The Tree of Life & the Omens

An Origins Legend

This legend is known mostly in a few elite witches circles, but is mostly kept away from the rest of the population.
Long ago, way before the realms of men and the tyrannies of Gods, the material plane and its echoes were inhabited only by humanoid creatures made of flesh and horns, standing at 10 to 13 feet tall. The creatures could not, for generations, feel any emotions. These ''Omens'', as they became known, were roaming the planet before any other form of life, whether it be plants or animals. Somewhere during this era of grey, a plant grew: the first tree. Some witches theorize that the seed of genesis, from which the tree grew, was magically formed when an omen finally started hoping. This would be the first emotion ever experienced on the material plane since the Creation of the World.  
From this tree, life grew. Plants, animals and humanoid creatures starting roaming Toril, all under the Grace of the Tree: the gift of life. Eventually, after generations, some beings of incalculable power ascended to the status of deities. These new gods, now mostly forgotten and known only as Ancient Gods or Elder Gods, were driven by a thirst for unlimited power and control. This was mostly exercised through lies and deceitful manipulations toward their own followers. From these, stemmed greed and jealousy in the ''realms of men''. Men, elves and dwarves decided that two individuals could have different value, depending on arbitrary  conditions such as money, power or status. Kings arose, and with kings, the desire for more influence, which was often manifested by the control of larger and larger territories. Obviously, when all available lands were claimed, the kings still wanted more; and to obtain more, they would need to take it from someone else. And who else would be a better target, than Omens, foul creatures born outside of the Grace of the Tree, not deserving of territories or life. This era marked the beginning of a long lasting war between the Realms of Men and the Omens.

''More demon than man''

_{- Slogan used by the realms of men to justify their war on the Omens, a defamatory slang still used today to justify the murder of an individual or group of individuals.}

