[Urbis] Locations of the Cold Frontier - Apple Orchard and Treants' Court

In the foothills of the coastal mountains the forests begin to wane, as the soil becomes less fertile and there is less shelter for the trees. Nevertheless, in one region seven times seven small stands of shrubbery withstand the wind, each protected by a vast apple tree spaced 49 yards from the next tree in a perfect grid pattern. These apple trees grow wild apples, grown without grafts and each different from the next - and generally not very tasty for a human palate. Furthermore, each tree is truly ancient - if they were cut and their rings counted, they would turn out to be 327 years old. The Coastal Tribes tell of a pale man coming from the East, many winters before the arrival of the Inland Tribes, who planted those trees using secret magics to bless them, returning to tend these trees again and again for several years before finally vanishing further into the West.

In the mountains north of the Bandersnatch Footprints there is a small clearing where six cornifers are arranged in a rough circle. With only a little imagination these trees seem to have faces, arms, and legs as part of their trunks and roots. This is not an illusion - these trees are actually elder treants who have slept here for many generations and have now been overgrown with moss. Only magic or the most violent of disturbances will rouse them from their sleep, and even then they will require some time to fully wake up - but once they do, their wrath against any defilers will be tremendous.


Note: A list of all Urbis-related posts can be found here.