Tree-Forming

'Count all you wish, Word-Breaker. The gold will mean nothing when you have no hands to touch it, and no heart to spend it.' - Wood Elf Sprite

The urban legend of Tree-Forming readily spread around the mortal races of eastern Lenwir, into the west and even to other continents around the 1800s A.C. It arose from a single event long ago when humans first migrated to the east of Lenwir after the War of the Wood and even today many still believe it. The phenomenon of 'Tree-Forming' says that any Forest Elf is able to turn someone into a tree.

The Tale

A human by the name of Halerd crossed the farms and fields and soon came upon an unclaimed vista.

And he believed his luck had changed, for upon the flawless landscape stood trees of ancient design.

Their trunks thick and their branches great, upon a flourishing land of idyllic peace.

It wasn't long before he brought a crew of his own to claim the land and its belongings.

For they did not see the wealth that already existed in the life of the world, and greed claimed their hearts.

It wasn't long before the first trees were felled and the first scoop of earth was dug.

When a creature of strange origin and wooden skin arrived.

He warned away the humans and told them the price of greed, but not would heed his warning.

His warnings became sterner and he said if they did not leave before the moon rose in a few bights fell, then they never would.

The humans chased away the spritling and with him gone the warning left their hearts.

For the wealth of this land was too much and they found a buyer in short time. 

So much they desired it and its resources they paid half upfront, and Halerd spent his nights staring into the chest of gold.

So enamoured was he now that the warning he forgot and when he slept. He heard the creak of wood and the groan of trees.

And before him on the floor, stood the spritling as before.  

He shook his head and kicked the chest. Scattering gold across the floor.

'Count all you wish. It will mean nothing now you have no hands to touch it, and no heart to spend it.' he said.

And so the words were true, for Halerd had no more humanity. 

His legs were roots and his arms were branches. And though his eyes had vanished, he saw the gold for eternity.

Always there, beyond his reach.

A Legend's Truth

During the founding of the cities and kingdoms of Nemir and Rednan, there was little exposure to the immortal races after the War of the Wood, but many struck out to claim land for their own, with the purpose of stripping the materials and wealth from the land and then reselling it to those that sought to build or use it for further purposes.

During this time overzealous developers and builders would spread quickly to claim land, unaware that it already had a master. The true 'Halerd' was likely part of this, with greed overcoming his good sense, and claiming land already protected by a druid or spellweaver of the forest elves. Their punishment was swift, and all who gained from the greed of this destruction would suffer the fate of Tree-Forming. Though in reality the druid likely turned them into trees one at a time as a punishment and one who witnessed the event, unaware that it was a powerful druid, believed all forest elves possessed this power and spread it.

A Tale of Venya

Learn more about the world, its history and the factions here.

A Melding of Legends and Traditions

Many among the mortal races of Lenwir associate this urban legend with the tradition of Seed-Giving and that is the reason many carry seeds when walking in a forest or trading with the forest elves. They believe that the seeds offer them protection from the fate of Tree-Forming and that planting a seed will absorb the curse and prevent them from becoming a tree themselves. This general melding of tradition and urban legends is incredibly amusing to the forest elves who use it to play with any superstitious mortals that may enter their forests.