Most Omens took arms and went to war against the Realms of Men, with the intent of destroying the tree of life (which was heavily guarded by hordes of warriors), thus ending Grace of the Tree and plunging the world back into a slumber of Omen grey. Some Omens, who had grown fond of the beauty of nature and life, opposed, wanting to preserve the Tree of Life. These were few and were rapidly ostracized by their comrades, receiving the titles of Fell Omens.
In the midst of this war, Godfrey, King of All Omens, was undecided, stuck in a constant state of debate while trying to govern over both Omens and Fell Omens. He was strongly opposed to the genocide of his people, but did not think that ending all life was the solution. After centuries of war, he eventually died, still undecided, leaving his twin sons Mohg and Morgott, both born from the seed of Godfrey and the womb of an Elder Goddess, to govern. The demi-gods now had the fate of all Omens on their hand, and the new responsibility of taking care of their infant brother, Godwyn, also born from the same Elder Goddess.
Mohg and Morgott, even while being twins who grew up in the same state of constant war, had very opposite views on how the future of Omens should be handled. Mohg believed that Toril was first and foremost the land of Omens, and that the Tree of Life, and the grace that stemmed from it, was a privilege that humanity had rightfully lost. Morgott, on the other end, saw things in another fashion. He believed that every plant, every animal and creature had a right to exist, and that Omens were brought to existence to be protectors of all forms of life. 
Soon after Godfrey's death, it became apparent that both brothers could not lead together, and Mohg organized a coup against his own twin. Barely escaping with his life, Morgott fled the lands of Omens, bringing with him a handful of other Fell Omens. Determined to help defend the Tree of Life, he headed toward the Realms of Men. He left behind his name and title, becoming Margit the Fell Omen. After months of constant travelling, he eventually met with men. Although he was not initially welcome, he was still granted a meeting with kings while under restraints, due to his status of demi-god. There, Margit pledged his unfaltering allegiance to the Tree of Life, stating that he knew he was born to defend its existence.  The kings' priests went through all sort of divine magic and rituals to probe Margit's intentions. They questioned its very soul, inspected his inherent nature and questioned him rigorously under many spells binding him to the truth. They could not find anything but an unquestionable will to defend life itself.
The leaders of the Realms of Men were facing a dilemma. A demi-god defending the tree would be their best chance at keeping it intact, and its powers would have a very real impact on the ongoing war. On the other hand, they had no idea of the spectrum of capabilities of a demi-god. What if his powers allowed him to bluff every single of their cleric's, and that allowing him near the tree would mean the end of life on Toril? Easing on the side of caution, the kings offered a deal to Margit: a soul-binding divine oath allowing the King of Men to banish him to another plane eternally at a moment's notice. Margit, not wanting to became a slave to the whims of a king that could threaten him with banishment at any time, but still understanding that he could never be trusted blindly, offered two amendments to the oath; First, he could not be banished as long as his evil twin Mohg would occupy the material plane, since this would represent too much of a risk for the Tree of Life. This amendment could be supplanted at any time if Margit proved to be a menace to the Tree. Secondly, he requested to be the sole protector of the Tree of Life. 
The kings, while hesitant, still accepted and the divine oath was pronounced, binding Margit's soul to the King's forever. A castle was erected around the Tree and became Margit's home for decades. The keep quickly gained the name of Keep of Life within the ranks of men and rose to the status of mythical location.
Years passed, during which the war kept raging. Mohg used this time to delve deep into blood magic and, with the help of a minor godess of blood and wounds, he became a Lord of Blood: a warlock of immense power capable of the most dangerous blood magic. He seduced a handful of human nobles into thinking that the way of the blood would allow them to rule the world with him and set out on a crusade against human temples, in search of more knowledge about Blood Magic. He eventually seized an early draft of a blood divination ritual that would allow him to see his future in a pool of his enemy's blood. In this vision, he saw that any frontal attack against the Keep of Life would result in his demise, to the hand of his own brother. 
Mohg had to think of another way of winning this war, and eventually decided that the easiest access was through godhood. Unfortunately for him, his soul was too corrupted and his power not great enough to become a god. But his younger brother, still a child at the time, had shown great magical promise and was still mostly innocent. Mohg forced his little brother into captivity and superficially cut the kid at various locations on his body, before turning himself into blood and forcing himself into the wounds of the young Godwyn, trying to merge both of the demi-gods into a being powerful enough to become an actual god. The process would be enough for him to overtake the kid's mind and corrupt him in an irreversible way, he hoped. But the ritual was interrupted by an adventurer that the scrolls refer only as being ''The Tarnished''. Some stories sat tgat Mohg was banished to another plane for two thousand years and that Godwyn died during the interrupted ritual, some others think that Moh was killed, never to return, and that the Tarnished took Godwyn under his wing, training the demi-god into one of the greatest warriors to walk Toril. For this, we might never have the answer.
Eventually, the war slowly subsided until Margit the Fell Omen was the last of its kind still walking Toril. The Realms of Men had won. Margit had fought countless battles over the decades, but his raw strength and pure agility were still unmatched and no one, whether they be Omens or humanoid, had been able to get remotely close to the Tree of Life. The King of Men decided that he would keep Margit as a defender of the tree, since he had proven to be an extremely reliable protector. 
Some time after the war, the greed of men being what it is, the kings wanted to start exploiting the tree, desiring to take cuttings of the tree to plant some more and to collect its sap. Margit refused, stating that any man, king or peasant, would never touch the tree as long as he stood. Outraged by this affront, the King of Men banished Margit the Fell Omen to an eternity of slumber in another plane. What the king, or anybody else, did not know, was that Margit, during his long years confined within the walls of the Keep of Life, had developed an enchantment powered by his very own divine oath. An enchantment that allowed him to respect his oath, mainly due to the amendment that he cunningly had asked for, to be the sole protector of the Tree of Life. And this soul-binding oath would stand true, whether Margit stands in the material plane or not. As soon as Margit was banished, all creatures of the material plane forgot about the existence of the Tree of Life and its Keep. Those present within the confines of the castle simply walked out and away, never looking back. Margit being the sole creature knowing about its existence would allow him to still protect the very existence of life from beyond the planes.
The story of the Tree of Life was thus extinguished and the following generations of men, still up to this day, argued over the reason behind the creation of life. Some say the gods molded life, some others say an extra-planarly explosion caused the creation of the world. But none knew the truth behind the Beginning.
But Margit did not think of one thing:  

''What is forgotten can be discovered, what is lost can be found.''

- Old witch saying.

Generations later, a lost young woman stumbled accidentally upon the long-forgotten remains of the Keep of Life. There, she discovered ancient scrolls, written by Margit himself, detailing everything we know about the time of Omens. She also found Margit's Chalice. Using the demi-god's goblet, she drank sap from the Tree of Life as only nourishment for many years, maybe even decades. She roamed the ancient castle, learning its most hidden secrets about ancient history and forgotten magic. She slept within the arms of the tree and read every line Margit wrote hundreds of times. And here, within that sacred place of life and magic, the woman changed. She left, after she only knows how many years, leaving behind the shadow of who she was when she entered. It is here, within these walls, that a myth was born, a legend. When she came out of the Keep of life, the woman was no more. From now on, she would only be known as Baba Yaga, mother of all witches.
The keep was abandoned, and Baba Yaga never revealed its location to anyone. It eventually was discovered, years after the Great War, and used as a castle for the various of Kings of Athkatla , all of which thought the Tree Of Life was simply a magical tree with healing properties. The Tree was exploited for many years by various leaders.
In 1492 after the Great War, the Golden Company  liberated Athaktla from its oppressive system of monarchy and took residence within the walls of what is now called the Keep of the Eclipse, a symbol of protection and freedom within the country of Amn. To this day, the tree is still being exploited for pecuniary gains.

Margit the Fell Omen, Protector of Life

The Chalice used by Baba Yaga, that once belonged to Margit the Fell Omen

Mohg, the Omen Lord of Blood