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One of the outer circle members of the Seelie Court, Emmantiensien is still an important member of the Court. He forgets nothing, making him an excellent sage, and he guards a powerful ancient magical crystal that grants him and the Court substantial powers.

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Emmantiensien (PDF Version)
(The Treant-King, the Old Oak, the Grandfather Tree, the Old Growth, the Sage of the Wood)
Intermediate Power of the Planes, CG

Portfolio:                 Treants, trees, deep and hidden magic, knowledge
Aliases:                     None
Domain Name:           Wanders/the Seelie Court (the Deep Wood)
Superior:                   None
Allies:                       Baervan Wildwanderer, Beory, Corellon Larethian, Erik, Lurue, Mielikki, Obad-Hai, Rillifane Rallathil, Shiallia, Silvanus, Skerrit, Solonor Thelandira, Tapann, Titania, the centaur pantheon, the Seelie Court, the Seldarine, the gnomish pantheon (except Urdlen)
Foes:                           Erythnul, Malar, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Urdlen, the orcish and goblinoid pantheons
Symbol:                     Pair of acorns
Wor. Align.:              LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN

Among the most ancient beings known, the Grandfather Tree Emmantiensien (ehm-man-TEE-en-see-en) is the creator of treants and protector of primeval forests throughout the planes. The Treant-King is a timeless sage with an infallible memory for all the eons he has seen, and the Old Oak’s few words are wisely heeded by those who respect him.

Emmantiensien holds a strange position in the Seelie Court, for he is, like his treants, a serious and deliberative being. Titania issues no commands to him; the Old Oak is no vassal of the Faerie Queen despite his permanent residence within the wandering realm of the Seelie Court. This is not to indicate any sort of animosity between them, however; Emmantiensien is a valued friend and ally, and acts as a wise elder to all members of the Court. For many sages, this conundrum has led to the growing belief that while Titania is the queen of the Seelie Court, Emmantiensien is, in a sense, the Court itself. These sages say that his power extends to all the trees in the Court, allowing it to move about; they further believe that the Old Oak exists at the very center of the realm, although this has never been proven. To the members of the Seelie Court, however, there is no mystery; Emmantiensien is who he is, and a focus on hierarchies and titles holds little interest for them.

Despite his age, Emmantiensien is a very alert entity. He is said to hear everything that is carried on the winds that rustle tree leaves throughout the planes, and he sees all within sight of any trunk. His roots are said to reach the deepest parts of every world, and hear the murmurings of everything that crawls and digs in these dark places. Strangest of all, his roots are curled around a large purple crystal, appearing as both worked with tools and completely natural in a paradoxical way. What deity fashioned this artifact and for what reason is unknown, as is why Emmantiensien possesses it, but it is known for a fact that some powerful god other than the Treant-King did create it long ago. Through his guardianship of this crystal, Emmantiensien has come to be a protector of ancient magic hidden deep away from the grasping hands of those who would misuse it.

The Grandfather Tree is a timeless being; as the treants tell it, he has always existed, and always will. Sages speculate that he is a reflection or sapling of an ancient World Tree archetype, much as the reptilian Jazirian, Merrshaulk, and Shekinester are believed to be remnants or imperfect reflections of a World Serpent archetype. However, unlike the multiple candidates for World Serpents, there are very few that appear to represent the idea of a World Tree, leading some radical sages to theorize that the Old Oak is the true archetype; as yet this idea few adherents. The fact that Emmantiensien makes no appearances in the creation mythologies of any races is often pointed to by sages as evidence that he may be old, but still not the eternal being of treant lore; other sages counter by claiming that other races simply never noticed his existence, much as how people traveling through a forest rarely notice how many of the trees are actually treants.

Outside of the Seelie Court, Emmantiensien’s reputation as a great sage holds firm, and many powers seek him out for answers to vexing questions and to learn ancient lore. However, while he never forgets anything he has ever learned, recalling such knowledge can take an age or more; those needing urgent responses are often best advised to seek them elsewhere. For those willing and able to wait, his information is of perfect detail and clarity, and few rival him in sheer volume of information. His skill is so well known that it often appears in the mythology of other races. One myth among the elves concerns a question posed to him by Erevan Ilesere, who became impatient at the Old Oak’s silence, and chose for himself one of the paths he was debating. When he had concluded his task (which always varies in the telling), he came back to ask the Treant-King why he never responded to his query. Emmantiensien said simply, “I had no need to; you knew which course you had to take, you just didn’t know it.” This story is often presented as a lesson not to rely on others for everything, for they can’t always give you answers on what you should do.

