A Mont ni a Pyto

A Mont ni a Pyto, The Tree of Strength, (for short just A Mont, The Tree), is a great tree standing alone upon a hill riddled with caves. The exact size of A Mont is not known, as all who have seen it (and there are not many who haven’t) say differently. By all accounts, it takes at least 10 grown Pecks with outstretched arms to encircle it, but some have said that 15 Mors would not have been enough, so big it was in there eyes. Despite A Mont’s legendary width, its branches and the fruit they bear are all within easy reach. On the trunk, there are 22 holes, one for each god, each around the size of a Peck. The bark appears smooth, but the few who have touched it declare that there are carvings, to fine for the naked eye, that adorn each of the gods’ holes. These claims are not reliable, as all who touch the bark lose their minds immediately. A Mont is the home of the gods, and they reside inside the tree, and are a part of it. The trunk is holy, the very essence of its dwellers, but the leaves and the fruit are a part of the gods that they willingly give to any who seek it. The bark is a light grey color; the leaves are wide, around a finger in length, and dark bluish green on one side, a lighter shade on the other. The fruit is a silvery blue, fist-sized and tear shaped. There are multiple seeds in the center of the fruit.

Seeds
During a Peck's third year, on a special holiday, he goes with his family to A Mont, and alone approaches the tree and eats a fruit off it. He carefully saves the seeds, and stores them in a wooden locket worn around his neck from the day he was born. The locket was made by his father (or a father’s brother, father, or any other male from the father’s line), and is adorned by a simple design carved in the wood: two birds in flight, one light and one dark, their beaks touching: the symbol of Tosai, god of life and death. The seeds symbolize the strength of mind of the Peck, if he has a large amount of seeds, he will be able to understand deeply what a Peck with less seeds will barely grasp. The amount of seeds in a Peck’s locket is a secret, and none know the number until the Peck is dead. When a Peck first sees the tree and gets his seeds, he is also given his name, and from there he starts counting his years. A Peck without his seeds is not a complete Peck, and is cared for by his family, but not thought of as a complete person, with no unique personality.

A Monti ni a Torth
When a Peck dies, a family member removes the locket from his neck, and burns all the seeds but one in a sacred fire. This fire uses flowers as fuel, and is kept burning by a Speck in the village. The remaining seed is buried next to the head of the dead Peck, and during the next three years grows into a small version of A Mont, but bearing no fruit, with white bark and black leaves. After three years, the tree stays as it is, not growing, and not moving: not even the strongest winds can move a leaf of A Monti ni a Torth, The Trees of the Dead. No one has ever touched these trees, for when you come near them; there is a sudden urge to get as far away as possible.