Now, in order to give a continuum with the game so far, i need to know where the Yggdrasil tree is located in the FR setting (and the Great Wheel as planes' cosmology). 4e manuals searches are unfruitful, while internet searches gives contradictory results, and i cannot value which source is reliable and which is not... So i decided to ask here, directly to the source. Books references are really appreciated. ;)
Thank in advance for your help!
The original source for this is probably the 1st edition Manual of the Planes, page 72.
See also http://mimir.net/pathways/yggdrasil.shtml
i need to know where the Yggdrasil tree is located in the FR setting (and the Great Wheel as planes' cosmology)
The World Tree has also been presented in Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, Savage Tide Adventure Path, and 3e's Forgotten Realms Campaign guide.
I was under the impression that while The World Tree touches all the other planes (much like the astral plane does), or even crosses over to other planes in many cases, it is effectively a separate plane itself. It's 'location' in such a multi-dimensional model is thus fairly abstract.
Yggdrasil is located in the Astral Plane
Per your reference, the astral is merely one of the places it leads to (and grows through):
"Where does it Lead?"
"Astral -- en route to the Prime, Yggdrasil grows through the Astral. It's a funny sight from here, cutter, with the light from the plane making the branches and leaves look like they're made out of silver."
That seems to imply that only a small portion of the tree is on the astral.
Because the tree appears in a section called "Features of the Astral Plane," I think it's safe to assume the Astral Plane is where the main body of the tree is located.
Its roots and branches pass through Astral color pools to touch other planes, but I think those are minor parts of the tree.
However! Note that the Planescape boxed set says that Yggdrasil grows from Ysgard. Imagine a huge tree with its roots and main trunk in Ysgard, its roots and branches extending through the Astral to other planes and worlds. That isn't easily applicable to the Realms cosmology, though, so I went with the original source.
Yggdrasil is located in the Astral Plane, and its branches and roots touch countless worlds and planes from there. There's no reason this would be different in the Realms cosmology (which was, before the Spellplague, named the Great Tree - the Great Tree in this case is functionally identical to Yggdrasil).
The original source for this is probably the 1st edition Manual of the Planes, page 72.
See also http://mimir.net/pathways/yggdrasil.shtml
So, i read carefully all your replies, and i did some more researches. First i read again the 1st chapter of the adventure: effectively the Yggdrasil Tree is not located in the location where the story begins, but there is just one of that colored portal who lead TO yggdrasil. My bad...
Anyway the Tree spreads on all the "important" planes (as written on some manual, maybe the MotP 1ed). I just need one thing to get: the way it links the planes are just portals (are they supposed to be like foliage or fruits on the tree???), or its branches pass through the portals effectively reaching the single plane? In other words, does Yggdrasil exist "physically" on each plane it is in touch?
Now, we came to the spellplague... This cataclysm completely transform the "World Tree" cosmology into the "World Axis" one. What about Yggdrasil? Is it dead? This is quite troublesome to me, because i need to change the adventure even more...
Now, we came to the spellplague... This cataclysm completely transform the "World Tree" cosmology into the "World Axis" one. What about Yggdrasil? Is it dead? This is quite troublesome to me, because i need to change the adventure even more...
-Concerning the Forgotten Realms, at least, the short answer is, we don't know. There isn't any Forgotten Realms source that says anything specifically on that matter. You might want to ask Rich Baker, who answers questions posed to him in the Forgotten Realms General Discussion section of the boards.
In the Realms Cosmology, the Celestial Tree (Yggdrasil) had a giant root in Arvandor, and another root that connected to Dwarfhome--at least, that was the way it was in the 3.5e Forgotten Realms Players Guide, before the Spellplauge, but I see no reason why that cannot still be true. Its branches used to connect to every other celestial realm. Even if the destruction of Dweomerheart and the Spellplague damaged the tree or shook up the configuration a bit, I imagine that Yggdrasil would have "grown" back to re-establish its connection to all the celestial dominions. Not sure if that would include evil or unaligned domains, it could conceivably connect to any plane that the River of Blood/Styx does not.
Some have theorized that Yggdrasil serves as the Elemental Plane of Wood for the Realms, and as such may follow the rules for the Elemental Plane of Wood as detailed in the 3e Manual of the Planes. This plane has special significance in the cultures of Kara-Tur where wood is treated as one of the five elements.
As far as the Material Plane goes, Yggdrasil can connect to any tree regarded as ancient or sacred. I imagine there is at least one grand tree in every forest or wood that could connect to Yggdrasil. Perhaps a ritual would be necessary to cross over, but it might be as easy as finding the opening in the trunk or touching the correct burl or knothole, or climbing the tree so high until, when you look down, the land below seems to have vanished and you find yourself scrambling along Yggdrasil's roots and branches.
"It runs from Gladsheim... to Niflheim."
"Roots and branches of Yggdrasil wind through most of the Prime Planes where deities are recognized."
And on p.95:
"Gladsheim is the topmost point of Yggdrasil, the World Ash. The roots of this mighty tree lie in the second layer of Hades, and its branches touch every alternate Prime Material plane where the Norse pantheon has been or is worshiped."
Shows you what I know...
"Dweomerheart was destroyed in the process. Savras is dead, Azuth is missing. The World Tree is no more."
(EP III - TCM, p.15)
One of the most depressing FR novels I ever had to read.
Its kinda vague...
Although I think I remember the author defending the whole thing saying it was intentionally vague, because mortal (and succubus') minds couldn't handle the 'reality' of what was transpiring, and therefore the events in those novels were the way mortal minds interpretted what they were seeing (in visions, IIRC).
Or some-such nonsense....
Either way, it's anti-climactic, considering we pretty-much knew all of that from the 4e release, and the only 'new' piece of info we got is that Cyric is pretty handy with a stick.
We also already know where Azuth went... Asmodeus ate him!
Literally... he killed him and took his stuff.
But did that mean FR's 'Tree' Cosmology, or Yggsdrasil?
Its kinda vague...
-Sounds like a reference to the actual, physical structure of the planes, to me, given the context clues (Spellplague). Given that Yggsdrasil is/was also a 'world tree', it certainly is very vague and misleading, either way.
If the real one is no longer in the 4th ed plagued world, these smaller aspects do as a kind of seed or image of the former greater mother tree which may have been connected to Toril through these small real trees.
Or some-such nonsense....
Either way, it's anti-climactic, considering we pretty-much knew all of that from the 4e release, ad the only 'new' piece of info we got is that Cyric is pretty handy with a stick.
Want to hear something even worse than that from The Crystal Mountain? When it's revealed Lathander is Amaunator, it's done by an angel who pretty much says (and I'm not kidding), "Blah blah Cyric imprisoned by good gods. Incidentally, Lathander's revealed himself to be Amaunator. Cyric's stuck in his homeplane blah blah. Etc." Seriously. The revelation is a single sentence in the middle of talking about Cyric.
I'm in no way knocking Thomas M. Reid's book. As far as story goes, it's pretty decent; I just don't care for the whole "major revelations come in one-line sentences" method that's implemented.
As for the idea of "seedlings of Yggdrasil", that's an interesting idea; gives me an excuse to ship my team to Ruathym.
In other words, does Yggdrasil exist "physically" on each plane it is in touch?
Yes, at least in the Great Wheel cosmology. There's a root of Yggdrasil near Glorium in the Outlands, and another one in the realm of the Norns, one in Muspelheim, one in Asgard, one in Limbo, and so on. They're physically there (the presence of the root creates a stable island in Limbo, for example).
