Arbor of Light

Waytravel to the the Arbor of Light...

The brightness of midday shines around you as you step blinking from the waystone. In every direction, branches of titanic trees hang down from above with leaves of sparking white, glowing with an inner luminescence that you can barely stand to look at. The thick trunks of the shining trees extend off into the distance in orderly rows as though this Arbor of Light had been cultivated.
Tier IV Waypoint | The Iron Coin will not allow anyone through of 16th level or lower.

Arbor of Light Solo Encounters

CR 3: Flail Snail
CR 4: Couatl
CR 5: Battleforce Angel
CR 6: Invisible Stalker
CR 7: Air Elemental Myrmidon
CR 8: Spirit Naga
CR 9: Animated Tree
CR 10: Deva
CR 11: Radiant Idol
CR 12: Archon of Falling Stars
CR 13: Star Spawn Seer

Glorious Resplendence

Creatures which linger overlong within the Arbor of Light are driven supernaturally blind. At the end of each hour spent within the Arbor of Light, a creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom Saving Throw or be effected by the Blindness condition. This condition can only be removed by Greater Restoration or Wish or by spending 20 days of downtime on recovery.
Long-Term Effect: Permanent Blindness. If a creature suffering from Blindness caused by Glorious Resplendence remains for 24 hours within the Arbor of Light after becoming blind, they then suffer from Permanent Blindness. This condition can only removed by Regenerate or Wish

Natural Resources

Creatures inhabiting the Arbor of Light are likely drawn to seraphite leaves and may be in the vicinity of stands of trees bearing the mystical material.
New World Harvesting Guide

Seraphite Leaves

Sometimes known as angelic bronze or heavensteel, seraphite is the metal forged by the upper planes. It is bright and pure, and cannot be made into alloys or composites of any kind. When gods bestow weapons, they are crafted from seraphite. The leaves of the Arbor of Light on the rare occasions when they fall to the ground, harden into raw seraphite.
Unit value: 500 gp
Armor: A creature wearing Seraphite armor has advantage on death saving throws.
Weapon: When dealing damage to undead or fiends, seraphite weapons count as dealing radiant damage.

Arbor of Light Special Encounters

The following encounters appear only intermittently. When they have been slain, Notify a DM as they do not return automatically. The Brightwalker and the Poet Laureate return after a week, if the Groundskeeper has not been slain. The Groundskeeper never returns while any character which has previously slain him stands in his lair, nor will the Brightwalker or the Poet Laureate return to face one who has defeated the Groundskeeper. For all others, the Groundskeeper returns one week after it has last been slain.

Brightwalker

---

CR/Monster	Reward Type	Soloable?
CR 20: Nightwalker	Treasure Hoard	Yes

---

Slayer(s)	Date Slain
N/A
N/A

WANTED: Brightwalker
Additional details regarding this Nightwalker.

Prerequisites

• The Brightwalker pays no heed to passing visitors to the Arbor of Light. Only those who trespass beyond 24 hours will gain its ire.
• The Brightwalker is the defender of the trees which grow within the Arbor of Light. Complete a hard quest in which you face at least four Animated Trees.
• The Brightwalker responds to cleanse any desecration of the Arbor of Light. Those who wish to draw its ire must summon and defeat an undead or fiend within the Arbor of Light.

Encounter Notes

The Brightwalker does radiant damage in place of necrotic damage for all abilities and attacks which normally deal necrotic damage, and is considered a celestial rather than undead. While within the Arbor of Light, the Brightwalker can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Brightwalker regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Dawn. The Brightwalker casts Dawn at any space within 60 feet. The saving throw DC for this spell is 21.
Detect. The Brightwalker makes a Wisdom (Perception) check and may teleport up to its fly speed towards a hostile creature it can see.
Sunburst (Costs 3 Actions). The Brightwalker casts Sunburst at any space within 150 feet. The saving throw DC for this spell is 21.

Loot

• Coins: 23,000pp, 40,000gp
• Gems: None
• Art Objects: 3x 7500gp Art Objects
• Items: 2x Potion of Invulnerability, Potion of Heroism, Potion of Clairvoyance, Potion of Possibility, Scroll of Protection from Celestials

Poet Laureate

---

CR/Monster	Reward Type	Soloable?
CR 23: Empyrean	Treasure Hoard	Yes

---

Slayer(s)	Date Slain
N/A
N/A

WANTED: Poet Laureate
Additional details regarding this empyrean.

