In the Outlands, those suspected of necromancy—guilty or not—were taken to the Hangman's Tree, an old rotten tree sprouting from the shell of a living trunk. The tree was designed to be relatively low and sprawling to not interfere with Legends of Aria's isometric camera angle, and to fit into the vaguely pagan horror atmosphere we were creating. The horseshoe idol is a protective symbol meant to ward off evil spirits.