Before the meteors fell, a great druid lived in the deep forests of a long-forgotten mountain range. His love for the land was legendary, but so was his ire when roused; the forest had been hurt before, by men and elves. Daehmer had guarded and protected his grove for so long that the few who knew of him often thought of him as a nature spirit more than a normal being. Despite his elven appearance, many thought of him as a demigod.
Before the meteors fell, Daehmer saw the change coming over the world. He realized that his beloved grove would be lost, drowned in a watery grave. He beseeched the spirits of nature; perhaps they heard him and aided him in his endeavor.
Daehmer gathered what little time he had and began to change the great trees of his grove. Gathering all of his strength, he sent them growing at a prodigious rate. Soon, the trees were massive enough for what he intended.
At the cost of his own life, he laid down a great spell that would protect the land and its animals from the waters. At the last moment, he saw his mistake; at the depths of the water to which his land would sink, there would be no warmth to succor the life in his garden. Daehmer died with a cry on his lips at his own folly.
But someone heard that cry. Which god performed the deed is a matter of who you ask; some will say that the lady of fire heeded his call. Others say that the great heart rock of the world itself responded. Still others claim that the lord of the sun placed a piece of himself deep beneath the waves to care for Daehmer's sacrifice.
Daehmer's Grove sits on the bottom of the ocean on a small island in a welling channel of lava known as the Earthblood River. Four great trees maintain each corner of its rougly pyramidal shape, with Ardannal, the great tree, anchoring the center. Within this small bubble beneath the sea, a last glimpse of the old world is preserved -- a small park that contains wildlife and vegetation from the old world.
Daehmer's great spell anchors a great mass of air above the and around the trees, containing air like a great balloon. The trees sustain and shape that great mass of air. Should Ardannal ever fail or be cut down, the water will come rushing inward, destroying the Grove.
A small contingent of druids and clerics who serve Daehmer's memory maintain the grove. All are welcome here, provided they do nothing to harm the sanctity of the land. This has led to an odd situation, with the lands of the Grove proving to be a kind of no-man's land where any group can meet on neutral ground for trade, treaties, or other business.
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The Grove itself is roughly square, just over 10 miles on each side. Each corner of the pyramidal base is anchored by a tree about the size of a California Redwood. Ardannal is a mighty oak tree that measures over 300' in diameter and strecthes vertically for nearly a mile. The climate of the Grove was roughly temperate when it was formed, and is now warmed and sustained by the heat of the Earthblood River. Daehmer's magic allows the plant life to survive without sunlight; the heat of the River and the nutrients of the earth sustain the plants.
Along the southern-most side of the Grove is an open field. This field was the start of a huge grassland plain before the change; now it is a grassy plain leading to the walls of the Grove. It is this area that the druids allow visitors to use. An odd mixture of bazaar, de-militarized zone, and pilgrimmage locale, the southern fields are a kaleidoscope of peoples and races.
The druids of the Grove worship the old world and maintain (some would call it 'ruthlessly defend') the sanctity of Daehmer's Grove. The clerics dedicate themselves to the memory of Daehmer. They receive spells, so it is unclear if Daehmer has ascended or if some other deity sees fit to grant them power. Daehmer's clerics can choose from the Plant, Animal, Good, and Protection domains; Daehmer himself is considered to be Neutral Good.
The group that directly tends the Grove is known as Daehmer's Children; this group preserves the dweomers that Daehmer gave his life to create. The ruling council is currently headed by Laeta Carlisile, a human druid 9/Cleric of Daehmer 9. She and her six compatriots make all decisions for the fate of the Grove. The other power group in the Grove are the the Protectors of Daehmer. They are an order that makes use of druidic magic and unarmed fighting techniques to uphold the will of Daehmer's Children. Few people forget a dire bear that fights as a monk does. The leader of the Protectors is currently Nasher Fealin, a sea elven druid 9/monk 7.
For visitors, this may be a place to meet with shady sources, negotiate with others, or simply a place to meditate on the past. No matter what your beliefs are or who you serve, you are welcome in the Grove -- until you break one of the rules. The rules are simple: take nothing from the Grove, kill nothing that lives in the grove, and no fighting is allowed AT ALL within the limits of the grove for fear of damaging the grove. Those who break a rule are expelled from the Grove. Those who attempt to return after being expelled are summarily bound and thrown into the Earthblood.