Prerequisites

• The Poet Laureate is drawn to beauty above all things. To gain her attention, a character must complete three hard Skill Challenges including at least one successful Charisma (Performance) check in each.
• The Poet Laureate has swarms of adoring fans among the celestials which inhabit the Arbor of Light. To have any hope of challenging her, you must complete a hard quest, facing and defeating at least three devas.
• In the final moments before showing herself, the Poet Laureate will question potential adversaries through telepathic communication. A character must prove themselves worthy of her presence by answering her riddles. You must expend three Lore to answer her riddles correctly.

Encounter Notes

While in combat, a character may attempt a DC 25 Performance check as an action. If they succeed, the Poet Laureate is incapacitated until the end of her next turn as she is consumed by a flurry of inspired writing and composing. Within the Arbor of Light, the Robe of Scintillating Colors she wears is empowered; in addition to her normal Legendary Actions, she may expend one Legendary Action to use the following ability:

Robe of Scintillating Colors. The Poet Laureate displays the robe's dazzling pattern until the end of her next turn. All creatures which can see her when she does this have disadvantage on attack rolls against her until the end of her next turn. Additionally, any creatures within 60 feet when the robe's power is activated must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or become stunned until the effect ends.

Loot

• Coins: 24,000pp, 43,000gp
• Gems: None
• Art Objects: 1x 7500gp Art Object
• Items: +3 Magic Weapon, Dwarven Plate, Robe of Scintillating Colors

Groundskeeper

---

CR/Monster	Reward Type	Soloable?
CR 25: Marut	Treasure Hoard	Yes

---

Slayer(s)	Date Slain
N/A
N/A

WANTED: Groundskeeper
Additional details regarding this Marut.

Prerequisites

• The appearance of the Groundskeeper within the full dazzling brilliance of the Arbor of Light renders mortal minds completely insensate. In order to prepare for the Groundskeeper's arrival, characters which wish to face it must clear an area of trees by succeeding on three difficult skill challenges, which must include at least one successful Strength (Athletics) check in each.
• The Groundskeeper trusts the Brightwalker to drive off any who would foul the Arbor of Light. Once the Brightwalker is defeated, a character must complete a hard quest to draw out the Groundskeeper, facing at least four Animated Trees.
• The Arbor of Light is a place of beauty held sacred by many gods. To challenge the Groundskeeper who maintains it, is to draw the ire of the most powerful beings in the cosmos. A character must sacrifice five Divine Favor to turn their sight, else they will be destroyed utterly at the outset of the battle.

Encounter Notes

The Arbor of Light is sacred ground which empowers the Groundskeeper. While within its confines, it can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Groundskeeper regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Trim the Branches. The Groundskeeper casts Steel Wind Strike with a range of 60 feet.
Prepare to Return (Costs 2 Actions). If the Groundskeeper's Justify ability has been used this combat, it may use this ability to instantly recharge it.
Hedge Maze (Costs 3 Actions). The Groundskeeper casts Imprisonment as an action, using the Hedged Prison option. The condition for release is the death of the Groundskeeper.

Loot

• Coins: 27,000pp, 43,000gp
• Gems: 6x 1000gp Gems
• Art Objects: None
• Items: Potion of Storm Giant Strength, Potion of Supreme Healing, 2x 8th Level Spell Scrolls, Plane of Life Cubic Gate Face

Easy Combat Encounter
1x CR6 Invisible Stalker
2x CR4 Couatl
3x CR3 Three Flail Snails

Medium Combat Encounter
1x CR8 Spirit Naga
1x CR7 & 1x CR5
- Air Elemental Myrmidon and Battleforce Angel
2x CR6 Two Invisible Stalkers
3x CR4 Three Couatl

Hard Combat Encounter
1x CR10 Deva
1x CR9 & 1x CR4
- Animated Tree and Couatl
3x CR6 Three Invisible Stalkers
4x CR5 Battleforce Angels

Deadly Combat Encounter
1x CR13 Star Spawn Seer
1x CR12 & 1x CR4
- Archon of the Falling Stars and Couatl
1x CR11 & 1x CR6
- Radiant Idol and Invisible Stalker
2x CR9 Two Animated Trees
3x CR7 Three Air Elemental Myrmidons

Type

Lair

Parent Location

The Sauval Expanse