This page is about the divine tree of Pelor in Whitestone. For the episode, see The Sun Tree (episode).

The Sun Tree is a sacred tree in the town square of Whitestone that was created by Pelor at the intersection of powerful ley lines. Although it was almost killed by the unholy desecration of the Briarwoods, the Sun Tree was recovering by the time Vox Machina returned to Whitestone in "Duskmeadow" (1x57). After it recovered, the Sun Tree grew leaves and small white flowers at its crown.

Keyleth sometimes uses druidic spells to converse with the Sun Tree. As an NPC, the Sun Tree is played by Matthew Mercer.

Description[]

Appearance[]

The Sun Tree sits in the center of Whitestone, in the town square. When Vox Machina first arrived in Whitestone, it was a large, leafless tree, about forty feet tall. The branches twisted out and hung loosely at the ends. Everything about the tree looked "droopy and desolate".^[3]

Vox Machina was unable to identify the type of tree, though they were able to tell that it was created and transported through a type of divine magic.

After the Briarwoods were defeated, the Sun Tree began to recover and leaf out. By the time of "One Year Later..." (1x95), it had become a lush, beautiful tree with little white flowers at its crown that bloomed year-round.

Personality[]

Although it is a tree, the Sun Tree's divine origins give it an unusually complex mind, making it able to worry and love, and to feel curious and concerned for those around it. Although the feelings of the tree have been very intense in the past, over the centuries, and especially after the Briarwood Coup, it has become more passive, recovering from heavy trauma.^[4]

When questioned via Speak with Plants, at the beginning of the 9th century after the Divergence, the Sun Tree was largely unconcerned with the world beyond its immediate vicinity.^[5]

Biography[]

Background[]

The Sun Tree was planted during the Calamity by Pelor, the Dawnfather, at the location where Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion grievously wounded Ioun, the Knowing Mentor.^[6] The Sun Tree sits atop a hill covering a ruined Ziggurat dedicated to Ioun, and is planted there as a symbol of Pelor's protection. The combination of the divine power of the god of the sun, the blood of the goddess of knowledge, and the shadows of the god of destruction, the young tree gained connection to the earth, sentience, and a dread for danger and death. It spent centuries growing and getting used to the cycle of life and death around it.^[4]

Around 600 PD, an expedition sailing from Port Damali wrecked on the cliffs of the Alabaster Sierras. The expedition, led by the De Rolo family, made their way towards the valley in the center of the mountains, where they discovered the Sun Tree. Although they briefly considered cutting it for timber, a priest, the Sunfather, identified the blessed origins of the tree, who in turn sensed the power of its creator in that holy man. Their leader, Darius de Rolo, decided to settle there for the time being, but eventually they built an actual city around the tree, Whitestone.^[7] While the city was still under construction the important figures of the settlement had meetings under the tree. The commonfolk made offerings to the Sun Tree often, seeing it as a conduit to the power of the Dawnfather.^[4]

Through the following decades the Sun Tree became fond of the citizens of Whitestone, particularly those of the de Rolo line. When the Briarwoods betrayed their trust and killed several of them, the Sun Tree became enraged, and summoned the power of its creator to generate pure radiant light from its own leaves, becoming a beacon of hope, a righteous torch as luminous as a second sun. However, Delilah Briarwood stopped it by weakening its connection with the Dawnfather, and after her husband struck the tree with Craven Edge, Delilah poisoned it. Its leaves lost color and fell to the ground, but many of them were taken home by the people of Whitestone, finding some comfort in keeping a part of the afflicted Sun Tree with them.^[4]

"The Sun Tree" (1x28)[]

When Vox Machina first saw the Sun Tree, it was in poor health.^[8] Eight bodies had been hanged from its branches, dressed and painted to resemble each of the members of Vox Machina as a threatening message from the Briarwoods.^[9] One of these bodies, chosen for her resemblance to Vex'ahlia, was that of Matilda Bradbury.^[10]

When Keyleth tunneled to the roots of the Sun Tree and attempted to communicate with the tree using Speak with Plants, she got no response as the Sun Tree was effectively dead at that point.^[11] The druid then began casting Plant Growth over the next eight hours in an attempt to revive the Sun Tree, though she did not succeed.^[12]

"Gunpowder Plot" (1x31)[]