Before the meteors fell, Daehmer saw the change coming over the world. He realized that his beloved grove would be lost, drowned in a watery grave. He beseeched the spirits of nature; perhaps they heard him and aided him in his endeavor.
Daehmer gathered what little time he had and began to change the great trees of his grove. Gathering all of his strength, he sent them growing at a prodigious rate. Soon, the trees were massive enough for what he intended.
At the cost of his own life, he laid down a great spell that would protect the land and its animals from the waters. At the last moment, he saw his mistake; at the depths of the water to which his land would sink, there would be no warmth to succor the life in his garden. Daehmer died with a cry on his lips at his own folly.
But someone heard that cry. Which god performed the deed is a matter of who you ask; some will say that the lady of fire heeded his call. Others say that the great heart rock of the world itself responded. Still others claim that the lord of the sun placed a piece of himself deep beneath the waves to care for Daehmer's sacrifice.
Daehmer's Grove sits on the bottom of the ocean on a small island in a welling channel of lava known as the Earthblood River. Four great trees maintain each corner of its rougly pyramidal shape, with Ardannal, the great tree, anchoring the center. Within this small bubble beneath the sea, a last glimpse of the old world is preserved -- a small park that contains wildlife and vegetation from the old world.
Daehmer's great spell anchors a great mass of air above the and around the trees, containing air like a great balloon. The trees sustain and shape that great mass of air. Should Ardannal ever fail or be cut down, the water will come rushing inward, destroying the Grove.
A small contingent of druids and clerics who serve Daehmer's memory maintain the grove. All are welcome here, provided they do nothing to harm the sanctity of the land. This has led to an odd situation, with the lands of the Grove proving to be a kind of no-man's land where any group can meet on neutral ground for trade, treaties, or other business.
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The Grove itself is roughly square, just over 10 miles on each side. Each corner of the pyramidal base is anchored by a tree about the size of a California Redwood. Ardannal is a mighty oak tree that measures over 300' in diameter and strecthes vertically for nearly a mile. The climate of the Grove was roughly temperate when it was formed, and is now warmed and sustained by the heat of the Earthblood River. Daehmer's magic allows the plant life to survive without sunlight; the heat of the River and the nutrients of the earth sustain the plants.
Along the southern-most side of the Grove is an open field. This field was the start of a huge grassland plain before the change; now it is a grassy plain leading to the walls of the Grove. It is this area that the druids allow visitors to use. An odd mixture of bazaar, de-militarized zone, and pilgrimmage locale, the southern fields are a kaleidoscope of peoples and races.
The druids of the Grove worship the old world and maintain (some would call it 'ruthlessly defend') the sanctity of Daehmer's Grove. The clerics dedicate themselves to the memory of Daehmer. They receive spells, so it is unclear if Daehmer has ascended or if some other deity sees fit to grant them power. Daehmer's clerics can choose from the Plant, Animal, Good, and Protection domains; Daehmer himself is considered to be Neutral Good.
The group that directly tends the Grove is known as Daehmer's Children; this group preserves the dweomers that Daehmer gave his life to create. The ruling council is currently headed by Laeta Carlisile, a human druid 9/Cleric of Daehmer 9. She and her six compatriots make all decisions for the fate of the Grove. The other power group in the Grove are the the Protectors of Daehmer. They are an order that makes use of druidic magic and unarmed fighting techniques to uphold the will of Daehmer's Children. Few people forget a dire bear that fights as a monk does. The leader of the Protectors is currently Nasher Fealin, a sea elven druid 9/monk 7.
For visitors, this may be a place to meet with shady sources, negotiate with others, or simply a place to meditate on the past. No matter what your beliefs are or who you serve, you are welcome in the Grove -- until you break one of the rules. The rules are simple: take nothing from the Grove, kill nothing that lives in the grove, and no fighting is allowed AT ALL within the limits of the grove for fear of damaging the grove. Those who break a rule are expelled from the Grove. Those who attempt to return after being expelled are summarily bound and thrown into the Earthblood.
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