Emmantiensien is a close ally of the Seldarine, especially those members more closely tied to wild places, as well as a host of beneficent nature deities. The conversations he has with Rillifane Rallathil, Silvanus, and Obad-Hai are legendary in their length, with one supposedly having lasted a full decade. This closeness often leads sages to speculate there is a familial kinship between these powers, and he is suspected by a small few to be the father of Verenestra the Oak Princess, although there is no evidence for any of this. Further, he is credited with being the sire of a number of other tree-like entities throughout the planes and mythology, including the great planar tree Yggdrasil, with little proof; the only exception is the oak goddess Dara, patron of the squirrel-like Kercpa, for whom there is little doubt the Treant-King is her sire. He is on amicable terms with the gnomish deities, although most of his contact is through Baervan Wildwanderer. Despite his infrequent contact with that pantheon, he is a reliable defender of forest gnomes against the depredations of Urdlen, who treants know as the Root Gnawer. Like his allies in the Seelie Court, Emmantiensien stands against the machinations of the Queen of Air and Darkness, who is said to have corrupted many a good treant with evil magic over the years, and he joins with the Seldarine in standing against the destruction of woodlands and the general depredations caused by the orcish and goblinoid deities. It is due to this ancient friendship that the elven powers may call upon ancient treants as favored servants.

It is widely believed that the Old Oak is a somnolent power, not unlike the serpentine Merrshaulk or the eldest treants. Nothing could be further from the truth, however; Emmantiensien is a vigorous and active deity whose avatars frequently watch over places of hidden magic and meet with conclaves of elder treants once a century or so. He also frequently appears in order to lead treants to battle in defense of great old forests threatened with destruction, and has been known to seed new forests in places where other creatures have abandoned, in order to create new homes for treants. Emmantiensien is not a hasty being, however, and always deliberates over all of his potential options before choosing a path. Such internal debates do not cause him to be too late to act against a threat or issue.

Emmantiensien’s Avatar (Druid 34, Fighter 14)
Emmantiensien appears as an oak-like treant of great size with well-sheened bark and craggy features. His eyes are a deep amber that contain boundless wisdom, and his deep, rumbling voice is soothing to most creatures that hear it. He draws his spells from the spheres of all, animal, creation, divination, elemental (except fire), guardian, healing, plant, protection, sun, thought, time, wards, and weather, and can cast spells from the wizard school of elemental earth and water as priest spells of the same level.

AC −4; MV 15; HP 190; THAC0 −2; #AT 4
Dmg 6d6+7/6d6+7 (fist/fist)
MR 65%; SZ H (24 feet tall)
Str 19, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 16, Wis 21, Cha 19
Spells P: 14/14/13/12/10/9/9
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 6; PP 5; BW 8; Sp 7

Special Att/Def: While the Old Oak dislikes combat, he is a terrifying foe if roused to anger. He favors mixing his magic with physical combat, wading into battle and smashing opponents with his powerful woody fists. With his great strength, he can tear down thin stone walls in one round and thicker stone walls in one round per five feet of thickness, leaving a ten-foot wide gap in his wake.

Emmantiensien can cast speak with animals, speak with plants, affect normal fires, fire quench, and plant growth at will. Once per round he can animate tree within 120 yards as a normal treant, and three times per day he can summon 2d4 elder treants within one mile. Further, he can grant the spellcasting power of a 5th-level druid to up to four elder treants for one day by interlocking branches with them. Finally, the Old Oak’s avatars can draw upon the magic within the crystal entwined within his roots, and cast prismatic spray once per day and weird once per week.

The Treant-King can only be struck by weapons of +1 enchantment or better except for axes, which deal half damage if non-magical. He is immune to paralyzation, poison, disease, caused wounds, death magic, and polymorph attacks, as well as all enchantment/charm and illusion/phantasm spells. However, he is vulnerable to fire and makes all saves against fire-based attacks with a −2 penalty and suffers one extra point of damage per die. Outside of a sylvan setting his magic resistance is halved and his Armor Class is penalized by four points, becoming AC 0.

