Alderheart

The Humblewood Region

Alderheart is the capital of the Humblewood region, which borders my homeland of Firnveldt. The great Evertree of Alderheart is tall enough to be visible on the horizon as soon as you cross the Horned Ridge, the mountains that divide Firnveldt from Humblewood. From the East, as you leave the towering mountains, you’ll find the land quickly slopes into a gentle valley. From there, if you follow the main road that winds between the great charred plains of the Scorched Grove and the marshes of the Mokk Fields, you’ll be on your way to Alderheart. Coming from the Songsea, you’ll likely land at Saltar’s Port. Follow the road north, and you’ll soon reach Alderheart. 

Regardless of the direction of your approach to Alderheart, you’ll need to travel through Humblewood’s vast forest that locals call simply “the Wood.” While few rivers run through the forest, community wells supply more than enough fresh water from deep underground to support the many small communities that thrive here. What shallow streams there are, flow south to the sea.

Every time I come to Humblewood, I always respect how uneven the land around Alderheart is compared to the flat plains of my homeland. It rises into hills or suddenly descends into crags and caves. Thankfully, the trade roads through the forest are well-traveled and mostly flat. Otherwise, my gargath traveling companion, Bello, would have a tough time. 

While traveling in the Wood, you’ll come across the magi-cal plants and animals that call Humblewood home. Some of these creatures are gentle, but others can be extremely dangerous. If you spot bright yellow eyes watching you from the shadows of the brush or catch a whiff of sulfur on the wind, you’d best hurry along! Keep a hand on your blade, just in case.

The Alderheart Evertree

Before you stand at the foot of the Evertree that forms the city of Alderheart, it can be hard to comprehend just how enor-mous it is. It towers far above the tallest of the Wood’s other trees. Folks say this extraordinary tree grew from a seed gifted by the Amaranthines themselves. Given how imposing the great tree is, I like to imagine that the seed must have rivaled Bello in size!

Nobody is quite sure of the Evertree’s origins, but what’s certain is that Alderheart is alive with powerful magic. There are only a few Evertrees in existence. These magical trees grow to immense sizes, and druids believe they are closely tied to the Great Rhythm. I’ve laid eyes on the exalted Evertree that grows in the great jungle of the Tanglewilds, and I have heard another grows in the Gasparian Isles far across the Songsea.

Citizens of Humblewood will tell you that many of the trees of their forest home are old and wise but that the Evertree is a whole other story. It’s thought that Alderheart might be as old as the Wood itself… maybe even older. 

Those gifted with plant-speech have managed to converse with Alderheart, and they are quick to let you know that the Evertree has its own will. Many a tree-shaper has a tale about having to put their work on hold because Alderheart just wasn’t in the mood to change that day. 

Some have claimed that the tree has specially chosen them to make its will known by sending them visions or sharing dream-like scenes of things it has witnessed throughout its long life. Many earnestly trust those who claim to be blessed with the Evertree’s revelations. However, while genuine cases have been documented, several claimants have been exposed as charlatans. Be wary of someone who asserts that they’ve been chosen by the Evertree, especially if they’re trying to sell you something.

Heart of the Wood

Alderheart is home to every race of birdfolk and humblefolk. The thriving community attracts people from faraway lands, like traveling merchants, explorers, and foreign dignitaries. Citizens of the Humblewood who don’t live in the city routinely journey there to trade goods, stock up on supplies, engage in artistic endeavors, or simply to catch up on the latest news and gossip. Effectively everyone in Humblewood is connected to Alderheart.

Virtually anything can be found in Alderheart, if you know where to look. The majority of the city’s inhabitants are well-meaning, decent folk, but like any city there are dark alleys and back rooms. Crime here is usually kept in check by the Perch Guard, but while the city guards are vaunted as being among the best in the Wood, illicit activities continue under the cover of darkness.

Wide and Tall

As Alderheart is massive, it is often difficult for visitors to tell they are in a tree at all. The Great Tree City is divided into three main levels where people live, work, and go about their lives: the canopy, the trunk, and the roots.

The canopy contains Alderheart’s most iconic structures, including the chambers of the Birdfolk Council, the headquarters of the Perch Guard, and the largest market in the Wood. This market boasts boutiques where patrons can find high-quality weapons, armor, and adventuring gear, the latest fashions, finest foods, and goods brought in from all across Everden. Outside the main market, smaller shops peddle wares off the beaten path. Some contain enchanted goods at a bargain, though any Alderheart socialite will recommend sticking to the more respectable shops.

The Great Tree City has something for everyone. From the upscale avenues in the Canopy, the cozy interior of the Trunk, to the winding tunnels of the Roots, each level has its own stories, attractions, and sights. You haven’t truly experienced the city of Alderheart until you’ve seen what each of its three levels has to offer. 

Travel Within Alderheart

Navigating Alderheart can be overwhelming at first. The Great Tree City, with its branching roads that reach not only across the city but also up and down, can feel like a maze. Don’t worry too much; although Alderites often give an impression of bustling haste, they frequently stop to help bewildered travelers find their way.

Getting In and Out

To enter or exit Alderheart, you have two options, enter via the Canopy or the Trunk. If you are visiting Alderheart for the first time, I recommend taking one of the lifts up to the Canopy as you get to experience Alderheart’s stunning height for yourself as you rise upwards. Stairways and corkscrew tunnels also lead up from the forest floor, emerging at the same gates in Alderheart’s Canopy served by the lifts. But be warned; this is a long climb. 

If you have business in the Trunk or Roots of Alderheart, you may consider entering via the Entry Junction Hall instead. This is a large hollow in the base of the tree, and it serves as a hub for Alderheart’s network of branchroads, so you can easily travel upwards or downwards. Whether you enter by the Gates or the Entry Junction, you will have to pass through a Perch Guard checkpoint. This process is remarkably smooth, given the flow of trade that passes in and out of Alderheart each day.

Getting Around

Most of the travel around Alderheart uses pathways shaped from the Evertree, either on top of branches or through the wood of the tree. These are known as “branchroads.” Alderites use the word branchroad to refer to many pathways in the city, even those not shaped out of branches. Smaller paths are sometimes called branchways. Meanwhile, the roads and tunnels in the Roots are called rootroads or rootways instead. 

Moving Across the City. The major  branchroads are easily wide enough for beasts of burden to pull carts of goods in either direction. These can include giant lizards, trained dire wolves, or large beetles. While most bran-chroads allow for foot traffic as well as carts and wagons, some are used exclusively 

for one or the other. Branchroads along the fringes of the Canopy level, where the branchroads can’t bear too much weight, are restricted to foot traffic. All branchroads in the city eventually connect to a wide branchroad known as the Mainstay, which winds from the Canopy into the lower Trunk. This branchroad is always alive with folks moving around the city. When you’re on the Mainstay, it’s best to keep moving with the flow. If you get lost, just step off onto a smaller branchroad and regain your bearings there.

Moving Up and Down. Stairways, pulley lifts, and ladders help folks move up and down within the city. Freight and personnel lifts connect the middle to upper levels of the Trunk with the Canopy. Most lifts are large, centrally located, and open to the public for free. A few wealthy private citizens have their own exclusive lifts, which can sometimes be used for a fee, but these are rare.

Transportation. For personal travel in the Canopy and Trunk, you may wish to hire one of the many rickshaws, gigs, or well-groomed insect mounts that carry passengers through-out the city. If you’re looking to make an impression in the Canopy, nothing says style to Alderites like paying to arrive in an elegant carriage.

Gliding and Flight

Since a lot of travel in Alderheart involves moving up or down, you might think that birdfolk would be using their feathered arms to glide everywhere. However, gliding around Alderheart can be dangerous. Besides the risk of two unsuspecting gliders crashing into each other, airspace in some parts of the city is reserved by the Perch Guard for emergencies. Such areas are clearly marked with signs.

This isn’t to say that gliding is entirely prohibited! It’s simply a matter of location. There are numerous designated gliding platforms in the city’s Canopy level, and wherever you see the correct signage, you’re free to move as you please. 

In truth, even in sanctioned zones, gliding is considered uncouth in Alderheart. If you see another way to move up or down in Alderheart, be it a stairway, a sloping branchroad, or a pulley-powered lift, it’s considered inconsiderate to glide instead of using it. This local etiquette developed in response to accidents involving humblefolk caused by gliding birdfolk in Alderheart’s early history.

Being able to truly fly is a rare and magical gift, but flying in the city is strictly regulated for safety reasons. Some guards are equipped with potions of flying to use in emergencies. But for most folks, flying is prohibited without a special license. If you are blessed with the ability to fly, you’ll need to apply to either the Captain of the Guard or a city Magistrate if you want to fly around Alderheart.

For those of us who aren’t used to a city stretching into the sky, Alderheart’s Gates may be perplexing at first. Rather than being placed on the ground, they are located all the way up in Alderheart’s topmost Canopy level. While these gates are largely considered relics of Alderheart’s embattled past, they still act as checkpoints. The five gates are shaped like archways, and all sit near the edge of the Canopy. This placement allows guards to overlook the Wood below. As some of the city’s most distinctive landmarks, the gates are a sight to behold at sunrise, when they are a bustle with new arrivals. Each gate connects to stairways that wind up through tunnels from the ground level, and the tunnels have smaller checkpoints that let folks in or out at different levels in the Trunk.

Gate Lifts. Even if you are not arriving in the city with a cart or wagon, taking a ride on one of the lifts connecting the forest floor with a gate above is highly recommended. There is no better way to get an understanding of the true scale of Alderheart than to see it disappearing beneath you as the lift platform rises toward the sky. The lifts are the legacy of Geswick Switch, one of the founders of Alderheart. His inventions made life in the marvelous tree city possible. His handiwork can be seen today all over Alderheart in the pulley systems, lifts, and stabilization platforms. Gussie Muggins, the jerbeen lift operator at the Bastion Gate, is a history buff who idolizes Switch, and he will gladly tell you all about the inventor as you take a ride.

Bastion Gate. The Bastion is the grandest and most stately gate and is the only one made completely of stone. The great gate is a magnificent sight, its towering bulk held in place by root-like supports shaped from the Evertree. It was one of two gates, the other being the Patchwork, originally built to defend the most vulnerable access points of Alderheart against the forces of the First Bandit Coalition. Though it was breached in battle, it has been reconstructed. Now, it stands as a grand monument to the city’s success and as a testament to Alderheart’s victory over the forces of brigands in the Wood.

Positioned on the south side of the tree, Bastion Gate marks the end of one of the great roads that cross Humblewood. This road leads to a route west to the town of Winnowing Reach and south toward Saltar’s Port. The Bastion sees the most traffic of the five gates. From foreign merchants to local visitors, hundreds of travelers pass through it on foot each day. 

Patchwork Gate. The most unusual gate in the city, the Patchwork Gate is made from brick and mortar reinforced with various materials, including wooden boards, metal plates, and lashings of thick rope. Built alongside the Bastion Gate to protect the fledgling city from the First Bandit Coalition’s assault, it is known as “the ugliest gate in Alderheart.” I’m told the moniker is a term of endearment for the old gate, which was badly damaged by the siege weapons in the Battle of Alderheart. Many songs have been written about the Patchwork—the gate that wouldn’t fall—and it has become a symbol of resilience for Alderites. The Patchwork Gate is located on the Evertree’s southeast side, and though it used to handle foot traffic, it now deals largely with carts carrying freight and goods. Normally, this is the gate of choice for farm-ers and traders laden with goods from the perch of Brackenmill and those carrying potions and books from the Avium. 

Wealdway Gate. The Wealdway Gate was originally shaped out of the Evertree in Song 486, after the events of the Great Calamity. It serves as Alderheart’s door to the Scorched Grove. Located on the Evertree’s west side, it was meant as an entry point for villagers fleeing the destruction of their homes in the Calamity’s wake. The gate is staffed by a small team of laborers, with lifts designed for smaller hand-pulled carts and wagons rather than the larger ones used by merchant caravans. The gate can handle both freight and foot traffic, but it mainly sees use by folks who travel light. Anyone laden with too much cargo is directed south toward the Bastion Gate. These days, the Wealdway Gate is mainly used by Tenders journeying to and from the Scorched Grove and its surrounding areas and anyone who wants to avoid heavy traffic.

Welcomeway Gate. On the east side of the tree is the Welcomeway Gate, the second gate after the Wealdway to be completely shaped out of the Evertree. Its name comes from the fact that it was made to welcome folks coming on foot to the city from the eastern roadways, and its creation marked the transition of the Patchwork into a freight entrance. Seen as the most modern gate, the Welcomeway has received a lot of care and maintenance over the years. Its pleasing appearance and ease of use have earned it the nickname “The Friendly Gate.” Though it mainly handles foot traffic, the Welcomeway Gate boasts innovative hand crank-operated lifts. Though only suitable for smaller cargo, travelers can operate these lifts themselves, a great convenience for those in a hurry. In addition, the Welcomeway sports a few reinforced pulley lifts, crewed by teams in the Canopy to handle heavy loads. Operators at the Patchwork Gate direct freight towards these lifts when their gate is too busy, which helps reduce traffic and ensure easy access to the city’s upper level.

Bramble Gate. The last gate to be created, the Bramble Gate, is the smallest city gate. It was shaped just 70 years ago on the northwest side of the tree. You could be forgiven for thinking the Bramble is older than the Welcomeway, as this unassuming gate hasn’t seen an update since its creation. The gate takes its name from its position directly above the ruins of the old village of Bramblewell. The gate was designed as an access point for those living in smaller villages in the more remote parts of the Wood to the north of Alderheart. It is mainly equipped to handle foot traffic, with small freight lifts suitable only for large hand carts. It gets the least traffic out of all the city gates but is still a welcome sight for those coming in from the wild Wood. 

The Branches 

Proof that not every Canopy-dweller lives in the lap of luxury, the Branches neighborhood was built up around the affluent Canopy center by folk who sought opportunity in Alderheart following the Great Calamity. The neighborhood is large and fragmented into smaller communities with distinct characters. Each one is established in parts of the tree that were once deemed too dangerous to build on. However, through clever engineering, the smaller branches have been made habitable. 

The buildings in the Branches are well constructed, if quaint when compared to the extravagant manor homes and shops found in the central Canopy. Houses are made from light materials such as reeds and plaster or built from woven twigs in the shape of an orb, following the ancient techniques of nest building. Tree shaping is rare here since even the Alderheat’s mighty branches aren’t thick enough at the edges of its reach to allow the shaping of large structures.

The branchroads here were shaped together from many of Alderheart’s thinner branches, and eventually, even these give way narrow paths called branchways. When visiting the Branches, you might have to clamber a little to get around. Supporting structures, such as rope bridges, ladders, and wooden platforms, are common, making some places inacces-sible for carts. Don’t fret about safety, though. Folks aren’t in any danger of falling off in most parts of the Branches, and dangerous areas are marked with warning signs.

Eldrow Street. To reach the Branches District you will have to come along Eldrow Street; a major branchroad that encircles the Evertree. Each spur of the Branches District connects to Eldrow Street and, from there, the rest of Alderheart. You can access Eldrow Street from the Mainstay branchroad and its nearby streets through smaller branchways and wooden bridges that lead to and from the Canopy’s inte-rior. Eldrow Street is worth a visit if you are up in the Canopy. It is a lively place with many fine shops and homes nestled a comfortable distance from the extreme edges of the Evertree. 

The Fall. Many Alderites believe that only birdfolk can live in the Branches due to the risk of falling, but a fair number of humblefolk also make their homes in this district. The one notable exception is the area called the Fall. This almost exclusively birdfolk community rests at the very edge of the Branches neighborhood. Homes and workshops hang on the sparse twigs of the Evertree. If you are not comfortable with heights, I cannot recommend visiting The Fall as it doesn’t have room for many safety measures. Any misstep would lead to a long plunge down to the ground. “Go take a long walk in the Fall” is an expression you may hear grumpy Alderites use when they are especially irritated. Despite (or perhaps because of) its perilous reputation, the residents of the Fall are excep-tionally proud of their home.

The Canopy of the Great Tree City is perhaps the most visually stunning of Alderheart’s three levels. Located at the very top of the city, both in its position and prominence, the Canopy is the place most folks think of when they picture Alderheart. 

When walking along the wide, sculpted branchroads in this part of the city, it’s easy to forget how high up you are until you arrive at one of the Canopy’s famed vistas. Much of the top of the Evertree is so wide that there’s little risk of falling, though in areas close to the Canopy’s edge, stabilizing platforms and walkways ensure that folks are safe, even when the wind whips through the branches. The Canopy was the first area of the Evertree to be inhabited by the folk of the Wood and is also known as “the old city.” One of the founders, Hevod Sunspring, envisioned living spaces inspired by the Evertree’s message of kindness. Even today, you will spot some of the oldest buildings in Alderheart in the Canopy, some dating all the way back to before the city’s founding.

As you stroll the Canopy’s wide boulevards, keep an eye out for the wondrous system of rain catchers. These fascinating contraptions make life possible up here in the Canopy. Rainwater that falls on the tree’s upper branches is collected, stored, and then funneled to pumping stations throughout the Canopy. In the winter, specialized heating elements melt the snow. These remarkable “skywells” allow residents of the top of the tree to access freshwater without drawing it up from the ground level. 

Observatories

Intrepid visitors who climb all the way up to the very top of the Canopy are rewarded with extraordinary views. Three great observatories lie nestled in the branches above the Canopy level, making the most of this unobstructed view of the sky above. Their construction began shortly after the Battle of Alderheart and was completed in Song 427. To this day, they remain the highest-placed structures in the city. 

These unique buildings were designed by two of the city founders, the archwizard Edwin Ebonhart and his partner in both work and love, the genius inventor Geswick Switch. The observatories’ construction is remarkably solid; each one was reinforced with a combination of tree-shaping magic and stabilization platforms, which has kept the delicate instru-ments rooted in place through the centuries, despite the Evertree growing and shifting. The construction was so solid that the northernmost observatory survived being struck by a bolt of lightning back in Song 536, which was so fierce it nearly sheared off the main branch holding it in place. You can see traces of the reinforced supports to this day, though the damage has largely been repaired. 

The three observatories form a rough triangle around the overstory and have three main uses—they allow skywatchers to read the clouds to predict weather patterns, they provide astronomers with tools needed to identify and predict events of cosmic importance, and their massive telescopes can be turned to the surrounding forest so that the Perch Guard can identify distant threats. Lookouts stationed at each observatory have spell scrolls of sending so they can quickly report dangers to their commanding officer. 

In the center of Alderheart, you’ll find the Canopy Market, a must-see for all visitors. The Market’s most notable feature is its grand, open courtyard, filled with stalls, tents, and tables run by traders of all sorts. The marketplace also hosts rows of established shops, some dating back to the city’s founding. Whether you’re looking for equipment and adventuring gear or fashions and fine foods, you’ll find an astonishing selec-tion in the Canopy Market. The shops here generally cater to those with heavy purses, stocking expensive wares imported from across Everden. Aside from the hustle and bustle of the Market, this area also contains a few homes and public parks.

Bargain Hunting. If you are looking for bargains, do as experienced patrons do and look for deals along the Market’s fringes and in the side alleys. However, this isn’t without risk, and many a bargain hunter has found themselves taken in by a huckster. Should you uncover anything unsavory, be sure to report it quickly. The Market is carefully watched by the Perch Guard, and while you won’t have trouble locating a guard, you might return to find that the crook has already packed up and left!

Guild Quarter

Following the Mainstay branchroad down from the Canopy Market leads you to Alderheart’s Guild Quarter, which lies near the center of the Canopy level. When this part of the city was shaped, several city guilds relocated their headquarters here, creating a central location for mercantile dealings. The headquarters of the Cartwrights’ Guild, the Fortune Seekers, the Gourmands’ Guild, the Merchants’ Guild, and the Couriers’ Guild are all located within view of one another. 

Temple Quarter

Near the Canopy Market lies the Temple Quarter, the oldest district in Alderheart. The Temple Quarter was established around the Holybranch temple, the temple erected by the Evertree’s first inhabitants, which has grown into a grand complex that honors the Amaranthines. Acolytes travel from across the Wood to learn from the priests who teach there, and locals visit it regularly for religious guidance.

While other early temples have long since been converted into houses, the Holybranch temple was re-shaped and expanded. The original temple only venerated the birdfolk Amaranthines, but it has long since been expanded to celebrate the humblefolk Amaranthines as well. Its massive structure took nearly half a century to complete. Holybranch stands as a monument to the piety of Alderites, ancient and modern. 

Visitors looking for the most scenic views in Alderheart and some of its most magnificent buildings should head to the Boughs district. Originally designed by one of the founders of Alderheart, Hevod Sunspring, the Boughs has been expanded into a large residential area. Though many of the initial structures have since been renovated, some stand to this day. From its creator’s vision of a simple yet refined place for the first Alderites to live, the Boughs has since grown into a collection of opulent homes and gardens erected around some of the most beautiful parks in the city. In recent years, shaping magic has been used to create patches of branches and foliage reminiscent of bushes, hedgerows, and even small “trees.”

Mainstay Manors

The main Canopy branchroad, Mainstay, winds through the Boughs district, lined with the city’s largest and most archi-tecturally diverse homes. Shaping in this residential area is minimal, as many of the homes were built before the Battle of Alderheart, though they have been greatly extended since then. In the rare instances where shaping is used, it’s mostly for support structures. While some residents claim that less shaping is “better for the Evertree,” others say this is nothing more than an excuse to build ever more extravagant homes and one-up their neighbors. 

The most influential nobles in Alderheart have estates here, including the Ebonharts, the Windswefts, the Jonquils, and the Saltars.

Boughs Gardens

The Boughs’ fabulous gardens were first imagined by Hevod Sunspring to be enjoyed by all. However, their upkeep is now funded almost entirely by private donations from the wealthy folks living in the Boughs. As such, these beautiful spaces are frequently gated off by nobles for exclusive parties. You may get some unwelcome stares from locals if you visit the gardens, especially if you’re still looking travel-weary. Don’t pay them any mind. After all, it was the will of Hevod themself that everyone should be able to enjoy the gardens’ splendors!

There are three public gardens in the Boughs—the Panfloria, the Alderwood Gardens, and the Gracelia. 

The Panfloria is the largest of Alderheart’s public gardens. Here you’ll find vines and flowers from across the Wood. If you are interested in ancient history, visiting the Panfloria is a must, as it contains a display of flowers and plants transplanted from the five original birdfolk clans’ perches. 

The Alderwood Gardens is the smallest of the three parks and grows flora native to the Evertree. This garden is the best expression of Hevod’s love for nature. You’ll often see tours of young folk here, learning about Alderheart’s ecosystem, and the guides are happy to let anyone listen in. 

