Rogue's Heart

The name of the unfortunate rogue after which this tree is named has been lost to history, if any ever knew it. All that is known of him is that he made the fatal mistake of attempting to relieve the hag Takska of some of her possessions. Whatever magic that she used to seal his fate was dark indeed, and one can only guess at the agony felt by her victim or how long that it was felt. Some say that a part of him, perhaps his soul, is still aware, but such a thought is too dark to dwell upon. I imagine that the hag has long gone on to her reward, but there are many who believe that her magic keeps her alive, giving excellent incentive to heed the warning of the tree and resist any urge to explore the swamp.
-Wynth Onyxorb, bard of the Singing History Guild

Purpose / Function

This aptly named tree towers above the land, stretching higher even than the trees that are part of the Swamp of Despair. It is impossible to miss, and all but the most foolish or ignorant will make a wide berth around it and the swamp that it marks. The tree is completely unique, serving as a warning to travelers to stay far away.

Sensory & Appearance

The tree stands almost three hundred feet tall, its numerous branches thin and skeletal in appearance, with not a single leaf or flower upon them. The trunk nears twenty feet in width, the color a deep reddish-brown. One only needs to get as close as a hundred yards away before the stench of death hits, growing worse the closer one gets. Only those with the strongest stomachs can get to the tree without becoming incapacitated with nausea, and those will find themselves facing a throbbing, pulsing nightmare.
The tree oozes a deep red ichor, several openings in the trunk both expelling the ichor and drawing it in. None hits the ground, the Rogue's Heart drawing it in, allowing it to circulate through the tree in a constant flow. Anyone touching it will find the sticky substance clinging to them, stubbornly remaining until holy water is used to cleanse them.
And finally, if one is close enough and quiet enough while listening carefully, the faint sound of a heartbeat can be heard, the rhythm slow and regular in sync with the pulsing of the tree.

Alterations

Besides continuing to rise closer to the sky, the tree has not been altered at all, left completely to whatever unnatural magic controls it.

History

Takska discovered a young rogue in her cottage when she returned from picking some plants. He had lost his way in the swamp, and upon finding the cottage, could not resist the urge to take the gems that he found there.
Before he could escape, Takska paralyzed him with a spell, holding him fast where he stood. Takska was ill-tempered and nasty on the best of days, and when she was angered, no force could stop her wrath against any with whom she was angry.
While he was paralyzed, Takska, who was quite strong, as hags tend to be, lifted him over her shoulder. As she carried him through the swamp, she regaled him with terrible threats of what his fate might be. She reveled in his terror, which did result in lifting her own spirits, and by the time she had reached the border of her swamp and beyond, her mood had improved immensely. Unfortunately for the thief, she was still ill-tempered and nasty, and so he would be granted no respite for his crimes.
She dropped the young man on the ground before setting about her nasty work, beginning to dig a hole next to him with her long, sharp talon-like nails. His terror grew over the next hours, Takska taking her time in creating his grave. When the time came that it was done to the hag's satisfaction, her victim felt the pain of her talons digging into his arm as she dragged him to the hole, yanking him into it. It was then that she started to replace the dirt, although only over his legs and lower part of his torso, leaving his chest and head free. After packing the dirt over him firmly, she began her awful spell.
What seeds she used, no one knows. Her skill with plants was nearly unmatched, much of the area around her home populated with flora that could be found nowhere else. Whatever they were, the hag used one of her nails to slice through his chest, opening it up while he screamed in agony. When his heart was exposed, she began to cast her spell, taking three seeds from her pouch and dropping them onto it. As they sank into the organ, she finished her spell, stepping back and sneering darkly down at the rogue, watching with satisfaction as he writhed and screamed.
It didn't take long for the seeds to sprout, only mere minutes. They quickly grew, and before too long the heart burst, mercifully killing the young man. It grew several feet in the next hours, after which Takska covered what little could be seen of the grave with the remaining soil and then turned to return to her home.

Type

Tree