Tree of Whispers

The Tree of Whispers is a giant tree located within the swamps of Hawezar.^[1]

Lore[]

Far to the south of Túr Dúlra, and beyond the Writhing Mire of Hawezar, grows a very different kind of tree. Its gnarled, moss-shrouded trunk is as thick as a tower. Its branches and roots twist so thoroughly through the surrounding swamp that the entire jungle seems to begin there, at the Tree of Whispers. It is so named for the countless heads that hang from its branches. They stare with milky eyes and rotten flesh, murmuring throughout the canopy overhead like an unceasing fetid breeze through the leaves. The tree is strung with these heads like the pots and kettles strapped to an Aranoch caravan wagon, and like a merchant's wares, the heads all came to swing there through trade. For the knowledge offered by the tree is not a gift. It is only a loan. When death claims the recipient of the tree's wisdom, the tree collects its debt by taking the head in which its knowledge was stored, along with the rest of its contents as interest. The Tree of Whispers thereby adds to its great wealth.^[2]

It is apparently (somewhat) sapient; calling upon adventurers to tie-up loose ends and settle old scores.^[3] Multiple heads dangle from the tree, who impart the above-mentioned tasks.^[4]

As a non-mobile entity, the tree requires agents to act in its stead. A conclave of witches swore service to the tree, in return to access to its knowledge.

Recent History[]

In a bid to find a way to defend Sanctuary from the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, Elias read about Lilith — a demon who stood apart from both factions and was one of the progenitors of humanity. His search for a way to summon her from the Black Abyss led him to the Tree of Whispers. After that, he performed a ritual that granted him a form of immortality as a precaution in case Lilith was not co-operative and turned out to be violent. This act put him at odds with the Tree of Whispers, as it could not collect its due if Elias could not die. It sent one of its agents to kill Elias and bring his head to its branches. However, since the secret to grant or remove immortality was one of the Tree's blind spots, it couldn't tell its agent how Elias could be killed, thereby making Taissa's mission a challenging one, frustrating the Tree greatly.

Thus, when remnants of the Horadrim came to the Tree for knowledge regarding Elias, the Tree believed it found the means to force Elias to make due on his debt. The Tree spoke of its bargain with Elias and of a place he went that was "beyond it's sight", a place located at the coastline filled with wrecked ships. The Tree instructed The Wanderer to enter a coffin which would take them to where they need to find the source of Elias's immortality. Doing so allowed the Wanderer to find a Sunken Temple of Rathma's hidden beneath the waters and where Elias's secret was located: a piece of Elias's finger which housed his essence. So long as this piece of Elias existed, then Elias himself could not die. With Elias's mummified finger in their hands, the Wanderer and Lorath burned the finger, robbing Elias's of his immortality and thereby leaving him open to be confronted for a final time. With Taissa by their side, the Wanderer confronted the fallen Horadrim mage and in a pitched battle, gravely wounded him. Realizing that he no longer has immortality, Elias attempted to flee, but his wounds were too grave, allowing the Wanderer, Lorath, Taissa and the Tree's Crow to catch up to him. After some few spiteful last words, Taissa killed Elias for the last time, allowing the Crow to sever his head and bring it back to the Tree, its debt collected at last.

With Elias dead but Lilith still at large and close to reaching her goal, Lorath made a risky, if not needless, bargain with the Tree like his former pupil. He asked where the nearest Gate to Hell was located, knowing that is where Lilith is also going to be, the Tree answered that the Gate to Hell was beneath the city of Caldeum. Though the Wanderer, Donan and Neyrelle were horrified by Lorath's decision, he nonetheless accepted the price he will have to pay, leaving the Tree's numerous heads, Elias's included, to laugh in mockery.

After the Wanderer succeeded in defeating Lilith in Hell and learned that Neyrelle has left for places unknown with Mephisto's essence, they returned to Sanctuary with Lorath to plan their next move in the event Neyrelle loses herself to the Lord of Hatred. In the meantime, the Wanderer returned to Tree of Whispers, conducting missions for it in finding others who owe the Tree.

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Gameplay[]

The Tree of Whispers is part of the endgame system of Diablo IV. The Tree provides players with frequently cycling world objectives and bounties that reward them with Legendary gear, experience, crafting materials, and more.^[1] This includes the Whispers of the Dead gameplay system.^[3]

References[]