Other Manifestations
Emmantiensien does not often manifest his power, favoring to use his avatars or followers to achieve his goals. When he does manifest his power, it is usually to subtly turn the land against those who would despoil it, with spells such as trip or entangle, or the use of hallucinatory forest or other illusory magic drawn from his magic crystal to hide followers and confound their foes. He is also particularly fond of subtly animating trees to frighten invaders in woodlands; rather than openly moving, the trees will typically only move slightly when not looked at, so as to close in around these creatures and grasp at them with branches without obviously doing so. He can also animate these trees to move openly, attacking as treants of the largest size, but such situations are rare. Finally, he has been known to grant faerie folk, elves, and other friends of the wood barkskin for extended periods of time, typically up to a week depending on the danger they face.

Emmantiensien is served by aasimon, ashira, asuras, dryads, forest giants, hamadryads, hollyphants, kercpa, leshy, owls, pixies and other small faerie folk, quickwood, ratatosk, singing trees, small forest birds and mammals, squirrels, sylvan elves, and voadkyn. He displays his favor through the discovery of amber, petrified wood, and the soothing sound of gentle wind rustling the leaves of trees when there is no wind. He displays his displeasure through the discovery of trees struck by lightning, burn patches that have not recovered, and the sound of leaves violently disturbed by strong winds when there is no wind, and similar sounds of trees creaking and cracking without the appropriate weather.

The Church
Clergy:                      Clerics, specialty priests, druids, rangers
Clergy’s Align.:      LG, NG, CG, N
Turn Undead:           C: Yes, SP: No, D: No, R: No
Cmnd. Undead:         C: No, SP: No, D: No, R: No

All clerics (including multiclassed ranger/clerics), specialty priests, and druids of Emmantiensien receive religion (Seelie Court) and religion (treant) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.

Treants are typically among the most powerful individuals living with sylvan lands, and are greatly respected by peaceable creatures living beneath the forest’s canopy, while being greatly feared by those who would exploit or destroy those lands. Despite this, few know of Emmantiensien outside of select elves and faeries, for treants speak little of their patron to other races. Even when made aware of the Old Oak, there tends to be an assumption that he is simply an aspect of a more familiar forest deity, such as Rillifane Rallathil or Silvanus, in part because of how closely treants work with their clergies and druids.

Neither temples nor shrines are built to honor Emmantiensien; his treants favor using places of great sylvan beauty and those that are naturally perfect gathering places to honor him. Small bowl-shaped valleys and depressions, where treants can gather and discuss or debate matters of import are most often seen as sacred, with many treants believing that the Old Oak himself carves out such locations for their use. Non-treant followers of the Treant-King typically worship him in small groves or glades within an ancient forest, especially if it contains a pair of oaks growing right next to each other, with roots and branches intertwined and fused. Such followers may choose instead to plant and carefully tend such trees if they do not find them naturally occurring.

Novices in the service of Emmantiensien are known as Cuttings, while full priests are Woodherders. Members of the priesthood are nominally equals and there are no formal ranks, although there is always a deep respect for the more aged members, who are always referred to with the honorific of Elder. Specialty priests are known as arborixes. The vast majority of the Old Oak’s clergy are treants (85%), but a mix of elves (5%), humans (4%) and various sylvan races comprise the remainder (satyrs, korreds, voadkyn, pixies, sprites, centaurs, etc.; 6%). Druids (40%) and specialty priests (37%) are found in similar numbers within the priesthood, with a smaller number of clerics (20%) and a minority of rangers (3%) filling out the remainder. Males (53%) are found in slightly higher numbers within the priesthood than females (47%).

Dogma: Guard and nurture forests, and protect them from those who would ravage and destroy them. Protect places of ancient sylvan magic and keep such locations from falling to evil. Seek to grow forests and return them to places where they have disappeared. Carefully consider all options before you, and make no hasty decisions, but do not dawdle so long the allies fall when your aid is crucial.

Day-to-Day Activities: Followers of the Old Oak have few required duties, and tend to spend the bulk of their time pursuing hobbies such as herbcraft, artistry, or just wandering the forest in order to enjoy peaceful solitude. They keep an eye out for monsters that are known to harm forests, or diseased trees that could spread a plague to other trees under their care. In general, their attitude towards their forest domain is much the same as a shepherd and their flock.

Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: At irregular intervals of around one hundred years, the elder treants of large forests gather to share news and discuss current events. Younger treants and other races aren’t excluded from these conclaves but few such creatures have the same patience as these ancient beings, who can often spend days discussing minor subject matters. It is not uncommon for an avatar of Emmantiensien to show up at these events, typically called Treantmeets by other races, although his appearance is unheralded and not easily noticed by other creatures, as treants do not treat the Old Oak with the awe and reverence that other races treat their gods. Instead, he is treated as an ancient and highly respected elder.

