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Swearing Tree, The Standing several hundred feet tall, the Swearing Tree is a tree of solid stone. Its many branches twist out from its
many-split trunk, like some colossal oak tree. Neither leaf nor fruit grow upon its craggy, rocky branches. Instead,
covering every inch of the tree are strange, dark unreadable runes, each representing a promise made beneath it.
Legend states that any creature that speaks a promise beneath the Swearing Tree becomes
magically beguiled to fulfill this task or suffer terrible misfortune. Many beings of all walks have sworn beneath the
tree, from banished monarchs who swear to never seek their return to power to commoners speaking wedding vows to each
other.
The Swearing Tree is the only tree to grow from the green grasses of the Yoaen Valley.
Dwelling beneath its massive roots is the very ancient seer Belshega,
the Sorceress of Serpents, Loremaster, and Guardian of the Swearing Tree. She has witnessed each promise made beneath
the tree for untold centuries and has become something of a legend herself. The Yoaen Valley can be reached by traveling
from the northwestern edge of the Faerie March directly north into the Cresecent
Mountains for three days.
Any promise sworn while touching the Swearing Tree causes the speaker to fall under the
auspices of a powerful Gaes. Only a willing creature may swear beneath the tree, the magic does not work if the
creature is not sincere. The magic of the Swearing Tree is only discharged upon completion of the task that is sworn
and, unlike Gaes, if the sworn task is one such that it cannot be fulfilled due to its open ended nature then that is
just too bad for the creature which made such a foolish promise. When a promise has been sincerely made a new glyph
appears upon the base of the tree. The tree grows with each promise sworn such that there is always room for a new
glyph at its base. The oldest of glyphs are near the tips of its ancient branches, testament to the quantity of
promises made in its presence; each glyph is unique.
A creature who does not fulfill their promise, regardless of why, suffers a -2 penalty to each
of their ability scores. Each day, another -2 accumulates, until the creature resumes its promise or until it dies. These
penalties are removed 24 hours after the subject resumes their promise. The power of the Swearing Tree cannot be broken by
any means short of divine intervention.
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