The Roots of Our Ancestors is among the earliest quests in Albion, where your choices actually begin to have some weight. Most of the earlier campaign decisions you make drive dialogue options, but here, your decision about a sacred tree impacts both island development and your relationship with Voada. It’s also useful to learn how branching story paths work in Anno 117, so it’s worth taking the time to grasp what each option does.
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Settling the Sacred Island
Your first step is simply settling the small forest island in the centre of the province: it’s marked on the map with a tree icon, so it’s hard to miss. Once you land, build a Trading Post and set up enough homes to attract 30 Waders. After the settlement is running, the quest shifts toward the heart of the island: the ancient grove and its sacred tree.
Choosing Between the Fanum and the Bardic Hearth
At this stage, the quest diverges. You will be queried as to whether you want to preserve the sacred tree or clear it to open up the land for development. The two key buildings represent your stance. Building a Fanum shows your intention to keep the tree, while constructing a Bardic Hearth alongside a Woodcutter signals that you plan to remove it.
Here’s a simplified view of where each path leads:
| Path | Outcome | Voada’s Reaction | Access to Mines |
| Keep the Tree | Tree remains | Pleased | Blocked |
| Capture Spies (Keep the Tree) | Tree remains | Angry | Blocked |
| Cut the Tree | Tree removed | Angry | Accessible |
It depends on whether your priority is to keep Voada happy through means of diplomacy or to have those additional land and mines. Preserve the grove if you value the former; the latter requires removing the tree.
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Keeping the Sacred Tree
Players who settle on the Fanum will have to prepare a small ritual by gathering five Pigs and then offering them at the shrine. After the ceremony starts, the Scathach show up, and you are asked how you want to receive them. Allowing them to conduct their ritual in return gives you some goodwill with Voada, though the grove remains, and you cannot access that blocked area.
Locking up the Scathach spies turns out worse: Voada becomes hostile, and you still cannot build past the tree. This path is perfect if you prefer choices with narrative or want to keep relations at peace, but it keeps part of the island permanently unusable.
Cutting the Sacred Tree
Build the Bardic Hearth, preparing the workers with either Beer or Wine, whichever you have available. Encouraged, they will cut down the sacred grove, clear the entire island, and get it ready for further development. Mine becomes available straight away, which may give you a good kickstart with your production chains.
Voada won’t be happy about this decision, but for a city-builder, it’s the best option. If you’ve accidentally chosen the Bardic Hearth and change your mind, you can later interact with the Fanum to trigger the diplomatic route, but you’ll lose the Beer or Wine spent.
Also Read: Anno 117: Pax Romana – How to Plant Trees
Which Decision Is Best?
Cutting the tree is the strongest outcome if you’re looking for efficiency and maximum expansion, since you get full access to the resources of the island. Players more invested in story consequences or in keeping regional leaders satisfied might prefer preserving the grove, but one major limitation does tag along with the decision.
