The Great Oak
Built into the remains of the Perenial Paragon, the Great Oak is what many of the locals of Frigus call home.
With Frigus being a harsh, frigid, and generally hostile environment, many Frigarians in recent years have decided that that there is strength in numbers. The interior of the Great Oak is used as a gathering place for many nomads and those in the surrounding villages, providing warmth, shelter, and a communal collection of food and supplies.
The settlement is currently presided over by Arch Druid Willow. Those who come to the Great Oak must do so with a respect towards all of its denizens, or they will be reminded as to how inhospitable nature can be at times. All are welcome in the Oak as long as they are able to contribute and respect the customs of those who make it their home, temporary or otherwise. The Oak does have permanent residential dwellings carved into the interior bark, though these are usually reserved for the Arch-Druid and the sick or elderly.
As for its history, the Great Oak was once the Perenial Paragon; a lone, gargantuan evergreen tree that stood tall in Frigus during the First Age. Surviving accounts tell that the Ancient Arbora, when she walked Arkos alongside the other Ancients, took a branch from The Realm Tree and planted it in Frigus, as a sign of friendship and endurance to the druids that followed her and cared for the land. It is said that the roots of the Perenial Paragon dug so deep beneath Frigus that the land remained relatively unchanged after The Cataclysm, whereas most of the other areas of Arkos were rent asunder. The tree itself, however, did not survive the destruction of the First Age's end, though what it represents still lives on in the hearts of those that dwell within it.
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