Heartwood
Heartwood? Ah, what a place. It’s like you’ve stepped into a living storybook, where every tree, even the whisper of the wind, carries an ancient tale.
- Danrion Uave, herbalist and member of the Embermyst Fellowship
Deep in the Thicketthorn Wilds lies the unique settlement of Heartwood. The crown jewel of the Wilds and the beating heart of the forest itself.
This symbiotic town is nestled high among the ancient branches and roots of the towering redwood trees. Structures are carefully woven into the living fabric of those trees and the very forest. Where every living tree in the settlement has a door that leads to homes, shops and more. Heartwood is less a town built in the woods, but rather a town that is a part of the woods.
This is also home to a significant portion of the rabitaur people in Summerdark. In particular, this has been the home of the Drana’Lelani rabitaurs for several generations.
The air in Heartwood is much like it is elsewhere, even in the darkest places of Thicketthorn Wilds. It is rich with the scent of living greenery, with dappled sunlight filtered through the thick boughs above. As the wind blows and stirs the leaves, it forms an ever shifting mosaic of light and shadow. Below, the sounds of voice and song from a vibrant community mingle with the quiet rustle of leaves and the rhythmic drip of water.
This town is not merely a place. Heartwood is that and much more.
It’s a testament to the harmonious coexistence of the rabitaur people and their ancient, primeval forest. A monument to the Drana’Lelani’s reverence for the natural world, and to their resilient spirit.
Here, Heartwood stands strong amid encroaching dangers from a battered world as it pulls free from the thorns of strife. It’s a symbol of the power of community, strength of stewardship, and the enduring heartbeat of the Wilds.
A Rag-Tag Origin
The origins of Heartwood, or Neldrana in the native Drana’Lelani tongue, could be called an accidental origin. A silver lining on the dark cloud of war. Those dark seeds, which would become Heartwood, were sown in the stormy middle years of the Second Age. It was during the height of the Skarn Tide, a devastating invasion of the skarn tribes from the east, beyond the Blue Mountains.
As Grull Thunderhorn led his forces south and west, the horde swept over the land, with settlements put to the torch. Fleeing their ancestral homes in Evenspyre Wood, rabitaur refugees slipped past the skarn horde, then headed for the western coastline. There, they turned north to the uncharted expanse of the Thicketthorn Wilds. The refugees sought safety in its labyrinthine groves, a place to hide from the skarn warlord and his forces.
Days turned into seasons, then became years, as the refugees shaped a home under the watchful gaze of the ancient Heart Trees. The rabitaurs discovered an ancient wellspring, a natural flow of power deep in the primeval forest. They formed a connection to it, and through that power, to the flora and fauna around them.
These settlers learned to shape the living wood into shelters, then towns. In time, they learned to coexist with the forest and the creatures that called the Wilds home.
That first town, built in the deepest part of the forest labyrinthine, was the beginning of Heartwood. An accidental haven born of necessity but fostered with a deep respect for the natural world. Over the years, rabitaur refugees trickled north to build their own home in the Thicketthorn Wilds. But to this day, Heartwood remains a beacon of hope for a lost people.
Geography and Structure
No matter where a person wanders through Heartwood, its unique scent fills the air. A mixture of fresh wood and earth combines with the sweet, tangy scent of various trees, plants, and herbs that grown in many of the town’s tiered gardens.
- Danrion Uave, herbalist and member of the Embermyst Fellowship
The town of Heartwood is unusual. It isn’t so much planned by ambitious artisans, but inspired by the surrounding environment. This town stretched high above, as well as along the dense woodland floor. A labyrinth of platforms, living bridges, and interwoven branches connects the various boroughs of the town.
