club. He is a nephew to Quason Thesk, Duke in Plateau City. He is hostile towards the party. Gaston particularly hates Cameron and wants to cause the halfling as much grief as he can. Gaston will be spending some time researching Cameron. He will start with the Mailed Fist and go from there. If Gaston has the opportunity to thwart any plans Cameron partakes in for himself, Gaston will do so. he is not so much interested in killing any of the party. He wants to make their lives harder, much harder either directly or indirectly to friends and associates. Possible ideas of barring memberships to other organizations in the Wold. Pulling permits and trade franchises. Spreading rumors to gain a negative reputation.

Gaston has dozens of people in direct employ, a strong level of political and business influence and a tremendous amount of cash to apply Gaston wants to humiliate the party, making the Tree kick them out, disband as friends basically all but ruin them Gaston has learned of how Cameron left the group through his network and the dwarf merchants Durbin and Korbiss (Mod 5) He has learned the family history and backgrounds of Atlas, Mack, Carver, and Owen

  • Mikalus Dragonspell - Human Male, Silver Bishop of The Chancer Club Questor Committee. Self made nobleman of Plateau City. One of the key figures in blocking Gaston from gaining entrance into the Chancers Club. Worked behind the scenes to accomplish this by bringing the party into the testing. Module 2 He has a neutral if not slightly favorable towards the party. As a former adventurer Mikalus is rooting for the party. He was a well thought of member of the WLA, holding the rank of Lt Commander, before joining the Chancers about 10 years ago. He has been the Silver Bishop for 6 years.
  • Lady Dragonspell - Human Female, married to Mikalus, holds the rank of Master Mage in Plateau City Star Mage Guild. the Dragonspell's live in Gold Quarter of Plateau City
  • Quason Thesk - Human Male, wealthy noble of the rank of Duke in Plateau City. His position towards the party is neutral. He considers himself and all noble born at the top of the pecking order and demands respect for that fact. He consider's the group beneath his notice. He feels it is a slight to him from the Council that his nephew was not granted acceptance to the Chancers Club. He did not know Gaston was his nephew though until only this year. If he crosses paths with the party again he will be indifferent.
  • Lord Bezel - Human Male, Silver Board of Selections Member. Worked with Mikalus Dragonspell behind the scenes and holds a Neutral position towards the party.

Geography

Tree of Parting


Red Hills North of the Tree of Parting

New Elenna to the East of The Tree of Parting

The Tree of Parting

Life in the Tree

  • The Suite of Rooms -From the Main room in Tree Tops Inn, across the room and up a side flight of stairs and down a hall. The walls are open, granting more pristine views of the beauty of the Tree. The covered walk has several other paths that lead to other rooms situated about. Looking to only be accessible by the walkway or, of course, magic. At the end of the walkway, about 250' from the main room, is a short 8 steps to a beautiful cherry wood door highlighted with red and gold trim. The suite consists of 3 rooms and a wash room. 2 sleeping rooms with 2 large beds each, separated by a communal room of about 300 square feet. The suite is pleasantly furnished, but not extravagantly so, a fire place is located in each room and a pair of filled water pitchers with glasses sits on a small table backed by chairs and a couch. A third large sized chair is just to the side by a window looking out to the west.

Adventures

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  • The Eastern Woods - (Module 2) A subset of woods from Culverwood. It has a low sentience about it. It is generally neutral in disposition, but wants to be left undisturbed. It becomes violent if violence is acted within. Vegepygmies are the main defenses in dealing with violent intruders. The Wood can alter game trails, trees and bushes can move some to aid in misdirection. Other inhabitants include several dryad, nymphs, small fairey folk and a treant. Animals abound including giant varieties. The wood encompasses approximately 1200 square miles
  • Teucri Outpost - Just inside the Red Hills, 30 miles northeast of the Tree is a Teucri outpost (Module 3) At the end of Module 3 'The Beacon' a missing key piece will still be required to access deeper secrets at this exotic location. One possible out come is the activation of an Air City, sister and companion of Floating City. In this Dragon Consortium event the Air City activates and begins heading towards Floating City where upon discovering an infestation will begin cleansing Floating City before the final linage is completed. Cleansing would kill all life in Floating City. Inevitables and various powerful constructs would deploy to do so.

Brainstorming and other unofficial items

Trophy requirements

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  • Trophies Link to guidelines and requirements of the available trophies that can be earned by characters and the party as a whole
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