Adhlacadh Oaks

Adhlacadh Oaks are a type of oak tree found in Wyneira.

## **General**

Adhlacadh oak trees are an integral part of Wodean worship. Native to the Rhisgl'Aur forest, Adhlacadhs are large oak trees with thick bark of pale brown lined with ashen hued leaves said to ward against acts of necromancy. Onlookers unfamiliar with the trees have been known to compare them to dying and rotting oaks, but this assessment could not be further from the truth. In cemeteries known as grave forests, the dead are buried deep beneath these oaks and the surrounding trees. There, beneath the earth and touched by Adhlacadh roots, mortal forms fertilize the trees and can be returned to the cycle of life and death unmolested by those that would disturb them. Some say that the oldest and strongest Adhlacadhs will even protect the dead from grave robbers, though accounts of the exact mechanics of how they do so vary.

Naturally occurring groves surrounding Adhlacadhs were adopted by the Saol'ai wild elves as the first recorded grave forests in Unsere, and are seen by many as both a gift from and children of Wodea,the Rotting Lady. New groves have been planted and tended to over the years, though officially there is no difference in the Wodean faith between old and new groves. All Adhlacadhs are blessings of Wodea and protectors of the great cycle. Attempts by outsiders to categorize and date grave forests have largely been met with failure as such attempts are met with resistance by the Wodeans who protect them. It is well known and documented however that establishing new groves is remarkably difficult, and often requires several concerted efforts before a grave forest is established in an area where Adhlacadhs had not grown previously.

### **The Dead Singers**

Adhlacadh groves are tended to and protected by an organization of Wodeans known as the Cantorion Marw, or Dead Singers. These Wodeans handle everything from burial rites to groundskeeping, as well as martial duties as needed. The leader of the Cantorion Marw is known always as Beicio, and may reside in any of the grave forests planted throughout Wyneira. When Beicio dies, the oldest of the Cantorion Marw from each grave forest convene in Cariad Melys alongside chosen acolytes from their respective groves. From these acolytes, the next incarnation of Beicio is "discovered". The Dead Singers do not view this process as choosing or electing a new leader, but rather as finding where the reborn spirit of Beicio has chosen to reside after the death of their previous body. In many ways, Beicio can be viewed as a minor god or saint within the larger Wodean faith.

#### **Sicnamha**

Of particular interest are the peculiar armaments wielded by select champions of the Cantorion Marw. Similar to the already-rare ironbark, the naturally fallen branches of Adhlacadh trees provide a remarkably resilient material with a toughness and hardness akin to treated steel known as "Sicnamha." In addition to the properties typical of normal ironbark, Sicnamha branches and the lacquered wooden blades traditionally shaped from them are famously effective against the products of necromancy. Stories of the blades in action tell of "misty streaks of moonlit silver" left behind when used against the undead. Though these weapons are traditionally crafted and wielded exclusively by the Cantorion Marw, a few of the blades have made their way outside the hands of the organization and are often prized by collectors and adventurers alike.