Dryads
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dryads appear to be standard elves or fey, except that they possess tree-like qualities: their skin appears wooden and their hair looks like foliage.
Genetics and Reproduction
Widely accepted studies about dryad physiology state that they can only be created when a fey spirit is bound to a tree; however, some people claim that dryads are capable of creating a new dryad through their trees, despite having no scientific or arcane evidence to back it up.
Growth Rate & Stages
Dryads don't appear to age unless something negatively impacts the health of the tree they're bound to.
Ecology and Habitats
Dryads are bound to a specific tree, and must remain in the vicinity of that tree in order to remain healthy.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dryads require water, sunlight, and some basic nutrients in order to survive.
Biological Cycle
The coloration of most dryads, particularly those not bound to evergreens, varies with their bound tree throughout the seasons.
Additional Information
Social Structure
It's not clear whether dryads have any unified society to speak of, but it does appear that they have local social structures and customs based on their surroundings.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Trees inhabited by dryads tend to possess more arcane and physical resilience than a normal tree, which makes their would extremely valuable.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dryads tend to exist in higher concentrations in heavily forested areas; the southern part of Archaeon, therefore, is where most of the continent's dryads live.
Average Intelligence
Dryads are as intelligent as an average humanoid.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Dryads possess low-light vision superior to most humanoids.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Some researchers claim that the relationship between dryads and their trees are best characterized as a symbiosis between the two, as the tree provides life energy, nutrients, and shelter to the dryad, while the dryad protects the tree. However, this is not a widely accepted view.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dryads tend to have names of Elvish or Sylvan origin, or are named after the trees that they inhabit.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Most dryads are capable of speech, and many know Elvish, Sylvan, and Common.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
In times of need, a conclave of dryads may select one of their number to undergo the rites to become a Seeker, a dryad who may move beyond their home territory. The rites, if performed incorrectly, are dangerous, and the Seeker must always carry a seed of their home tree on their person in order to remain healthy.
Common Myths and Legends
There are a variety of stories about the origin of the dryads. The most wide-spread one says that they are the result of the fusion of fey spirits with trees in the First or Dawn Age, while the world was still relatively young. Another, less widely-known theory postulates that dryads were originally created from the spirits of elf heretics as a form of punishment before the fall of their empire. Yet another says that the first dryad was a lover of Melora, who couldn't bear to be parted from them by death, so she bound their spirit to a tree.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Dryads are held to be mysterious, if not dangerous, by most societies. Of all of the races of Archaeon, wood elves tend to hold dryads in the highest esteem, often seeking their aid or guidance, while the high elves tend to look upon them with disdain.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Fey
Lifespan
Dryads may live as long as their trees, and some can even persist for a short time after their tree's demise.
Average Height
4-6 feet
Average Physique
Dryads tend to be slender, but some pick up traits from the tree they are bound to.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments