Besh’norin - Oath Oak

Grand heart-tree of Alaeduril — council hollow and guest boughs of Clan Meldarin

Besh’norin is the living seat of law in Alaeduri: a colossal heart-oak whose interior has been shaped—not cut—into the council hollow where the nine Lon’Törli meet, oaths are witnessed, and writs are sealed. High among its outer boughs, guest chambers cradle visiting tribal chiefs, foreign envoys, rangers, and clergy. Every major decision of Clan Meldarin, from harvest limits to war musters, is sung and bound here.

Setting & First Impressions

The Oath Oak crowns the saddle where the two dells lean toward one another. Its trunk is broader than a town tower; its bark bears pale, flowing traceries like river-maps. Ropes and living bridges rise to verandas grown from limbs; wind-bells and birdhouses sway under the leaves. At the root, a crescent-door of living wood opens into the inner hollow, cool and amber-lit.

Read-aloud (arrival):

A scent like rain on dry bark meets you as the crescent of living wood parts. A chamber spirals upward around a trunk the size of a keep. The walls are smooth as river stone, veined with light. Nine seats curve in a circle, their arms grown from living roots. Above, faint daylight filters through green glass leaves. Somewhere a drop of sap falls, and the sound is as loud as a gavel.

History & Purpose

• Founding charge. Besh’norin was shaped early in Alaeduril’s history to give the nine tribes a neutral hall and to bind words to living wood.
• Civic anchor. The temple of Ehlenestra hosts markets of peace; the Oath Oak transforms negotiated terms into law—oaths are spoken in chorus, witnessed by the Binder of Oaths, and inscribed as living sigils that the tree “remembers.”
• Continuity of office. The rotating Garad’a’Besh (Binder of Oaths) presides here, keeps order, and breaks ties; in crisis the council may proclaim a Lon’Keryth (war-leader). The Lon’Baelyth (chief guardian) briefs the house before readiness votes.

Architecture & Craft

• The Crescent Door. A living valve that opens at the Binder’s word or by ritual knock—no hinges, no lock, yet famously secure.
• Council Hollow. A round amphitheater of grown benches, nine chief’s seats, and a central dais formed from a knot of heartwood; the acoustics carry soft voices as if sung.
• Witness Gallery. A ring of leaf-screened alcoves for scribes, rangers, druids, and honored guests; light filters through green-glass panes set like leaves.
• Guest Boughs. Self-supporting platforms with sleeping nooks, writing desks, and rain-cisterns. Each bears a subtle motif of its current guest’s people (antler-carving for Woodsmen, knot-runes for gnomes, etc.).
• Living Record. Beneath the dais grows a lattice of pale cambium lines; each oath sworn here leaves a faint sigil that can be read (with training) like a seasonal calendar of promises kept.

Rites & Procedure

• Opening the Oak. The Binder intones the Three Courtesies (Soft Voice, Clean Hands, Straight Purpose). Only then does the crescent door unseal.
• Quorum & Vote. A quorum of chiefs (or empowered delegates) takes seats; debate proceeds clockwise, youngest tribe first. Ties are broken by the Binder.
• Oath-binding. Final words are spoken upon the heart-dais; a drop of sap is caught in a silver cup and touched to the writs. The sigil glows faintly along the Living Record.
• Sanctuary decorum. Steel stays sheathed; magic that compels the will is forbidden; any witness may demand a night’s delay if new evidence is laid.

Politics & Guests

Besh’norin is deliberately hospitable but formal. Foreign envoys from Verbobonc, Dyvers, or neighboring clans are lodged in the guest boughs and escorted by Telva wardens. Mixed delegations—Rangers, Woodsmen elders, druids of the Old Faith—are frequent. Celene’s envoys are welcome yet reminded that posted wardens, not proclamations, keep these borders.

Security & Subtle Wards

• Quiet Geometry. Leaf-vein sigils mute flames, slow thrown weapons, and sour lies (deception checks are at disadvantage within the inner circle unless magically shielded).
• Root-Sense. The tree itself carries tremors through its roots; sudden violence triggers a resonant thrum that summons the Lon’Baelyth’s pickets.
• Bird-Cant. Whistle-codes and messenger birds relay outcomes to patrol posts and the temples within minutes.

Customs & Etiquette for Visitors

• Announce purpose in one breath at the door.
• Offer token of the road (a leaf, a stone, a clean drop of water) to the bowl at entry—symbol that you bring no hidden fire.
• Speak softly and directly; interrupting chiefs is frowned upon.
• Refuse the cup during oath-binding, and the hall will remember.

Adventure Hooks

1. Oath at Dusk. A crucial convoy compact must pass before nightfall; a forged seal appears in the witness gallery, and the PCs must unmask its owner before the quorum dissolves.
2. The Sap-Cup Vanishes. The silver cup used to touch sap to writs is stolen; without it, no new law can be bound. Track the thief through bough and market while rivals press for “emergency” powers.
3. Leaf-Record Flicker. Old sigils dim and blur—the Living Record is failing. Is this a natural cycle, sabotage, or a pulse from Ansynor?
4. Guest Bough Intrigue. A Dyvers factor and a Woodsman elder trade accusations overnight; the party must arbitrate quietly before the morning vote, or the Binder will throw the matter to steel on the fringe.

Using Besh’norin at the Table

• Tone: Reverent but practical. It is a courthouse grown from a tree.
• Mechanical boons: PCs who argue respectfully and present clear evidence gain advantage on one Persuasion or Insight check within the hollow.
• Mechanical taboos: Casting coercive magic in the circle immediately ends debate and imposes social sanctions; repeat offenders are banned from the guest boughs.
• Pacing tip: Treat each debate like a “skill challenge”—three clear points, one counter, one compromise, then oath or delay.