The Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree was an old oak tree located near the winding path leading to Chillmark. Here the Tarren’s settled their grudges, leaving the bodies as grim reminders for all to see. Its branches hung heavy and it’s said that it would not bloom again until its services were no longer needed.

In 508 the tree was used by Saxon plunderers to hang many family members of Hillfort tribes, including children and women. Marion asked her husband to cut the tree down, and he did. When the tree was cut down, she sang a modified version of The Strung Up Man.

History

The old oak had been standing near Chillmark for longer than any man or story care to remember. In the Old days the trees trunk wore pagan garlands and its sprouting roots received the lords and peasant sacrifices. When the local pagan lords embraced Christianity the rituals grew rarer and the tree was left in solitude.

It was after a raid on Chillmark in 461 that Ceiwyn, distraught from the death of his beloved wife and his growing doubt in the honesty of men, used the tree to hang all of the raiders; both alive and dead. Ceiwyn decreed that no corpse was to be removed until their ropes rotted as a warning to all those that plan to cross the Tarren.

When kinder and more forgiving rulers reside in Chillmark the tree is often used more sparingly but no one questions its effectiveness.

In game terms

• If Cruel is 16+, the tree grants 5-10 annual glory.
• If Cruel is below 16 but above 4, the tree grants a roll for Cruel each year. If the owner makes an effort to hang fresh corpses in the tree during a year, it becomes a check instead.
• If Cruel is 4 or lower, no one knows what happens…