ToP Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Oaken Splendor

Solineus arrives at the Blooded Plain’s Silone encampment, New Fost, aboard a Luxun ship, opting to stay aboard as it sails to Eslonu, a Trelelunin-administered port on the Eleris’s edge. Disoriented by the towering golden oaks and their hidden archers, he’s guided by Lelishen through a living gate to a hundersan—a tree-bound room to acclimate him to the Eleris’s intense Elemental energies, which can sicken outsiders. Alone for four days, Solineus endures confinement with food and wine, emerging unaffected, to Lelishen’s surprise, hinting at an unusual resilience he’s advised to conceal from the Edan. Joined by Medivu, a stern Trelelunin, they venture toward the Crowning Oak, where Lelishen reveals the death of Uvin Lo, an Archangel, and the disappearance of the remaining twenty-four during a ritual coinciding with the Eve of Snows, unsettling the Eleris. She also mentions inquiring about Solineus’s twin Ikorov swords, hoping Edan knowledge might uncover their origins, though she trusts the Edan’s integrity implicitly, a notion Solineus questions. As they enter the Mother Wood, a visceral Elemental surge confirms their arrival, marking Solineus’s immersion into a realm of power and mystery, where his swords and past may hold unforeseen significance.

• ToP Chapter 15 — Bishop's Parlay
• ToP Chapter 17 — Crowning Tree
• Trail of Pyres - Main Chapter Listing