Va’sil Tree
| Va’sil Tree | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Va’sil Tree |
| Common Nicknames | Emissary of Estel |
| Classification | Magus |
| Habitat | Daen |
| Domesticated | No |
| Current Status | Extinct |
Va'sil Trees emerged in the final days of the Allorn Empire, who looked like trees and served as heralds of nature leading the Grul-Yanar in a violent attack against the Altalar. They soon fell due to the Night of the Weeping Stars, but their impact has been felt for the past three centuries, given the mystery they have invoked. While the Emissaries of Estel are considered extinct, rumors have existed for decades of Va’sil alive in the distant reaches of Ithania, and for some, in the underground depths of the City of Regalia.
History
The Va’sil Trees are steeped in myth and legend, given that they came into being at the end of the Allorn Empire. Where or who formed them is ultimately a mystery, though the Va'sil Trees themselves claimed it had been Estel herself. However, few have heeded these words and view them as a lie, considering the creatures' destructive nature. The Altalar elite went so far as to deny the creature’s nature, and instead labeled them as enchanted trees, hence the modern name they carry today. When the Va’sil Trees first emerged, they led bands of Grul-Yanar in a random, capricious conquest of whatever land they emerged in, laying waste to cities and killing those that stood in their way, replacing all that had been lost with unfettered, raw nature. Huge and lumbering, the Va'sil Trees largely came to sit in a single spot at the center of their conquest, and for the few decades before the Cataclysm, attracted followers and those willing to hear their word, while the Grul-Yanar pushed on or protected what the Va'sil Trees had established. But then the Night of the Weeping Stars came, and the creatures burned. A few rose up and tried to flee, but they did not get far, and in their wake left further chaos and more questions than anyone at the time could answer. Ever since then, the Va'sil Trees have been a great mystery to many, especially the Altalar. Some believe that they were a punishment from Estel, while others claim they were a gift from the goddess. The Cielothar and Yanar often see them as positive creatures, having led the charge at the end of the Allorn Empire in a desperate bid to save it. Most Altalar, however, settle on the Va'sil Trees being just as bad as the Grul-Yanar, and being simply one more added feature in the years of chaos that would surround the Wildering and Cataclysm.
Physical Appearance
The Va'sil Trees were easily distinguished from other forms of exotic plant life by three factors. First, their incredible size. At that point of the Allorn Empire, almost all tall jungle trees had long been felled, resulting in the Va'sil Trees (who could reach up to 50 or 60 feet) towering over the surrounding landscape of greenery they had formed. The next feature that distinguished them was their bark. While appearing generally mundane and often having a thick, broad form with just root-like legs, their bark was universally dark blue laced with a light golden or yellow hue in the cracks. This could also be seen in any knots of the tree, and overall some believe that the hue suggests empowerment by a magical source. Finally, there were their Projections. Altalar records are scarce on the topic, but evidence exists for Va'sil Trees being able to form a large, pure white projection of themselves. These projections supposedly had a strange combination of Altalar and Yanar-like features, much like the Yanera-Flor, but stood a towering ten feet tall. They also lacked facial features and apparently spoke in an archaic dialect, either suggesting they spoke the Altalar languages poorly or spoke only the most complex and ancient of the three forms, Ancient Altalar.
Diversity
The Va'sil Trees came in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Most were described as having three legs and a squat lower body, but others were straight and broad in their entire structure. It is unknown if the Va'sil Trees had a gender or if these physical differences denoted anything about the Va'sil Trees individually.
Mental Overview
The Va'sil Trees have often been characterized as mindless and lacking any desire beyond destruction. This classical Altalar opinion has been rejected by most Ailor, especially those of the variety of faiths that believe in the significance of magical trees (from Velheim to Zvorun Ailor). This opinion has also been questioned by some Altalar, who bring up records of post-territory conquest meetings between Altalar and the Va'sil Trees, who projected themselves and attempted to explain their actions. Some records speak of them warning of a doom approaching, while others speak of threats and demands for service. At the very least, whatever the Va'sil Trees said was somewhat effective, winning some hearts over to their side. For when the Night of the Weeping Stars occurred, Faith of Estel worshipers who had aligned themselves with the Va'sil Trees were also killed, both in the urban centers where they carried the Va'sil Trees’ message and when battling in defense of the Va'sil Trees themselves.
Territory and Groupings
The Va'sil Trees set themselves up across Daen, in great groves and formations of their own making. The Altalar today name 421 Va'sil Trees as having existed, but most point out that this number could be wrong for a wide variety of factors. No two Va'sil Trees were known to be close to each other, suggesting an even distribution across what terrain they did emerge in. Each had several Grul-Yanar, almost like an honor guard, but their lack of a role in the narratives of the Night of the Weeping Stars suggests they retreated before that event.
Trivia
- The rumors of the Regalian Va'sil Tree suggest that a Va'sil Tree’s Heart, a strange crystal-and-organic piece of their body, was spirited away from a dying Va'sil Tree in Daendroc, and was stored in the sewers of the City of Regalia where it has been regrowing ever since.
- Very little remains today of the Va'sil Tree, the fires that consumed them being all-encompassing. However, the unique mineral Chrysete formed from the green and white sap of the fallen Va'sil Trees.
- Some suggest that Va'sil Tree are actually far, far older than originally believed. These scholars postulate ancient carvings associated with Talea to show the Va'sil Trees in an active state, before they went into a sort of hibernation for over 1500 years, only awakening when her creation, the Allorn Empire, was on the brink of collapse.
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