Major Centers of Worship: The clergy of the Treant-King conduct no pilgrimages, and instead see large virgin forests as holy sites in and of themselves. Many such forests are host to surprising numbers of treant-priests, and even sylvan races dwelling among the trees often know little of the extent of the Old Oak’s priestly following. However, there are some locations where the treant-priests of Emmantiensien are visibly active and well-known to their sylvan neighbors. Two such locations are the Forgotten Forest on Toril and the Celadon Forest on Oerth. The Forgotten Forest is home to a thriving gnomish community that follows Baervan Wildwanderer primarily, and together the gnomes and treants guard the forest from all unwelcome outsiders. By contrast, the Celadon Forest is home to a diverse community of humans, elves, and voadkyn, who, with the treants, keep the forest independent from the neighboring realms who have nominal claims on its lands. The treants are especially important for the production of the magical Keoghtom’s ointment that the forest is known for; it is said that one of the ingredients used is gathered by the treants from some ancient magical spring or glade known only to them.

Affiliated Orders: The only order associated with the church of Emmantiensien is an order of rangers called the Warriors of the Walking Wood. All members of this order are greenwood rangers, sponsored by the Old Oak himself. Among the lore of this group, found in large, ancient forests on many worlds, it is said that they were the first greenwood rangers; all other deities that sponsor them are said to have learned the secret from Emmantiensien. The Warriors of the Walking Wood aggressively defend their forest homes from marauders, and many are tasked with protecting specific locations. Many of the locations are obviously sites of ancient magic, with ruins, strange phenomena, or other features that make their origin relatively clear, but sometimes the locations appear normal to all inspection.

Priestly Vestments: Treant priests of Emmantiensien wear no formal clothing for ceremonies, but other races favor roughly-spun robes in brown and green and a living crown of tree leaves. In environments with the right kind of trees, many make robes or clothing out of bark. The holy symbol used by the priesthood is a pair of acorns (or other tree seeds, such as pinecones, walnuts, etc.); the acorns may be fresh, dried, or fabricated from wood, stone, or metal.

Adventuring Garb: The Old Oak’s non-treant priests favor sturdy traveling gear suited to their weather and environment, with leathers and furs being predominant. They prefer light armors without metallic components, and use weapons suited to their class, but never axes.

Specialty Priests (Arborixes)
Requirements:          Intelligence 14, Wisdom 16, Charisma 11
Prime Req.:                Intelligence, Wisdom
Alignment:                CG
Weapons:                   Club, dagger, dart, flail, long bow, mace, morning star, scimitar, short bow, sickle, sling, spear, staff, warhammer
Armor:                       Leather, hide, or tree bark armor, wooden shield
Major Spheres:         All, creation, divination, elemental (air, earth, water), healing, plant, thought, time
Minor Spheres:         Animal, protection, sun, weather
Magical Items:         Same as clerics and druids; see below
Req. Profs:                Ancient history (native region or forest)
Bonus Profs:             Agriculture

• • While most arborixes are treants, elves, voadkyn, sprites, pixies, and other sylvan races are sometimes called to the Old Oak’s service.
  • Arborixes are not allowed to multiclass.

• • Arborixes may use no magical items that create or enhance fire, nor may they use items that harm trees as a primary or secondary effect.

• • Arborixes cast all spells from the Plant sphere as if they were two levels higher.

• • Arborixes can cast entangle or heal plants (as the 1st-level priest spells) once per day.

• • At 3rd level, arborixes can cast fire break or trip (as the 2nd-level priest spells) once per day.

• • At 5th level, arborixes can cast heal trees or plant growth (as the 3rd-level priest spells) once per day.

• • At 7th level, arborixes can cast fire purge or hallucinatory forest (as the 4th-level priest spells) once per day.

• • At 10th level, arborixes can cast animate tree or command forest (as the 5th-level priest spells) once per day.

• At 14th level, arborixes can cast unwilling wood (as the 7th-level priest spell) once per day.

