Dryad

In the wild places of the world nature still has domain, the will of the land given form as dryads. These fae tend and nourish their gardens with gentle guidance, staying out of view of mortal eyes.

Dryads are the result of several nymphs who congregate in a suitable area. If a group of nymphs stay within a specific locale for an extended period of time, they may eventually become absorbed into the land itself, creating a heartstone. This magical stone contains the combined experiences, emotions and personalities of the nymphs that created it, forming a singular entity.

The combined, simple intelligences of a number of nymphs grants the dryad a human-level intellect, though especially young dryads may seem slow or naïve. Dryads can speak and solve complex problems, build relationships with mortals and empathize with mortal emotions.

Dryads, like their nymph daughters, are inherently feminine and taking on vaguely female forms. The particulars of this form vary from dryad to dryad and from their location. Dryad bodies are comprised of the material found in their territory, borrowing earth, bark, leaves and stone and shaping it into a usable body.

Technically, the dryad is not its own body, which is only an avatar to interact with the world around it. The dryad’s true form is the very land upon which its heartstone resides, its awareness extending through every inch of its territory.

Solitary by nature, dryads cannot inhabit the territory of another dryad. At best, two dryads may hold territory side by side, but they will rarely interact. This isolation leads to the dryad connecting and raising animals or playing matron for passing nymphs.

Every spring, a dryad’s heartstone will release fae magic, which drift upon the wind like dandelion seeds. If these seeds are tended to by another dryad, they will eventually become nymphs, who the dryads will protect and raise until the nymph’s wanderlust becomes too strong.

While normally shy and passive, direct threats against its land or heartstone will cause a dryad to defend itself. While a dryad may not take note of a single tree being felled or a road passing through its territory, large scale demolitions and vandalism may catch their attention.

If threatened, a dryad will attack its enemies with enough force to kill them or deter them from returning. The body it has created is often comprised of wood, stone and earth, allowing it surprising physical strength and resilience. The link between the dyrad’s land and the entity itself allows it to guide both plant and animal against any it so chooses, calling local beasts to fight or manipulating branches and vines to entangle foes. Additionally, all dryads know some measure of druidic magic, affording maneuverability and flexibility in combat.

Like all fae, dryads are susceptible to iron. Cold iron will cause a dryad’s manifested body to wither wherever it touches and a dryad cannot regrow or mend wounds sustained by cold iron unless it abandons its current body for a new one. Destroying a dryad’s body with cold iron increases the time which it takes to manifest a new body, often requiring days to rebuild a new one.

Slaying a dryad’s avatar does not kill the creature. As long as the dryad’s heartstone remains intact it will continue to construct new bodies for itself within hours. Particularly old and powerful dryads may construct multiple bodies, each acting independently of one another.

The Heartstone

When several nymphs combine their consciousness into a singular entity, they create a heartstone. A heartstone appears as a smooth, fist-size piece of amber with a viscous, sap-like liquid trapped inside. Initially inert, if the stone is touched by magic, it will glow with a golden light. If touched by cold iron, the heartstone will begin to bleed.

A dryad’s heartstone usually buried under a tree or deep within the earth, creating a consciousness approximately 250 acres in diameter, centered on the hearstone. Within this territory, the dryad is vaguely aware of all goings on, though for specifics it must focus on a particular area. The dryad can form a body anywhere within this consciousness over the course of several hours.

The heartstone itself is extremely durable, capable of surviving hammer blows, fire and heavy construction equipment. Focused magical attacks or striking the heartstone at a precise angle will cause it to shatter. If the heartstone is shattered, the dryad dies.

A heartstone can be removed from the earth and the dryad is capable of continued action and consciousness. When removed, the dryad’s consciousness does not move with the heartstone and if the stone is taken outside the limits of its original territory, the dryad falls unconscious. If the heartstone is placed in a new location, within the earth, the dryad’s consciousness will reawaken and extend itself across a new 250 acres of territory.

Artwork by Tomis-JB

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