The Gracelia showcases the beauty of tree shaping. Said to be the most stately of the three gardens, the Gracelia is a common site for galas and parties. Spend some time here exploring the magnificent hedge maze. You can find a statue  of Hevod at its center, shaped from Alderheart itself. Carpets of moss grow here, and footpaths have been molded between the paths to create stunning plazas, quiet trails, and  sky-front promenades. 

The Boughs Gardens’ many meandering pathways and wide vistas are sure to delight visitors, especially in the summertime when the flowers are at their most fragrant. As you explore the gardens, take a moment to consider the  generous forethought of Hevod’s designs. Despite small updates, each garden retains the layout devised by Hevod,  and they have only grown more beautiful over the centuries. 

Statue of Gaspard. Just off the Mainstay branchroad that leads towards the Boughs district, you’ll find a park that contains one of the city’s most picturesque landmarks, the statue called “True Courage.” It depicts Gaspard, the Amaranthine of valor, before his ascendance, overcoming a trial given by the monstrous Amaranthine Kren. This is an old humblefolk tale told to ward off fear. It might not be as imposing as some of the other statues in the city. Still, there’s a small stone bench opposite the statue that provides an enchanting view of Gaspard silhouetted in front of summer sunsets that cannot be recommended highly enough.

Located in the branches above the Canopy Market, the Council Plaza is home to many of Alderhart’s most famous landmarks. 

Statue of Ava Windsweft. The circular plaza is arranged around a white and gold statue called “The First Speaker,” depicting the founder Ava Windsweft holding the writ that formed the Birdfolk Council. This statue is a symbol of Alderheart and features in many souvenirs sold to visitors. 

The Council Chambers. A grand, domed building unlike anything else in the city, the Birdfolk Council Chambers rises in gleaming splendor at the plaza’s north end. Flanked on either side by standards bearing the crests of the perches represented on the Council, this building is where the Birdfolk Council meets. If you’re looking for an audience with the Council, be prepared to wait in long lines unless you have an invitation. If you’re interested in watching the Council in action, a public gallery allows citizens and visitors to watch some of the proceedings, though not all Council meetings are open to the public. Guided tours of the Chambers are also offered when the Council is not in session and are well worth the time if you have an interest in either architecture or governance. 

Perch Guard Headquarters. The Perch Guard headquar-ters is located on the south side of the plaza. The Headquarters house the bureaucracy of the Perch Guard, including the office of Captain Iris Freel. It also features large barracks for soldiers stationed for Alderheart’s defense and a training ground for recruits. Guards who work as part of the City Watch don’t live in the barracks but live as part of the community when not on duty. 

Alderheart Gaol. Next to the Perch Guard Headquarters, you’ll find a rough-hewn-stone building, Alderheart’s prison. Originally built to house captured brigands during the time of the First Bandit Coalition, today the prison holds the worst criminals of the Wood. A portion of the prison has been converted into a gaol where those accused of crimes are held while they await trial. 

Courthouse. Nearby, the imposing Alderheart Courthouse occupies the west of the plaza. It is a grand building of wood and marble. Disputes between citizens are settled here daily by Alderheart’s judges. The office of the Magistrate is also located in the Courthouse.

First Bank of Alderheart. Within sight of the Perch Guard Headquarters is the First Bank of Alderheart, where all of Humblewood’s coins are minted with the aid of the Smiths’ Guild. Many businesses keep their money safe in the bank’s impressive vault. For travelers, the bank contains a moneychanger’s office, which can exchange most currency for Alderheart’s coinage of copper acorns (cp), silver acorns (sp), and gold acorns (gp).

One of the most beautiful districts in the whole city, the Bright Hollows, begins at a branchroad known as the Golden Stair that splits off from the Mainstay branchroad, just a short walk down from the Warrens. The Bright Hollows district is largely residential. Many homes are built within a large open hollow on the side of the Evertree. Other Bright Hollows homes were built on the outside of the Trunk and are connected to the rest of the district along the Golden Stair branchroad by specially fenced-in branchroads that wind along the outside of the Evertree. 

The Golden Stairs. This branchroad winds around the Evertree, close to the bark, before returning to link back up with the Mainstay. This part of the Evertree fought off a malignant infection at some point long before any folk made Alderheart their home. As a result, the wood is furrowed with knot holes and gaps, allowing sunlight to shine through  unimpeded, giving the Golden Stair branchroad its name.

Shining Pool Plaza. Traveling down the Golden Stair will bring you to a great hollow that provides a breathtaking view of the forest. Here, buildings surround a beautiful fountain in the center of the Shining Pool Plaza. This magnificent fountain cascades into a large, clear pool that contributes to the plaza’s feeling of serenity. The cogwork pump is switched off in the colder seasons, and the pool is allowed to freeze over, transforming it into a skating rink.Exterior Estates. The many residences attached to the Evertree’s exterior are the Bright Hollows’ most notable homes. You can see them as you approach the Evertree. These estates are well-built and luxurious but have a charming coziness, unlike the airy buildings of the Canopy. They remind me 

of the cliffside homes in the mountain villages of my home-land. This part of the tree still bears scars of an infection that Alderheart fought off long before it was settled. Therefore, the wood here is too thin to shape into homes. Instead, residences here are made of stone or woven branches sealed with clay. These structures are built onto platforms carefully shaped out of the bark. Many of these plots were shaped to include deep spaces for gardens and flower patches. Though the homes here are still high up on the tree, the neighborhood was designed with humblefolk in mind, and gliding is largely forbidden in the area. 

Maker’s Way 

At the lowest level of the Trunk, close to the base of the tree, the homes are a little smaller and a little more ramshackle. This district, known as the Maker’s Way, is where many of Alderheart’s craftspeople work. Most places here are designed for utility rather than comfort. Although some grander buildings were commissioned during Alderheart’s long years of peace, the recent rise in banditry has made folk reluctant to invest in an area that is so much more open to attack than the reaches above. 

The Inventors’ and Smiths’ Guildhalls. A wide atrium runs through the center of the district, dominated by two sprawling Guildhalls, one on either side. These are the halls of the Inventors’ Guild and the Smiths’ Guild, and both are hives of activity day and night. An ingenious assortment of chimney pipes branches upwards in a tangle from the atrium’s guildhalls and small stalls. These chimney pipes harmlessly snake through the living wood of the tree, directing poten-tially harmful vapors from manufacturing up and out of the Trunk. This system was conceived by the Inventors’ Guild and has made it possible to manufacture safely within Alderheart without harming citizens or the Evertree. The pipes are warm to the touch. In the winter, you’ll often see folk warming their mittens on them before heading out to work or school.

The Trunk of Alderheart is the largest of the three levels and home to most of the city’s residences. It is a cozy and welcom-ing place, and while it may not have the extravagance of 

the Canopy, it’s not without its own marvels. Despite being mostly located inside the Evertree, the Trunk level is surpris-ingly well-lit. Sunlight pours in through natural knotholes and shaped windows. In places where natural light doesn’t reach, strings of lanterns lit by motes of magic or domesticated brightbeetles illuminate the branchroads. Homes in the Trunk show the most use of tree-shaping anywhere in Alderheart, partly because the sturdy wood of the Evertree is so suitable for it here. 

The Trunk does not rely on skywells as the Canopy does. Instead, waterways shaped into the Trunk use the Evertree’s natural channels to draw water up from the ground and funnel wastewater back into the earth. Clean water from this system can be accessed from wells using hand pumps located throughout the Trunk. More and more homes are installing private access to this water system recently.

Entry Junction 

Added less than a century ago, this large hollow was shaped in the Evertree’s base to provide another entry point for those wishing to enter the city at ground level rather than using Canopy Gates. This huge shaping project took many seasons and was finally opened to coincide with celebrations of the city’s founding. 

