There is a myth on Merlot-- that of the Tree of Life. Tales speak of an ancient tree-- said to be the first that has ever grown-- that represents all life that has been or will be.

They say that within its branches, you can hear the chirp of the songbird, the roar of the lion, and the howl of the wolf all in harmony. Each branch represents a lineage, a history of births, deaths, and evolutions.

No one can seem to agree on where this tree is-- though many have said that they have indeed located it. These accounts have occured from all over the world, with people from all walks of life reporting that they have seen it with their own eyes. These tales are impossible to verify--though many have returned with evidence.

Retellings vary-- some say the Tree lies within the oasis of a desert, within the depths of a cave, or deep between the forests' trunks. Its appearance, too, seems to change based on location-- matching the natural flora that the story takes place in.

Some things remain concrete between retellings-- the tree is guarded by some manner of entity, commonly a quigar or some form of god/demigod. If you damage its boughs, then the land will fall into imbalance-- entire families of animals may die out, the vegetation nearby may die as well... but for obvious reasons, no one can verify this. Those who visit say that they have only ventured far enough to pick stray branches from the ground before a mysterious force ushers them out.

Regardless of the veracity of these claims, one thing remains true-- the dropped branches that supposedly come from the Tree seem to retain life evermore, not wilting or dying even decades after they've been picked up.

 

One could only imagine how long they'd have littered the floor even before being snatched up.