Scaling the Wardrobe from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

 

Recently in one of my blogs, I scaled Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. That blog recieved this fragment from one of its comments

"you actually made the Narnia verse sound extremely Awesome and OP, which you did before talking about the Witch, and now you did again with the Jesus Lion, (I Expect the Wardrobe next :P)"

And of course all I can say in response is:

So for those who only know of the films, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the second of seven novels making up the book series "The Chronicles of Narnia" in terms of in-universe chronological order. The first novel features the creation of Narnia and the dimension-traveling journeys of Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer. After their adventure in Narnia, Digory took home with him an apple from one of the Silver Apple Trees, an apple from the tree of protection, which he uses to heal his sick mother.

Digory plants the apple core in his backyard, which grows itself into a mighty and beautiful tree, that accompanies Digory through his years. Eventually the tree would be felled by a storm and Digory, unable to bear the prospect of it being chopped up for firewoord commissioned it to be turned into a majestic wardrobe in his home. When Digory took in 4 children for their safety during the blitz on London, they discovered the wardrobe served as a portal to Narnia, setting up the second novel chronologically. 

The wardrobe takes on technically 3 states in the series; the original apple, the tree, and the wardrobe, the first two intrinsically connected.

The tree form is directly one of the silver apple trees, a magical species of trees, native to the Garden of Youth. These trees bore shining silvery apples of incredible beauty, to such an extent that all other colours, even sunlight, faded in comparison and it seemed as if a window had been opened to Heaven. They also had an even more pronounced smell, described as breathtaking, almost irresistable. 

These apples had a magical effect. Whoever ate one would be given their heart's greatest desire, but with a single caveat, a trap for all those of wicked intent who sought them, as the apples would not happily serve anyone who plucked them to serve their own will. If someone selfishly plucked an apple for the plucker's own desire it would cause their hearts greatest desire to materialize but in a way abhorrent to them, as well as a horrid aversion to the divine smell of the apples. Only one who plucks an apple for someone else could truly use the power of the apples without restriction. The White Witch consumed one of the apples to gain immortality, and it turned her heart miserable for all her immortal days, turning her skin as white as salt to eternally scar her beauty and mark her enemy. She was kept out of Narnia for 900 years because the presence of a single Silver Apple Tree's smell in the nation was so repulsive and reached her so far away. When that tree finally died and she conquered Narnia, she caused an endless winter so that no more Silver Apple Trees could grow. The Silver Apple trees in general warded off evil, as when a single one, the Tree of Protection grew in Narnia, it caused no enemy of Narnia to attack it in the whole 900 years of its lifespan with the divine scent of its magical fruits.

When the wardrobe was one of those trees on Earth, its magical presence was diminished due to the lesser magic of Earth compared to Narnia, but it always remembered deep in its sap where it came from and it would sometimes swap as though there was wind where there was none. After being turned into a wardrobe, the inside of it would sometimes become a portal to Narnia. Presumably this ability could be accessed somehow even in original tree form as its unlikely it just gained this power from being turned into a wardrobe.

Name: The Silver Apple Trees

Origin: The Chronicles of Narnia

Powers and Abilities: Magic, Supernatural Beautical Sight and Smell, Light Creation (The Silver Apples produce their own light), Reality-Warping (The Silver Apples can grant the hearts deepest desire, though in a form the user despairs at if plucked selfishly), Warding, Likely Portal Creation

Weaknesses: As a tree, is capable of limited action or locomotion, magic potency depends on the magic level of the world it's in.

Range: Country-Scale (A single one warded and protected all of Narnia, Jadis was stated to not be able to go 100 miles within one)

Durability: Presumably Wall Level (large trees typically require this level of energy to break all at once)

So what would happen if a normal Silver Apple Tree, like the Wardrobe at peak was placed in other verses?

In the Marvel Universe, the Silver Apple Tree would absolutely mess things up. Because magic is formed in Marvel of universal energies and extra-dimensional sources, the Silver Apple Tree would likely get a massive power boost, being such a magically potent verse. 

If the Silver Apple Tree grew somewhere on Earth 616, it would turn a country+ region completely safe from evils just from its passive ward. While its not clear exactly who it wards against, even just the usual supervillain being warded would be a huge boon to the heroes of the region. And there are numerous characters with a supernaturally strong will and moral center that could use the reality-warping powers of the Silver Apple Trees for good. While the tree would have to be kept from the civilian populace by SHIELD or a similar organization so they don't accidentally curse themselves, overall it would provide an immense advantage for the heroes of the universe.

