Tree of Life
At a Glance
Unique among known islands, the Tree of life (usually known as simply “the Tree”) isn’t an island at all. Rather than a landmass, the Tree is an impossibly massive, sprawling tree whose trunk and branches extend far into the Astral Sea until they seem to simply disappear into stardust. The branches of the Tree are all gnarled and knotted with age, curling in and over each other to create a sort of bowed platform. In the center of the Great Tree is a smaller, lusher one (the Minor Tree), yet it is only smaller relative to the larger one it grows out of. Easily several stories tall, the iridescent, purple-tinged leaves of the Tree cast shade from the warm light that seems to have nestled itself into its branches. In the shade, the Greater Tree's branches are covered with mosses and lichens that extend deep into the cavern-like roots. It is underneath the arcing roots of this Tree that a Shard-Bearer is born.The Roots
As you head below the tall roots of the Minor Tree, the air starts to smell of petrichor. The roots and moss below your feet slope downwards for a while until it levels off. The ground is still covered in mosses and lichens and broken up by tree roots (or branches?) weaving out of it, but it’s soft enough here that you sink in slightly with the steps. It must be, otherwise it would be too difficult for the new Shard-Bearers to get out. Within the winding caverns underneath the Tree, Shard-Bearers will find their namesake in their Seed — but once their Shard is removed, they have to claw their way up and out of the dirt. This has left a few holes scattered around, but there’s nothing of interest inside them. They’re simply a remnant of someone that was here before, and without anything to disturb them, they simply remain until the growth of the Tree is enough to shift the dirt back to fill it.
Faction Loyalty: None
Geography: Twisted gnarled branches form a rough platform ~1 mile/1.6 km in diameter, with an enormous tree at the center with raised roots. Underneath the tree, the roots and branches create a cave-like environment.
Climate: Unchanging. The Tree is always pleasantly cool, and light only comes from the one held in the Minor Tree's branches, though it's enough to be an eternal morning.
Type
Natural Wonder