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What used to be known as Ilyx (“The Blessed Lands”) was a lush and beautiful green forest that spanned for hundreds of miles. The woods were home to thousands of Fae creatures, and home to the High and Wood Elves of the world.

When an orc by the name of Rak’Grum Bloodseed united his people – and brought others under his command including Gnolls, Goblins, Kobolds, Ogres, Trolls and even the military fighting machines of the Hobgoblins – he took his massive army and marched into the woods of Ilyx, vowing to destroy the children of his god; for lore had told about how Nifika, goddess of Magic and Elves, had cheated Grumthak, god of the Orcs and cost him his eye.

Desperate to drive Rak’Grum back, after years of war that quickly began to take a toll on the woods and its residents, an elder elf by the name of Porlen Hollowroot turned to magic that had been contained for so long, locked away in scripture. He called upon Elementals, which still was not enough – so he tapped into portals into other dimensions – calling upon various genies of different planes. The genies agreed to help – but soon discovered that Porlen had made deals with genies, whom they opposed – and a war between the Elemental Planes broke out throughout Ilyx on top of the war being fought against Rak’Grum’s army.

Nifika watched as the woodlands of Ilyx burned – her children slaughtered, the Fae slaughtered; and she appointed an angel by the name of Verastin who Florasena herself had used during the Demon War (See the origin of the Suncutter). What Nifika was unaware of, is that Verastin‘s brief touch with the Sunblade had corrupted his soul. As he journeyed to the Prime Material Plane to put a stop to the Genies warring across the Ilyx, as well as the Orc tribe The Broken Hand, Verastin soon found that he judged all whom he gazed upon; and could not differentiate and killed without impunity, if there was any lack of purity in their hearts – Elf, Orc, Genie alike.

Nifika pleaded with him to stop – but he could not – nor would he. He began killing thousands. Nifika was forced – and this is where the story has varied – some say she threw a spear from the heaves, some say she shot an arrow from the heavens – either way, it pierced Verastin‘s heart and plunged deep into the soil – where the spear/arrow – then sprang roots and imprisoned him within – and grew to be the largest tree in all of the world (earning the name The Spear Tree or The One Tree). Nifika assigned one of her own daughters, a Dryad named Danela and appointed one of her own Unicorns named Starhorn to guard his prison in the Jade Forest.

And there, Verastin remained, for thousands of years, imprisoned. But Verastin would not remain – for those thousands of years he yearned to break free – and his voice whispered, ever so gently outward – until a small group of cult fanatics finally gained the courage to set him free. Nikifika sensed the danger, and urged one of her angels to reach out to a mortal that was close by – and one reached out to Cleric by the name of Phalen. However, Phalen and her companions were not able to arrive in time.

Danela was sacrificed in the Jade Forest and by the time some adventurers arrived, it was already too late. As if that were not bad enough, the atrocity of a Dryad sacrificed, Verastin escaped the prison with Danela’s murder – which then summoned Starhorn who sensed Danela’s demise, and met it’s own end as Verastin grabbed the Unicorn’s horn, pierced it’s heart and turned into a Nightmare.

The tree’s top, splintered, as if it had exploded, now has earned the name The Splintered Tree as a solemn reminder that there is great evil in this world that isn’t always visible.