The Ailm Forest

The AILM trees grow at the very centre of the earth. They have long and tangled roots, but above ground grew straight up without branches for miles into the sky, and are used to mark the burial place of great warriors. No mortal could find a grip on the soft, smooth bark, only the souls of the warriors buried there could climb to the heavenly realm.

ORAN is the brother of NIKOLA and is keeper of the Ailm trees. He shows mortals many things through visions but cannot directly intervene in human affairs. Oran is a keen musician, making instruments out of anything he can find, and loves to show the humans how to make their own. You would often find hoards of people playing with him by the waterside.

Oran’s job is to watch the forest and make sure that no souls try to climb up who should not. One day whilst Oran was asleep, several mortals, curious to see what wonders lay above, made their way up the trees by standing on each others’ shoulders and broke into the heavenly realm. Enraged at the arrogance of the mortals, the gods rained down explosions on the mortal realm as punishment, razing the peoples’ cathedral to the ground.

Seeing her people suffer, OOILITH petrified the forest and its canopy into concrete, permanently sealing off the two realms as both punishment and protection.  Ooilith then set to work helping the people rebuild what was destroyed. The concrete canopy became a trade road for the humans’ ever expanding silk trade and the rumble of traffic drowned out the shouts of the angry gods above, distorting the music left there by Oran.