Kindled

Also called Bark-born, the Kindled were born of the great forests that once covered Nel'Akhiron. They were a species of quiet, humanoid beings who possessed an unparalleled mastery of the Primordial Current, using it to grow and shape the forests into living, breathing ecosystems. Their bodies were a gnarled but beautiful, living wood, and their blood was a potent, magical Sap.   The people of Nel'Akhiron, however, saw The Kindled as a resource. The Kindled were enslaved during the Akhir Empire’s height, their sap harvested as a rare reagent for potions, enchantments, and experiments. Entire groves of their people were culled and drained. The Kindled were seen as a tool and served as slaves to the Akhir, particularly the Archomancers. Temples of dominion were built atop the forests they had once nurtured, turning sacred groves into marble halls of Archomancy. Their bones and roots literally form the foundations of Nel’Akhiron’s ruined monuments.   After the Annihilation, the Magical Bleed twisted their Current-bond, corrupting their harmony into burning torment. They are not merely husks — they are living reminders of the empire’s sins.   Now, The Kindled are a charred and broken people. The Magical Bleed did not kill them; it twisted their connection to the Primordial Current. They now exist as hollow, burned-out husks, their bodies black and brittle. Their sap has become a corrosive, volatile substance that can burn through anything it touches. They wander the ruins, their minds lost, a tragic symbol of a beautiful nature perverted by human greed. Evidence of their mistreatment can be seen everywhere: the old temples built on top of their bodies, rusted tools once used to harvest their sap, and samples of their uncorrupted blood hidden away by Archomancers.   Soul Dust fragments sometimes take on a greenish tint when collected from their corpses, as though carrying a piece of the forests they once grew.   They are led by Thrynn, the Sap-Shriven.