Grand Holt
This enormous, multi-trunked fig tree supposedly predates Absalom’s founding. According to myth, when Aroden rested the first day after raising the Isle of Kortos, he took shade and nourishment from the only plant growing on the island: the Grand Holt, which even as a sapling possessed unusual vigor. Blessed by divine gratitude, it swiftly grew to a behemoth with a trunk 20 feet wide, and then grew greater still. As the blessed tree grew taller and broader over the millennia, Absalom’s Grand Council exercised eminent domain to demolish homes and move roads that stood in its way.
Today, the Grand Holt has 17 trunks, all intertwined about one another, and the solid, lumpy floor formed by its horizontal surface roots extends across an area the size of a city block. The ancient tree, still hale and vigorous after such an impossible span of years, is a civic treasure in Absalom and represents one of Aroden’s last enduring works—and is arguably the most awe-inspiring of them. It has never been pruned, although its branches and trunks have been coaxed into forming a network of rough, rounded rooms and corridors.
The enormous tree is maintained by a small druidic order called the Circle of Stones, which is dedicated to protecting and nurturing the Grand Holt. About two dozen druids and fellow worshippers live within the Holt, but there are always vacant chambers ready to receive visitors who pay proper obeisance to the tree.
The tale of the Grand Holt has spread across Golarion over the centuries, and many pilgrims come to personally witness Aroden’s living miracle. The tree is a holy site for Mwangi spirit-talkers and Vudrani wise women alike, and venerable druids teach youngsters about the harmony of nature while sitting on its ever-spreading roots. Its fruit is said to be the most delicious in Golarion and capable of bestowing health and vigor as impressive as the tree’s own.
The ancient, magic-imbued tree also shines as a beacon in the eyes of the fey. Few fey intentionally venture into Absalom given the considerable barriers of civilization that the urban landscape presents, but those who find themselves lost or stranded within the city often gravitate to the Grand Holt as a wild oasis within so much tamed stone and brick, and a considerable population of immortal fey have called the Grand Holt home across history. The most powerful to date is the dryad queen Iolanthe, who has dwelled within the Grand Holt since before the elves returned to Golarion, and perhaps much longer. Although the powerful fey never leaves her sacred tree, she is thought to have designs upon the whole of the Starstone Isle, with druids aligned to the Circle of Stones dwelling in the Immenwood, the Kortos Mounts, and other wild places across the island. Her deep-voiced lieutenant, the mighty Korhül (also known as the Horned Man), leads the cult outside the Grand Holt, and fears no one when acting to protect the tree or the interests of its verdant sovereign. If a visitor manages to fast-talk the common druids guarding the entrances and exits, she must first contend with Korhül before gaining an audience with Iolanthe.
Today, the Grand Holt has 17 trunks, all intertwined about one another, and the solid, lumpy floor formed by its horizontal surface roots extends across an area the size of a city block. The ancient tree, still hale and vigorous after such an impossible span of years, is a civic treasure in Absalom and represents one of Aroden’s last enduring works—and is arguably the most awe-inspiring of them. It has never been pruned, although its branches and trunks have been coaxed into forming a network of rough, rounded rooms and corridors.
The enormous tree is maintained by a small druidic order called the Circle of Stones, which is dedicated to protecting and nurturing the Grand Holt. About two dozen druids and fellow worshippers live within the Holt, but there are always vacant chambers ready to receive visitors who pay proper obeisance to the tree.
The tale of the Grand Holt has spread across Golarion over the centuries, and many pilgrims come to personally witness Aroden’s living miracle. The tree is a holy site for Mwangi spirit-talkers and Vudrani wise women alike, and venerable druids teach youngsters about the harmony of nature while sitting on its ever-spreading roots. Its fruit is said to be the most delicious in Golarion and capable of bestowing health and vigor as impressive as the tree’s own.
The ancient, magic-imbued tree also shines as a beacon in the eyes of the fey. Few fey intentionally venture into Absalom given the considerable barriers of civilization that the urban landscape presents, but those who find themselves lost or stranded within the city often gravitate to the Grand Holt as a wild oasis within so much tamed stone and brick, and a considerable population of immortal fey have called the Grand Holt home across history. The most powerful to date is the dryad queen Iolanthe, who has dwelled within the Grand Holt since before the elves returned to Golarion, and perhaps much longer. Although the powerful fey never leaves her sacred tree, she is thought to have designs upon the whole of the Starstone Isle, with druids aligned to the Circle of Stones dwelling in the Immenwood, the Kortos Mounts, and other wild places across the island. Her deep-voiced lieutenant, the mighty Korhül (also known as the Horned Man), leads the cult outside the Grand Holt, and fears no one when acting to protect the tree or the interests of its verdant sovereign. If a visitor manages to fast-talk the common druids guarding the entrances and exits, she must first contend with Korhül before gaining an audience with Iolanthe.
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Tree
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