Lore:Heart of Valenwood

This article is about the tree. For the book, see Heart of Valenwood (book). For the Ayleid complex built around it, see Hectahame.

The Heart of Valenwood

The Heart of Valenwood is an ancient tree located in the Valenheart, the metaphorical heart of the Valenwood forest. In truth, the tree serves as a physical symbol of the forest's soul; the true Heart of Valenwood is suffused throughout the entirety of the forest. Nevertheless, life-giving power seems to emanate from the center, like lifeblood flowing from a heart.

The Heart has been targeted throughout history by numerous plots to harness its power for purposes both good and ill. During the Ayleid Diaspora that occurred following the fall of White Gold Tower in the First Era, many Ayleid tribes sought refuge among the Bosmer of Valenwood. The Ayleids built the city of Hectahame around the Heart, and for this reason the complex of Hectahame is itself sometimes referred to as the Heart of Valenwood. At some point, a necromancer attacked the Ayleids of Hectahame with an undead army in an attempt to seize control of the Heart. He managed to pervert its life-giving powers to resurrect a large force of undead Ayleids. The Ayleids of Hectahame utilized welkynd stones to create powerful necromantic wards to seal off Hectahame, imprisoning the undead army within.

Sealed behind the wards, the Heart was left shrouded in mystery for many centuries. The Bosmer viewed the site with a mix of reverence and fear. The tree was supposedly visited by a Silvenar at some point in the early Second Era, although he was regarded as mad by his peers for entering the ruined city.

Indaenir saving the Valenwood ca. 2E 582

Circa 2E 582, Prince Naemon was resurrected as a lich by the Veiled Heritance in their efforts to unseat his sister Queen Ayrenn and destroy the Aldmeri Dominion she had founded. Naemon's shade planned to corrupt the Heart of Valenwood in an attempt to supplant the Valenwood with a realm of darkness known as the Shadow Wood. Naemon envisioned that the Shadow Wood would ultimately consume all of Tamriel. Using the Staff of Magnus, Naemon successfully breached the Ayleid wards and corrupted the Heart. His shade was swiftly banished by the Vestige and the future Silvenar Indaenir, but the Heart was already overflowing with corruption by the time they reached him. In an effort to stop the corrupted Heart from spreading darkness across all of Valenwood, Indaenir resolved to draw the darkness out of the tree and into himself. He succeeded in cleansing the Heart of corruption, and was brought back to life by the Valenwood itself. This was interpreted as the will of Y'ffre, and he subsequently went on to become the next Silvenar.