Founding Date
609 ( Late Second Age )
Alternative Name(s)
Neldrana
Type
Town
Population
~3800-4000
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
The population of Heartwood does vary based on the season and when the trading caravans come through the area. But this is what is most common by species:
Industry, Trade & Guilds
Embermyst Fellowship Heartwood Academy Gelbar Herbalist Guild Redmark Woodcraft Guild Brewmaster Guild Crafters Conclave Wildwood Rootweavers Veradi Alchemists Exports and Other Trade Goods
Woodworking and artisanship of ‘shaped wood’ items Herbology and medicine Custom brewed ales, fruit wines, and mead Education in crafts and sagecaster traditions Spiritual services and healing associated with nature traditions
Heartwood and its walkways by Synthography by CB Ash using MidJourney and Krita
Each building and structure a testament to rabitaur craftsmanship, carefully shaped and molded from the living redwood trees. These ancient titans, some thousands of years old, are the foundation and backbone of the town. Many of which hold entrances to a wide assortment of shops, homes, and guild halls.
Building architecture holds to the local’s deep respect for nature. Walls and more for structures are shaped, using wood-shaping spells which leave the tree alive and healthy. Furniture and other furnishings are made from fallen or carefully pruned branches. Wood chosen for flexibility and the ease with which they can be worked.
Stone is used, but sparingly. It’s collected locally then worked to become foundations, arches, or supports. These are key structural components for the town’s architecture. Stone is used in those locations where a redwood tree isn’t available or needs more support than enchanted wood.
No matter the material, local carpenters use it sparingly. As each building is shaped and constructed with an emphasis on using what material is necessary without being wasteful.
Eye for Design
Building design also keeps with their town’s respect for nature. Heartwood crafters avoid straight, rigid lines and instead prefer organic, flowing curves where possible. Roofs are often covered in grass or moss that helps the structure blend into the surrounding. But it also helps with the survival of the tree that supports the building.
The town’s avenues sprawl outward in concentric rings from the majestic Artisan’s Tree, Heartwood’s town center and marketplace. Roads and walkways stretch out like roots over the ground, or up into the air to follow the great redwood branches. The pattern follows the ebb and flow of the forest’s rhythm of redwood growth.
These winding roadways aren’t just to match the natural flow of the forest. It’s true that’s important in Heartwood, but it has a second, secret purpose. Each winding road is planned so that every curve, each turn, is part of the town’s defenses. If an invading force moved along the walled road or walkway, they are exposed at those turns to half a dozen hidden platforms where archers can hide.
At the edge of town, the borders appear fluid. They seamlessly melt into the surrounding Thicketthorn Wilds itself. It is a carefully planned camouflage to conceal the edge of town. This allows the town to vanish into the thick forest, but also helps conceal the town’s other defenses. From hidden traps to barricades, Heartwood defenses are a lethal secret, hidden from prying eyes. Where there aren’t hidden traps or barricades, there are complex and powerful sagecaster wards designed to cripple invaders as they arrive.
Design Flow
This eye for design also applies to the town’s water system. Heartwood’s water supply comes from the nearby Saphstream River and Wildermist Lake to the northeast. While it flows down through various small streams into the primeval Thicketthorn, Heartwood crafters devised a series of aqueducts to channel a portion of that water into the town.
This aqueduct system spreads out through the town along the settlement’s root-like pattern. Water is stored in strategically grown barrel bushes and water willows. Plants that can store and channel water naturally, but have been cultivated by the local rabitaurs to be twice as effective in Heartwood.
As impressive as the crafters work is with the barrel bushes and water willows, this pales when compared to the lynchpin of the water system. The actual Artisan’s Tree that grows in the middle of the marketplace. A centuries-old, ten story tall water willow that acts as centerpiece for the town, a key landmark, and an elaborate, living fountain for the market square. This one tree holds the greatest spiritual significance for the locals, as it is a focal point for their magic and beliefs in their respect for nature.
In and Around Heartwood
Artisan's Tree by Synthography by CB Ash using Midjourney and Krita
Heartwood doesn’t have districts, like many of the large cities. But what it lacks in dedicated districts, it makes up for with various unique and remarkable landmarks across the town.
Heartwood Council Hall
This is the meeting hall for the Heartwood Council that helps govern the settlement. This group of twelve sagecasters meet here to debate matters of local law, trade and other items. Resolutions are passed onto Heartwood’s drangor. A term that means “Tree Caretaker” in Drana’Lelani, or their word for ‘mayor’.
