Mother Trees

Before the Age of Magic or even the Dawn of Man, the Creatures of Nature lived and thrived in the land. But then came the Shade. In order to protect themselves from the Shade, the Chaunti (the people that the Chauntari Elves descended from) prayed to the forest spirits. The ancient spirits of the forest gave the Chaunti twelve seeds to plant across the land, which would act as wards fueled by the Old Magicks of nature, and would protect Amar from the Shade and other Outworlders.

These twelve sacred trees were planted around the first tree of Amar, a giant petrified tree, and as long as these twelve trees, the mother trees, were protected, the magic that holds the darkness at bay couldn't enter Amar.