Il'Eska

Il'Eska was the name of a massive hunting complex, built deep within the depths of the Ironwood Forest. Originally built by the elves of the Ironwood Kingdom, Il'Eska is built out of the towering trees and plant life of the forest, merging man-made and natural structures. Il'Eska is home to The Lodge, a legendary hunting guild based in Astora. Il'Eska itself was located only a couple miles southeast of Weathersby.

Structure

Exterior

Il'Eska was designed in a cabin-like style, though on a much larger scale. The outside walls were lined with the trunks of ancient Ironwood trees, allowing the building itself to tower high into the forest canopy. Il'Eska was unique in the fact that a portion of the main structure was built into several massive trees. As the trees continued to grow and decay, so would the overall size and shape of Il'Eksa. Il'Eska holds the distinction of the only remaining, in-use, building leftover from the Ironwood Kingdom, a fact has led to occasional repairs on it's ancient grounds.
Because of it's elven origin, the walls of Il'Eska were steeped in natural magic. Likely blessed by the likes of Eldath and Silvanus. Some of this natural magic is certainly leftover from the days of the Ironwood Kingdom, when the kingdom druids covered the forest in protective magics.

Interior

The interior of Il'Eska served several different purposes, having a large amount of room within it's vast halls. The main chamber of Il'Eska served as a tavern, a huge room full of lounging options, fireplaces, and mounted trophies. In here the members of The Lodge would celebrate past hunts, or plan new ones. This section of the facility was completely man-made. In addition to the bar, a section of the room was dedicated to the posting of new quests, hunting requests or job offers, all related to the skill set of Lodge members.
The sections of Il'Eska that remained inside natural wood of the Ironwood was mostly used as private dwellings. All Lodge members were permitted a permanent lodging at Il'Eska, with the extra rooms providing shelter for travellers. The rooms wound up and down the massive tree trunks they sat inside, with the dwelling of the Windhawk situated at the very top.
Il'Eska contained several other areas of interest, including an armoury for Lodge members, a small marketplace and a cathedral dedicated to Naneth's gods of nature. While the worship of most good willed gods was permitted here, the most popular were certainly Eldath, Silvanus and Virdi. The was because of Il'Eska's elven dominated patronage.

History

Founding

Il'Eska holds the distinction of one of Astora's oldest buildings, likely built at some point during the Age of Fire. However, because the Ironwood was protected during the Age of Mists, there is a chance Il'Eska may have been built during this time. Unfortunately most records of ancient Il'Eska, and the Ironwood Kingdom at large, were lost during the Ironwood War. What is known is that Il'Eska was likely originally built as an outpost, a place of shelter and respite away from Arnad-Ang.

Appointment to The Lodge

After the Ironwood War, Il'Eska stood as one of the only elven structures to remain un-ravaged by the fighting. As most of the elven population joined Astora, Il'Eska was also claimed by the country. It would become a foothold for Astoran interests inside the forest. Weathersby itself would be built nearby to Il'Eska, with the elven structure serving as a temporary home for those building the new human settlement. By AoR 500, Weathersby would be completed, making it Astora's main foothold in the forest.
With Il'Eska now sitting mostly abandoned, the elves of Astora decided to resurrect an old Ironwood hunting guild; The Lodge. Astoran officials agreed with this initiative, making Il'Eska the headquarters for The Lodge and home of the Windhawk. It now stands as a home to the largest hunting guild in Naneth.

Basic Information

Type: Hunting Lodge, Guild Hall
Location: Ironwood Forest, Astora
Owner/s: The Lodge
Other Names: The Hunting Lodge, The Lodge