The hall itself is made of one of the oldest living redwood trees in town. A door on the ground level allows entrance to the main hall. Council members and other visitors can follow the ramps and stairs to reach the different floors and rooms. All of which spill out onto wide, thick, and interwoven branches.
Here, the rooms are not only for the Heartwood Council, but full town meetings as well. As the tree is healthy and alive, it represents living history, the local’s connection to nature, and the heart of the community.
Embermyst Hall
The rabble rousing Embermyst Fellowship maintains a hall here. Part of this is to give members a place to stay while training in the Heartwood Academy, but also to maintain a connection to the Thicketthorn Wilds region. Like the Heartwood Council Hall, the Embermyst Hall is formed from a living redwood tree. But where the Council Hall is quiet and reserved, the Embermyst Hall is brightly lit and boisterous. This is in part to the Ember’s Tale Inn, located on the ground floor of the Embermyst Hall.
The Hall also acts a place of learning on its own. On the second floor, long halls are maintained for a modest library, training rooms, and spaces for crafting magical tools and other items.
Brewmaster’s Guild Pub
This large pub is where the members of the Brewmaster Guild showcase their art. It’s a large tavern whose size almost rivals that of the Ember’s Tale Inn. This welcoming tavern is always a brightly lit, boisterous place. Ales, meads and other unique drinks and food are offered. Locals and visitors gather here for news of the wider world. But unlike the Ember’s Tale, this pub is simply a tavern with no rooms for weary travelers to stay in.
The Herb Bower
This apothecary shop is the largest in Heartwood. Run by the Herbalist Guild, it offers a wide range of herbal remedies and magical potions. The building was constructed and shaped from two entwined trees, a water willow and redwood, and covers four floors above the ground. Behind the shop is a wide botanical garden where a large assortment of aromatic medicinal plants are grown.
Heartwood Academy
This long trio of buildings that span three entire redwoods is the local school of magic for the region. It’s the oldest university in the region that teaches a wide range of subjects.
Brewmaster's Guild Pub by Synthography by CB Ash using Midjourney and Krita
The presence of this storied Academy acts as a key element of the town’s power in the rabitaur cultures. A cornerstone of magical knowledge and repository of ancient rabitaur magical craft traditions.
Artisan’s Tree
The most famous of all Heartwood’s landmark locations is the Artisan’s Tree. A bustling location, this is Heartwood’s thriving marketplace. Shops and booths of all kind line surround the area in the middle of town. Here, woodcrafters, brewers, herbalist, farmers, and many other merchants sell their wares.
This hub of trade and commerce is centered on the ancient water willow that is also a two story tall fountain. It is connected to the Heartwood aqueducts and flows with fresh water year round, filtered naturally by the stone basin and the water willow itself. This fountain provides the town caretakers a way to measure the aqueduct’s flow and quality of the water drawn down from the Saphstream River and Wildermist Lake to the northeast.
Laws and the Town Guard
Heartwood is a calm, laid back town. But it isn’t without laws and takes its safety seriously. This responsibility falls to the local guard, known as the Heartwood Guardians.
The Heartwood Guardians, or Drana'Lithar, are a specially trained group of locals, mostly rabitaurs, skilled in both the combat arts and magic. Their key role is to protect Heartwood from physical threats, which involves patrolling the surrounding Thicketthorn Wilds and surrounding regions.
But they have other responsibilities in town. The Drana'Lithar also help enforce the laws set down by the town’s drangor and the Heartwood Council. Members in their green with silver trimmed sleeveless coats are a common sight across Heartwood. In town, they operate in teams of two, but outside of town, they are found in groups of five to ten.
Another fantastic fantasy world with warmth and charm. This would make the perfect discover for a harrowed party deep in the thick of it, or a great starting point for a group of adventures. And it has so many potential branches to expand on.
Thanks! :D It certainly is meant to be a good starting point for a campaign or a safe place for a battered group of adventures. But... it could have plenty of intrigue on its own!