Vox Machina discovered that the tree was covered in ropes, some old and weathered, indicating that a great many dead bodies beyond the eight representing them were hung from it.^[13]

"Denouement" (1x35)[]

After the Briarwoods were killed, Keyleth cast Commune with Nature to speak to the tree. She felt that a small spark of life had returned to the tree. She then asked the tree about influence from other planes of existence and found there was a presence nearby from the Plane of Shadow. For her final question, Keyleth asked the tree how it was feeling. She felt that its life force was now free and said "Good morning" to it. The tree responded "The sun just set. It's not morning."^[14]

"A Musician's Nostalgia" (1x37)[]

Keyleth cast Transport via Plants on the Sun Tree to create a portal from Whitestone to the tree in Greyskull Keep. As she cast the spell, she said "Hey, boo. I'll see you soon." She felt the tree fist bump her through the spell's connection.^[15]

"Duskmeadow" (1x57)[]

Keyleth cast Transport via Plants to teleport Vox Machina from Vasselheim to Whitestone. While inside the portal in the Sun Tree, Keyleth said hello to the tree. It said "Hey, boo" back.^[16]

Later that night, Keyleth went alone to the cave near the roots of the Sun Tree that she previously dug while Whitestone was still controlled by the Briarwoods and cast Speak with Plants. She asked if the tree knew anything about Fenthras and the cancerous tree in the Feywild. It said it didn't. It's been in Whitestone for all its life.^[18]

"Trust" (1x70)[]

Keyleth went alone to the cave near the Sun Tree's roots and cast Commune with Nature. She asked if the tree knew where the siphon in the Ziggurat beneath Whitestone Castle was going. It did not. Keyleth also asked if the Sun Tree could see through the ley lines that go through Whitestone. It said it could not see beyond Whitestone. She then asked if the tree felt the influence of any other gods besides Pelor. The tree responded that Pelor and all the gods have been mostly absent for hundreds of years.^[19]

"Deadly Echoes" (1x82)[]

As Vox Machina was preparing to leave Whitestone to hunt down Raishan, they noticed that leaves had begun to sprout on the Sun Tree's branches for the first time since the defeat of the Briarwoods.^[20]

"One Year Later..." (1x95)[]

Keyleth checked in with the Sun Tree after Vox Machina came back from a Winter's Crest vacation in Marquet. She asked the tree how it has been doing and how Whitestone had been.

The tree responded that it's been doing well and morale has been good in Whitestone. It gets kind of uncomfortable when children climb into it. Keyleth offered to put a "Do Not Climb" sign up, but the tree said not to worry about it. The Sun Tree asked Keyleth how she was doing. She told the tree it was the coolest person she knew, leading to an awkward end to the conversation.^[22]

"The Chapter Closes" (1x115)[]

Keyleth took a branch from the Sun Tree, planted it in Zephrah, and embedded a raven feather from Vax's armor into the trunk. It grew into the Raven Tree of the Ashari.^[23]

"The Search For Grog" (Sx42)[]

After Grog pulled a card from the Deck of Many Things causing him to go into a catatonic state, Keyleth cast Transport via Plants to teleport herself, Percy, Pike, Scanlan, Trinket, and Vex from Whitestone to Vasselheim. As she entered the portal in the Sun Tree, Keyleth asked the Sun Tree if her casting that spell hurts it. The tree responded that it kind of tickles.^[24]

Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]

Fearne Calloway used Speak with Plants to ask the still-very-mellow Sun Tree to open a door to transport the party back to Marquet, but he told her she needed to figure out how to do that herself. He didn't remember a time when there was only one moon; there've always been two. The Tree felt "tingly" about the upcoming Apogee solstice.^[25]

Much later, Keyleth brought herself and Vex'ahlia, Grog, Pike, and Cerkonos through the tree from Vasselheim and wished him a good morning. He responded that it was good to see her.^[26]

Relationships[]

Keyleth[]

When Vox Machina first encountered the tree, Keyleth tried casting Speak with Plants, but was unsuccessful as the tree was effectively dead.^[27] Once the Briarwoods had been killed and the tree began to re-grow, Keyleth was able to use Commune with Nature to finally contact the tree.^[28] Afterward, whenever Keyleth needed to Transport via Plants in or out of Whitestone, she would pass through the Sun Tree and frequently have a brief conversation along the way. According to the tree, it feels a slight tickle when she casts that spell.^[29][30]