The Entry Junction is a large hall with vaulted ceilings and buildings shaped around it. From the Entry Junction, five stairways spiral up through the Evertree’s bark, each leading to one of the five gates in the Canopy. For those not headed to the Canopy, the Entry Junction also serves as an entrance onto the Mainstay branchroad, giving direct access to the Trunk. The Entry Junction features a Perch Guard checkpoint overseeing arrivals from the forest floor level. 

Everything about the Entry Junction is designed to awe newcomers, and it doesn’t disappoint! This is an area of the city that I go out of my way to visit on every trip, even when it is not convenient for me to do so. The Entry Junction floor is tiled with marble from the Crest Mountains, which lie to the northeast of the Wood. 

Dreamers in a Grove. In the center of the hall, a large statue depicts a luma and a hedge resting against a tree stump, holding hands in a peaceful slumber, surrounded by flowers. This statue is known as “Dreamers in a Grove,” and I’m told it’s based on an old folktale about the Amaranthine Henwin granting traveling companions sleep in a peaceful vale. Brightbeetles float around the top of the hall, feeding on a fungus grown on the ceiling to attract them. They provide light during the evening, like a sky full of living stars. 

Museum of Alderheart. Beyond its spectacle and useful-ness to folks traveling on foot, the Entry Junction features one of Alderheart’s main attractions, the Museum of Alderheart. This gorgeous two-story building is filled with fascinating trea-sures from the past of both Alderheart and Bramblewell. Entry for visitors is one aller (gp) for the day, but the museum is free for residents of Alderheart. If you’re interested in history, you owe it to yourself to visit. Guided tours are included with your entry fee, and I particularly recommend those given by Alec Lessian. They are an energetic cervan scholar and volunteer guide I met the last time I visited. 

The Ruins of Bramblewell. The ruins of the old town of Bramblewell can still be found on the Evertree’s northwest side, not far from the Entry Junction. All that remains in the shadows of Alderheart’s massive roots are a few crumbling stone walls, marking where buildings once stood. Bandits and treasure hunters took any valuable artifacts left behind when the town fell into disuse long ago. Nevertheless, some scholars still comb through the site to better understand the past. If you’re looking to explore the ruins, do so during the day, as criminals often use the site for clandestine  dealings under cover of darkness.

The Trunk Market is usually a newcomer’s introduction to the Trunk as a whole. If you travel down the Mainstay branchroad from the Guild Quarter in the Canopy level, you’ll find yourself in a great plaza of shops and stalls arranged around a large, shaped pillar that supports this wide-open space within the Trunk. The Trunk Market is every bit as vertical as the Canopy’s, as ramps from the shop-filled ground floor lead up into grand mezzanines, where closely-packed residences overlook the plaza. The dwellings here share the mezzanines with yet more shops and workspaces shaped into the tree, including auction houses, workshops, and vendors of different local crafts. The whole place is lit by magic cold lanterns that change their hue and intensity throughout the day.

The Trunk Market sees traffic on par with the Canopy Market, and most Alderites usually shop at both. Knowing which market to visit to find the best deals on a given item is part of life in the city. Where the Canopy Market specializes in imported goods, adventuring gear, and equipment, the shops in the Trunk cater to niche goods and regional specialties from all across Humblewood. This is also the place to look for strange reagents and other curiosities you’re unlikely to find in the Canopy Market. 

Bargain Hunting. When not selling my wares in the Trunk Market, I like to browse the other selections on offer. The Trunk always has a few eye-catching trinkets and stellar bargains to be found if you don’t mind haggling. The last time I went shopping in the Trunk, I found some basilisk crystals for sale next to a stall that sold every ingredient needed to make steppe rations, my favorite treat from back home in Firnveldt! I also found a jug shaped like a ram’s horn, which I just had to buy!

Shapers’ Guildhall. Besides being a bustling business hub with some of the most cosmopolitan living spaces in the Trunk, the Market also has its share of impressive sights. The illustrious hall of the Shapers’ Guild can be found on the second mezzanine level. It’s instantly recognizable, thanks to the intricate shaping work on the entryway. Inside, you’ll find some of the finest and most natural-looking tree shaping in the whole Wood. Beyond the entrance hall are the practice rooms where trainee shapers are taught and evaluated. 

“The Merchant” Statue. In the north of the Trunk Market, you’ll see the former headquarters of the Merchants’ Guild, shaped here before their relocation to the Guild Quarter in the Canopy. Though this hall no longer serves as the head-quarters, it has become a local chapter for the guild, and it oversees the management of the Trunk Market. Inside its spacious entryway, you’ll find a statue that most call “The Merchant.” The statue depicts a vulpin using a scale to appraise the various currencies used in the Wood in the past. However, few Alderites know that it is actually a statue of Lady Verl Sangrenard, one of the founders of Alderheart. Lady Sangrenard’s contribution to Alderheart is both hard to see and all around you. As one of the wealthiest traders of her time, she used her connections to secure materials needed for the construction of Alderheart. Unlike the other founders, there is no single element of Alderheart that one can call her legacy, but she had a paw in everything. Perhaps because of this, Lady Verl is largely forgotten today, though her family remains prominent within the city. Her statue is a popular meeting spot, so if someone suggests meeting at The Merchant, this is the place they mean.

Market Manors. Just a short distance from the Market, you can find marvelous three-story manors that have been shaped from the Evertree. Here are the homes belonging to such well-known families as the Forecombs and the Sangrenards, descendants of Lady Verl. 

Headquarters of the Tenders. Heading inwards, tunnels from the Market lead to a large fungus grove in front of a root-like building shaped into the tunnel walls. This is the headquarters of the Tenders. You can usually find acolytes tending to the fungus grove. Though it might seem odd to let fungi grow on the Great Tree, Tenders have concluded that these naturally occurring fungi provide Alderheart with important nutrients and help to ward off harmful fungi. The building behind the grove is a lodging home for acolytes and traveling Tenders. It also contains an archive, one of several the Tenders have spread throughout the Wood. The Tenders welcome visitors with or without appointments. 

The Warrens

The newest part of the city, the Roots, was legitimized by the Birdfolk Council in Song 703. Before this, many folks still lived in the Roots, but they were not considered citizens of Alderheart. The Roots may appear dreary compared to the airy opulence of the Canopy, but this area has a beauty of its own if only you care to see it. 

Despite being incorporated into Alderheart officially, the folk here still struggle with economic difficulties compared with the rest of the city. Efforts by its residents to improve conditions have been met with barriers, both political and financial. Meanwhile, several development projects spear-headed by the Birdfolk Council have been ineffective or even disastrous as they lacked consultation with those who live in the Roots. 

Before being officially incorporated into Alderheart, the Roots did not have access to city amenities of any sort. Two decades ago, most areas of the Roots were integrated into the water system that also supplies the Trunk. Now, hand-pumped wells can be found throughout the level, though it is rare for homes to have private access to water. 

The air in the Roots is filled with enough moisture that torches and candles can be safely used for light and warmth without risk to the Evertree. Recent city investments have also brought magical cold lanterns to light the dark passageways.

Grotkenners. All manner of folk had been living in the Roots for centuries before the district was officially recognized by the city. The Roots’ story hasn’t been given nearly as much attention by scholars as the rest of Alderheart, so much of what we do know about the Roots’ history comes from locals called “grotkenners.” These storytellers carry the oral traditions of Root-dwellers going back generations. Though many of these tales have become more like legends with retelling over time, they also contain kernels of the Roots’ history, dating back to its foundation. If you are interested in learning more about the Roots or just want to hear a thrilling tale, seek out a grotkenner. You’ll often find them in taverns, telling stories in between performances by bards. Other grotkenners set them-selves up in public spaces. You’ll usually be able to recognize a grotkenner by the enthralled gaggle of children gathered around them.

I have had the pleasure of meeting several grotkenners while I researched this guide. In particular, I would like to thank grotkenner Hoss Motch for introducing me to their fellows and sharing their stories. Hoss was very generous with their time, showing me around the Roots. Should you run into Hoss, a burly hedge who I’ve never seen without their moss-green cap, please give them my greetings. 

The Underfall

The Underfall is the largest district in the Roots. Thanks to its central location, it serves as a hub from which the other districts fan out, like spokes on a wheel. Major roads, like the Mainstay, end here, giving way to tunnels called rootways. These are generally narrower than the tunnels in the Trunk level. Some of these rootways are shaped into the Evertree’s roots, while others are dug through the soil. The smallest root-ways provide useful shortcuts across the district for those who know their way around.

Scattered Services. The Underfall lacks the specialized districts of the Trunk and Canopy above. Instead, businesses and homes lie side by side throughout its tunnels. Alongside more established shops, merchants set up stalls and carts each day. Tailors, apothecaries, and vendors of different handicrafts can be found alongside inns and eateries. Some of the best things I’ve eaten in Alderheart were purchased from Underfall food carts. Unfortunately, their locations are rarely fixed, so I cannot give you any specific recommendation other than to  be adventurous! 

Underfall Perch Guard Station. Near the center of the Underfall, there is a Perch Guard station. While the building is an imposing statement, you’re far less likely to see Perch Guard officers patrolling the rootways than you would higher up the tree.

Pestlehaven 

Fifty songs ago, the agricultural district of Pestlehaven was established off a large rootway to the east of the Underfall. This was a municipal project intended to provide Root-dwellers with work through community fungus farms 

and increase threadgrass production. Threadgrass grows symbiotically with the Evertree as beds of white, thread-like fungi. Though it resembles grass, threadgrass is actually the visible part of a huge fungus that extends far outside the tree. Colonies of this fungus help aerate the earth surrounding the Evertree’s roots, allowing the mighty tree to take in more  nourishment from the soil. In Song 723, Avium alchemists discovered that threadgrass could be used as a potent reagent in healing tinctures, alleviating everything from stomach pain to headaches. The tough threadgrass must be pounded in a pestle and mortar before it can be used in this way, giving Pestlehaven its name. 

Boom and Bust. Though the Pestlehaven project was initially a success, the resulting drop in the price of threadgrass caused the farmers to see little return on their labor. After a few bad years, many farmers had to stop operations. Many plots were abandoned. Now, having been left unattended for decades, these abandoned farms are overgrown fungal jungles. They are home to dangerous creatures and hazardous invasive fungi, which pose a risk to anyone traveling here. 

Rotten Reputation. A few honest fungus farmers remain in Pestlehaven, living in scattered homes throughout the cavernous fungus fields. However, the threadgrass industry has never truly recovered from its crash. Some farmers have been leaned on by the Thieves’ Guilds to grow illicit fungi that can be made into poisons or other dangerous concoctions. The district has since gained a reputation for being the hub for organized crime in the city, and you may hear ignorant and boorish folk calling it Pesthaven. 

Rootbraid

A short walk down a tunnel from the Underfall brings one to the cheerful little neighborhood of Rootbraid. The district of Rootbraid is a tight-knit community that dates back to the first settlement in the Roots. 

Rootbraid Hall. Alongside the residential homes and a few small shops, the heart of Rootbraid is a hall made from the lacquered carapaces of giant insects. This building is large and has an iron bell atop a tower at its center. Here, residents meet regularly to discuss issues with their official representatives. Folks also use the hall to hold community events, like dances, holiday celebrations, activities, and games. Tenders also teach the children about nature and the benefits of Alderite fungi in the hall. Grotkenners from across the Roots also gather here, sharing tales with each other and anyone else who cares to listen. 

Pushing for Change. Rootbraid folks have a reputation for being very politically active and outspoken. The movement to get the Roots recognized as an official part of Alderheart began in Rootbraid. Rootbraid has continued agitating for better conditions for all Root-dwellers ever since. Those who live here are known for their generosity. The community does whatever it can to support folks who are facing difficulties. This extends to those on the run from the law. It’s an open secret that anyone looking to leave a life of crime behind can find a chance at a new life in Rootbraid. 

Relationship with the Thieves’ Guilds. The Thieves’ Guilds have a complex relationship with Rootbraid. While they don’t appreciate the Rootbraiders helping their members leave the guilds, the generosity of Rootbraid extends to those who aren’t quite ready to give up their criminal ways too. This has led Rootbraid to be a particularly safe area as the Thieves’ Guilds have let it be known that they will enact justice on anyone who causes trouble here—and they will be far less gentle than the Perch Guard. Meanwhile, to the Perch Guard, the fact that the community is known to harbor fugitives means that it is complicit in criminal activity, leading to tensions.

Cutter’s Coil

The deepest official district in the city is Cutter’s Coil. The neighborhood is a winding tunnel that spirals down into the lowest parts of the Roots level. Folks here live in homes made from packed, dried earth. Besides cave guiding, jobs here are hard to come by, and most residents commute higher up the tree each day to work. The district gets its name from an intrepid corvum hunter named Cutter Quickwit, who first explored the area. She is something of a folk hero. Tales of her adventures in the deep caves are recounted by grotkenners all over the Roots, and children often play Cutter Catcher, which is a chasing game played in total darkness. Beyond Cutter’s Coil, unexplored tunnels branch out into innumerable pathways.

Wilder Places

Not every place in the Roots level is inhabited by folk. In the deep darkness below Cutter’s Coil, fungus fields create pockets of wilderness within the unending tunnels. These spaces are home to giant insect nymphs and other burrowing creatures. Though many of these tunnels have yet to be explored, the tales told by those who ventured downward tell of strange creatures yet unknown to the surface world. 

While it’s possible there are rare magical reagents and useful medicines within the wild tunnels, rumors of monsters have kept the lowest reaches from being fully explored. There are no maps, and what’s worse, minerals in the soil make most compasses useless. Nobody is sure how deep these tunnels actually go, but should you wish to delve into these depths, dear traveler, be sure you pack a good amount of supplies for your journey and hire a guide, if possible. I hear that more than a few would-be adventurers have gone into the tunnels, never to be seen again.

The History of Alderheart

To understand Alderheart, you must understand its history. Such a huge city didn’t sprout up overnight, and its past is written on every branchroad and building. You can learn a lot about the history of the Great Tree City by exploring its libraries and museums, so be sure to visit them if you get the chance. But also keep your eyes open while you explore to spot signs of its history everywhere you go.

Before

The first inhabitants of the tree now known as Alderheart were birdfolk. Nowadays, the different kinds of birdfolk of Humblewood see themselves as kith and kin, but in the distant past, they were distinct, self-governing peoples. The five birdfolk clans—the corvums, the gallus, the lumas, the raptors, and the strigs—lived apart. Birdfolk from different clans were just as likely to be enemies as friends, and each had their own ways and customs the others didn’t care to understand.

By the oldest evidence, Birdfolk began living in Alderheart as early as Song 198. The first to inhabit the Evertree were a band of outcasts from various birdfolk clans. Many were druids who led their companions to commune with the spirit of the Great Tree. They were the first to learn the tree’s name, Alderheart. After hearing of their wish to coexist without the separation imposed by the clans, the Evertree invited this mixed group of birdfolk to live in its branches. 

The mighty Evertree taught the druids tree-shaping magic that allowed them to create homes and other structures within its trunk and branches and later within other trees, as long as the shaping was carried out with a tree’s consent. Using this magic, the druids shaped stairways from the forest floor all the way to the very top of Alderheart. A temple to the birdfolk Amaranthines was fashioned within the Evertree, which would later become known as Holybranch. Around it, the first homes were shaped in the high branches of the Canopy. 

Over time, this small settlement grew into a haven for birdfolk who wished to escape the clans’ endless feuding. The compassionate folk of the treetop turned away no peaceful soul. Alderheart became known as a neutral territory within the Wood: a place where all were welcome to live a life of harmony and pay homage to the spirits of nature. 

It wasn’t just the birdfolk who found a home in the early days of Alderheart. Those who weren’t birdfolk, the varied people commonly referred to as “humblefolk” in the Wood, lived in a village amidst the undergrowth near the northwest side of the tree. This settlement, Bramblewell, was established among the Evertree’s exposed roots shortly after birdfolk started residing in the treetop. Bramblewell is a ruin now, but the surviving records estimate that it was founded around Song 208. By all accounts, Alderheart was more than big enough to support both settlements, and the two communities coexisted peacefully for decades.

By Song 353, the birdfolk had finished shaping the great treetop temple to the Amaranthines they named Holybranch. Pilgrims visiting Holybranch would pass through Bramblewell with coin to spend and wares to trade. Thanks to the travelers, Bramblewell thrived. The treetop community also blossomed, becoming a monastic center. Skilled healers and those in tune with the spirits of nature flocked to it. The Canopy was consid-ered a sacred place, close to the Great Rhythm. Though eager to accept temple acolytes and visiting pilgrims, it grew more slowly than Bramblewell below. While neither community grew wealthy, they both prospered and knew little hardship. However, this time of peace didn’t last.

The Threat of the First Bandit Coalition

The Wood was an unruly place in those early days, and the settlements beyond Alderheart looked out only for themselves. The various bandits, robbers, and crooks of Humblewood used this to their advantage. In Song 402, they joined together to form a great pack of thieves known as the Bandit Coalition under a mysterious figure known only as The Robber King. To this day, the Bandit Coalition’s name and insignia are used by brigands to spark fear in the hearts of honest folk.

The Coalition raided every corner of the land. Even the birdfolk in their lofty perches weren’t safe. The bandits came prepared. With ropes, ladders, and cunning tactics, the settlements of the Wood were ransacked one by one. Only the Evertree was left unscathed. Its trunk was too tall to scale, its stairways too narrow to storm, and its bark too thick to burn.

Vulnerably located on the forest floor, Bramblewell was attacked by the Coalition. However, thanks to the warn-

ings from the acolytes watching high above for approaching marauders, the folk of Bramblewell were able to take shelter high in the Evertree while the Bandit Coalition sacked their little town. With the assistance of their neighbors from the Canopy, each time Bramblewell was raided, its people rebuilt it stronger than before. Bramblewell raised stone walls and other fortifications, ruined traces of which can still be seen. Townsfolk with combat skills organized themselves into a trained militia, becoming a bulwark against the bandit raids. 

In exchange for the kindness shown to them by the folk of the Canopy, Bramblewell ensured that the treetop community continued to receive supplies and kept watch for anyone who might try to sneak up through the tree’s hidden stairways. By supporting each other, both communities were strong enough to resist the worst of the Bandit Coalition’s onslaught together.

As Bramblewell grew, it opened its gates to the wounded and frightened folk from nearby villages. It wasn’t long before the Great Tree of Alderheart was established as a symbol of hope for the denizens of Humblewood. Birdfolk from the divided clans began to look to Alderheart as a place of safety and security, paving the way for the city’s founding. 

The Founding of the Great Tree City

It was the threat of the First Bandit Coalition that propelled Alderheart from a small religious community to a true city. Several figures from this turbulent time are recognized as the city’s founders. Their names adorn monuments, streets, and buildings today, but they started out as a motley collection of representatives in the midst of a crisis. 

The representatives from the five birdfolk clans who became known as the Founders of Alderheart were: 

l Ava Windsweft, a just luma administrator

l Edwin Ebonhart, a wily corvum wizard

l Ferro Keer, a fierce raptor warrior

l Grido Snowtarn, a gallant strig commander

l Hevod Sunspring, an even-tempered gallus elder

While you will see the names and faces of these birdfolk displayed across the Great Tree City, you have to dig a little deeper to discover the humblefolk who were also in attendance, as they have been largely forgotten. Therefore, I am pleased to include their names here so that they may be remembered for their contributions: 

l Fennel Jeramis, the honorable jerbeen mayor of Bramblewell

l Geswick Switch, the genius mapach inventor whose mechanical expertise created the great lifts of Alderheart

l Lady Verl Sangrenard, a vulpin merchant who established vast trade networks across the Wood

As the Bandit crisis in the Wood continued on song aftersong and more folk fled to Alderheart, it became clear that the small community had to grow and change. In Song 411, as the Bandit Coalition swept across the Wood in their fiercest attacks yet, the birdfolk and humblefolk sent representatives to Bramblewell to attend the Conference of Glimmercall. There they discussed how to organize themselves to stand against the bandit assault. Those who gathered there would drastically change the course of history in the Wood. 

After days of heated debate, Edwin Ebonheart, a wizard who had long studied the magic of the Evertree, received a vision from the Great Tree itself. Alderheart expressed its wish to shelter the people of the Wood from the Bandit Coalition. Carrying the Evertree’s message, Edwin suggested building a safe haven for those fleeing the Bandit Coalition: a true city in the branches and trunk of Alderheart, far greater than the small enclave that already existed. While all saw the wisdom in this plan, disagreement over who would lead this new city ensued. Fennel Jeramis, mayor of Bramblewell, expressed concerns over losing autonomy if her town was merged with the new city above. In the face of this reluctance, it was put forward that a city founded by members from each birdfolk clan would serve as a unifying force but that there would be resistance from the birdfolk clans should this be expanded to include humblefolk. Eventually, without an enthusiastic consensus, matters were resolved: the birdfolk would form a council to oversee the new treetop city and ensure equity between the birdfolk clans. Meanwhile, the humblefolk would retain full control of Bramblewell below but would not have a say in the ruling of the city above.

Ava Windsweft heartily agreed to this plan, seeing the potential to rally the feuding birdfolk clans behind a common cause and end the feuds that had troubled the birdfolk for generations. The last to agree was Mayor Jeramis, agreeing to support the new city because it could bring more prosperity to her humblefolk-governed town of Bramblewell. Additionally, the newly-formed city would be sworn to help and protect Bramblewell. However, this promise would be broken only a few decades later in the eyes of Bramblwell’s last residents as Alderheart stood idly by while its neighbor collapsed into disrepair. With the final terms agreed to, construction on the treetop city of Alderheart began on the 30th day of the Glimmercall chorus, Song 411.

A Fledgling City

Alderheart’s early layout was drafted by Hevod Sunspring, who drew up plans for grand open treetop plazas, as well as blocks of comfortable houses in the city’s center, where non-birdfolk would be safe from falling. Hevod’s grandest designs eventually became the foundation for the city’s Canopy level. With the military-minded Grido Snowtarn’s guidance, Hevod designed the city’s fortified entry points to prevent infiltration by smug-glers and bandit scouts. Grido was knowledgeable in the ways of war and wanted to ensure the new city’s defenses were as solid as the mountain homes of his people. 

Unlike the later construction, you’ll notice that older buildings and structures in the Canopy aren’t magically shaped out of Alderheart’s living timber. The city’s first phase was built quickly, so very little tree shaping could be used. This archi-tectural legacy can be seen today in both new and old homes belonging to the wealthy in the Canopy. Alderheart’s elites continue to favor a classic architectural style that uses materials from across Humblewood and does not incorporate shaping.

