Tree of Souls

The Tree of Souls was a tree and artifact given by the gods of the Seldarine to the elves of Evermeet for the purpose of restoring elven realms in Faerûn. It preserved the souls of some ancient elves as well as the power of High Magic. It was the most precious and most magically powerful artifact possessed by the elves and perhaps the most powerful artifact anywhere on Abeir-Toril.
==Description==
Once it was actually planted, the tree would grow in an instant, becoming a massive tree akin to an oak, standing tall and bearing silvery white bark and shining green and gold leaves.
However, while held in stasis, it was a miniature albeit still mature oak of the same appearance. It stood in a shallow bowl that appeared to be carved out of a single blue-green gem. Touching it bestowed an incredible sense of love and recognition from those elven souls within.
==Powers==
As the name suggested, the Tree of Souls absorbed the souls of those ancient elves who elected not to go to Arvandor but rather to linger on Toril, so that their very souls might aid in the reconstruction of the elven realm. They enhanced the tree's power ever further over the millennia. 
While not yet planted, the tree existed in magical stasis, never growing and never dying. Nevertheless, on rare occasion, it produced buds that would grow into saplings. Only two such saplings were known to exist, the one granted to Lamruil and one granted to Seirveril. Several more saplings, known as "slips", were produced in the late 1400s DR.
The Tree of Souls was in essence a living mythal. Once it was planted, the Tree of Souls would form a gate permanently linking Evermeet and the place where the tree stood. Moreover, it would also enable elven high magic to be cast freely and without impediments anywhere within , increasing by every year thereafter. However, it could never be relocated from that spot. Even a sapling had the power to repel fiends over a range of hundreds of yards, preventing them from teleporting into the area, though they still might enter physically. It needed to be placed in earth for this to be effective, however.
==Reputation & Legends==
The very existence of the Tree of Souls was a closely guarded secret, even to the leaders of the elves on Evermeet.
According to prophecy, the Tree of Souls would only be properly planted on the mainland after the elves ended their exile on Evermeet and returned in numbers to Faerûn. Certainly, because it could never be uprooted and relocated once planted, the elves were unwilling to simply plant it on Evermeet and waste its power and Corellon himself cautioned it should not be planted on Evermeet, nor planted careless. Hence, it was kept safe for their return, even if it would take millennia or more.
==History==
The deities Angharradh and Corellon Larethian created the seed of the Tree of Souls following the completion of the high magic that created Evermeet in the First Sundering circa . It held the souls of those High Magi who'd given their lives in the effort. The seed swiftly sprouted, becoming a miniature tree. The gods granted this to the elf high mage Starleaf and entrusted the elves of Evermeet with its protection in a secret place on the newly formed island.
The Tree of Souls remained on Evermeet under the protection of the elves there but, after the failed conquest by Kymil Nimesin in the , Queen Amlaruil Moonflower gave a sapling to her son, Lamruil Moonflower. The Queen imparted to Lamruil that the time to plant the Tree of Souls on the mainland had come.
That year, Lamruil Moonflower and Maura Silverhand took the Tree of Souls sapling and journeyed with their followers to the most northern limits of Faerûn, where they founded the elven settlement of Auseriel. It was intended to be a hidden haven for elves on the mainland and they planned to finally plant the Tree of Souls at its heart. 
But in the , facing repeated attacks by white dragons, Auseriel was abandoned and Lamruil retreated with the Tree of Souls back to Evermeet to save it from destruction. The tree was returned to Queen Amlaruil for safekeeping. 
In the , Queen Amlaruil brought a sapling of the Tree of Souls back to the mainland and presented it to Lord Seiveril Miritar to aid his effort to reclaim the city of Myth Drannor for the elves. He would carry it into battle in the Cormanthor War to guard against the fiends and placed it in the immediate care of the priestess Thilesin. It was set in the earth at the center of their camp in the Vale of Lost Voices to guard against demonic assault, and it was closely guarded and watched.
Finally, at the ascension of Ilsevele Miritar as the seventh Coronal of the recently reclaimed city of Myth Drannor in the , Queen Amlaruil gifted the actual Tree of Souls to the new elven realm. The tree was finally planted in the Starsoul Shrine, called Seldarrshen Nieryll, within a circular colonnade in the center of Myth Drannor, where all the people could see and enjoy it. After three years, it had grown to nearly tall and provided an anchor for the new mythal fashioned by Araevin Teshurr.
But this new elven city faced destruction barely more than a century later. In the , Myth Drannor was confronted with the arrival of the flying City of Shade, Thultanthar. Realizing the risk to the Tree of Souls, the Srinshee mustered the local baelnorn and ordered them to create a great magical shield by warping the Weave. They succeeded, protecting the tree when Thultanther crashed down. Although large parts of Myth Drannor were devastated, the Tree of Souls survived. Ilsevele and Fflar Melruth continued to protect the Tree and secretly replanted saplings in Evereska, Semberholme, and Tangletrees, with a view toward one day magically "moving" the Tree somehow.
==Appendix==
===Background===
In most sources, the Tree of Souls is presented as a singular tree kept in stasis and passed between Amlaruil, Lamruil, and Ilsevele, but the Final Gate novel implies it is a living tree that buds and produces saplings that are given instead. As such, it is unclear whether the "true" artifact Tree of Souls is exchanged or planted or merely kept as a glorified pot-plant. Moreover, Final Gate has Amlaruil give a sapling to Seiveril in 1374 DR, whereas The Grand History of the Realms has her give the true tree to Ilsevele in 1377 DR; it is unknown if this is a discrepancy or two different gifts, first of the sapling, then of the true tree. This article assumes the latter case.
Ed Greenwood admitted that he overlooked that the Tree of Souls was in Myth Drannor when he dropped Thultanthar on the city in The Herald. Oops.
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Trees
Category:Artifacts
Category:Items from Evermeet
Category:Items from the Trackless Sea
Category:Items from Auseriel
Category:Items from Myth Drannor
Category:Items from North Faerûn
Category:Items from Faerûn
Category:Items from Toril
Category:Items