Woods-Crest

Woods-Crest, Capital of Eldermere   Before the rise of the High Kingdom, Woods-Crest stood as the heart of Eldermere — a fortress-grove built around an ancient, sacred tree known as the Heartwood. Once the last refuge of the Old Faith, the druids of Woods-Crest guarded its roots during the twilight years of the Mage War. The Heartwood was said to have been touched by the Old Gods themselves, its roots carrying their lifeblood deep through the Elderwood Basin.   When the Mage War ended and the age of arcane turmoil faded, Woods-Crest slowly shifted from sacred ground to settlement. The remaining druids sought to preserve it as a divine grove, but settlers were drawn by the basin’s fertile soil and its lingering magic. The druids’ protests faded beneath the sound of hammers and chisels as Eldermere’s first cities took shape.   Unlike other cities of stone, Woods-Crest grew with the forest rather than upon it. Stone halls were built into the trunks of living trees, and over the centuries, the trees reclaimed them — their bark sealing around towers, roots breaking through marble floors, and branches forming bridges high above the streets. The forest refused to die, and so the city became one with it — a place where civilization and wilderness remain in uneasy harmony.   When House Eldermere rose to prominence, they made the Heartwood their seat of power, shaping its vast trunk into a living keep — a fusion of masonry and sacred wood known as Heartwood Keep. The druids called it blasphemy; the nobles called it progress. And as centuries passed, the druids faded into obscurity, their gods forgotten — or at least, no longer spoken of aloud.   Among the sons of this noble house was Devon Eldermere, the firstborn heir. When the wars of unification swept across the continent, Devon led the charge — conquering kingdom after kingdom until all knelt before him. When his war ended, he founded the High Kingdom of Karkanna, abandoning his birth name to become Devon Torran, the first High King and founder of House Torran. He left Woods-Crest behind, granting the throne of Eldermere to his brother, King Aldric Eldermere, who rules as a loyal vassal beneath the High Crown.   In 1 AGC, when High King Devon outlawed the worship of the Old Gods, Woods-Crest was among the first to comply — at least publicly. Shrines were torn down, groves were burned, and the Heartwood was re-dedicated to The Nine. Yet in the shadows beneath its roots, the old faith survived. The druids of the basin became ghosts, moving silently between the living trees, whispering ancient names forbidden to be spoken.   Today, Woods-Crest stands as both a monument to the dawn of the High Kingdom and a quiet memorial to the age that came before it. The city’s great tree still rises over the skyline, its bark scarred with carvings older than the crown itself. To some, it is a symbol of unity under the High King. To others, it is the last living god of a forgotten world.