Hamadryad

As a dryad ages, the heartstone that makes up its being slowly breaks down. Over the course of centuries, the dryad integrates itself into its territory until the heartstone disintegrates entirely. The spirit merges with a single tree and the hamadryad is born. This entity is the pinnacle of what it means to be a dryad, merged entirely with nature and the land.

The hamadryad retains all memories and thoughts it had as a dryad, but the expanding of its awareness allows it a greater perspective and intelligence. Their lifespan and greater reasoning affords most hamadryads a great deal of wisdom, which they are reluctant to share with strangers.

Despite their age, hamadryads still possess a maiden-like personality, enjoying games, mischief and coyness. Yet their newly developed emotional maturity grants them a demand for respect, a sense of importance and a sensuality not found in dryads. This combination of youthful appeal and mature wisdom produces a regal figure; the forest’s princess.

The greater capacity for intelligence and emotion comes at a cost, however. While dryads are pure and innocent of the world around them, only lashing out in defense or through corruption, a hamadryad may choose to be malicious. Offending a hamadryad can create a spiteful, wicked response that turns a forest from a peaceful refuge to a nightmarish, dark wood.

No two hamadryads are the same in appearance. No longer bound by animated bodies, hamadryads are capable of fully expressing themselves to the mortal world. The spirit appears as a young, beautiful woman with vaguely human proportions. However, a hamadryad reflects their territory in their appearance in unique ways. They may be clothed in foliage’s or flowers, their skin may be of any shade of leaf or frond within their land and their eyes may shine like golden amber or hold the warmth of ripe apples. Wheat gold hair may cascade from their head, or leaves that change from green to red in autumn to black in winter or may be both, with flowers budding within their locks.

When it chooses to engage in battle, a hamadryad is a frightfully powerful foe. Their awareness and oneness with their territory allows it unparalleled knowledge of positions and movements, their ability to manifest at will makes them immune to conventional weaponry and their expanded knowledge grants them greater druidic powers and spells. Only cold iron can inflict serious harm upon a hamadryad and even if its spirit is dispersed, it will return so long as its tree survives.

Unlike dryads, hamadryads can leave their territory. However, doing so poses a great risk to the spirit, as leaving their territory severs their connection to the land. Without this connection, the hamadryad cannot monitor their heart-tree, which opens it up to attack.

Hamadryads are usually found in centuries old forests. Sometimes they can be transplanted to newer areas but only if their tree is moved in its entirety to a new location.

The Heart-Tree

A heart-tree is the chosen vessel for a hamadryad’s spirit. Should the hamadryad perish, it will be restored within its heart-tree within minutes. Only by killing the tree will the hamadryad lose this ability to regenerate. Cutting into a heart-tree with cold iron will cause significant pain to the hamadryad and will normally produce an immediate and hostile response.

Heart-trees usually grow exceptionally large and lush, fueled by the powerful spirit tied to it. The tree pulses with magic and shines like a beacon in the astral realm, a bastion of fey power. Even the sap, bark and leaves of a heart-tree have mystical properties.

A hamadryad can displace their spirit to a new tree, however this takes several days of uninterrupted spellcasting and effort. After this ritual, the spirit becomes weakened and normally hibernates for a season to recuperate.

The heart-tree confers the same range of awareness and control as a dryad’s hearstone; 250 acres.

Artwork by Tomis-JB

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