Appearances and mentions[]

• Campaign One
  • "The Sun Tree" (1x28), non-speaking appearance
  • "Whispers" (1x29), non-speaking appearance
  • "Stoke the Flames" (1x30), non-speaking appearance
  • "Against the Tide of Bone" (1x32), non-speaking appearance
  • "Against the Tide of Bone" (1x32), non-speaking appearance
  • "Reunions" (1x33), mentioned only
  • "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34), mentioned only
  • "Denouement" (1x35)
  • "Winter's Crest in Whitestone" (1x36), non-speaking appearance
  • "A Musician's Nostalgia" (1x37)
  • "Dangerous Dealings" (1x42), non-speaking appearance
  • "The Sunken Tomb" (1x44), non-speaking appearance
  • "Duskmeadow" (1x57)
  • "The Frigid Doom" (1x64), non-speaking appearance^[32]
  • "Trust" (1x70)
  • "Vorugal" (1x71), non-speaking appearance
  • "Path of Brass" (1x74), mentioned only
  • "The Siege of Emon" (1x78), non-speaking appearance
  • "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81), non-speaking appearance
  • "Deadly Echoes" (1x82), non-speaking appearance
  • "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83), non-speaking appearance
  • "A Bard's Lament" (1x85), non-speaking appearance
  • "Daring Days" (1x86), non-speaking appearance
  • "Jugs and Rods" (1x94), non-speaking appearance
  • "One Year Later..." (1x95)
  • "Family Matters" (1x96), non-speaking appearance
  • "Taryon, My Wayward Son" (1x97), non-speaking appearance
  • "Masquerade" (1x99), non-speaking appearance
  • "Unfinished Business" (1x100), non-speaking appearance
  • "Thar Amphala" (1x101), non-speaking appearance
  • "Elysium" (1x104), mentioned only
  • "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105), mentioned only
  • "The Chapter Closes" (1x115), non-speaking appearance
• Campaign Three
  • "A Dark Balance" (3x38)
  • "The Assembling of Legends" (3x112)
  • "A New Age Begins" (3x121), mentioned only
• Specials
  • "The Search For Grog" (Sx42)
  • "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47), non-speaking appearance
• Critical Role: Vox Machina - Stories Untold

Quotations[]

• Sunfather: (his last words to the Sun Tree) I go now to our father, Sun Tree. And in this way, I—I have always f-felt us... kindred. Siblings. I... I will give... give him your love.^[4]
• Matt: "You approach the Sun Tree; and Keyleth, you step forward."
  Keyleth: "I say, 'Hey boo. I'll see you soon.'"
  Matt: "You hear the tree silently fist bump you through its arcane connection."
  Keyleth: "You be good. You take care of you, man."
  Matt: "You hear a voice whisper in the back of your mind, 'You too, girl.'"
  Marisha: "This is the best tree of all time."^[33]
• Sun Tree (responding to Keyleth asking how it feels): "Sun Tree... A-Okay!"^[34]
• Sun Tree: "I've been here in Whitestone since day one."^[35]
• Keyleth: "You apparently kind of live in the middle of all these arcane ley lines of the world."
  Sun Tree: "Yeah . . ."
  Keyleth: "How far do those stretch?"
  Sun Tree: "Long way, Kiki. Long way."^[36]
• Sun Tree: "Keyleth, calm down. I'm happy to answer your questions invite you to my space. Just because I'm not an all-seeing tree, don't be angry with me."
  Keyleth: "I'm not angry with you, Sun Tree. I'm just frustrated with-"
  Sun Tree: "Angry in general. Just chill."
  Keyleth: "That's really easy for you to say, Sun Tree."
  Sun Tree: "Yeah it is."^[37]

Trivia[]

• The Sun Tree speaks in a slow, relaxed manner, which the cast compared to a hackey-sack-playing, marijuana-smoking, Birkenstock-wearing UC Berkeley graduate.^[38]
• In 843 PD, Laudna used her Void Puppet ability to summon Pike Trickfoot's effigy as she would have appeared hanging from the Sun Tree. Pike was not with the party in Campaign One when this scene took place and her effigy was not present there. However, in The Legend of Vox Machina, Season One, Pike was indeed present and hanged from the tree with the others.^[39][40]

References[]

Art: