Lalwan Eryn

The Lalwan Eryn is a welcoming place for travelers, its favorable location and temperate climate ideal to rest in. Along with the remains of the early sylayan architecture and Arboreal secrets, a successful brewery and tavern makes its home here. It can be found in a secret portion of the Egeria Forest, accessible to those who search out the tree known as Lebethron.

Found written on a plaque within the Sacred Elm is a plaque that reads:

"The Sacred Elm is open to all that would view the history of the Order of Arboreals. May our hands be ever guided by the light of Nature's way." -Erulehto, Mehtere, Ikarios, 144 AA

Notable Denizens

• Othenio - A small sylayan boy. He remains loyal to Cassiopeia, Goddess of the Stars.

• Alazne - A young sylayan woman and mother.

• Iaur, the white stag - Few beings of nature are quite so magnificent as this graceful stag. Iaur's coat is a glistening, almost impossible white, astoundingly unmarred by any scratches or bites. He stands nearly twenty hands tall, muscles rippling as he moves, and two great horns adding to his splendor. His watery eyes are as dark as coals. It weighs about 250 pounds.

• Mehtere, the Druidic Priestess - She is a striking example of the immortal beauty of the sylayan race. Though she is one of the oldest sylayan, her appearance is that of a strikingly youthful maiden. Her loveliness could certainly not be of this world: not a single line nor blemish mars her fair skin, which is soft and smooth, pale and perfect. Her eyes are like deep, lucid pools of water, her nose small and pert, her mouth slightly pouted. Her lissome figure is accentuated by flowing robes of pale silk, and similarly sheathed by the protectiveness and secretiveness of a heavy gray cloak. Her hair is as fine as spider's silk, the whitest shade of blonde, adding to her ghostly pallor. Indeed, she seems more of a ghost, a supernatural being, the longer you are within her presence, and it is only the rosiness of her cheeks and the warmth and realness of her flesh that suggests otherwise.

• Erulehto, the Arboreal Sage - This sage is ancient, perhaps centuries old, though his sylayan features lend him the bearing of a younger man full of vitality. He is distinctly handsome and dignified, wearing a stolid expression over his face and very rarely straying from it. His brow is furrowed into a pensive frown,and by the evidence of the lines of his face, is oftentimes found that way. His hairline begins at the highest point of his forehead, and the rest of his long, white-blonde hair is swept back and over his shoulders. Physically, Erulehto is larger than a standard sylayan, with broad shoulders and strong legs, and though he has passed his youth seems to be in top fighting condition. His earth-toned clothing is light and loose beneath his armor. He wears a beautiful, although somewhat antiquated, suit of chain mail and a heavy, hooded gray cloak. A sleek ranger's bow is slung across his back, and he holds a gnarled quarterstaff in his hands. An unexplainably green, luminescent aura surrounds him, giving the false implication that he is anything more than just a mortal servant of Nature.

• Lithirea, a dryad of Oak - Her slender limbs are brown, as if mimicking the bark of an oak tree. Her body is swathed in a moss green dress that flows over her toned feet and all too slender arms. While unmistakably human in form, her beauty seems to transcend mortal limitations. It would take a mere moment to realise that this is no human, and further that she knows it only too well. Long hair cascades in a straight fall down her back, the hue of green and brown, alight with twigs and leaves that form a wreath about her head.

• Poldon, the buckawn vintner - Poldon is a cheerful-looking chap, seemingly bearing no relation to his ill-mannered cousins of the Northern Celidon. Conversely, Poldon looks to have seen few hardships in life, part of which is evidenced by his fairly rotund belly. He stands stoutly, a bit taller than a dwarf, his curved horns adding a few more inches. Poldon takes great pride in his renowned wine-making abilities, the twinkle in his eyes demonstrating that he has truly found his passion in life.

• Dulir, the collector - A tough, stout dwarven man, Dulir's width exceeds his height well enough to give him a roly-poly countenance. This could be credited to the layers of clothing and leather armor he has layered upon his frame, rudimentary garments of crude craftsmanship. A large, stuffed backpack fits over his shoulders, and strange accessories are planted about him in the pockets or straps of his clothes: a belt adorned with green orbs, a white sickle, and a glowing conch shell. Aside from these collector's rarities, Dulir appears to be quite heavily armed. A wide variety of knives and small handaxes are attached by straps to his sides.

Landmarks

• a weathered archway of stone - An immense structure rises from the ground, an assembly of three stone slabs leaned against one another. The stone is smoothened by time and weathering, and still strong despite its obvious age. It stands like an ancient sentinel, overlooking its surroundings with a seemingly patient watchfulness. A large ring of stone, with width only in inches but a diameter in feet, hovers just above the stone slabs, similarly a part of the archway and separate from it. It is engraved all along its outer edge in the Sylayan tongue, and it rotates slowly in a clockwise fashion. Though it is impossible to ascertain whatever purpose this ancient monolith once served, it seems to be in working order yet. It weighs about 2200 pounds.

• The Sacred Elm - The interior of the Elm is large and roomy. The ghost-white bark of the Elm emits a faint luminescence, of which recedes and emerges within the convolutions and knots within the wood. Marble tile etched in whimsical designs covers the floor, and a circular staircase of pale, petrified wood rises up from the center of the room. Built into the sides of the bark along the outer wall are tall bookshelves, housing countless tomes of lore, myth, and history, including:
  • The History of the Arboreals by Chronicler of the Lalwan and Druidic Priestess, Mehtere
  • Ainu Aeriens by Erulehto, the Arboreal Sage
  • A Compiled Dictionary of Herbs and Some Ingredients, as of 743 AH by researchers of the Academia Syvalis

Coiling its way upwards from the base of the tree, a spiral staircase of pale, petrified wood links the upper and lower levels of the sacred Elm. The staircase is barred on either side by a banister of the same wood, left in its natural gnarled condition rather than being molded to befit some angular formation. The shrine at the upper level of the Elm, where Mehtere resides, is decorated with countless white candles casting a gentle glow over its darkened interior. They appear on either side of a long walkway down the center aisle, between rows of white pews that rise up from the floor as part of the very Elm itself. Around the room are columns of pale, petrified wood, twisted artfully like a screw so that it resembles a cyclone in nature. The dome ceiling stretches high overhead, scalloped terraces carved out from the bark in tiers appearing along the side walls. Upon them sit dozens of the white candles, some more melted than others, but all contributing their own illumination. At the head of the room is a small altar, inscribed with the phrase "Only a life lived for Nature is a life worthwhile." Roots, leaves, and other wild plants grow from the base of the altar, spreading across the far wall and stretching upwards.

• The Primordial Grove -

• The Edelharn Stone -

Flora and Fauna

• a bael fruit tree - A sturdy, thick trunk supports this fairly short bael fruit tree, its branches hanging low to the ground. Glossy oval leaves of green and maroon cover the tree, interrupted by yellow clusters of the life-giving bael fruit. Fragrant blossoms hover around the fruit in deeper cream tones, delicately intoxicating the room with its sweet scent. The tree blossoms eternally, encased in an aura of Divine blessings. It weighs about 125 pounds.

• a blackthorn tree - Slender, and standing only about seven feet tall, this small tree is covered in blackish bark and boasts an impressive foliage of thorny leaves. The blackthorn has small white blossoms and small, blueish-black plumlike fruits which grow numerously on the tree's branches. The fruit found on its branches is:
  • a plumlike sloe - This fruit resembles a purple plum very closely. It is small and ripe and just ready to be eaten or squashed. It weighs 6 ounces.

• a petite forest sprite - This creature could easily fit within your palm, standing at just twelve inches tall. Her small stature seems to increase her loveliness. A white shroud of a transparent dress conceals her graceful form, and her hair, the color of the golden sun, swirls about her form in loose tendrils as flutters through the air. Her features are foreign and angular, with wide blue eyes possessed of a brilliance surpassing even that of a sun-struck sapphire. A petite forest sprite is not one to be trifled with. It weighs about 1 pound.

Shopping

• A rustic brewery - Owned and operated by Poldon, the buckawn vintner. Available items include:
  • simmering carrot and celery potage
  • a loaf of waybread
  • mead (in a carved wooden flagon)
  • a smoked mushroom
  • a large turkey drumstick
  • bittersweet bragot (in a clay mug)
  • tart cyser (in a carved wooden mug)
  • ale (in a pewter tankard)
  • red wine (in a wooden mug)

Quests and Activities

• Getting a Dust and a Can for Lithirea - A dryad of Oak guards a small garden with the last remaining treants, and requires certain items for that task.