The Grandfather Tree

Grandfather Tree had many natural and magical wards protecting it from evil. The effects of these wards included:

Negating any detection or location magics trained on anyone within a 100‑yard (91‑meter) radius of its branches.
Negating any use of teleporting or gating magic within a 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the tree's central trunk, but only if the caster's intent was to get closer to the tree.
Those who attempted to heal beneath its great bough, whether through magical or natural means, would do so twice as fast if they were protectors of the tree or worshipers of forest deities. In the years following 1370 DR, this affect seemed to change. Now, creatures tasked with protecting the tree gained the effect of a bless spell, while those who finished a long rest beneath it gained the benefit of greater restoration.
Finally, the wards would attempt to dissuade individuals of evil alignments from getting closer to the tree by means of bad omens.

The tree was also able to manifest itself as guardian spirits in times of need, which the Uthgardt referred to as "tree ghosts." They were similar to a dryad or hamadryad, though their appearance varied. They were often noted as having a mixture of elven, human, korred, and satyr characteristics. They could assume either a corporeal or non-corporeal form and were as powerful as an archdruid. If destroyed these tree ghosts vanished, leaving behind only a puddle of sap.

Geography

Grandfather Tree stood over 350 feet (110 meters) tall and had a base measuring 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter. Around the tree were two rings of raised earth. The innermost ring had four normal-sized oak trees, healthy and mature, growing out of it. These trees marked the quarters around its base and acted as monolithic boundary marks for the inner cairn.

History

The Grandfather Tree dates back to the height of Aryvandaar, long before the Crown Wars precipitated the Descent of the Drow and the fall of the Vyshaantar Empire, making it one of the oldest living things in all of Faerûn and over 13,000 years old. The great giant of the woods is the last known living example of an "arakhor," an Elven term that translates loosely as "one who protects the forest," or "tree warden." Akin in some respects to elementals, the arakhora draw life, energy, and intelligence from the forest in which they dwell and give back a forest's energy by serving as a caretaker and guardian. Writings preserved from this era by the church of Labelas Enoreth suggest that the arakhora were a form of elder treant, perhaps the progenitors of the treant race in its modern form.
Some scholars believe the Grandfather Tree is connected to an ancient ley line and magic itself while others believe the essence of all living things are originate from the tree.

Type

Magical Realm

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