However Marvel also has a lot of "villains" who are morally ambigious in their evil that might be able to get through the ward, particularly those that don't seek general havoc or selfish ends but ones who seek the greater good even through immoral acts, wholly selfless if misguided such as Venom or Magneto, both of whom might be able to avoid the ward. I could also humorously see Dr. Doom planting it in Latveria as another mystical ward to protect his nation.

In the DC Universe, the Silver Apple Tree would probably fit in signifigantly better. Magic may or may not amp the Silver Apple Tree as magic in DC sort of exists in the universe, but really exists primarily in the Godsphere, the conceptual realm "above" the DC universe.

Because low-level reality-warping magic is far more common in DC, the reality-warping potential of the Apples would be a boon to be sure, but not as notable, and there are far more magical antagonists that could counterspell a magical ward. On the other hand DC has just as many, if not arguable more characters with feats of extreme willpower and moral selflessness given the more archetypal nature of its superheroes.

Most likely I can see one of the mystical sub-races of the DC Earth taking the Silver Apple Tree for safekeeping such as the Homo Magi taking it to one of the hidden cities, or the Amazons taking it to Themyscira...probably not the Atlanteans since the Tree doesn't have feats suggesting it can persist underwater. Afterwards the Tree would become another fairly powerful magic locuses similar to several other sacred trees around the world.

In the Lord of the Rings-verse, the Silver Apple Tree's power would depend on what era it grows in, as magic wanes in the world with the ages. If it had the power it did while in Narnia it would be an immense advanage against the forces of Melkor, as it's influence would be able to spread over a very large section of Middle-Earth, greating warding the passage of the enemy.

What might be particularly helpful is in-universe there are a few, though not many, people who can speak the secret language of trees and should thus be able to communicate with the Silver Apple Tree which is described in semi-sentient language at times, and can thus learn its rules and nature for usage. Sauron would likely be able to just go into hiding until the tree dies of old age, as he has patiently done before during times disadvantageous to him and which Jadis did in Narnia, though for a time Middle-Earth would be free from the Necromancer's influence. 

One thing I'd be curious to see is which temptation is stronger between the Silver Apples and the One Ring. My guess is that because the Silver Apples are described as an immediatly overwhelming beauty, almost irresistable but whose temptation is meant to be resisted by the noble, while the ring's influence is subtle at first starting with self-justifying corrupting thoughts, the Silver Apples temptation is stronger at first but the Ring's grow with time and would eventually be greater.

In the Harry Potter-verse, the Silver Apple Tree's mystic ward might be extremely helpful depending on how well you think the Death Eaters and similar dark wizards would be able to resist the mystic ward created by it. If they can't at all, than the Tree would single-handedly protect all of Britain from the dark wizards as well as immediatly identify all the hidden members of Voldemort's forces.

Its likely the Ministry of Magic would put the tree in the Department of Mysteries, a giant storage space for powerful unexplained magics that the Ministry is investigating for usages though the Silver Apples, while dangerous, don't provide too much that the verse can't already magic up unless the reality-warping effect is really strong. If it was on Hogwarts space, its portal creation might useful as a way to teleport while in Hogwarts, something usually impossible but its warding effect is by far the most notable.

Narnia is a massive Christian analogy, so why not? In the Divine Comedy, the Silver Apple Tree probably couldn't naturally grow in the Inferno as a major theme of the Commedia is the lack of potential and fertility in sin while good is creative, that said if it was brought into the Inferno it would cause a huge push forcing all the Shades away. It couldn't cover the whole of the Inferno as the Inferno stretches from the surface of the ground to the center of the Earth while the Silver Apple Tree "only" stretches a country-wide distance. If it was put there in its wardrobe form and a shade went through its portal form, they could hypothetically temporarily escape from the Inferno but they wouldn't have much they could do as they certainly couldn't ascend Purgatorio. They could maybe go around possessing people as demons do to those who have already forfeited their souls, or being a spooky ghost that tells the future, but when the greyhound chases the leopard, she-wolf, and lionness through every city of the world, it would also presumably send the shade back into the Inferno.

If put into the Purgatorio its ward would extend the same proportion as Purgatory is equal in size to Hell, and the repetent may or may not be warded away depending on how the ability works, but eventually they would reach ascension and get past it. The ascended and probably the repetent could also resist the temptation.