Gnarlroot Glade
Gnarlroot Glade is a Sylvaneth glade that are traditionalists, some might call them hidebound. They are extremely well versed in the ways of magic and always seek to improve that knowledge.[1c] Their bark is often ruddy hued with shimmering green sigils.[1b]
Whilst they are suspicious of strangers or new concepts, they are also seekers of knowledge, especially with regard to the arcane.[1c]
History
Like the Oakenbrow Glade, they were sown by Alarielle in the Age of Myth and the traditions that have formed since then are upheld and guarded.[1a]
Organization
The Gnarlroot are an old and well-established glade. Gnarlroot sylvanteh bristle with indignation when others speak of Oakenbrow as the eldest. Certainly they can claim that many of their Treelord Ancients strode the realms and were already old before Sigmar's pantheon was formed. [2]
Their leader Ithil-spond, who holds the title of Grum-King, is ancient and weathered with age and claims to have been podborn during Alarielle's first sowing.[2]
Gnarlroot sylvaneth are tightly knit into their clan structure and fiercely loyal to each other and their leaders, known as the Gnarl-Lords. They like to consider matters at length and resent being rushed.[2]
Magic
The Gnarlroot clans prize lore above all things and have many Ancients and Branchwyches amongst their ranks. They seek knowledge from any source, often with a determination bordering on compulsion, and so will set aside their wariness to converse and even ally themselves with mages and scholars of any race. Although unravelling such secrets delights those of Gnarlroot, sharing their hard-won knowledge with those outside the glade does not – it is their wont to hoard arcane wisdom, trading it only to gain further insights. Only Alarielle’s direct command can persuade the Grum-King to share his people’s learning with the Royal Moot.[2]
The collected wisdom amassed by Gnarlroot run deep, and no other glade can match them in the wielding of life magic. They have shaped the forests more than any other glade, using their arcane powers to twist trees, grow ironthorn, and weave nigh-impregnable greenholds. [2]
War
In battle, the eldritch might of Gnarlroot greatly aids their wargroves. The enemy wither like rotted fruit on the vine, while the Sylvaneth blossom with enhanced strength and increased vitality. The secrets of their arcane lore are passed down from Treelord Ancients to Branchwyches and Branchwraiths so that even as the warriors of the Households and the Forest Folk spring into battle, they are accompanied by a veritable gale of sorcerous energies. [2]
Known Clans
- Ralogalyn Clan: This Gnarlroot clan resides in the Island of Green near the Free City of Brightspear. They have set aside their isolationism in pursuit of knowledge.[3a]
Locations
The greatest stronghold of the glade is the Silvered Grove. It was heavily assailed by the hordes of Nurgle in the Age of Chaos. Although its outer defences were gnawed away by disease and ceaseless batterings, the foe never breached the settlement's inner rings. There – beneath a resplendent canopy where ancient boles have grown so thick that a hundred men holding hands could not encircle one – can be found the rich soulpod groves where all the glade's collected knowledge resides.[1] [2]
Gnarlroot maintains a presence in the majority of the new cities in the Realm of Life, and it was their magics that aided Alarielle in the raising of the Seeds of Hope, as well as in the reconsecration and purification of the Sylvaneth enclaves reclaimed from the horrors wrought upon them during the War of Life. However, it is rare to find Gnarlroot enclaves outside of Ghyran, as their traditionalist nature and mistrust of outsiders makes them the least travelled of all glades. [2]
Quotes
| Old beyond mortal thought, strange and grim in thought and dead – they care only for lore and the hidden secrets of ancient things
~ Gnarlroot Glade. [1] |
| Use well the wisdom of the ancients, and return to the lamentiri-springs with more than you began.
~ Ithil-spond, the Grum-King [2] |
Color Scheme
Gnarlroot Glade's color scheme[1b]
Sources
- 1: Battletome: Sylvaneth (2016),
- 2: Battletome: Sylvaneth (2019), pg. 26
- 3: Soulbound: Brightspear City Guide
- 3a: Chapter Two: Guide to Brightspear