This foundational style emerged from Edwin’s collabora-tions with Geswick Switch, whom he would later fall for, and relied heavily on the mapach inventor’s efficient system of lifts and pulleys. The dynamic pair established walkways and stabilizing platforms to keep structures built closer to the edge of branches accessible and make them resilient against storms. Edwin, who possessed an interest in astronomy, also commis-sioned the first great observatory in the Canopy.

As the fledgling city was being constructed, Ferro Keer trained anyone who volunteered in the ways of agile branch-to-branch combat and archery. The armed company she founded would become the backbone of Humblewood’s defenses, the force now known as the Perch Guard. While many birdfolk excelled in techniques of branch skirmishing and dive attacks, these fighting styles relied on gliding and weren’t suited to the humblefolk of Bramblewell. Instead, Ferro focused on training the humblefolk to use ranged weap-ons. Though the Perch Guard of today is associated with the agile, spear-wielding techniques of its birdfolk contingent, the first Perch Guard was equally composed of humblefolk archers and birdfolk skirmishers. 

The Battle of Alderheart

By Song 412, the foundations of the city of Alderheart were complete, though it would scarcely be recognizable today. The early city was primarily constructed on the south side of the Evertree. If you wander that district, you will find some of Alderheart’s oldest buildings. However, the early city wasn’t much more than a fortified settlement built up around the Holybranch temple. The developing city flourished, drawing many people from across the Wood as the word spread that Alderheat was founded on the ideals of safety and cooperation. 

However, The Robber King also heard the rumors of the city built to resist them and made plans to crush the young city to maintain the Coalition’s stranglehold on the Wood. Fortunately, Alderheart caught wind of the plan and had time to prepare while the bandits organized their scattered forces. This conflict came to a head in Song 413 at The Battle of Alderheart.

At the start of summer, the Bandit Coalition launched a ferocious attack against the Great Tree City. Armed with flaming catapults and great ballistae, the Coalition’s goal was to topple the Evertree and with it the fragile hope that anyone in the Wood could resist their might. In the face of the assault, Alderheart’s founders led the Perch Guard in defense of the city. The battle lasted ten days, filled with bitter fighting and great losses on both sides. The steadfast leadership of the founders and the discipline of Alderheart and Bramblewell’s combined forces won out, finally routing the bandits. The Robber King is believed to have died in this battle. No records referring to the Coalition’s leader exist after this point, though many others using the title have popped up throughout history, claiming to be descendants of the original Robber King. This defeat hobbled the Coalition’s forces and led to the end of their threat to the Wood. 

Today, outside the Council Plaza Courthouse, a wooden obelisk shaped from the Evertree bears the names of those who gave their lives in the Battle of Alderheart. The names are filled in with gold so that they will never fade. Vines of goldblossoms grow around the memorial and bloom every song in Rayswell, marking Alderheart’s victory and honoring the memory of those who fell in combat.

The Great Tree Prospers

With the Bandit Coalition shattered, the Wood entered a new age of peace. In Song 415, Alderheart established its govern-ing body, the Birdfolk Council. Many in the city wished the founders to form the Council, but they all refused, save for Ava Windsweft. The others felt their talents could be put to better use elsewhere. Therefore, with a mission to foster a sense of unity among the five birdfolk clans and govern over Alderheart, the first Birdfolk Council was established by Ava, along with representatives from the other four clans. Given Ava’s diplomatic and fair nature, the Council unanimously voted for her to lead it as the first Speaker.

The Council’s first act was to sign the Humblefolk Treaty with leaders from towns and villages across the Wood, effec-tively placing all of Humblewood under the protection of the newly established Perch Guard. An age of chaos that had reigned for nearly fifteen songs finally came to an end. 

After its momentous victory over the Bandit Coalition, the city attracted migrants and merchants from all over the Wood, looking to rebuild their lives. Soon, the great markets in the Canopy and Trunk were constructed, new residents set up homes on the new branchroads, and tunnels were excavated throughout the Trunk. 

Word of a better life to be had in the Great Tree City above trickled down to the roots of the Evertree. The call of fortune in the city above outsung any loyalty many had to Bramblewell below. Bramblewell was able to sustain itself for some time but began to fall into disrepair as its folk moved up into Alderheart, seeking opportunity and prosperity. This issue was brought to the attention of the Bird Folk Council many times by the lead-ers of Bramblewell, but Alderheart, preoccupied with its own affairs, neglected the failing town. By Song 448, Bramblewell had been abandoned completely. Now only overgrown ruins remain of the once proud community, but its legacy lives on in the humblefolk who reside in Alderheart to this day. 

The Great Calamity

The next great expansion of the city came in the aftermath of what is called The Great Calamity. During the summer of Song 486, a forest fire of unprecedented proportions raged through the Wood. This event is forever remembered by the folk of the Wood as the Great Calamity. Nobody knows exactly how the fire was first lit nor finally extinguished, but the blaze reduced the entire western section of the forest to cinders, leaving behind a flame-cursed plain of ash known as the Scorched Grove. In all my travels, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It mars the Wood like a scar: an eerie place of searing winds, smoldering soil, and strange monsters. I’d give the Scorched Grove a wide berth, dear traveler, as it is filled with dangers. 

In the aftermath of the Great Calamity, many who lived in the area that became the Scorched Grove, mostly humblefolk, had lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods to the inferno. They looked to Alderheart for aid. The Birdfolk Council responded by decreeing that new spaces and branchroads be shaped in the lower Trunk to make homes for the influx of new residents. Since the Calamity, humblefolk have outnum-bered birdfolk in Alderheart but still did not gain representa-tion on the Council. At the time, the Birdfolk Council chose to view the refugees as guests rather than true citizens of Alderheart. The shortfall of not including humblefolk represen-tation on the Council is still a dark mark on the city’s history. It prevented humblefolk from sharing valuable perspectives on how the city could benefit all its residents.

As the Trunk filled, the city began turning folk away, claim-ing that there were not enough resources to sustain all the refugees. Those desperately seeking a home began to dig into Alderheart’s roots secretly. Though crude at first, a network of tunnels formed over time, and small communities developed within them. For these root-dwellers, life was hard, and some resorted to thievery and smuggling to survive. The commu-nities in the roots were an open secret for generations. The Council only publicly acknowledged the existence of the secret tunnels in Song 721 and promptly sent tree-shapers to fill in the tunnels. However, Alderheart refused the tree-shapers. The Evertree wished to provide shelter to those who needed it, and the mighty Alderheart bid the tree-shapers strengthen the tunnels, shape proper homes for the Root-dwellers, and connect them to the rest of the city instead. 

In Song 723, after a change in leadership, the Council agreed to expand the once clandestine tunnels, and the area became formally known as the Roots, the last official level of the city. Today, the Roots continue to be stigmatized by narrow-minded folk as a place of crime and villainy. Life in the Roots is still tough compared to the other levels of Alderheart, but for those who live there, it is their home, and they are proud of it.

Present Day

This brings us to present-day Alderheart. Usually, the Wood is slow to change, but things have taken a bit of a turn as I pen this guide. Forest fires have been running rampant. Though the Birdfolk Council has issued assurances that the matter is well in talon, some of the trusted scholars I’ve spoken to aren’t so sure the fires are natural. I hope this is just a spat of unsea-sonable dryness, but I am confident that folks here will get by one way or another. Alderheart remains a destination that everyone should visit, should they have the chance. 

Alderheart withstood both the Bandit Coalition and the Great Calamity thanks to the strength of its people, but the checkered history of this city has folks feeling more divided now than ever before. My grandmother used to say that resentment is like a seed: try to bury it, and it only grows. Hopefully, by the time you receive this guide, the Great Tree City has taken steps to correct its past mistakes and is writing a newer and better chapter in its history.