Emmantiensien Spells
In addition to the spells listed below, priests of the Old Oak can cast the 2nd-level priest spell banish blight and the 7th-level priest spell create treant, both detailed in Faiths and Avatars in the entry for Mielikki, the 2nd-level priest spell acorn barrage, detailed in Demihuman Deities in the entry for Rillifane Rallathil, the 7th-level priest spell conjure nature elemental, detailed in Faiths and Avatars in the entry for Chauntea (although he only grants this to the oldest and most powerful treant priests), and the 5th-level priest spell command forest, detailed in the Priest’s Spell Compendium Vol.I.

2nd Level
Rooting (Pr 2; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Plant
Range:                     20 yds.
Components:           V, S, M
Duration:                 1 hr./level
Casting Time:          5
Area of Effect:         1 creature
Saving Throw:        Neg.

With this spell, the caster can cause a single target’s feet to change into woody roots that sink into the earth, holding them in place. This spell has no effect on a creature standing on any surface other than soil or earth, although the type of soil doesn’t matter. For the duration, the creature is unable to move their feet normally, but knees, arms, head, and all other mobile portions of their body are unaffected; they can still swing a weapon, fire a bow, converse, or sit on the ground if they desire. In addition, for the duration, they need no water, for their roots take in enough from the earth beneath their feet. However, they lose any Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class and are unable to move effectively to fight a creature attacking them from the rear.

A saving throw versus polymorph is allowed to avoid the effects of this spell. If successful, the target feels a slight tingling and itchiness in their feet for a fleeting moment, but no other effects. This spell is often used by treants to teach woodsmen a lesson about cutting down trees, or as a means to keep a creature from fleeing so it may be questioned

The material components for this spell are a single seed from any type of woody plant.

3rd Level
Crush of the Roots (Pr 3; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Plant
Range:                     0
Components:           V, S, M
Duration:                 1 rd./level
Casting Time:          1 rd.
Area of Effect:         The caster
Saving Throw:        Special

This spell infuses the caster’s hands with the great strength that roots have to damage stone over long periods of time. For the duration, the caster’s fingers double in length, but become thin, woody, and slightly stiff. These root-like fingers can wrap around stone or slip into narrow cracks and exert great pressure. Each round spent crushing or tearing, the stone object they are focusing on must make an item saving throw versus fall or be crushed or torn. Only objects that can be fully grasped can be crushed, while tearing opens a hole six inches wide, six inches deep, and one foot high for each failed saving throw. Care must be taken with this spell, as tearing a hole in a wall of sufficient size is likely to bring the section above, if any, down on the caster’s head. Stone that has no cracks, gaps, or protrusions cannot be affected; for example, a smooth, seamless flat wall of stone could not be harmed with this spell. Use of this spell exhausts the caster, who must rest for one hour after the duration expires. Stone or stone-like creatures cannot be harmed with this spell.

The material component for this spell is a small brittle stone that is broken or crushed at the time of casting.

Grasping Roots (Pr 3; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Plant
Range:                     30 yds.
Components:           V, S, M
Duration:                 1 rd./level
Casting Time:          6
Area of Effect:         1 root
Saving Throw:        None

This spell conjures a tough, woody root tip from the earth that can grasp or smash any designated target in range. The caster chooses at the time of casting whether the root will grasp or smash, and this cannot be changed for the duration of the spell. The root can only appear from an earth or soil surface, but this can be a wall or ceiling as well as a floor. The root cannot move from the spot it arises from, but it has a length of one foot per caster level, allowing it to easily reach a number of creatures. The root will continue to attack a designated target without direction from the caster so long as the target is within range; the caster can choose a new target at any time.

When ordered to grasp, the root makes its attack rolls as a fighter of the same level as the caster. If it successfully hits the target, the root wraps tightly around the foot or leg, immobilizing the creature for the duration of the spell. A creature immobilized is unable to move from the spot, and loses Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class and saving throws. Attacks are unimpeded however, and the grasped creature can still twist around to face attacks. While the root grasps strongly, it does not crush the target; as such the target suffers no damage from the grasping root.

If ordered to smash a target, the root balls up the tip and attacks with the caster’s THAC0. If it successfully lands a blow, a targeted creature suffers 3d4 points of damage, plus one point per level of the caster. The limb can be ordered to smash doors or other objects, and has an equivalent Strength of 19 for determining the results of such an attack.

The limb can be attacked and destroyed, freeing a creature that has been grasped. It has an Armor Class of 2 and twice the caster’s maximum hit points. It is vulnerable to fire, and suffers an extra point of damage per die if subjected to such an attack. It is also susceptible to axe blows, suffering an addition two points of damage from any such attack.

The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a plant seed of any sort.

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