Arbor Land

Overview

Arbor Land is a mystical realm known as the ancestral region associated with Nalini, a fairy with an unusual talent for animals and plants. It is a place deeply rooted in oral tradition, where history, ancient myths, and ancestral memories are kept alive through generations.

The Magical Pyres and Oral History

The defining cultural feature of the Arbor Land is its “magical pyres.” Gathered around these glowing, enchanted fires, the inhabitants of the Arbor Land pass down oral histories of the world’s creation and ancient epochs. Nalini, who later became one of the protectors of Phandalin, learned of the world’s deepest history from the tales told by her grandmother around these pyres. These stories carried the memories of eras so old they have entered the collective culture of the Sword Coast as mere myth.

Preserved Mythos and Ancient History

Through the storytelling traditions of the Arbor Land, several key legends of the world’s pre-history have been preserved:

• The Dawn of Creation: Eons before recorded history, formless gods arrived at a world of churning chaos. Seeing potential, they tamed the chaos and created the mortal races, starting with the elves, followed by the dwarves, and then humans.
• The Origin of Magic: To help their short-lived children withstand the tumultuous world, the gods gifted them small slivers of their own essence, giving birth to magic.
• The Age of Arcanum: Under the guidance of magic, the mortal races prospered and achieved unimaginable feats of arcane innovation, which eventually led to unchecked arrogance and a ruthless pursuit of power and godhood.
• The Calamity: This arrogance sparked a world-spanning war and a magical arms race. The war created a schism among the gods, dividing them into the “Betrayer Gods” (who wished to destroy or enslave mortals) and the “Prime Deities” (who defended them).
• The Divine Gate: To protect the scorched and ruined world from unchecked divinity, the Prime Deities created the Divine Gate—a barrier sealing the gods away from the Material Plane, ending the Calamity and ushering in the current age.