BEFORE ALDERHEART

Founding

The first inhabitants of the tree now known as Alderheart were birdfolk. Nowadays, the different kinds of birdfolk of Humblewood see themselves as kith and kin, but in the distant past, they were distinct, self-governing peoples. The five birdfolk clans—the corvums, the gallus, the lumas, the raptors, and the strigs—lived apart. Birdfolk from different clans were just as likely to be enemies as friends, and each had their own ways and customs the others didn’t care to understand.   By the oldest evidence, Birdfolk began living in Alderheart as early as Song 198. The first to inhabit the Evertree were a band of outcasts from various birdfolk clans. Many were druids who led their companions to commune with the spirit of the Great Tree. They were the first to learn the tree’s name, Alderheart. After hearing of their wish to coexist without the separation imposed by the clans, the Evertree invited this mixed group of birdfolk to live in its branches.   The mighty Evertree taught the druids tree-shaping magic that allowed them to create homes and other structures within its trunk and branches and later within other trees, as long as the shaping was carried out with a tree’s consent. Using this magic, the druids shaped stairways from the forest floor all the way to the very top of Alderheart. A temple to the birdfolk Amaranthines was fashioned within the Evertree, which would later become known as Holybranch. Around it, the first homes were shaped in the high branches of the Canopy.   Over time, this small settlement grew into a haven for birdfolk who wished to escape the clans’ endless feuding. The compassionate folk of the treetop turned away no peaceful soul. Alderheart became known as a neutral territory within the Wood: a place where all were welcome to live a life of harmony and pay homage to the spirits of nature.   It wasn’t just the birdfolk who found a home in the early days of Alderheart. Those who weren’t birdfolk, the varied people commonly referred to as “humblefolk” in the Wood, lived in a village amidst the undergrowth near the northwest side of the tree. This settlement, Bramblewell, was established among the Evertree’s exposed roots shortly after birdfolk started residing in the treetop. Bramblewell is a ruin now, but the surviving records estimate that it was founded around Song 208. By all accounts, Alderheart was more than big enough to support both settlements, and the two communities coexisted peacefully for decades.   By Song 353, the birdfolk had finished shaping the great treetop temple to the Amaranthines they named Holybranch. Pilgrims visiting Holybranch would pass through Bramblewell with coin to spend and wares to trade. Thanks to the travelers, Bramblewell thrived. The treetop community also blossomed, becoming a monastic center. Skilled healers and those in tune with the spirits of nature flocked to it. The Canopy was considered a sacred place, close to the Great Rhythm. Though eager to accept temple acolytes and visiting pilgrims, it grew more slowly than Bramblewell below. While neither community grew wealthy, they both prospered and knew little hardship. However, this time of peace didn’t last.